bill macatee >> host: is ideology is bad? >> guest: i don't know if it is bad. it is political religion. it is a belief system one foot of which is rooted in reality. the other of which is rooted basically and this concept of

what the world is about and how it ought to be. i think it's the great rival to conservatism. conservatism is traditionalism. it's a system of belief that comes out of the wisdom and the experience of the people and the human race. and basically out of natural law, philosophy. what human nature is like. let me give you one example of that. woodrow wilson said back in 1917, we're going to war to make the world safe for democracy. that was nonsense. we went to war because our ships were being sunk by the germans and that's what drove us to war. the principal allies were the british empire, the french empire and the japanese empire and those who had the austrian hungarian empire. none of those countries were going to war for democracy and the idea that the united states

could bring democracy to the world was pre pre. preposterus and. it's a belief system that's really not rooted in reality. and it is the great antagonistic for conservatism. >> host: so you do not have an ideology? >> guest: no, they call conservatism an ideology. but russell cox was right. conservatism is the antithesis of ideology. now, there's socialisms and ideology. libertarian is an ideology. certainly fascism. true conservatism is at it is antithesis. we're antiutopian and many ideologies are utopian. >> host: and the day of reckoning you dedicate to russell kirk?

>> guest: russell kirk was a wonderful man. not a great political strategist. but he had me up there marching in the st. patrick's day parade in bay city, michigan on st. patrick's day. and i went into a bar as i recall and this bartender -- she was a gal. she said pat buchanan, what are you doing in bay city, michigan? and i said, i don't know. [laughter] >> guest: russell kirk was a good friend of mine. you know, peter, when i was younger, i tended more to the bernard buckley school. and the older i got the more i realized i think the wisest of all that generation of conservatism was russell kirk. >> host: are you a populist? and what do you think of that term? >> guest: pardon? >> host: is it in ideology? >> guest: no. it's not in ideology.

it is basically -- i'm a believer in politics you represent your convictions and beliefs but also the people whence you came. and let me contrast to matters. i used to be free trade all the way. and free trade is an ideology and i believed into it finally i saw wh to the people whence i came up in new hampshire. you go to town after town and seeing factories shut down. people out of work. and you see all the wounds it brings and you say what is the benefit we're receiving because of this? all these goods down at the mall. and so i felt -- i came around to represent what was best for the people whence i came. and i came around to believing that this free trade is an ideology. and it's something i believed for 30 years and no longer believe in it anymore and that's why i wrote the book "the great betrayal." i look back and history and say, where did i go wrong? and i find out all these

washington -- all four men on mount rushmore were protectionists. all of them were economic nationalists. the republican party from 1860 to 1928 that built america, economic nationalism, protectionism is in every republican platform and so i came to change my point of view about free trade. i think it's an ideology. >> host: from whence did you come? >> guest: as right in the beginning from whence i came. as i say i'm a catholic, i'm scott -- scott, irish, chevy chase d.c. which is very different from chevy chase maryland. and i come out of a big family, nine kids. and i think as i wrote in there, you know, we come out of the midcentury america, middle class. and all those middle class values.

>> host: good afternoon. and welcome to booktv's "in depth." our guest for the next three hours is author and political commentator and politician, pat buchanan. pat buchanan has written 10 books beginning in 1973, i think, is his first one "the new majority" it was called and we'll go through all his books and at least get a flavor of each one of them. but if you would like to participate in our conversation with pat buchanan, numbers are on the screen. now you can also send an email. we've gotten a lot of emails already for mr. buchanan. and that you can send those to booktv@c-span.org. our twitter address is booktv. we will come to those. pat buchanan. who are your parents and tell us about your brothers and sisters.

>> my father was william buchanan. he grew up in georgetown, the old georgetown which was an irish neighborhood. his father left him when he was 8 or 9 years old and he was raised by his mother mary smith, who was a descendent of the potato famine immigrants. and he grew up in georgetown. his seven sons would all go to high school and about a dozen of his nephews had been through there and are there now and my mother isekatherine elizabeth crumm. in the depression she came down to d.c. at 17 years old as a graduate and became a nurse at providence hospital a visiting nurse and she met my father there and they were married around 1934. and they lived -- we first lived up in northwest washington.

not the hillary clinton section. i lived in a house near georgetown university. and the colonel who owned the house -- he reoccupied it because he was called to the pentagon and so my father had to go and make two mortgages and he built a house in northwest washington chestnut street, which was farm land beyond there. we were at the edge of the city then. it was nothing there. i was raised there till i was 12 and i moved over to utah avenue right next to the st. johns high school there. all seven of us went to blessed sacrament schools. nine of us i should say because my sisters went there. and my father was an accountant. a cpa. in the 1946, the fellow who ran the firm fell over dead right in the office and they carried him out and my father and a couple other young partners started running the firm. >> what were the politics of your family? and were they writers?

>> no one in my family was a writer. and no one in my family was in politics. except for my uncle, and he was a democrat. and he had gotten into a little bit of trouble up there. but he was a boss. but nobody in d.c. was -- when we grew up here -- the interesting thing about d.c., the capitol and the white house was simply not our lives. this was a southern town. we lived in washington, d.c. and it happened to be the capital of the united states so none of us was involved in politics at all but my father was tremendously interested in issues. and he was tremendously -- he had grown up here. and his uncle charlie had fought in world war i. and he was very hostile to our having entered world war i and what happened to all these people. he was an fdr democrat in 28

past, fdr in '32 and '36. we had no vote, we had no mayor, no congressman, no city council, no school board. and it was a colony. and frankly was a well run colony of the federal government. so that he was interested in world affairs and communism and the spanish civil war. and at dinner -- as i told people, i was the only kid in first grade at blessed sacrament who knew the luftania was sunken off the car. he was very antifdr and very anti-harry true and correct. -- harry truman. i was -- it was a '60s paper. i used to deliver it. and i think it was went under in

1964. but his politics were not so much conservative but they were antifdr and anti-truman. and he was not a great for dewew. he preferred eisenhower as long as it wasn't truman. >> host: we'll turn to the war themes and the most recent was written in 2008. "churchill, hitler and the unnecessary war." we'll talk about those themes. pat buchanan, when people found out that you were going to be on "in depth," there were some certain themes that were raised regarding you that i'd love to get to you respond to. >> guest: sure. >> host: charming. combative, catholic, political theater and wishes it was 1950 still. [laughter] >> host: and those are people may know you, may know your

work. >> guest: when i ran a radio program from '93 to '95, i had cohost. bob said that buchanan was frozen in the '50s. that's when i was raised in 1950 i guess i turned 12 to the time i turned, you know, 21. and, frankly, people talk about how dreary and dreadful they were. this was a wonderful town. i had good friends. i loved the schools i went to. the buddies we had. it was just a great time in america. and eisenhower was a distant grandfatherly figure. but -- i mean, i think those were some of the best times we ever had in this country. and then i went from there up to columbia in graduate school '61 to '62. >> host: journalism. >> guest: journalism. they had the antiwar demonstrators or peace demonstrators, ban the bomb. and it wasn't as well organized as it came to be.

and then i we want out to st. louis as a journalist from '62, to '66, january, and, of course, that's when the explosion came in the 1960s. and basically it was a revolt against everything i had been raised and immersed in when i was growing up. and, yeah, i do tend to defend -- i mean, you can't go home again. but washington, d.c. was a great town. this was a great country in the 1950s. >> host: when were you first publishing? what attracted you to writing? >> guest: well, what attracted me was my father, you know, when he would work down there -- i told the story and i told it to mike barnacle. we used to play football down on the east ellipse. and i went down. and my brother was a big star. but even before he was, i think i was about the fifth or fourth grade. we went down there and my little brother was on the team. and coming across the lawn was harry truman. and he had a secret serviceman beside him and two behind him.

you know, he used to take walks, long walks and things. and i remember looking over there and i said, there's truman and i was stunned and then i thought my father is going to attack him and hit him. [laughter] >> guest: and i would look over what's going to happen. after all he said about truman. but what my father would do when i was a kid, again, in the '40s, very young, he would go to his office on saturdays. maybe it was he was -- he became a senior partner, '46, '47 but he would take me with him down there and he would get to the office and he bring all these columns, these syndicated columns and he would clip them out about westbrook pegler who was a savage writer. and he would wrote like hunter thompson did later on. and they were the two people he loved.

him and shirley when they started getting "the washington post." it almost got on your nerves you had to read what they said. i was very impressed. this must be an interesting living what these people do. and so i had some trouble in school in georgetown in 1959. and i had been expelled as a matter of fact, you know? >> for being combative. >> guest: father salinger expelled me. and i went to work for my father. he was the one person who would hire me given my situation. and i was an accountant for a year. when i went back to school and i said i don't want to stay in school anymore. i didn't want to go to law school. i didn't want three for years in law school. i didn't know what i was going to do. and i had never worked on a paper or anything, or a school paper. you know, why don't i try -- get good grades and try to get into

columbia journalism he and super saver at lower odds and were never in last place. back to our regularly scheduled highlight. super saver trying to hold on down the stretch. tom durkin, the call. >> they're coming down to the finish and it is super saver. late break from ice box. but it's super saver and calvin borel, the unflappable calvin borel riding the rail to victory once again in the kentucky derby. >> ice box finishing second. paddy o'prada was third. lookin at lucky could not make up ground in the stretch run. super saver delivering trainer todd pletcher his first ever kentucky derby win after going 0-24. pletcher just trying to digest the moment. >> i think it will all soak in in a day or two. obviously, it's a race that i've dreamed my whole life about winning. now it's happened, you just don't know what to feel or say or -- i wish i could wax poetically up here and tell you

you know exactly how it feels, but it's all soaking in still. >> this is what i wanted to do all my life. it's every jock's dream to win the derby. i never dreamed would win three derbies. i work hard, i'm dedicated to the job and i love the game. it's what i love to do, and i'm very successful with it, and i'm very blessed. i got a wonderful wife and a good agent and a good family in my life and i'm very blessed. >> a good horse as well. borel the winning jockey for the third time in the last four races. last year, of course, he rode mine that bird to the win. >> game one of the western semis, vancouver visiting the blackhawks, canucks looking to buck history as they've lost four straight conference semifinal series. first period. mason raymond finds christian

ehrhoff and they're off to a flying start. his second of the playoffs. finds mason raymond. raymond's second of the playoffs. vancouver up two. in the second, vancouver running away with it, up 4-0. jannik hansen, rypien for michael grabner. canucks would win it 5-1. roberto luongo stopped 36 of 37 shots as the canucks win game one for the fourth straight series. five different goal scorers for the canucks. game two is on monday. >> baseball. the reason for the red sox early struggles. maybe the return of daisuke can help them improve in the area. david ortiz, one of his two home

runs. 35th career multi-home-run game. we're tied up at 1-1. bottom five. o's down 4-3. nick markakis with a base knock off daisuke matsuzaka who really struggled. six earned runs. the most since june 19 of last season. we're all tied up at 4-4. it got worse for daisuke matsuzaka. matt wieters going the other way. the orioles win for the third time in the last 11 games at hoechlt >> wonderful pitching match-up in philly. 4-1 roy halladay of the phils. 4-0 mike pelfrey of the mets. bottom of the fourth. shane victorino, long ball to right center, just enough juice in it, three-run home run will end pelfrey's scoreless streak at 27 innings. a six-run fourth for the phillies. up 6-0. halladay gets fernando tatis to ground out to shofrment halladay pitches a complete-game shutout. after losing 9-1 to the mets

friday, phillies get revenge against the mets' best pitcher. as for halladay, he took this off-season, while he's just six starts in it's not too early to celebrate. >> coming up, tiger woods missed the cut at quail hollow but what stories can we follow from down in charlotte for the weekend? and the nba playoffs send the lakers and jazz will collide but will deron williams be there for the jazz? >> sean payton in a bit of hot water after a tremendous year for the saints. j@

this spring. marc savard has waited a long >> ice, ice, baby, game one of the eastern conference semifinals, flyers-bruins, marc savard returning after missing the first round of the playoffs because of a concussion. third period, mike richards grabbing the rebound. two assists for a playoff high three points. flyers trailing 4-3. they never led in the game but never let it get away. daniel briere ties it at 4-4. that means more hockey for us. in overtime, just over six minutes to go, savard, top shelf for the game winner. his second career postseason overtime goal as boston wins it 5-4. bruins have won both of their o.t. games this postseason. last time these two teams played

in the postseason was the 1978 semifinals and that series also began with a game one o.t. win for the b's. >> third round from the quail hollow championship. no tiger woods. he missed the cut by eight strokes. phil mickelson -- he was sick earlier this week, had some food poisoning. he brushed it aside. and he is eight under par own 15th. par 3 13th. billy mayfair, ladies and gentlemen -- 12 years since he's won a pga tour stop. he had to qualify for this event on monday. he's 10 under. he would finish at nine under. par 3 17th. mickelson the par putt. that's no good. >> feeling all right? >> i was hoping we could have a pick me-up at the end of the highlight. not the case. phil mickelson two shots off the pace of billy mayfair, the feel-good story in charlotte after going 71 in the third round. davis love iii with mickelson, two strokes back.

