--RF Austin Kearns went 1-for-4 with a run, but his defensive miscues had a hand in the Nationals' loss on Friday night. He made two diving attempts in the sixth inning, and when both of them got away from him, the Mets were able to produce a run in their 4-3 win. "We like the way Kearns goes about his business," manager Manny Acta said of Kearns' dive on Carlos Beltran's triple. "That's a play where we appreciate that he wanted to play hard, but he knows better than that, and that's one of the mistakes that cost us."
--RHP Jason Bergmann, making his first appearance of the 2009 season, didn't last long on Friday night against the Mets. Bergmann, who was called up from Class AAA Syracuse (N.Y.) last Sunday, threw just seven of his 22 pitches for strikes, walking the bases loaded with the Nationals down 3-1 in the seventh inning. --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.
--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.
