43. his batting average for this month is nearing .400. >> rob: and his game calling has gotten steadily better, the more reps he is getting out there. so it is not just the offense that has improved. it is working with these pitchers, wil nieves and you have to. when you starting catcher goes down like a jesus flores with the broken bone in his shoulder injury, somebody has to step up and take over the pitching staff. and our two guys have. >> jim: and their e.r.a., when you talk about the nats, it is down almost two runs, a little more than two runs since april and may as star as -- far as the starters. anytime you can have a starting staff, especially a young one, you're going to win some ballgames. >> bob: and i think our staff, jim sjust so happy to look at the major league stat sheet and see somebody else, in this case, cleveland wa higher

e.r.a. >> jim: we're routing for them, too. >> bob: you're second worst to them. >> jim: yes. >> bob: cleveland 5.23 and the o's 5.06. but at least now the nationals know somebody else is struggling more mightily than they have. >> jim: yes, but i don't want to get you depressed, bob. it is bob, isn't it? yes, bob. okay okay. [ laughter ] but you don't have the d.h. over there all the time. >> bob: of course we don't. >> jim: so there's a difference. i don't want you to get too -- >> bob: you're not taking the air out of my balloon. >> jim: not with that red slighter on, i'm not. >> bob: no, sir! so josh bard is on base again. the thing i didn't mention about bard is on-base average in june, it is about .480 now with that walk and here is willie harris who walked his first time. one ball, one strike. rob talked about willy hitting a .238, but he has hit safely in five of his last six games at a .333 clip and he has hit a

couple of home runs. you make a mistake and he can drive it to right field. 2-1. and this is a great ballpark for left-handed hitter whose can pull. >> jim: and even if you go the other way. >> bob: it is not a very deep gap as you mentioned earlier. 318 to the scoreboard. willy does turn on one, but he hooks it foul. >> jim: and it is a very slow infield that has gotten progressively faster. and that helps the hitters. the orioles did come in leading the american league in batting average of .300, but a very slow infield early on and -- >> bob: now you say progressively faster, is that weather related or by design? >> jim: i think if you talk about how slow it is enough, eventually it gets as fast as some of the other ballparks you play in. >> bob: we've heard rumors of some parks that are about to get slotter actually and willie harris takes that one for a strike and the nationals are gone in the top the fourth. they've left four.

it is a 1-1 game after three and a half. you cash... yeah to help with everyday bills like gas, the mortgage... ...and groceries. it's like insurance for daily living. so...what's it called? uhhhhh aflaaac!!!! oh yeah! that's it! aflac. we've got you under our wing. a-a-a-aflaaac! times may be tough today, but the things we all look forward to haven't changed. like owning a home. watching our children grow. and retiring with confidence. so whatever you're looking forward to, m&t bank is here to help you get there. m&t bank. understanding what's important.

try chili's new fire-grilled quesadillas, starting at $6.99. flame-grilled tortillas layered with chicken, bacon, cheese, and ranch. crispy on the outside, melted perfection on the inside. new fire-grilled quesadillas. only at chili's. >> bob: tonight's beltway series on masn brought to you by swefs airlines. book your next trip at southwest.com. by bud light, with just the right taste, it never fills you up. the difference is drinkability. and by acura. ac rase, advance. a great setting for a ballpark and a great night for baseball. some threatened weather toward the end of the day has held

off. we actually had sunshine a little while ago and a great view in from center field. 1-1, the bottom of the fourth. aubrey huff, nolan reimold and luke scott for the orioles. 50 pitches, 33 strikes so far for ross detwiler, and a first pitch breaking ball misses. >> jim: i don't know how many young pitchers, and i saw the numbers, he is throwing, what, 53% for strike ? that is a high percentage for pitchers. >> bob: yes. he got that ball up a little bit and despite being in on the handle, aubrey huff lines it up the middle. a sack fly earlier. so aubrey is off to a good start tonight. he has 48 rbi's. >> jim: bob, that's what we were talking about. you get a young pitcher and the minute he falls behind, you can look for the fastball. and even if you don't get a perfect pitch to hit, you're quicker because he is looking for it. i don't knowive orioles will be