>> the jazz and the lakers tip off their second-round series sunday in l.a., utah's injury list may be growing. deron williams has a bruised left elbow and will be a game-time decision. on a brighter note, injured forward andrei kirilenko says he hopes to return to the jazz by game three. the lakers have their own injury concerns. center andrew bynum has a small tear in the meniscus in his right knee leaving him questionable for the opener against the jazz. lakers coach phil jackson says bynum might try to play through the pain in sunday's opener. the lakers own the regular season meetings with utah winning 3-4 and doing so by an average of more than 10 points a game. l.a. has knocked the jazz out of the playoffs in each of the past two seasons. game one is sunday at 3:30 eastern on abc. >> the saints' former security director has filed a lawsuit alleges the team tried to cover up two senior staff members' thefts of vicodin last year. one of the accused is reportedly head coach sean payton. payton said in a statement

saturday he has "never abused or stolen vicodin or any other medication. geoffrey santini worked for the saints until august when according to the lawsuit he was forced to resign after refusing to keep quiet about 130 unaccounted for pills. the saints responded with the following statement. >> espn's mark fainaru-wada reports the d.e.a. opened an investigation into the allegations last year. the status of the investigation is unknown. still to come, the king welcoming the celtics to cleveland. how he was a royal pain for the celtics and company in game one. and a battle of top-five pound-for-pound boxers. ♪

[ male announcer ] there's one reason why over the past 100 years generations of men have trusted gillette. when it comes to shaving, we've given them our best. and on june 6th, we'll give them something even better.

>> angels and tigers. johnny damon threw out hideki matsui at home to end the inning. showing you arm strength. he's flexing his muscles at the plate. first home run of the season. fourth career walk-off home run. tigers win 3-2. johnny, congratulations. here is a pie in your face. andruw jones hits his 40th career multi-home-run game and

third of the season. he had two for the white sox. kelly johnson not the only diamondback hitting ♪ >> it is a great afternoon for baseball. there is josh willingham in the cage down at sun life stadium in sunny florida. a beautiful day for the getaway day. game number three. each team won a ball game. identical score 7-1. looking to break out of a slide and get on track against florida. johnny hole lady and ray knight. happy you will join us for nationals baseball, brought to you by washington ford dealers.

only a game back of the mets. everybody is getting a little excited about last night, a couple of bad plays defensively, and didn't get the clutch hits, the pitching wasn't there. this happened on a regular basis last year so that may be a blip in the radar from last night. >> reporter: think so, johnny. we got use to that type of play last year and it was hard to come to work. >> johnny: it was. yeah. how about the folks out there watching, too? >> ray: this job has been so easy this year because we have been at every ball game. just to break down -- really, on one play more than anything, you're gonna have play that go awry but line drive to right center field -- sanchez makes the great play against morgan but gets rid of the ball too early. 170-foot throw. ross wasn't going anywhere. we had a lot of things go wrong there. first off, adam kennedy was out

of position. you see him rushing home there. he was way offline in his lineup. you had adam dunn looking toward third base. he could have cut the ball. all that in one play and hopefully rodriguez is not hurt there. he took a little while to get recovered but -- >> johnny: pudge was talking. dodgers said, hey, i made the play. >> i stole a single from them and an aggressive play and just thought he overthrew it. . >> that's playing the game hard, you know. you have to give -- we have to give credit to him because he charged the ball very well and didn't struggle. very good, strong charge to home plate, you know. when you play game like that, things like that is going to happen. it happen that time but it's okay. nothing wrong with that, you know. we have to continue to play the game like that. >> it was one of those balls

hit really hard so i didn't have a lot of time to get back there and didn't get there because i was watching the ball for a little bit. but it came right to me, pudge would have known i was there if he stayed home. he saw me on the other side so he went after the ball and then -- just didn't go any way today. >> johnny: when you look at the overall picture of the ball club with what rizzo has done and riggleman as the skipper, it's good. he brought pudge in and kennedy in and matt capps in, signed strasburg, and a ball club that is 13-11 with a chance to win another series today. >> we have been, in every series, we've played most of our ball games very well, very crisply. the pitching has been solid the last two weeks. yesterday stem men had trouble with his fastball and missed

away a lot. six pitches, threw fastballs and they got a base hit off of that and then rossi threw four straight sliders. the last one was good. he drove it to right field. >> what do you like best about the way jim riggleman manages the ball club? >> i have not found fault in everything and i've been around a lot of good people and know the game should be run. only one time this whole year long did i ever think twice act a move he made, the bunt on in the tie game with guzman and harris on first. he took the bunt off with nobody out. surprised me a little bit because he is a guy that would get that runner over. he's done a fantastic job and there's nobody that outmanages him. >> byron: mockeries doe is doing a -- mike rizzo is doing a good job. there's debbie day taylor with

the assistant manager. nice to see you and brian. >> debbi: nice to talk to you, too, johnny. we don't really see you right now. yes, brian is one of the new members of the nationals front office, the assistant gm. one of mike rizzo's right-hand men. you come from the pittsburgh pirates. just talk a little bit about your role with the nationals. >> i allow mike to do everything he doesn't want to do. you have staff all over the country and the world from dealing from insurance and health issues, staff issues to equipment and all that type of stuff and i try and close the loop as often as possible, do a little bit of everything administrative if i can. >> debbi: you spent the last nine season with the pirates and this is your first year with the nationals. what have caught your eye? >> sure. i was excited to come here. there's a lot of good people

and good things coming on. we spent a lot of money in the draft the last couple of years, excite to see where klein and clark take part. we spent money on free agency. we're playing good baseball. jim and his staff has done a great job. excited to see where this can go. >> debbi: drew sort reason is in triple-a and strasburg may join him soon. your impressions of stephen and the fastback. >> i would say he's a popular topic these days. we're excited about his progression and there are guys they're learning about being professional baseball players. the bunt is right, they're pitching every fit day for stephen, reading swing -- all the things you learn in the minor leagues. they're at a good pace and talented guys. >> ray: drew soren hames pressed me as a player and a person. what do you think of him?

>> very intelligent but very interesting kid. >> debbi: what are some of the players -- types of players -- you're still looking for at the minor league and major league player? >> just talent. it's simple as talent. anything we can do to get better -- now and for the future. we're open to anything and i think that's part of the fun. you can be creative and keep an eye on things as you go along. you don't have to make decisions because we're playing good baseball and giving guy in the minor league time to develop. >> debbi: thank you for joining us. johnny, from a very windy florida, back to you in d.c. >> johnny: all right. i can gather there's a little wind down there. maybe the ball will fly off the national bats today. debbi, thank you very much and brian, welcome to washington. now time for the keep your edge spotlight, brought to you by just for men mustache and beard. how much stephen strasburg at

double-a harrisburg and then will move. he hadn't lost a ball game. .052 e.r.a. and 17 1/73ings pitched, struck out 23. just as speech strasburg gives the national the edg , you can keep yours with just for men. we'll be back in just a moment. zimmerman has had a ton of success against the marlins. we'll check the numbers when ray and i come back after this. [ laughs ]

[ male announcer ] achievement has its own patch of grass. ♪ achievement unleashes hidden potential. ♪ all right! achievement looks forward to dinner at home. achievement enjoys newfound freedom. i love you. [ male announcer ] mortgages, home equity loans, and lines of credit from pnc. helping achievers borrow with an eye towards the future. pnc. for the achiever in us all.

>> johnny: our nets extrapregame show is brought to you by --

>> zimmerman -- see you later. >> loose ball in the air and deep to right to the corner -- it is gone! zimmerman into the bullpen! ♪ >> back ball has serious carry and it is off the scoreboard and out of here. >> johnny: you can see what zimmerman has done career-wise against the florida marlins. .296 average, 86 hits, 52 runs. those three are tied are the most for against any ballclub ryan has faced and has driven in 42 runs. this time last year, he was hitting a .306. now he's hitting .373 and one thing that, ray, you may have picked up is the fact that he stands a little further against the -- from the plate that be he was last year, thus the numbers are better. >> ray: yeah, johnny, he has

-- it's not so much that he's -- he is off the plate. you see, they're away way from the plate. not very many people there are that far off the plate. but what you were able to see is his right knee, he's open this year. as opposed to being closed. you can see his right knee right here and it's actually -- you can see it as his stance is open. that allows him -- you think you can't get to the pitch away but is creating an angle -- look, you can see here again. he is open with his stance and that allows him to go there with his left shoulder, drive towards the ball, and stay on the ball. it looks as if last year after looking at quite a bit of tape, he was closed. see how he's closed here? he's off the bat -- the plate the same way. but he had a tendency to turn off the ball a little bit on breaking ball's away. you have never been able to throw the kid inside because he

hammers inside. there you see his closed and when he got in trouble, it was because of breaking ball's away. these are balls hit hard but we wanted to bring to everyone's attention that hitters do change, whether it's unconsciously or just a subtle change to where they're feeling better at the plate just by the way they position theirselves. i will show you what advantage it is to be off the plate to start with. you're free all in here. you don't have to worry about anything inside. when they're pounding the fastball in, you don't have to worry. you just take it because you have the space. what happens it is creates a place on the outside part of the plate that you're vulnerable generally. when hitters are doing what ryan is doing right now when they create an angle and take that front shoulder and drive toward that outside part of the plate, you get tremendous plate extension. and you cover that ball. what it also does it is prevents those guys from throwing the ball inside. because if they do, he doesn't

have to swing at that. you remember early in his career, johnny, where he had a tendency to swing at a lot of balls inside the plate and if they're running sinkers, he would swing and pound balls off the ground. he doesn't do that anymore. last night -- or night before last -- with the home run to right field, i looked at him throughout the rest of the game because that slider was down right in this area right here. he stayed on the ball with his left side, went there and drove that thing and hit the ball almost 400 feet so he is still off the plate, which allows him the freedom to get extension. but he's closed, opened up a little bit so his first move right here, he's pretty square, his first move is there as opposed to when he was closed the first move is there. that makes a difference because it keeps your head on the ball and allows you to have a flat plane of bat to drive and get better extension. >> johnny: you know, watching you do that makes me want you to put the oriole or reds

uniform on just one more time. >> ray: all right, old-timers day is when? >> johnny: pudge rodriguez made a comment when you're facing a pitcher like volstad last night, who is 6'8," it's tough on a hitter. today, zimmerman and company facing 6'7." do you adjust in the batter's box? >> ray: if anything, you move back in the box because josh johnson throws 97, 98, 99. volstad -- what he does is they throw at a dunnward angle like that and it's -- downward angle like that and it's difficult because you will see the ball and not get to the middle of the ball. if they stay on top of the ball like volstad did. not many people throw out of the top and throws downward. everyone seems to be in 3/4 arm position to see the ball better. when you're that tall, you hide the ball longer and it's a straight downhill motion, which is difficult to pick up. >> johnny: sunday tips from

the fox. thank you. >> ray: thank you, sir. >> johnny: my pleasure. when we return, we will continue more of nats xtra pregame. john any homily day and ray wright with you. the nats try to take the rubber game of the three-game series.

ah looks like somebody's a winner. ha, not me! cause shipping is a hassle. different states, different rates. not with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service, if it fits it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. so shipping for the chess champ in charleston is the same as shipping for the football phenom in philly? yep. so i win! actually, i think you deserve this. no, i deserve this. wow, got one of those with a mailman on top? priority mail flat rate box shipping starts at $4.95, only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship.

