--RHP Garrett Mock could be establishing himself as one of the Nationals' new setup men. Recalled from Class AAA Syracuse on Monday, Mock has been used in the eighth inning of tight ballgames in each of Washington's last two games. Originally a starter when he came up through the minors, Mock was converted to a reliever late last season. The Nationals think the hard-throwing right-hander could be successful in that role because he still possesses a starter's repertoire, with three quality pitches, and is equally capable of getting right-handed hitters and left-handed hitters out.
--1B Nick Johnson has been enjoying life as a No. 2 hitter. Since being bumped up to the 2-hole by manager Manny Acta on April 16, Johnson is batting .464 (13-for-28). Acta has always liked the idea of the smooth-swinging, patient first baseman as a No. 2 hitter but until now felt he couldn't afford to remove Johnson from the heart of his order because of a lack of power hitters. --Acting general manager Mike Rizzo said April 19 that despite the Nationals getting off to a poor start, he still believes manager Manny Acta is doing a good job. "I support Manny Acta, and so does the organization, as manager. He's a good young manager, and I think he's handled this ballclub great," Rizzo said.
BY THE NUMBERS: 3 -- Ninth-inning leads the Nationals blew in a three-game weekend series with the Florida Marlins. Twice, closer Joel Hanrahan gave up game-tying home runs. Hanrahan rested April 19 after having pitched three games in a row, and Saul Rivera allowed a game-tying double to John Baker.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "There are plenty of guys in Triple-A, and we're not going to stop. We're going to make it better, somehow, some way. We're not going to stay here all season with the same guys going down every single day." -- Nationals manager Manny Acta, on the team retooling its bullpen after Washington's 7-4 loss to Florida on April 19.