off and running, but that's what they want and that's obviously what ross detwiler doesn't want. >> bob: here is reimold and a first pitch changeup for a strike. >> jim: there is your scouting report. reimold is very disciplined agood fastball hitter, a good hanging breaking ball hitter. he doesn't huck the hanging breaking ball like a lot of young hitters. he attacks it. he throws him a first pitch changeup. and a good one. >> rob: and i like that sequence because now you throw the 83 and you speed it back up to 29. you just have to locate the fastball a little better. >> jim: he threw what i call the zoom ball. i used to throw a lot of those when i was first coming up. a little bit out of control. >> bob: he lines it to the wall in left. aubrey huff heading for third. the ball is fumbled by willing lamb and the orioles will take the lead! they could give willingham an error for not handling that

ball cleanly. i believe huff was set to stop at third, but then he was waif waved home. >> jim: he stopped him, and the minute he thought, nobody out, you better be sure and juan does a nice job. there is your second changeup. he started him off with it and there is the bobble you talked about, bob. and he stopped him and then he said go negotiation negotiation. >> rob: a nice scouting are report, by the way, on reimold. that changeup up in the zone and he smoked it. >> bob: i think he is going to be a terrific player. his numbers stacking up better than any rookie in the league right now. here is luke scott. it bounced back to the pitcher the first time. >> rob: i would think with reimold, you'd want to keep it down low, and in. >> jim: he can hit the ball all over. it sounds a little bit like ryan zimmerman. >> bob: they called it just as we saw it, double and e.-7, no rbi's. >> rob: now you have to minimize damage. you have to get luke scott, pop

him up, strike him out. you have to stop this big inning from happening right now. >> jim: and luke should be trying to hit from the left side, to make it easier for melvin mora who is, what, 150- some at-bats without a home run. a fly ball can score a run. the little thins, to me, when you watch detwiler and bergesen go at it, it doesn't look like it is going to be a high- scoring game unless the bullpens implode. it is the little things, situational hitting. you get the first guy out. bergesen is not certainly at the top of his game, but through the first four that has somewhat kept the nats in control. >> bob: two balls and a strike and a good fastball out on the half to even the count. >> rob: another thing i have noticed with our staff, jim sa guy will hit your best pitch and it will be a jam slot and they'll g away from it.

oh, he hit that. sometimes you make great pitches, but they get paid to hit it. you can't give up on it. >> bob: i think steve is going to change that. >> jim: because of his basic philosophy coming it of oakland. >> bob: and another line drive. reimold around third. samwell will hold him. elijah dukes has eight outfield assists this year, and the orioles have a rally going with two singles around a double and an error. it will be first and third, nobody out, for melvin mora. >> rob: jim made the point earlier on huff, you've got to get those pitches in, and even on nick markakis, you know, if you don't get it in far enough, they're going to let it. you might even jam them. you have to be able to locate it in and under their happens, and that is two lefty this is inning that have gotten base hits on jam shots and singles on fastballs. >> jim: there is aubrey huff and he is having a nice night tonight. and steve talked about again not calling pitches. he said, listen, i was a young

pitcher and played for billy pleater and i made a lot of mistakes. he said not only that, the adversity that goes with it when you make those mistakes. so i'm going let them learn on their own. he likes their arms, likes their make-up. there you go. this is -- it is almost like you want to work for state farm because you have to be an adjuster. you get them out the first time, and the second time, and then they're making adjustments. you're just learning how and what you need to do. >> bob: i think a lot of that goes to what rob talked about earlier. our pitchers up until recently they were tipping their entire hand, their entire repertoire that first time through. here is melvin mora, washington in double play depth. that ball into right center in front of dukes, and baltimore will lead 3-1. ross detwiler got the ball up in the first inning. he kept it down in the second and the third, but the orioles are flairing line drives off of him right now. >> jim: and elijah dukes takes one of the drop steps. he didn't get a good read.