>> johnny: let's check the nationals starting lineup. morgan, another catch in center field, will leading off. niger, .333 batting average the last six games, four doubles, a couple of triples and stolen bases, three driven in, six runs scored. dunn will be batting cleanup at first base. willingham in left field followed by harris today in right. he and december mobbed the shortstop adding seven. nieves the catcher and lannan on the mound. tied for the team lead with is

nyjer. the number four marlins all- time home run hitter with 126 since 2006 leading all national league second basemen in that category. 3 for his last 20 on the current homestand. cameron leads off for florida. sanchez the first baseman will bat second and hanley ramirez the shortstop -- cantu, the third baseman, then uggla. paulino the catcher, ross bats seventh. brett carroll starts in left field. he will bat eighth and josh johnson, all 6'7," on the mound for florida. the career against the nationals for dan uggla -- 13 homers, 48 driven in and 50 runs scored. so the nationals today will get john lannan on the mound today against the florida marlins and i think here's a guy that's

kind of ready to put together a solid performance. >> ray: he's gotten better, john. each start, his last three games, he has three straight no- decisions against the marlins. his career of 2-1 with a career of 4.43. at sunrise stadium, 1-1 with a 7.78. he had one bad game at the beginning of the series. what is weird is he normally get left handers out extremely well. they're hitting .560 off of him this year. right handers, just .253. he has given up 36 hit in 27 innings and walked 15 hitters. he's not found that depth control he's known for but has gotten better his last three outings, a field pitcher, has been able to get the change up and throw the fastball to the inside part of the plate with that good curveball. >> johnny: also allowed 52

base runners, fourth-most in the national league. >> ray: he only struck out ten and walked 15, john, and had a lot of 3-1, 2-2, 3-2 counts. that shows you the guy is trying to find his rhythm and the mechanics in order to make pitches and repeat his delivery over and over. he hasn't been able to do that. subsequently, he'll throw up and away because he's leaving the ball. you don't want to see lannan throw any fastball that rises up out of the strike zone because the mechanics is off. he's not finishing off the pitch. >> johnny: the marlins will throw josh johnson against the nationals. he's 5-0 career-wise against this ballclub. >> ray: he can bring it, buddy. he's got a career record of 36- 17 with barely over a three- earned run average. he won 15 games last year, averages ten strikeouts per nine innings. this year with, he started six

games and had five -- actually in his career, six games, 5-2-0 record against the national with a 2.40 earned run average. one of the best right-handed pitchers in league. he can bring it. left-handed hitters, hitting only .167 against him. >> johnny: you can look for johnson to go the distance. he beat the padres and had a complete game to strike out 12 with a three-hitter. there's the game started, six games. 2-0 record. this is at home against the nationals in florida. we'll take a break. guess who's coming to town for the first time this year? the atlanta braves will be in town for a series beginning tuesday, wednesday, and thursday at nationals park. we'll talk about atlanta when we come back. other things you can tell people about geico - great claims service and a 97% customer satisfaction rate. show people really trust us. gecko: yeah right, that makes sense. boss: trust is key when talking about geico. you gotta feel it.

why don't you and i practice that with a little exercise where i fall backwards and you catch me. gecko: uh no sir, honestly... uh...i don't think...uh... boss: no, no. we can do this. gecko: oh dear. vo: geico. fifteen minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance.

>> johnny: our nats xtra pregame show brought to you by -- weather conditions in miami, 87 degrees, humidity of 75%.

winds southeast at 10. and the forecast -- first pitch in a couple of minutes. mostly sunny, only 10% chance of rain this afternoon. 3.0 is all you need to know. also you need to know about bobby cox and company coming to town for a series against the nationals. tuesday night on masn in hd, also wednesday night and then on thursday, the same thing before florida comes back up for their first trip. masn 2 on tuesday and then masn for the rest of the week in high def. happy to have you with us today. johnny holiday and ray knight. the nationals try to win this series and when you talk about the atlanta braves, one guy -- how about jason heyward? j. hey kid. big play, ray. >> ray: that's putting a moniker on him with the say hey kid willy mays -- he has it all, y'all. i don't know if there's anything other than strasburg that has more media attention

but he can hit the ball a mile, johnny. people compare him to ken griffey, jr., with how he swings the bat. he came up through the north could beb team that had francoeur and mccann, markakis -- tremendous development, organization, where they travel ball all summer long, played as many as a thousand games over a ten-year period. he began when he was 11 playing in the league. all that was high pressure. not hitting for a great average but certainly that longball he is stretching out with and a lot of rbis for this ball club. >> johnny: this kid is 6'5," goes 240 pounds. looking at home runs, 11 in 2008 with rome. he came back and hit only ten home runs with the macon ball club last year. is he not a power hitter? just a slow start? >> ray: no, he's a power hitter and nobody wanted to pitch to him so he walked a

lot. no, he is as much a power hitter as anybody in game. he's got easy power. when he hits the ball in the air -- several of you fans will remember in spring where he was hitting ball in the second parking lot in the executive lot and busted out a couple of the windshields of the assistant general manager. he can kill the baseball, johnny. tremendous power. great speed, good arm. above all that, they say he's a great kid. both his parents with went to dartmouth. great prospect. watching a good, young, solid player. >> johnny: bobby cox in his 25th year mass an anger. 2423 wins. that's with the atlanta braves. >> ray: i hate to see him go. he was in connecticut for the 1971, my first year in double- a. >> johnny: former third baseman of the yankees. >> ray: yes. >> johnny: bob and robert are at the door and want to get

that nationals win in the books. for ray knight, i'm johnny holiday. enjoy the game. -sure. ming back out.

i think you might have hooked it up wrong, though. yea, we're getting way too many channels. no, no. that's -- that's standard. fios also comes with 11,000 free movies and shows on demand per month. ah, standard. gotcha. a certain somebody says "thank you." tell him "he's welcome," but it's still standard. he's happy to be back with his friends. is he? [ male announcer ] call now and get fios tv, internet, and phone for just $99.99 a month guaranteed for two years! this is beyond cable. this is fios. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800-974-6006 tty/v.

>> the nationals are learning how to win and some nights will be frustrating. after letting one slip away, they still have the an opportunity to come together and win this series. the rubber match comes your way next from south florida. >> it's a great day for baseball. ♪ >> well, the nats are unbeaten in their last four series, winning three of those.

it could happen again today. it's the nats and marlins and they have some kids on the field. there are some nationals in south florida today. i wonder who they will root for. bob carpenter and rob dibble. you know, rob, we talk about pitcher-hitter matchups automatic time. sometimes we don't boil it by position. we have an opportunity with some of the young guys in this series to do so. >> rob: yeah, i think, you know, a couple roll of keys to win this matchup game will be your center fielders. it will be morgan versus maven and nyjer morgan shows flashes of brilliance with his speed, contact guy. may ben not having trouble catching the ball so great speed and pretty even. the third base you have cantu, one of the best rbi guy in the business. zimmerman, goal glover last year at third base, silver slugger, one of the best power guys from third base position so it may come down to those two guys. then again, it should probably cot down to the starters, bob.

lannan versus johnson. johnson brilliant during daylight hours. lannon not so bad over the last three years so it will be down to a few matchups at center field, third basemen, and the starting pitchers. >> bob: josh johnson 11-2 with a 3.42 e.r.a. and evidently if you see the ball, it's tough to hit. >> rob: yeah. he's fantastic and in the 43 starts he's made since coming back from tommy john surgery, the marlins have won 36 of those. this guy keeps you in the ball game, stays around enough. he is a power pitcher throwing 98 miles per hour in the 9th inning other day. >> bob: he likes the late innings. do because this guy. 12 games, .68 e.r.a. in save opportunities, 10 out of 10. dibble and capps when we come back.

>> bob: nationals baseball on masn brought to you in part by --

welcome back here to sun life stadium in florida. it's the last game of the three- game series between the marlins and nationals. i'm here with matt capps, nationals closer. you had some tough times in the off season. your father passed away. does this season have more meaning than anything in the past? >> um, yes, and no. being the first time that i've gone through a summer in a ball season without my dad around, you know, quite a bit different than -- you know, i was very close with my father and talked to him every day -- sometimes two or three times a day -- for the last eight years since i have been out of high school. i saw him in person or talked to him on the phone. you know, i definitely miss those nights driving home from the ballpark at, you know, 11:30, 12:00 at night and, you know, picking up the cell phone with him calling, wanting to go over what i had done that night

or even nights i didn't pitch, talk about the team and the ups and downs of the ballclub and things i could do to have an impact in other way than just on the field. it's been an adjustment for me. you know, i definitely still hear him every day with the lessons and, you know, things in my life he taught me growing up and into becoming a man and, you know, still try to make him proud every day. >> rob: you're as shy and mild-mannered as anybody i met off the field but you're very comfortable on the mound. is that your place? >> it's kind of a haven. you know as well as i do, you get out there and it's unlike anything else in the world. you know, with the things that happened this off season that got put into perspective, we are just playing a game. it's a game we love and it's a game i love a whole lot. i enjoy playing and wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. when it comes down to it, you know, a lot of things in life

are more important. but on the same end, it's real nice to get out there on that bump and that be the most important thing in the world at that moment. it's a haven for me and something enjoy doing and, you know, when i do get out there, i'm a little can different than away from it. >> rob: we're a different breed -- goofy and flake did -- how goofy is tyler? >> just a little bit like me. when he gets on the mound, it's all business. he's a character away from it, a lot of fun to have down in the bullpen. the other tyler in our bullpen is a lot of fun to have around, the jokester, jumping around, pranking people and keeps everybody loose. so we've a great mix. i'm fortunate this year to be around a bunch of great guys and, you know, the different personalities and attitudes complement each other well. >> rob: you have done a great job. thanks for your time. you're the anchor of the bullpen. we appreciate it. you're doing a great job. >> thank you. appreciate it. >> rob: bob, enjoy it.

back to you. >> bob: great interview. interest moments on life and the craziness that is the bullpen. i wish we could sit there for a couple of innings every night. n car insurance? did the caveman invent fire? ♪ sweet times knocking at my front door, what else could i ask for, tonight. ♪ ♪ better times knocking... host: could switching to geico 15% or more on car insurance? host: is ed "too tall" jones too tall? [ applause ] shut your eyes. [ vendor ] high life light! high life light here! get your high life light! are they really trying to serve the high life light here? [ speaking french ] this is the home of hoops and hockey.

