There is a pattern here: when the Nats get hitting, they can’t seem to get pitching; and when they get pitching, their bats go silent. That pattern seemed particularly pertinent on Saturday, as the Nats frustrations with the lumber reached epic proportions — or perhaps it was the pitching of Chicago righty Jake Peavy. South Side Jake held Nats’ bats to just three hits, leading our home town nine to their fifth straight loss in a 1-0 skunking at Nationals Park. Peavy was absolutely masterful, better than he’s been since coming to Chicago in last year’s trade for young pitchers and the best he’s been for several years. Peavy threw 107 pitches, 71 for strikes. The closest the Nats came to scoring was in the 1st and the 9th, but the Nats left a runner stranded at second both times, squandering an opportunity to score.

The Nats’ nominee for futility infielder went to Ryan Zimmerman, who struck out four times against the Big Shoulder, who pitched his first complete game of the season. “Today I don’t know if Peavy beat me. He practically kicked my ass. But it’s going to happen,” Zimmerman said after the game. The Nats are now officially in a team slump: their internet site notes that the team has scored only 11 runs in the last five games — and struck out 51 times. Only Adam Dunn seems to be hitting the ball squarely. But it’s hard to blame the Nats for Saturday’s loss: Peavy looked like the Cy Young contender he was in San Diego. “It was pretty fun,” Peavy said. The White Sox are on a five game winning streak, and are 7-1 over their last eight games. They are only one game under .500 — putting them within striking distance of the division leading Minnesota Twins.

The Nats took two of three from the Brewers, and might have swept the series — but for the Nat’s starting pitching. Even so, trailing by ten after the first inning in their third game match-up, the Nats made a contest of it on Sunday, pressing the Brewers’ relief corps and sending Milwaukee reeling into Pittsburgh (which, considering the resurgence of the Ahoys, is not necessarily good news). The Nats might not fare so well against the Colorado Rockies, who send Aaron Cook to the mound tonight at Nationals Park to face off against Washington starter Craig Stammen.

The Rockers are one of the four elite teams of the National League — on the same level as the Phillies, McCoveys and Red Birds. There’s a reason for that: they’re just plumb full of pitching. The talent doesn’t stop with no-hitter hero Ubaldo Jimenez. Aaron Cook, Jorge De La Rosa, Jason Hammel and Greg Smith round out a solid rotation, which can only get better. If Jeff Francis successfully completes a rehab of his left shoulder, the Rockies could have the best pitching staff in the game. Indeed, there was a time when first sacker and slugger Todd Helton defined the team, but no more. The face of the Colorado franchise is now a bevy of solid starters capable of shutting down any NL team. So, just think how good they’ll be if Jeff Francis returns.

Of course that’s a huge “if.” The Rockies have been hit hard by pitching injuries: in addition to Francis (who, for a time, might have been considered one of the best starters in the game), the Rockies are missing savvy closer Huston Street (the pay-off Oakland made for giving up Matt Holliday), who is on the 15 day DL with a tweeky right shoulder. The Rockies need Street; closer-designate Franklin Morales has blown back-to-back saves, the most recent a heart-wrenching 4-3 loss at Atlanta that followed a dramatic last-inning loss to the (gulp) Mets. If the Rockies don’t have Street (and Colorado bloggers — like Purple Row — have been speculating that he might be down for more than April), they’re in trouble. But given his return, and the overpowering front-line of Ubaldo Jimenez, Aaron Cook and the emotional, if effective, Jorge De La Rosa (whose last half of ’09 was stunning), the Rockies are the team-to-beat in the NL West. And that’s true despite the out-of-body fear that most teams face when they play Tim Lincecum’s Giants.

On the day that Mike Rizzo shed the title “acting,” the Washington Nationals dropped their third straight to the Colorado Rockies, scoring only eight runs in the three game series. The Nats’ quiet bats took second spot to Rizzo’s reclamation, a “just dues” naming of a man who had recast the Nats floundering Dominican scouting infrastructure, stepped in for humiliated G.M. Jim Bowden, traded head-case Lasting Milledge for the team’s regular centerfielder, revamped the Nats embarrassing bullpen, replaced manager Manny Acta with interim manager Jim Riggleman, and signed baseball’s first overall pick, Stephen Strasburg. Rizzo was named G.M. on the basis of his work as interim G.M., a source with the ballclub said on Thursday.

Team president Stan Kasten had nothing but praise for Rizzo: “In March, we had the turmoil that we had,” Kasten said. “We asked Mike to step in, and every job that needed [to be] done got handled flawlessly. Since that time, all Mike has done is gain respect from everyone in our organization, all the fans in D.C. and baseball people throughout the country.” What may well be Rizzo’s most important accomplishment will be on display on Friday, as first overall pick Stephen Strasburg appears at Nationals Park to answer questions from fans and reporters. On Thursday, Rizzo outlined the goals that he had for the team in his new position: “We understand that we have a young talented rotation,” Rizzo said. “We need an anchor at the top, some type of veteran starting pitcher. My philosophy is speed and defense, especially up the middle — have your big bats in the corners. We are going to take that into account. We have to stabilize a bullpen that has not performed up to standard.”

The good news on Rizzo did not help the Nats against the Rockies on Thursday night. Despite Garrett Mock’s solid outing (five innings, 3 hits and eight strikeouts), the Nats were outdueled by Colorado starter Jason Hammel, who gave the Rockies seven innings of three-hit ball. Colorado’s scoring was once again led by Rockies’ rookie Carlos Gonzalez — who was particularly effective against the Nats during the three game series. The Rockies head home to face the San Francisco Giants, with whom they are tied in the race for the NL Wild Card spot.

Garrett Mock was solid on Thursday (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)