i think we'll see the x-mo here. you can see it down on the end of the bat. >> rob: and even when his right hand came off of the bat, so he has no power. >> jim: he takes a step back and by the time he got to the ball, reimold scores to make it 3-1. >> rob: you talked about that, throwing it out there on markakis' infield single. i say the same thing when it comes in. you throw it in the outfield perfectly and nobody can catch it. that was one of those. >> jim: rob, you know as well as i do burt of good pitching is playing defense. mat wieters -- matt wieters. e he is a double play candidate. he has hit into three of them already. in his first 20 major league games. >> rob: the one thing we saw with the red sox when they did this to our staff, their hitters are so disciplined, they'll take a single before a strikeout. whether it was one of their big

power guys or pedroia, they're playing situational baseball and right know the orioles are beating the nationals at it. >> bob: joel hanrahan, twice the closer and twice getting ready for a possible long relief appearance here. >> jim: well, the three teams with the highest on-base percentage with tampa bay, which are leading the american league and national league in runs, the red sox are two and the yankees number three. their philosophy, and i think all good hitting teams, is that, hey, if you don't want to pitch to me, i'll let the other guy pick me up. i'll go to down to first base and take the base on ball. >> bob: 3-1. >> jim: the one number, and you talked about it early, is the fact that, again, not a lot of run support, but the e.r.a. very good at home. and we talk about detwiler, over eight runs? >> rob: on the road in the two starts. >> jim: and that happens because he has only gone four and five innings in those two starts. >> bob: not annual to get over

the top of the fastball at all and the bases are loaded and nobody out, and the orioles have a chance to put a huge number on the board this inning. down to the number nine man who we know from his days in florida, robert andino. here you are. >> jim: there are the numbers. >> bob: you've walked a rookie batting eighth twice. >> jim: it is just not a normal rookie, though. >> bob: we know that. >> jim: and you have to get to another rookie, who has actually played very well since the izturis appendectomy. he chases ball one, and -- >> bob: after a walk. >> jim: that's all right, as long -- it is great with the bases loaded. the bases are full of orioles, but the fastball, make it a strike. i always thought if a guy was going to swing at balls, that's pretty much what you throw him. if they make you swing at strikes, your job becomes more difficult as a pitcher. >> rob: once again on the three

across his body, he is starting to fly out, leaf his arm back and it is dragging through for balls away from right-handed hitters. >> jim: don't you think there is a tendency when you're only 23 in your eighth major league start you lose your rhythm? >> rob: without a doubt. i said this yesterday, your mind starts rushing. all of the thoughts come to you. i can't believe i'm in the bases loaded, no recounts, i'm already down two runs. how am i going to get out of it instead a veteran pitcher will slow the pace of the game down and try to get everything under control. >> bob: i haven't seen him throw a strike with a fastball below the belt in this inning. >> jim: but he has himself at least in a count where he can get out of some damage. >> bob: 1-2. breaking ball hit to zimmerman. home for one. and first for the double play 5- 2-3. >> jim: u so how did you get do

that count? you swung at a lot of balls and then he make as great pitch. you talk about the curve ball, there is a good one. not a great call -- >> rob: not a great throw a great job by bard on that play. >> bob: that's been ryan zimmerman's m.o. this year. when he has a lot of time this make a throw, he'll grip it with just about every finger in his hand and throw changeups all over the infield. when he is in a hurry he is maybe the best throwing third base at his age you'll ever see. so it is second and third, two outs now. top of the order, brian roberts and detwiler oddly enough has struck him out twice. >> rob: i want to ask him, strikeout count, 1-2 count, he still left that pitch up in the zone. maybe afraid as a young guy to jam that into the dirted? >> jim: probably a little bit, yeah. it is always devil to pitch with the bases loaded. right here, if you look at brian roberts, you know what you need to do to get him out, but can you, the third time through the order, and you saw

the numbers, execute your pitches. >> rob: you struck him out twice looking. >> jim: the two best teams in major league baseball, as far as northwesterly the ballgame rthe nationals, number one, and number one, two, three hitters and then the orioles. even though you're facing them here in the fourth inning -- >> bob: and a bouncer to short. guzman has to deal with the runner and detwiler actually does a good job of getting out of the jam. one rbi in the inning. melvin mora with a line drive base hit, and the o's lead the nats 3-1. 