this is sacred ground. trampled upon by a canine beauty contest. it's making me queasy. [ vendor ] high life light here! get your high life light! should i handle it? handle it. handled. is that a portrait of a dog? >> bob: that third baseman you saw going to break not having a bad series -- 5 of 9 in the series, setting the stage for the game notes because the nats have been on top early. they got two run in the first on friday, a run in the second last night, and they're 10-6 when they get on the board first. they're 3-0 in rubber games, two of them on the road already at citi field and at wrigley. and starting pitching, the nationals, if they get six, they have been almost unbeatable, rob, when their starters get 18 outs or more. >> rob: it's a beautiful thing to help out the bullpen. they go deep into ballgames and rest your bullpen for the next day.

that's one of the thing that once we throw over six innings, a good shot of winning the ball game. >> bob: marlins are 6-6 on the year, 84 degrees. it is quite muggy in the area. some relief from the sunshine right now because of some cloudy conditions. and it's brought to you by trane. visit their website to locate an independent dealer. hard to stop a trane. they bring us the game-time weather. nats are hitting .252, tenth in the league, 13th in runs. josh willingham in a little bit of a skid, 3 for his last 21. but he's hit a lot of home runs in this ballpark having played for the marlins couple of years. he's in the five spot. harris gets start, desmond in there and with pudge getting a day off. he told me he is feeling okay, by the way. nieves gets assignment against josh johnson. 35-17 career.

his 81st career start and is 5- 0 in ten start against the nats. >> rob: yeah, let's give you the scouting report on the guy from oklahoma that can throw as hard as anybody. complete control was his last game, nine innings pitched, three hits. three hits of his own and three rbis, 12 strikeouts. he is tough on the nationals career. 11 starts, 12 games, and coming back after that elbow surgery, 4-7 and the team 36-7 in his 43 starts. >> bob: defensively the marlins don't have the most errors. the detroit tiger do but they have brett carroll in left field today. infield is the same and against a left-handed pitcher lannan. paulino gets the right-handed platoon start behind the plate. angel compos has the plate. gorman and ted barrett. here's the first pitch.

morgan into right for a base hit. underway at 1:11 eastern. it takes no time at all for the nats to get their leadoff man on. that's nyjer's third hit of the series in ten at-bats. >> rob: going back to last april on the 18th, i know we got six runs off johnson and hit him hard a couple of times last year, hard. it's a great start to have nyjer whacking a ball into right field. >> bob: for the sake of keeping peace between my partner and i, i won't mention what happened the rest of the game. >> rob: no. [ laughter ] >> rob: we lost that game eventually. >> bob: i like now. i forget about then. adam kennedy will be next. adam, 3 for 9 with an rbi in the series. uggla and ramirez looking at

each other. a possible double-play ball here. adam takes one down the middle. 92 -- boy, that's an easy- looking 92. >> rob: yeah. the big fella, i think, will get loosened up as the game goes on. 98 in the 9th inning last time out with 12 strikeouts. >> bob: josh a big man, 6'7," 249. morgan this year, not a great percentage. 6 out of 10. his six stolen bases have been seventh in the league. and remember what ronny paulino did here on friday night. he threw out both both base runners the nats sent against him. kennedy will flip one foul over the dugout. 0-2. >> rob: that's home this year in three starts. 20 innings pitched, five earned, five walked, 29 strikeouts. he likes pitching here. throw that day game win and

losses you got? >> bob: 11-2 career. 0-1 this year, though. somebody got him during the day. but that means something when a guy is really tough during the day. first of all, he probably hides the ball a bit. and it gets on you in a hurry. and morgan just starts running. >> rob: beautiful. >> bob: josh johnson blew center field. they had him out by a wide margin and then the pitcher just threw the ball into center. you know, they probably give him a steal on that -- not an error. we'll see. >> rob: he steps to inside and usually you want the pitcher to 360 so ramirez is running one way. he throws it the other. he throws off the wrong foot and he knows it. the thing is you're caught off guard as a pitcher. you don't expect a guy to take off and just go towards second while you're standing there in the stretch so you're a little bit surprised, you turn around.

sometimes you don't make great throws. >> bob: they will caught it a caught stealing and e 1 so nyjer will not get the steal. it's not a whole lot different than a catcher making a bad throw and you get a stolen base on that. nyjer made a wise decision when he popped up, not to try for third. the nats get a break. marlins make their 24th error of the year. and kennedy will move in to third base. good at-bat by adam kennedy and handled by gaby sanchez for the first out. zimmerman 5 out of 9 in the series, rob. he came back in amazing form. >> rob: we were watching him swing and he had a bad hamstring -- he was killing the ball in batting practice but this is the game. a breaking ball up and away. one to the second deck left. takes one to right center field over the geico sign. he had a double a little bit

later so he has been scorching the ball with a double late in the ball game last night. >> bob: everybody back except the first baseman sanchez, who's 30 feet off the base playing even with the bag. >> rob: kind of gutsy. i don't want to be too close to the plate. >> bob: national have a chance to break on top in this series for the third straight game. ryan, three rbi here in florida. 13 on the year. broken bat. and to his left, the first baseman makes the grab. the marlins knew what they were doing there and that's two outs with adam dunn coming up. adam dunn has, along with zimmerman, the most hits against josh johnson career,

four. he's the only nat in the lineup today who's hit a home run against the big florida right hander. >> rob: the key to that play, too, is if you're going to play the defense, shift over that way -- you have to pitch zimmerman that way. >> bob: there's another broken bat. >> rob: man, sawing up some tree lumber right there. look at that. >> bob: with the runner at third base, the marlins are not playing as dramatic and what is going on here is condition due is way off the line at third, not far from nyjer morgan. hanley ramirez is up the middle. they don't think adam dunn will be able to be pull this pitcher -- >> rob: wow. >> bob: -- like other guys in the stuff. >> rob: interesting. >> bob: because if they did, ramirez would be on the other side of the second base. quickly 0-2 now. >> rob: he's copping up underneath adam hand. he doesn't want adam to get any position. he knows an 98-mile-per-hour fastball could be going the other way over the fence.

you come in hard. >> bob: another broken bat. [ laughter ] >> rob: well, we're going home today. so. >> bob: wow. the airplane will be a little lighter later today. >> rob: three straight fastballs in his kitchen to the broken bats. >> bob: wow. close. just outside. >> rob: great pitch but a little off the plate. >> bob: the other point about the defense, which i was remind of by our producer, you have to have cantu somewhere around third base or else nyjer morgan could come 508 feet down the line to steal home. breaking ball low. so that's something that you seem to watch. if he buries breaking battle is not too far from the catcher,

niger morgan may be able to get home. 2-2 to adam. nats had a runner at third with one out and johnson shut the door. john lannan's turn to go to work. [ music throughout ] [ male announcer ] achievement: starts small...

and dreams big. achievement: makes big moves... ...and takes baby steps. it helps you keep the lights on... ...and it knows when to turn them off. achievement: is all around us. a part of our very lives. at pnc, we help make achievement happen. pnc. for the achiever in us all. >> bob: the trust of mclaren watching lannan take his warm- up tosses. sixth in the league in hitting, seventh in runs.

cantu is wearing everybody out right now. 4 for 8 in this series, a six- game hitting streak. he's had hits in every game this year except for one. you may expect him to bat around .409 but he's at .309. formidable in the number four spot. john lannan actually does better against right handers than lefties and rob, as you look at the florida lineup, josh johnson is the only left- handed batter and for john lannan, that's almost a good thing. because lefties have been really chewing him out. >> rob: hitting .560 off of lannan this year so the only lefty is the pitcher. tough part about that is three hits and three rbi in his last start. >> bob: cameron may have been trying to bunt for a hit. the home plate umpire signals he was in the batter's box when the ball hit him. a foul ball instead of an out. quickly 08-2. 1 for 8 and two runs. >> rob: that's what he should

be doing, trying to push balls and trying to bunt, use that tremendous speed he has. >> bob: great way to get out of the slump. >> rob: he needs to become a contact guy. concentrate on putting it in place. >> bob: there's contact. right there for willy. the ball find you as soon as you get in the lineup and he takes care of that one. >> rob: he's allowed 52 base runners in five starts this year. bad news -- lefties hit .560 off him. good news is the only one who is left-handed is the pitcher and during day games, hitters over the last two years hitting .246 against john lannan. >> bob: that's pretty good. going up hacking, gaby sanchez, batting eighth. freddy gonzales puts him in the number two spot. he has a walk but is 0 for 6 and his batting average down

to .261. the marlins 12-12. riggleman's nats, 13-11. two games and one game behind the mets, respectively. phillies at 13-10. they're getting together again today. santana and moyer at philadelphia. that's a sun night game, by the way. well hit to right center. nyjer morgan checks wall, plenty of room, two outs. morgan is between willingham and harris getting a start. desmond back up the middle with kennedy. zimmerman, dunn, and nieves. calling the signals today. if you weren't with us last night, i repeat what nieves told me when i saw him -- i ask him, are you going to be in there tomorrow? oh, yeah, i get to start against josh johnson. the thing about a part-time player -- you know, it's a lot like being a pinch hitter, rob.

you're not facing other staff's easiest guys. >> rob: 8-2 when wil plays. >> bob: how about that? nice. >> rob: 6-2. i apologize. >> bob: that's pretty good. wil play in nine games total. bases empty. ramirez goes upstairs to hackett. a 1-1 count to ramirez, a homer last night, 3 for 9 with three rbis. batting around .300. this is very typical. he has batted a lot early in games this year with the bases empty. even with his three rbis last night, he only has 10 in 24 games. >> rob: a great pitch by lannan. didn't get the call. >> bob: hopefully he will. hanley ramirez against john

lannan, look out. 5 for 10. but they have him played perfectly up the middle. and on kennedy handles it and a 1-2-3. the former marlin willingham and harris and desmond coming up. anncr vo: ...find a nearby tow truck or gas station... anncr vo: ...call emergency services... anncr vo: ...collect accident information. anncr vo: or just watch some fun videos. anncr vo: it's so easy, a caveman can do it. caveman: unbelievable... caveman: where's my coat? it was suede with the fringe. vo: download the glovebox app free at geico.com.

>> bob: two groundball outs for john lannan in a 1-2-3 1st. time for the sideline report with debbi taylor. >> debbi: earlier today, bob,

i asked josh willingham if his former teammate josh johnson looked different since having tommy john surgery. >> i don't think so. you know, he may have a couple of miles an hour on the fastball, you know. he throws really hard and has three really good pitches. it's one thing where you have to be at your best at the plate and really compete in the batter's box and battle because, you know what kind of stuff he has and he has to be able to match that somehow. >> debbi: you have to try to get to him early and make him work. it will be challenge today. guys? >> bob: nyjer morgan did. 1st inning, nats couldn't bring him around. willingham 1 for 6 career but three walks against his former teammate. johnson, olson, willingham -- remember in ú06? they all got votes for rookie of the year. we were hoping zimmerman was going to sneak in that year because of a fractured marlin vote but ramirez got enough votes to win the award.

and johnson now goes 2-2 on willingham. ramirez, the second marlin to win it. willis the first and then chris coughlin did it last year. 2-2 pitch. ooh. >> rob: i mean, the first ball and that ball didn't miss by much. >> bob: 95 as he almost painted. didn't mick jagger say "paint it black?" >> rob: 95, 96. >> bob: willingham walks for the fourth time career against johnson. the leadoff man aboard for the second straight inning and harris coming up. >> rob: we talked about power pitchers before in the nationals and some of the lighter-hitting guys use josh's power. he is throwing 95 or 96, has to put the ball in play and it

will jump. the ball is jumping with it being humid. >> bob: harris 0 for 2 in this series, 1 for his last 19. one of the toughest job in baseball not getting a will the of at-bats. willy has been banged up since the catch he made at nationals park last weekend. >> rob: wasn't that an 88 changeup? >> bob: i think so. >> rob: that's harder than a lot of guys' fastballs. >> bob: boy, it's a tight zone. 3-0. >> rob: man. looks like a ball. he is pumping it in there. 96 right here, an easy 96. >> bob: johnson coming in, 34

strikeouts, 12 walks, 31 innings. given up only 25 hit during that time. so if he goes seven or eight, he usually gives up like five hits. willingham, surprising speed at first this year. don't forget about him. he is 4 for 4. 3-1 to willy. out of play, left side. [ cheers and applause ] >> bob: would jim rigman start the runner with no outs and a full count against a strikeout pitcher? he does.

no swing said tim barret and willy harris is aboard. jim riggleman knows every 90 feet is important. two out of three is not bad. that's the subject of the 2nd inning sponsorship when we think of all things deuce and the nats could put another two. a call for the luna double. get your second room of floors free at 877-241-luna. the only ballclub the nats lost the series to, home and home with the phils. here's desmond. a big spot for him. >> rob: pulled off that breaking ball. >> bob: desmond did not see josh willingham last september.

target inner half. and the count is even 1-1. the young guy who's growing up in a hurry. really good numbers with runners at second and/or third. right now willingham is at second. harris behind him. outfield a little around to the right. way inside. >> rob: perhaps those extra couple year in the minor leagues -- six years down on the farm. only 26 years old, is a rookie. patience is paying off, even right now. 24 years old. >> bob: we talked about that yesterday. he thought that was -- didn't think it was too good while in the year four or year five. >> rob: right. >> bob: everybody wants to get to the big leagues but we don't see a lot of really good players get that much minor league time as kids are rushed

to the big leagues. >> rob: unlike maven, who should be down or volstad who is 23 -- a lot of those guys use to make 100 starts as a pitcher thrown and get 1,000, 1500 at-bats. no longer. >> bob: 2-2 to desmond. breaking ball hit into the corner. coming around is willingham. harris racing for third. nats take the lead and at second and third, nobody out. his 1 10th rbi. he got a -- his 11th rbi. he got a hook and he didn't miss it. >> rob: josh johnson is already up to 30 pitches for the day. and that breaking ball won't come back until it's thrown back. nice job of patience and waiting for that off-speed stuff by ian desmond. that pays off. at second and third, no outs. >> bob: contact hitter, nieves, who can't think about pulling the ball here.

they're really playing him shallow and right with cody ross. they know where he hits the ball. rob quick was going to ask you how old were you when you were draft vd. >> rob: 19. >> bob: how old with your major league debut? >> rob: 24. >> bob: okay, five years. >> rob: like ian, i spent a couple of winners down in winter ball, playing in puerto rico. i don't know if he went to puerto rico or the dominican but it helped. >> bob: nieves with a bouncer. desmond almost got trapped off second. johnson looked at him and threw the batter out. just got the pitcher coming up next and that's out number one. now, when you made your major league debut, did you go back to the minors thror to stay? >> rob: i was there until i retired. i was lucky. this thing about it -- like with ian, you spent so much time thrown, i think you fight that much harder not to get sent back. >> bob: hmm. >> rob: i was toll when i came

up, you're going back in two weeks. i was only there because a guy got hurt. >> bob: lannan is 0 for 9 this year. .096 with one career rbi. i wonder if jim riggleman would consider a bunt here. maybe maybe a safety squeeze. good runner at third. lannan takes low. 1-1. >> rob: nieves is not an everyday player, playing like once or twice a week. he knows he has the pitcher coming up behind him and has a lot of things factoring into his at-bat besides facing josh johnson. >> bob: yeah. everything working against you when you're a number eight hitter in this league. >> rob: yeah. >> bob: the only time is bases loaded and nobody out. >> rob: they have to throw strikes to you. >> bob: lannan getsball bat on the ball! and that will be an rbi. >> rob: beautiful.

>> bob: just as good as a nice, hard bunt. 2-0 on lannan's second career rbi. to third base, desmond. >> rob: well, josh johnson throws around 9500 on the hand -- ouch. but he jams him so good the ball doesn't go anywhere. and it's like bob said, beautiful as a bunt, cantu throws lannan out but, hey, an rbi is an rbi any way you can get it. >> bob: morgan jumped on the first pitch he saw, singling in the 1st. second pitch is a fastball that just misses. >> rob: you believe how easy he is throwing. he is barely winding up and is firing 95s. >> bob: i know. and a little chopper right side. uggla back pedaling. nats are gone but pick up two very opportunistic run with rbis from lannan and dezmond. ♪ we'll begin with a spin

♪ traveling in the world of my creation ♪ ♪ what we'll see will defy ♪ explanation [ male announcer ] remember when you were five and anything was possible. ♪ happy 5th birthday again. ♪ come with me and you'll be ♪ in a world of pure imagination ♪

this is power with efficiency. this is an interior that exceeds even the promise of the exterior. this is the all-new jaguar xj. the stunning result of taking a very different road. >> bob: john lannan helps himself to a 2-0 lead. bottom of the 2nd coming up. cantu, uggla, and ronny paulino. zimmerman made quite a return to the lineup this weekend and last night, he continued his heroic with great defense. >> rob: he's not too bad with the mitt, either. you can see him there and then his legs looking good. he is able to dive from the knees. got him. great play by adam kennedy. >> rob: wow. >> bob: staying on the bag

long enough. i'll have to have you wash the uni. >> bob: almost dragged his knuckles on ground. that was impressive. ryan's really perfected the art of the underhand flip, which gets rid of the ball so much quicker. now, here's cantu. zimmerman's counterpart at third. we talked about the matchup before the game. lannan sneaks an 88-mile-per- hour heater. 0-2. cantu hitting .309. leading league in rbis with 25. two ahead of mark reynolds. >> rob: don't let them up. >> bob: a little pop-up -- uh- oh. adam dunn drifted back, maybe waiting for kennedy. adam grabbed it. i found out what happened on that play with dunn on the double play last night. we'll talk about that. t-shirt tuesday. come to the ballpark against the braves. first 10,000 fans at 7:05

tuesday night receive a gray nats t-shirt. get your tickets at nationals.com. remember when adam dropped the ball on the double play and we said he could have begun given an error? you can't assume the double play. i talk to the official scorer and he said the rulebook state that to give a first baseman an error on a double play relay, the ball has to be in his glove. he said, he looked at the replay over and over again, trying to decide whether he had the ball in his glove. it hit the outside of the glove and never got in there and he said, i called it by the book. that's why there was no error. i said to him, i didn't know that. he goes wide on that one by zimmerman and john lannan retired five in a row. three of them on the ground. ronny paulino will be next. >> rob: one of the toughest things for the first baseman

are to find the bag, keep your eye on the ball coming across the diamond, the runners barreling so you don't want your foot in the middle of the bag. >> bob: yeah. >> rob: it hit the heel of his glove. >> bob: on certain plays, the ball is on its way to you before you see it. you're looking for the bag and find it and look up and the throw's already coming. so the reaction time can be very brief. >> rob: not like his hand are small, either. big man, big hand. >> bob: dunn made one error at first base. i'll take that for the rest of the way. >> rob: yeah. >> bob: the nats played 25 games. so if he commits single-digit errors this year, that will be a good year at first for adam dunn. lannan gets two outs and walks paulino on four pitches, bringing up cody ross.

that's john's 16th walk of the year against only ten strikeouts. we're not worried about that because john is not a strikeout guy. he would tell you 16 walks in just over 28 innings is too many. >> rob: yeah, and dunn's had 213 total chances. he's been a part of 18 double plays so to drop one ball in 25 games, that's pretty good. >> bob: he's doing fine gallon just fine. >> bob: adam said foot work is what he worked on most of everything in spring training. like you said, finding the bag but finding the right corner. >> rob: you don't want your foot across and the guy can spike you and you're done for awhile. >> bob: ross gets jammed severely. zimmerman backs up over to kennedy and that's it for the marlins in the 2nd. lannan keeping the ball down. 2-0 washington.

and lines of credit from pnc. helping achievers borrow with an eye towards the future. pnc. for the achiever in us all.

♪ dramatic music borrow with an eye towards the future. vo: playing professional baseball isn't easy... vo: but saving money with geico is. vo: geico, 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance. >> bob: nationals baseball brought to you by -- and by -- rob and i thought you would enjoy the shot from the leisurely ride to the ballpark. isn't that beautiful on the intracoastal waterway? >> rob: our masn boat. i like the masn helicopter better. >> bob: i like the chopper. we get around a little better.

love machinery. here's adam kennedy. >> rob: it was a no wake zone so going 3 miles per hour on the waters -- talk about leisurely. get charley and dave there taking all the soda. >> bob: i thought you were talking about day game after night game -- no wake zone. adam kennedy takes a hard breaking ball. 1-1. >> rob: i don't know if you saw some of the players come down this morning. i don't think they slept much. one guy -- >> bob: you said they're mad after they lose a game. >> rob: fight each other? >> bob: probably sleep lost. last night was a badly-played game. >> rob: yeah. >> bob: i saw mr. lerner and he goes, boy, i'm glad there's a game tomorrow. i stayed, we all are, sir. adam kennedy with the patented hook swing. >> rob: i saw him out of the press box -- he's like, i'm glad i flew in all the way from california for that. i'm like, sorry, sir.

i know. i feel your pain. [ laughter ] >> bob: 2-2 to adam. defensive swing as josh johnson dropped one down and away from him. gaby sanchez. that will bring up zimmerman and dunn. >> rob: i love the name gaby. gaby sanchez. i think it's gaby hayes and in the movie "blazing saddles." >> bob: wow, you're going back to my generation. you remember gaby hayes. they have three sanchez here. brian, anibal, and gaby. >> rob: get zip to catch one of those. i bet he caught hit it over center field if he got one.

>> bob: zimmerman lines out to first. his first time up. and a 1-1. jammed him. he hit it hard and cantu turns one around. >> rob: his counterpart grinning over there. >> bob: how do you hit a ball that hard when it's that far inside on you? >> rob: well, he gets bat out quick, has some of the quickest hand we have seen, and just that reaction we talk about -- first base, third base. you're watching the hitter, not the pitcher. cantu, a brilliant play. >> bob: now, without a runner on third, the normal adam dunn shift is on. with ramirez staying home near shortstop and cantu out there in front of the umpire. >> rob: and uggla playing rover.

for an outfielder they're like softball. >> bob: 2-0. ooh. looking for a fast ball down the mill. i would have swung at that. >> rob: 3-0. throw me a fastball some time here. you have to get the bat going early when he's throwing 95. >> bob: there's one. he let up a bit. that was 93. >> rob: by direction on the outs -- hits by adam dunn this year. >> bob: yeah. >> rob: getting way under that one and flying it out of play. look out, folks. >> rob: his first at bat he was coming inside hard on adam, broke a couple of at bats. how least he's throwing soft

stuff away. >> bob: 320 career home runs for adam dunn. and he'll take a walk. >> rob: wow. > >> bob: breaking ball down and in, johnson's third walk. >> rob: talk the walk. >> bob: adam dunn's 18th of the year. >> rob: where's the pitch? 3-2. i almost think that paulino tries to frame that pitch may have hurt him. umpires don't like that when you move the glove and try to make it look like a strike. a strike where it crossed the plate. >> bob: one of the best ever was bob boone. he was the first catcher i really heard of when it came to framing pitches. that was a term that kind of popped up during the ú70s into the ú80s and bob boone was the best. >> rob: some are more

deliberate. pudge is very small. others move their entire arm. you don't want to make it demonstrative. the umpire knows where the strike zone is. they don't need you to move your glove back into it. >> bob: willingham waiting for that one. [ cheers and applause ] nice catch by a fan with a glove. and the count is 1-1 in the 3rd. 37 pitch in the first two innings for josh. he walked a man here so he's in the mid-50s. >> rob: it's a hot one. hot and humid today. >> bob: josh -- spent his high school years in oklahoma in a little town called jenks across the river from tulsa. and he knows what humidity is all about. in fact, he is moving to las vegas so he's going where it's dry.