>> bob: here is anderson hernandez who leads off the top of the fifth. >> jim: i will not bring it up when i run into him. >> jim: it is -- >> bob: it is a memorable

family. i remember the day he got traded to the cubs. >> jim: not that well because you forgot about the 200 runs, bob. >> bob: the same day joe torre got fired in st. louis. how is that for a day? you trade your third baseman to the cubs and fire your manager. >> jim: whose fault was it? i guess it was both. >> gary: an organization guy took over the team until mr. larussa arrived the following year. 1-2 to mr. anderson and he takes a fastball up and in. coming into this inning, brad bergesen, 70 pitches in four innings of work. he has stopped washington. one run on four hits. neither of the walks has hurt him. and hernandez went down and golfed that breaking ball and a very good play by aubrey huff. that is not the first time aubrey huff has splashed the leather against the national

this is year. a very underrated iman. >> jim: we saw him mostly at third last year. i thought he played third well. plenty of time here, get in important of it and there are the soft hands. big glove. >> rob: and he got his body in important of it and he is going to take some pain. he knows he has time to make the play. >> bob: here is christian guzman. bergesen has retired him twice which not many have done. he has had at least two hits in 7-8 games. he'll be oh-fer three now on an easy ground ball to roberts. >> rob: he just got a couple more runs. he has the lead. and he will throw a big goose egg up there. >> jim: one of the shut down innings they talk about. i think he gets the sense, jim hunter talked about it earlier, that he is a fast learner, that that's real important. anyone can tell you that, but can you go out and execute it

and follow through with the plan? >> bob: here is nick johnson, oh-fer two, with a pair of grounders to short. the first pitch fastball outer half. >> jim: you have to remember the nationals got to bergesen in washington on the sunday afternoon in the sixth inning. >> bob: and adam dunn did it without pulling the ball. out of play, nick johnson. not a whole lot doing for the nationals, one, two, three hitters tonight, but they're right thereupon with the best in baseball with jeter and company. and the orioles with roberts, jones and markakis. >> rob: and the dodgers. they have been phenomenal this year even without manny ramirez who is less than a week away from coming back. >> bob: two of the five team ifs last place, interesting. >> rob: maybe the one, two, three hitters shouldn't be so good. they should be the four, five, six. >> bob: make, them the one,

three, five and put somebody between them. >> jim: they give numbers for everything now. of course when the mets came in, david wright, as he still is, was hitting the highest average in the national league. of course everybody was saying that they should move him from -- that they should move him from fifth to third or fourth, whatever, because if you start looking at the total of at-bats you get in a year, it is something like 780 to 730 depending upon where you hit in the lineup. >> bob: oh, nick johnson takes another one. >> rob: another curve ball. >> bob: he is wearing a shin guard tonight. >> rob: i think that got him in the toe bone. >> bob: the lump on his shin had totally disappeared. so he gets hit for the second straight night >> rob: ouch! last last night it was breaking ball by john smoltz and now you

can see where the shin pad special, the old soccer shin pad. >> jim: so no dancing with the stars for nick? >> rob: no, two left feet. >> bob: although his wife tells us he is really a good karaoke guy. >> jim: i saw it right before the orioles played him, and he was, what, not wired wednesday or something. >> bob: covered the bases. >> jim: yes. >> bob: masn is everywhere, jim. it is maximum access. 1-4-2 is ryan zimmerman tonight. >> jim: except when it comes to todd steel. we didn't cover him. >> bob: not one of our keen efforts tonight. >> jim: we don't have that anymore here and i'm so happy. self-image is is a real important part of life, guys, you understand that? so every once in a while you want to get one of those questions right. >> bob: we were hot early. but then they started going to page 550 of the media guide. >> rob: okay.