1-2 with a runner aboard and willingham takes a fastball that just misses low and away. 2-2. >> rob: well, it looked low. sounded low. >> bob: harris on deck. like willingham, walk and scored in the second. [ applause ] >> bob: into right field, backing up cody ross -- now he misjudges it -- and still makes the catch. cheemp [ cheers and applause ] willingham, his former teammate, takes big swing and that ball just died. may want to consider the sunglasses next time. there are hundreds more you can't. the solution? try combat source kill max baits. while aerosols only kill the bugs you spray, combat baits target the source of the problem. ants and roaches take the bait; carry it back to the nest and share it. the result?

you destroy not just one, but the entire infestation. if you have unwelcome ants or roaches, try combat source kill max. also look for new combat liquid ant baits. brand power. helping you buy better.

>> bob: 2-0 nationals. the day off tomorrow. the brave will come in for three. livan and kawakami. night game on thursday. olson and hudson and then these marlins -- just five days from now -- will come and visit us. looking forward to a short six- game homestand before the nats head off to new york, colorado, and st. louis. i'm not sure i ever remember a road trip with three stops in three different time zones. >> rob: three different division. >> bob: yeah, how about that? that hit brett carroll.

lannan hasn't given up a hit but hits the number eight man. right in front of the pitcher. john's walked one. it will be josh johnson and look out for this guy. he's 3 for 10 this year and has four rbis already. he's a .160 career hitter. >> rob: and carrolll is like a lifetime .208 hitter and you hit him in the foot. >> bob: zimmerman grabs it! he was charging and had to make a hard turn and makes the play on the first pitch. no advancement by anybody. >> rob: got lucky there. hitting brett carroll and then josh johnson, who's a very good hitting pitcher, very bad on the bunt right there, trying to stab at it instead of letting it hit the bat. >> bob: zimmerman cat-like and here's cameron maybin. >> rob: you could be trying to

attack. it's okay. he's pitching a heck of a game. again, though, guys just don't hit that well and you pay too much respect. when you throw off speed, you're helping them. >> bob: a bouncer in front of the plate. nieves threw him out the first time. we talked about this before. adam dunn, he comes off the bag and leads off with the runner and stands right in front of him. first manager i saw do that was bobby ball plan type with the mets. he took his first baseman and plant him right in front of the base runner. >> rob: they do it in hockey. you plant the big guy in front of the goal. >> bob: screening goalie. >> rob: good pitch. we can't complain. johnson and lannan making solid

pitches. they're calling them low -- they're not calling them low, i should say. >> bob: 3-0 to maven. tough guy to double up. he can fly even though he's coming on the side of the batter's box. he bounced into one double play this year. two on. one out. major league baseball again this year and people magazine team up to look for individuals who make a difference in their communities all around the major leagues. 30 every day all stars will be honored at the 2010 all star game at anaheim. to nominate, go to peopleallstars.com. two on, one out. nobody's hit their away board for the marlins.

gaby sanchez fly to nyjer morgan and center first time. danger on deck. a base hit through the box. [ cheers and applause ] darryl comes around. throw cutoff. and the marlins are on the board. he went up attacking the first pitch. and sanchez first hit in this series. >> rob: he has hit the ball hard and that's what happens -- a guy walks somebody like maybin, comes back, fries to get ahead quickly on sanchez. he reads it perfectly. he whales a shot in the box. >> bob: maybe the shortest cutoff throw i have seen. when kennedy turned around, i thought for a moment he may have a play at third. desmond, actually. >> rob: i'm sure that the defense was talked to about the throw on the ball around. take the safe play. 2-1. it's early in the ball game. you don't need to make this into a big rally by firing if

ball over the place. >> bob: double play is in order. a good shot. he find it finally. >> rob: two guys should really have gone after it are carroll and maybin. you hit one, walk another and then sanchez, ramirez, and cantu -- the guys you don't want to face and pitch to are coming up. >> bob: hitting the number eight man could change the complexion of this game immediately. off speed pitch. mashed into center. morgan back -- and that is a home run. [ cheers and applause ] >> bob: nothing cheap about that one. >> rob: no. >> bob: cantu had to supply

all the power and that's his fourth of the year. >> rob: yeah, ramirez was just standing there, waiting, getting right on the changeup. >> bob: wow. >> rob: and he crushes it. see nieves' glove? he wanted it low. ball carrying. it's daytime smear that ball kept going and going and going. very talented young man with hanley ramirez. >> bob: his second homer of the series, rbi up to 12. bases are clean with one out and cantu steps in. getting the little guys on base. that's what the marlins haven't been doing for ramirez but did in thinning. >> rob: well, our two runs came off two walk from josh johnson. and a chime runs came off hit batter and a walk. >> bob: the one thing nats starters have done lately is avoid the big inning. it's been awhile since somebody put a four-spot up.

on our ballclub in one inning. >> rob: i don't know what the plan was against carroll who plays one a week, and maybin -- why we're not just attacking -- even if they hit the ball, where it is going to go? >> bob: this is interesting. the last time the nationals gave up more than two runs in an inning -- and there's zimmerman throwing out cantu. -- was colorado's late run inning at our ballpark 12 days ago so it's been almost two weeks since a nationals pitcher has given up an inning like this. nothing more than two runs in an inning since a week ago tuesday. two outs now and dan uggla coming up.

he goes up swinging, a good dive by desmond but the ball was spinning away from him and uggla has his second hit in nine innings in this series. paulino will be next. so as we get into the 2:00 hour, things have change in a hurry here at sun life stadium in miami. the marlins have four runs on just three hits. bob carpenter and rob dibble and debbi taylor on masn hd in the rubber game of the three- game series. paulino walked his first time. john lannan's fifth career start against the marlins. 2-1 with a 4.43 e.r.a. coming in.

of interest -- the fact that josh johnson has thrown 56 pitches in three innings. the nats will have to keep working on him and try to shorten his afternoon somehow. >> bob: houston is underway at atlanta. no score in the bottom of the 2nd there. derek lowe throwing for the braves with a record of 3-2. a really high -- 5.79 -- e.r.a.

there's another pitch up. hit hard to left. one hopping the wall. willingham to get it in quickly. [ cheers and applause ] >> bob: and at second and third with two outs and cody ross will be the ninth marlin to bat in this inning. >> rob: 0-2 pitch. this is terrible location and paulino crushes it. lucky that didn't leave the building. >> bob: phew. when you throw an 0-2 pitch like that, your pitching coach will have a chat with you. >> rob: if you're john lannan and wil nieves, you think at beginning of the inning, 8, 9, 1 coming up. we'll attack the eight guy, go

after the pitcher hard, and then a very bad hitting lead- off guy with maybin coming up. could have been a 1-2-3 inning but now it's a four-run blow- out inning because of the hit batter and the walk. >> bob: the hit batter -- on the first pitch breaking ball -- hurts. eight batters later, the nats have given up four runs and the marlins are threatening more. cody ross bounced out to zimmerman first time. it's amazing think about it that the nats went almost two weeks without giving up more than two runs in any inning. a big inning that always hurt them in this ballpark. mainly by the right-handed batters.

for both pitchers, very few called strikes near the corner. if the umpire wants to be there for three hours and 15 minutes, he's set the stage and he's hearing about it from the nationals dugout. that's a very unhappy manager right now. changeup outside. 3-0. [ applause ] >> bob: they may go ahead and walk him now. they will. take their chances with brett carroll. so this will be john lannan's third walk. that was interesting because on that ball two pitch, the manager was complaining to the

umpire and then riggleman was complaining to pudge rod guess. and pudge is like, "tell me about it." bases loaded for carroll. >> bob: now the marlins are mad about that one. [ laughter ] here's the base running bunch. uggla, sing. paulino, double. ross, intentionally walked.

and brett carroll at the plate and a 4-2 game. bottom of the 3rd. into right center. well hit but harris is tracking it. man, that ball carried 390 feet. some ballparks, that's a goner. 4-2 marlins.

>> debbi: it's 4-2 marlins as

we move to the top of the inning. harris is making a start in right field today. he has been mr. versatility for the nationals and earlier i asked him how he stays so sharp all the time. >> it's pretty much all mental. and getting your work in, not getting caught off guard. i think that's what helps me. and that's what i try to do. i just try to stay on point and try to keep my skills sharp. that way, you know, i can -- when it's time for me to have a big at-bat, if i'm not playing from pinch hitting, i'll be ready for that. >> debbi: he has been there against a lot of tough righties and has a knack for getting a key base hitter and making the pitcher work for a walk. >> bob: like today when he scored a run in the 2nd inning. you can tell by looking at debbi on camera it's breezy. the wind is blowing to the right around 16 miles per hour and we have seen a couple of fly balls carry that way.

harris, another player, and nieves six, seven, and eight. the wind is not often a factor but today is. >> rob: a big cut on the breaking ball. hit two homers this year. >> bob: trying to battle where he is 1 for his last 19. desmond on deck. used to rack up the extra base hits, he and desmond. >> bob: rob and i before the game marveling at the fact over 100 major league players were drafted before josh johnson back in ú02. harris gone.

second k of the day for the big man. 41 major league hits, 21 for extra base now for ian desmond. >> rob: when he does put the ball in play, he hits it and puts a charge into it. and that one right there with the rest of them. he can hit them hard. >> bob: desmond's fifth double of the year with two triples and a homer. >> rob: give him credit, too. he worked that at-bat on johnson. not easy to wait for a pitch to hit, especially a breaking ball, and this guy is pumping up in 96 fastball. >> bob: the first time he has seen this pitcher live and in person. >> rob: yep. >> bob: jumping on that one and count of 0-2. the thing i observed about ian, though -- he'll go up and really pump it for a strike or two but when he gets two strikes, he tries to shorten things up a bit and

that's something a young player has to do. he has struck out this year 15 times in 70 at bats so not that bad. took a big swing there, though, and a breaking ball. got it. three ks for josh johnson. at&t trivia in the 4th -- let's see what the smartphone has for us today. marlins' all- time leader in complete games and quality starts. his name is not livan, it is? is it? and a line drive. may have been a busted bat as nieves goes to short. josh johnson gets lead and comes out to a 1-2-3. now, pudge rodriguez think thinks that should have gotten three runs early but they only got two.

he said "i wanted three." othery to help you save. oh, really? how? by bundling. if you get your homeowners and auto insurance together, we give you even more savings. ooh! big bundle. [ chuckling ] home and auto together. it's like peanut butter and jelly. oh, or like burgers and fries. or pickles and ice cream. unicorns and glitter! no? bundling to save you more. now, that's progressive! call or click today. ♪ bohm-bohm, bohm-bohm, bohm-bohm ♪ ♪ bohm, bohm-bohm-bohm-bohm ♪ bohm-bohm, bohm-bohm, bohm-bohm ♪ ♪ bohm, bohm-bohm-bohm-bohm ♪ bohm-bohm, bohm-bohm, bohm-bohm, bohm ♪ ♪ if you want a revolution, the only solution, evolve ♪ ♪ you gotta evolve ♪ if you want a revolution, the only solution, evolve ♪ ♪ you gotta evolve ♪ if you're getting off track and you want to get back ♪ ♪ may take a lot of work, gonna break your back ♪ ♪ if you want a revolution, the only solution, evolve ♪

♪ you gotta evolve ♪ no matter what they do, they can't break your stride ♪ ♪ evolution is a thing that starts inside ♪ ♪ throw your hands up, pat your friends with pride ♪ ♪ hold your head high, no need to hide ♪ ♪ e-v-o-l-v-e ♪ come on, get inside, come and ride with me ♪ ♪ if you want a revolution, the only solution, evolve ♪ ♪ you gotta evolve ♪ if you want a revolution, the only solution, evolve ♪ ♪ you gotta evolve ♪ if you want a revolution, the only solution, evolve ♪ >> bob: after 3 and a half, marlins on top with a four-run 3rd. johnson hasn't given up a hit in over two innings. he and desmond have swung the bat well but ramirez, that big blast, the big blow of the 3rd inning. >> rob: yeah, the hit batter to the eight hole guy, a walk, a single, and then the three- run blast by hanley ramirez and it's 4-2 marlins right now and

their starter josh johnson pretty comfortable. he went out and just stuck a nine-pitch inning on us. >> bob: six of them were pitches to get two strikeouts. he'll lead off here in the 4th. johnson tried to bunt first time up, popped up to dealership man, foul, and a 1-1 coming from lannan. >> rob: takes a hack. >> bob: willingham waiting for it. >> rob: josh johnson place right-handed when he plays golf, bats left-handed, and can hit either way. >> bob: rob thinks this could be al rider, all- time leader in complete games and quality starts.

>> rob: dontrelle willis. i'm not big on that quality start stat. that's six innings. >> bob: the complete games decent. >> rob: 151 outstanding down here. >> bob: hitters would tell you when dontrelle was going well, it was the most uncomfortable thing in baseball to be in the box because all arms and legs flapping at you and then all of a sudden the ball is on top of you. he used to drill guys, too. not on purpose but sometimes he didn't go where the fastball was going. >> rob: effectively wild. >> bob: right. left handers really, did not want to stand in. >> rob: we have a guy named tyler clippard can throw like that. maybe not as hard as dontrelle in his heyday but that kind of distraction and deception drives hitters crazy. they don't want to see all arms and legs and a lanky guy out there. just too much stuff going on trying to pick up the ball. >> bob: i thought willis would

be the next bird with all the stuff he had going on. lannan really works over maybin this time and strikes him out. and for john lannan, his first strikeout. >> rob: well, maybin maybe shouldn't be able to touch lannan because he has enough stuff to dispatch of the maybins and carrolls and you have to concentrate on maybe the ramirez and can us to but that walk last inning to maybin and the hit batter carroll, that was the trouble. the home runs are going to happen to ramirez but the big runs that hurt -- a hit batter and a walk. >> rob: hernandez is a testament to how long you can stay in this game giving up solo home runs. i play with the lefty browning -- five straight years, won 15 or more games. never broke 85 on the gun but threw strikes, didn't walk a ton of guys and when it come 40 to home run, 28 of those were

solos out of 35. minimize damage by not walking and even josh johnson can tell you that. two-run were walks. >> bob: 2-1 to gaby sanchez. single up the middle to set the stage for the three-run ramirez homer. right center. long way to go for nyjer. he can't get it. harris behind him picks it up on a hop. and the number two spot has brought gaby sanchez alive today. i wonder if the nats would be tempted to walk hanley ramirez here. maybe they will see how the count goes. >> rob: i think this may have been communication between your right fielder and center fielder. i think nyjer feels the footsteps. he looked down and he saw willy

coming in his vision. >> bob: it's the center fielder's ball. and it appears morgan could have caught that. now, here's ramirez, who hit one over morgan over the wall last time out. this game needs to stay for the nats right where it is. there have been some spectacular moments in center field but some suspect moment in this series. >> rob: you called it last night. you got a base open in the situation you could carefully pitch to ramirez. you have to. >> bob: a little pop-up right side. and a ways to go for adam kennedy. he gets there and ramirez is gone. so are the for that lynn in the 4th. lannan to lead off in a two-run game. achievement: starts small...

and dreams big. achievement: makes big moves... ...and takes baby steps. it helps you keep the lights on... ...and it knows when to turn them off. achievement: is all around us. a part of our very lives. at pnc, we help make achievement happen. pnc. for the achiever in us all.

>> bob: sun life stadium on a hot, humid baseball sunday afternoon in early may. bob and rob back here in the american league things happen like this all the time with guys at the bottom of the order. the beauty is national league pitchers don't have to let it happen. >> rob: you want to pick your battles and go after the guys you should be able to attack -- carroll and maybin and even conklin hasn't pitched well.

ramirez and cantu are coming up. poor choices right now -- the reason we're behind a couple of runs. i have faith we, on a sunday, will come back. >> bob: john lannan leads off, top of the 5th, against josh johnson. retired nine of the last ten with only the adam dunn walk in there and he quickly goes 0-2 trying to bury the opposing pitcher. that didn't take long. he has now banned three of the last four nats. >> rob: the more grief coming out of our dugout. a back door slider, doesn't look like it was a strike, especially by the strike zone that has been established today by angel campos.

or do you call him "compos? " >> bob: using the spanish pronunciation. >> rob: but still, that wasn't a strike most of the day but now johnson is getting that. you need to make some adjustments. >> bob: and morgan flips an easy flyball to left for carroll. there are some pitchers, as soon as they get the lead, man -- >> rob: kick it into another gear. >> bob: off they go. nats have adam kennedy on board for zimmerman. >> bob: rom rose and cantu can do just that.

>> rob: you have a good fast ball, a good sinker. two out of ten times they're putting the ball ball. >> rob: disrespectful to say get this guy out of here. he shouldn't be stand in front of me. you hit one with the breaking ball and walk the other. it's almost like, you know what? baseball karma by not making good choices because that comes back to bite you. >> bob: yeah. kennedy pulled the ball twice to the first baseman sanchez. pretty simple stuff. adam late on that one and josh johnson is in high gear. seven straight, 12 out of 13 halfway through the game. marlins lead it 4-2.

what's all this? big news! we have another way to help you save. oh, really? how? by bundling. if you get your homeowners and auto insurance together, we give you even more savings. ooh! big bundle. [ chuckling ] home and auto together. it's like peanut butter and jelly. oh, or like burgers and fries. or pickles and ice cream. unicorns and glitter! no? bundling to save you more. now, that's progressive! call or click today.

>> bob: hd nationals broadcast on masn brought to you by -- here comes the tide. it's the bottom of the 5th here. marlins lead it 4-2 in south florida on a beautiful day. we're back home, 7:00 tuesday night, masn 2 hd. here they come. down half street and kawakami for the braves. 0-4 with a 5.5 e.r.a. and then livan going the other direction, 3-1 with a 0.87. second-best in the major leagues to jimenez. 0.79. johnny and ray at the ballpark. nats xtra at 6:30, presented by your washington ford dealers.

>> rob: whose off speed stuff will be better that day? >> bob: i'll take the guy on the right. john lannan gets one away from cantu. 5th inning underway. john lannan, 63 pitches, only 38 strike in his first four innings. he's averaging right around 16 pitches per inning. through 28 in that four-run 3rd. had things going his way first time around. 0 for 2, a pop-up to second. he is 4 for 10 this weekend. out to center. nyjer morgan tracking -- and he makes the catch right off the shoe topps. man, there are some outfielders have having a hard time seeing the ball the right way today. >> rob: i think there's a lot of white t-shirt in this orange background behind home plate. it's very bright out there so

very difficult to spot the ball and nyjer went back on the swing, kind of the waco did ross went back on josh willingham. comes back and makes brilliant save. a great grab by nyjer. wait to see the guy tuck that under. i have seen guys get injured on plays like that. >> bob: watching him is so fun. >> he is fleet afoot. >> bob: yes, he is. uggla 1 for 2 with a base hit. lannan goes right after him quickly. 0-2. let's see what john does with an 0-2 pitch. many of you are probably wondering about stephen strasburg's start at harrisburg. they're having really bad weather. the game has been delayed at the start. and at last report, they were expecting a huge storm to roll

into central pennsylvania. so nothing to report on strasburg's start today. evidently, some in the media have already said it will be his last at double-a. we'll see. >> rob: yep, some media members jumping the gun to put him in the big leagues after today's start. >> bob: all right, 3-2. ronny paulino on deck and has been a torn in the nats' side this weekend. four times on base, a couple of base runners thrown out. dan uggla will drop one into left center off the end of the bat. lannan had him 0-2. that was a 3-2 pitch outside but up. and uggla able to get his first multi-hit game in awhile. here's paulino, who walked in

double and doubled on an 0-2 pitch in the 3rd. 82 on a changeup. 1-1. >> rob: see the 0-1 pitch. great to start it off. that's a solid pitch right there, especially way he has been calling strikes for johnson. be consistent. yeah. now that media outlet has

changed it. strasburg will be promoted to triple-a. >> bob: yes. we kind of knew that. 2-1 to paulino. >> rob: you were thinking five in double-a, five in triple-a. [ cheers and applause ] >> bob: going to third. morgan miss the cutoff man. zimmerman has a play. and they've got paulino hung up. they will tag him out, staying at third base is uggla on a base-running mistake by ronny paulino who got baited by the fact morgan initially missed the cutoff man. so he makes the second out of the inning between first and second. >> rob: well, and this is set up because you hit the cutoff. and so you go right to the cutoff guy. and he can throw it right back in. to adam kennedy.

>> bob: 8-5-4-3. and then cody ross will get the marlins another run. they are just teeing off on john lannan there. so his double makes it 5-2 and they have outhit the nats 8-2. bullpen phone just rang. here's brett carroll, the number eight man. >> rob: even on dan uggla, 0- 2, went away with the fastball, away with two changeups and left the pitch up in the zone. if you won't pitch inside and in this league, you won't pitch in this league that much longer. you have to pitch inside. >> bob: as if almost on cue from fair faction, we have a great question on "ask about the nats" at masnsports.com.

mccatty visit with lannan. i think my answer to that would be "yes, yes, yes." >> rob: yes, and you shouldn't need the catcher to tell you to pitch inside. that should be your plan pretty much every hitter in the major leagues. >> bob: you know, the other thing -- >> rob: the more you come in -- you saw josh johnson do it on adam dunn the first time around. >> bob ? you're a guy like lannan can that doesn't throw hard, you have to do this. >> rob: twice as much. >> bob: i mean, we saw what happened when ross leaned across the plate last night and hit a triple down the right- field line on a two-strike pitch. >> rob: it's not a fear in a literal sense. i'm afraid i may get hit by the ball. if you don't pitch on the inside, they have no fear of you. i have to think about when he's doing it. if you don't, they will lean over and cover the outside portion of the plate and destroy you. you know, some of these balls

aren't hit that hard but normally they should be out. and the bottom line is even hernandez, you watch him pitch and this year he's done a very good job of it. he effectively throws inside to set up his next pitch. >> rob: there's another guy just teeing off. >> bob: straight back by carroll. 0-2. >> rob: i can't totally nut on john because we watched this last night with stammen and walker where you had opportunities to knock the marlins off the plate in game two to set up game three but, you know, they went back after last night's game and looked at video tape and said, you know what? they don't pitch inside. i talk to cookie rojas before the game and he knows we won't pitch inside. it wasn't our m.o. last year or the year before. if you're not going to pitch inside and you're not known for it, a team like the marlins who has not -- they have not been hitting the ball well, they're

comfortable in there. your job as a pitcher -- this goes back to stuff i said last year. your first job is to make the hitters uncomfortable whether mentally or physically. that's your job. so the fact cody ross hasn't been made uncomfortable in this series is sad. >> bob: that ball is smoked to left. [ cheers and applause ] marlins score again as carroll goes scoreboard. and now it's 6-2. you know, you look at the play nyjer morgan played. the base running mistake ronny paulino made. john lannan has hardly retired anybody in thinning. >> rob: well, it's a hanging changeup, location is up. once again, i mean, even with a good changeup out over the plate, you're not going to pitch inside. the number eight hole guy or the number seven hole guy -- they're just going to lean over the plate over you all day. >> bob: josh johnson's third

at bat. the marlins now have nine hit in the last three innings. all six of their runs. >> rob: well, we ran into this last year with a butch bunch out of our pitchers. the third time through the lineup, the second time through the lineup, getting hammered. the first trip through sets up the second and third. that's why josh johnson, his third time through the lineup, is breezing because the first trip through, he pounded the hitters inside with the fastball. >> bob: now it's no big deal. >> rob: he needs to establish early with fastballs, early in the game so that you know what's coming rest of the way. >> bob: 3-1 now. this could be john lannan's last hitter. probably will be, whether he retires him or not. 2 outs, a running in the 5th.

batista ready and a 3-1 pitch. recount. >> bob: that ball is trouble if it's fair. >> bob: and josh johnson called out.