these guys are getting the mild to above mild questions. we're going to go to the extra m.i.t. questions! >> bob: there are some of us who don't think statistics are really trivia. >> jim: but even trivia. >> bob: trivia is players' flames and ball clubs and ballparks. >> rob: names, date, history, geographical. >> bob: do you think we're explaining this away well at all? >> jim: no. >> rob: i don't think either. >> bob: 1-220 zimmerman. as rob mentioned, when he is doing well he hits the ball to center a lot and when he is bad he swings at breaking balls way outside a good inning for bergesen despite the hit batter. halfway through, the o's 3-1.

cfo helps every dollar work harder. from the very first dollar to the last dollar of the day. get in touch with your new cfo. pnc. leading the way. >> bob: the at&t rapid rewi the pitchers doing pretty well early, but a couple of jams, ross detwiler got himself into, but the big 5-2-3 double play is the primary reason this is still just a 3-1 game. guzman able to make that play on the slow roller. at&t, the nation's fastest 3 g. network, at&t, your world delivered. bob carpenter is back with rob did i believe and jim palmer. so interesting ballgame so far,

but the o's probably should be further ahead. >> bob: i have to think that detwiler looks like he is out of command. make the guys playing behind you think they have a chance to win that double play was huge, not only for the nationals, but for detwiler because he makes them think they're still in the game. >> rob: and you get the lead 3- 1 and you put a zero up there. that will keep the momentum in the orioles' dug-out. >> bob: interesting interleague series over the years. the nationals were able to sweep here two years ago, but in the other two series at camden yards, both in 2006 and 2008, the orioles have taken two out of three, 2-3. and detwiler, adam jones takes one outside and the bottom of the fifth is underway. >> rob: jim, you talk about this, the young guy get as little flustered, starts overthrowing and starting throwing a lot more balls and

his pitch count rices quickly. >> jim: do you see the difference when he keeps the ball down? >> jim: i think that is the point. ife bench, do you see the pitching coach who took over for randy st. claire, i think they had a conversation, hey, get back in your groove, start pitching down in the strike zone. when you do that, you get the ground balls. >> jim: it seems so simple. >> rob: it is simple. and you have to also give yourself a little more credit. you're looking at a really tough orioles' offense, but you're get the ball up. you're making their job easy. you want to make their job difficult. if you keep the ball down, get ahead of the hitters, they're going to start expanding their zone. >> jim: i ink the point you ma also is when you get in

the inning, the game does speed up. now all of a sudden you get out of trouble.  yogo talk to your pitching coach and then you hope you're back into your rhythm. >> rob: and because the righties were hit sog well, could he be concentrating too much, jim, on these right- handed guys in the lineup and not concentrating enough ton left-handed hitter ? there he throws a pitch way in on nick markakis to get him off the plate. >> jim: one of the does pitching, ease linebacker irleft-handers, rob, can you move their feet? you don't have to hit them, you get them dancing a lit bit, especially when you come on the outside corner on the next pitch. >> jim: that is a good follow- up there. >> rob: you make him dance, move his hit. >> jim: raphael palmeiro, he would be tryinget them out with changeups and curve balls, and they would throw him down

and in and make him move his feet and the foundation of what you're trying to do as a hitter, you're trying to make the pitcher hangeúh úhyth of how they're hitting and they're trying to get really prepared and keep their legs underneath them so that's what that down inside fastball where you have to skip does. >> jim: markakis, 1-2 with an infield hit and a bouncer to the right of anderson hernandez. so in -- does that ball get picked off? >> jim: yes, it does. they just speeded up the infield. and, again, you go to boston, yankee stadium, certainly toronto, you know, the astro turf. >> rob: we just noticed it at yankee stadium big time. >> jim: and they're throwing more more home runs in that ballpark than anyone else. if you have a fast infield, it is going to be very difficult to pitch in those ballparks. >> jim: here is aubrey huff. >> jim: how do you figure out