5th ing over and maybe john lannan's day. marlins pick up two more runs on four hits. this is unlike any c ar you've ever seen before. this is power with efficiency. this is an interior that exceeds even the promise of the exterior. this is the all-new jaguar xj. the stunning result of taking a very different road. i think you might have hooked it up wrong, though. yea, we're getting way too many channels. no, no. that's -- that's standard. fios also comes with 11,000 free movies and shows on demand per month. ah, standard. gotcha. a certain somebody says "thank you." tell him "he's welcome," but it's still standard. he's happy to be back with his friends. is he? [ male announcer ] call now and get fios tv, internet, and phone for just $99.99 a month guaranteed for two years!

this is beyond cable. this is fios. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800-974-6006 tty/v. >> bob: we have some nats fan in the ballpark. they will have to have something to cheer about pretty quickly for washington to get back in this game, the way josh johnson is pitching on our highlights. >> rob: well, it looked like we would get to josh johnson but now he settled down and is beginning to strike everybody point good fastball, great off speed stuff, back door sliders.

josh johnson is beginning to cruise. two hits, two runs early in the ball game. it's been awhile since we've sniffed anything off the big johnson. from, what, jenks, oklahoma? >> bob: yeah. actually call it jenks, america, out there, because it's a small town with a main street that goes right through it and one or two traffic lights. >> rob: oh, they just got those? >> bob: they've had them awhile. [ laughter ] well known for antiques. >> rob: i got to go. i love that. >> bob: zimmerman and willingham in the 6th. you can see the wind really whipping down on the field. ryan zimmerman, a line drive to first, pop shot to third that cantu took away from him.

josh johnson, 14 first pitch strikes to the first 21 guys he faces today. >> rob: doesn't anticipate him staying in seattle. >> bob: oh, wow. >> rob: washington would be a great destination forically lee. >> bob: why would he say that on may 2 when this guy just came off the d.l? come on. why don't you play some baseball for awhile? >> rob: this is true. >> bob: aw, gee. >> rob: already postures, the peacock. >> bob: take your commission and have a nice summer. zimmerman high in the air to right side. we spent so much time talking about everything that has nothing to do with what is going on between the lines on that thing.

but for every agent who wants to say something, there's a media guy. >> rob: right. got a tape recorder. now it's digital recording. >> bob: zimmerman takes fastball upstairs. josh johnson with his fourth walk of the day. nats take on the marlins early. come out early. first 10,000 fans 21 and older receive a cooler bag presented by miller lite and brews are $5 at the walk bar. >> rob: we could use a few of those cooler bags today. smoking here in south florida. >> bob: 87 -- 84 at game time. supposed to be a high of 87 in south florida today. >> rob: 699 days before they open the new stadium? am i right? >> bob: you are. >> rob: it will be air conditioned in there, bob. >> bob: i hone so.

i hope so. marlins banking on the fact people will actually come to try to watch batting practice, which has been very difficult here. a lot of pop-up storms late in the afternoon in this part of the world. >> rob: get that done. >> bob: adam dunn can put them back in game in a hurry but washington has not had a hit since the 2nd inning, desmond's double. adam dunn is gone. strikeout number six. [ cheers and applause ] >> rob: johnson has been come in there all day on adam and then he runs a two-seam fastball across the plate at 93 miles per hour. just not fair. i think he pulled that out just

for adam there. i hadn't seen that all day. >> bob: you mean, he didn't show his entire repertoire through the first hour? >> rob: no. >> bob: that's what the good ones do. and they're able to do. josh johnson had 56 pitches after three innings and then in two more innings, he only threw 19. >> rob: you were right on. once he got that lead -- >> bob: yeah. >> rob: he really -- he brought out his "a" stuff. >> bob: yeah, the front runners, they get the lead and know how to shut the door in your face. one on, one out here in the 6th. willingham 0 for 1 with a walk. and a count of 1-1 to the former marlin, who's been known to like light that short field porch here. tough to pull this big guy. really, the only person who has done it is ian desmond, the first time he ever saw josh johnson. >> rob: well, that was a breaking ball. nicely on it. >> bob: yeah.

he gets that call. he will be tough. running that fastball right in under willingham's hands. >> rob: sounded like a ball. that was a 91-mile-per-hour slider. he's got very smooth repeatable mechanics. a lot like volstad. >> bob: willingham late. strikeout number seven. and six of those have come in the last three innings. >> rob: he is smooth and throws everything from the same onslaught and right there, 96.

almost like his movement has gotten better, too, on the fastball, in the last couple of innings. >> bob: you know, over the years, everybody said, well, this guy gets stronger as the game goes on. i'm not sure if that's possible, but he sure gets better because nobody is touching him now. >> rob: i think dialed in. i agree. guys get more dial in, they're breaking stuff now. they know exactly what's working. this is what i'm going to use a little bit more often. >> >> bob: he has struck out six of the last nine batters. national in there's a two games of the series collected three runs on six hits. two hits came in the 9th inning last night. they had been two-hit up to that point by chris volstad. they have pitched jim riggleman's offense well here. >> rob: change right there. well, and -- with that seven, does that make 30 strikeouts

now? for the series by us? >> bob: 31. >> rob: 31 strikeouts. >> bob: 1-2 count. waiting or leading off in the 7th. harris into left center. it is in the gap. zimmerman coming around third and will hold. it will be second and third. two outs. desmond has the shot to bite into half of this lead.

and johnson starts him on 94, right down the middle. >> bob: that's a tardy swing. marlin have two go in their bullpen. a righty-lefty combination. zimmerman's at third. harris at second and ian needs some kind of contact here. >> rob: use that 95 or fight off the breaking stuff. >> bob: johnson struck him out with a breaking ball last time.

whoo. >> rob: left a little bit back. 97 on that last one. he reached back for a little bit more. >> bob: hunter jones the lefty. >> rob: he's up around 100 pitches. >> bob: struck him out, desmond. he strikes out the side, eight in the game for josh johnson. including five of the last six men he's retired. [ laughs ] [ male announcer ] achievement has its own patch of grass. ♪ achievement unleashes hidden potential. ♪ all right! achievement looks forward to dinner at home. achievement enjoys newfound freedom. i love you. [ male announcer ] mortgages, home equity loans, and lines of credit from pnc. helping achievers borrow with an eye towards the future.

pnc. for the achiever in us all.

>> bob: time for a cool one in south florida. it's the bottom of the 6th, batista takes over for the nats. top of the order for the marlins -- maybin, sanchez, and ramirez. first pitch swinging -- cameron maybin. balls carrying today. that takes the player to the edge of the track.

a lot of humidity. the ball getting up there with all that air under it and going a long way. next up is gab gaby sanchez. opponents only hitting .211 against him. he had some control issues. walking 11. >> rob: hasn't been easy. a lot of mop-up situations and a lot of being behind in the score situation but he has done some great things for the bullpen on occasion where he's soaked up a lot of innings. >> bob: oftentimes guys like this will hardly ever pitch with the lead. but batista got to do that friday night when he pitched scoreless 9th inning. it was almost like getting a stave for him because he seldom enjoys that good feeling of

being out there when the ballclub is ahead. gaby sanchez, 2 for 3. he is 39 years of age, had a birthday in mid-february. a my noor league free agent a month before that. >> bob: out to short. desmond gobbles it up. and two quick outs for batista here in the 6th inning. bringing up hanley ramirez.

>> bob: turned a close game into a not-so-close game, the three-run shot back in the 3rd inning off john lannan. and got the marlins their lead. now he yeah, one out of here down the left-field side. ramirez came into this series with two home runs on the year and now he has five. >> bob: it's a beautiful hitter's park when you're a

right-hander who can pull. look out nor guy. look out for this guy, jorge cantu. i thought he may go up first pitch swinging and a chopper to desmond. the marlins get a quick run in a quick bottom of the 6th and now lead the nationals by five. ♪ bohm-bohm, bohm-bohm, bohm-bohm ♪ ♪ bohm, bohm-bohm-bohm-bohm

♪ bohm-bohm, bohm-bohm, bohm-bohm ♪ ♪ bohm, bohm-bohm-bohm-bohm ♪ bohm-bohm, bohm-bohm, bohm-bohm, bohm ♪ ♪ if you want a revolution, the only solution, evolve ♪ ♪ you gotta evolve ♪ if you want a revolution, the only solution, evolve ♪ ♪ you gotta evolve ♪ if you're getting off track and you want to get back ♪ ♪ may take a lot of work, gonna break your back ♪ ♪ if you want a revolution, the only solution, evolve ♪ ♪ you gotta evolve ♪ no matter what they do, they can't break your stride ♪ ♪ evolution is a thing that starts inside ♪ ♪ throw your hands up, pat your friends with pride ♪ ♪ hold your head high, no need to hide ♪ ♪ e-v-o-l-v-e ♪ come on, get inside, come and ride with me ♪ ♪ if you want a revolution, the only solution, evolve ♪ ♪ you gotta evolve ♪ if you want a revolution, the only solution, evolve ♪ ♪ you gotta evolve ♪ if you want a revolution, the only solution, evolve ♪

>> bob: top of the 7th coming up. nieves, the pitcher's spot, looks like roger bernadina, and then top of the order of the nats, down by five. if you know the best mom in nats town, nominate for her for nats on the town for mother's day. tell us in 300 boards or less why she should be the mom of the game. e-mail your submission to mothers@nationals.com. finalists receive tickets to the may 9 game plus great prizes, on-field recognition just for you. submission period end thursday at midnight, may 6. so wes helm into the ball game. you saw jorge cantu, who shuffle over to first. and the new pitcher will be baden-. a lot of extra pitches because he had four walks and eight strikeouts.

he was around the plate all day. took him awhile to start earning some strikes. here's wil. he's 0 for 2 today. big breaking ball. out of play. >> rob: and give josh a lot of credit. when he figured out, okay, i won't get those pitches, he brought the ball over the plate a little bit more. >> bob: and just basically challenge people the rest of the day. >> rob: sometimes you have to do that, you know? and john lannan's best games have been when he pitches inside and keeps those righties at baby throwing stuff inside, inside, inside. >> bob: roger bernadina next. batista.

[ cheers and applause ] >> bob: breaking ball way out. nats' ninth strikeout victim today. man, it's been a strikeout fest in south florida this weekend. this copy righted telecast presented by authority of the washington nationals and may not be reproduced or retransmitted in my forms. accounts and descriptions of this game may not be december seminated without the express written consent of the washington nationals. roger bernadina here in the 7th. first pinch hitting appearance. he's 1 for 9 in four games played since his recall. >> rob: things won't get any easier starting on tuesday