has fantastic stuff. >> johnny: so, let's see if lannan can advance the runners. squares up to bunt. lays a nice one down. the throw to third and they got him at 3rd base. >> rob: wow. >> johnny: willingham forced at hird bullet and a great acceleration to get to that ball and a rocket throw to 3rd base. >> rob i think rosales comes in and he's got one thought in mind. i'm going to third. and looked liar hairston wasn't on the bag but you have -- looked like hairston wasn't on the bag but you have to have that in mind. he tried to cut off the lead runner right there. >> johnny: and they get him. lannan on 1st base and nieves is down to second. >> rob: you can still cut this lead in half just with a base hit by guzman. >> jnny: and cristian grounded to first and singled to right center back in the thirds. we are in the inning. reds lead 2-0. cristian's numbers, .256, 10 rbis and a triple this year. grounded down to first. gonzalez got it and tosses wings and the inning is over. the nationals threaten but don't score as we go to the top of the 5th, 2-0 reds lead.

. >> rob: another one against the giants in 10 hits so you know, johnny lannan does a pretty good job of walking guys and getting out of the double play. you don't want to make a career out of that but already the one run -- there is ron ba loan -- one run came off the walk second inning after two outs. single by hanigan brought in jay bruce on the walk. >> as we look at ron ba loan, he struck out 16 batters in a nine-inning game for cincinnati back in 1990 or 1991? he can bring it at his prime. >> rob: oh absolutely. absolutely. >> johnny: one of the most interesting guys to talk to as you look at ron ba loan, we did a piece with him i guess it was a week ago sunday and one of the things i asked him was how much can he be of a father figure, teacher to a lot of the young guys on the pitching staff. he said he is still learning. you can learn from these kids. >> rob: you can always learn. i'm learning from these guys, it's a process being, it's a journey, you are never done learning. i learned from steve mccatty. i learned from jim palmer when he was in here. jim palmer, obviously i i

so, john lannan is on the hill gets to try to continue the great starting pitching that we have been getting so far, johnny and that is the key. if they can go out there and pitch 6 strong, 7 strong and kick it over to the bullpen who has been doing a great job, there's john lannan warming up. love the blue top look we have today. that is your job. get 6 or 7 and get the bridge and get it over to the bullpen and then to the closer and you have a shot. >> johnny: during the ballgame, we will cover the bases with adam dunn all the cliches. we will be back and have the first pitch in a moment t. nats try to win -- moment. the nats try to win game three. e to chili's. something new is on the grill. try chili's new fire-grilled quesadillas, starting at just $6.99. like our bacon-ranch chicken quesadilla, flame-grilled tortillas layered with all white meat chicken, applewood smoked bacon, jack cheese, and ranch dressing. they're crispy on the outside, melted to perfection on the inside. you've never tasted quesadillas like this before. new fire-grilled quesadillas, starting at just $6.99. only at chili's. this i

johnny: still learning. count is 2-1 to alex gonzalez the reds shortstop. lannan retired the first two batters he faces. >> rob: let's take another look at home numbers. there he is. second right now in the national league in homerun e.r.a. 10 starts. ted lily. >> johnny: lannan delivers to gonzalez. fouled back. count is even at 2-2. reds are 6-7 against opponents from to the national league east. the nationals looking for their 10th win at home this year. 16th overall. rob, we were talking before this ballgame, you were comparing this year's record at the same time compared to last year. and this is a much, much better ball club. line-drive to left field, base hit for gonzalez. and it is hard to believe it is a 15-42 team. >> rob: it is. and this team was nine games better last year with the wins. but, you know what, it comes in cycles. they can still with a 66-29 flurry at the end of the season finish 500. >> johnny: right. >> rob: that is when you look at numbers and you have to start with small goals. try to win series. obviously we are not going to win this

so the others don't have as many as johnny lannan.you know when i came up i had, you know, phil gull lick son was at the major league level, you had ron robinson, tom browning had been there for many years, tom franklin had been there for many years, our pitching coach years late would be don argue lick. even the griffey seniors and dave collins and joel youngblood and guys like this, they can help you with your psyche and that's the most difficult thing i think for these young kids is when they have an issue don't always want to go to the pitching coach and go "you know what, i'm not that confident in this pitch," you don't want to be telling steve mccaty all that stuff, sometimes a teammate, it's easier to bounce it off him. i did that with joel youngblood, my first full year. i was struggling, i didn't want to go to pete rose and go "pete, i can't get them out, what do i do exactly?" >> johnny: phillips has a bead on this one and willie harris is down in the fourth inning with a little pop to second base . >> rob: here are all the

. >> rob: that's how young this pitching staff is for the nats. 24 years old for johnny lannan, 49 career starts, 487 2/3 innings at major league level. not a lot of experience. >> johnny: 3-2, swing and a miss, strike three. so johnny cueto on the rocks there in the first inning, the nats couldn't get anything out of it. we'll be back with the top of the second in a moment. ht. uh, well maybe how geico's the third-largest car insurance company in america? nice tidbit there. boss: exactly. and i've been thinking, looking a bit more businesslike might help too. gecko: oh my. uhhh, no it's, what's, what's the word... vogeico. 15 minutes could save you 15 percent or more on car insurance. welcome to chili's. something new is on the grill. try chili's new fire-grilled quesadillas, starting at just $6.99. like our bacon-ranch chicken quesadilla, flame-grilled tortillas layered with all white meat chicken, applewood smoked bacon, jack cheese, and ranch dressing. they're crispy on the outside, melted to perfection on the inside. you've never tasted quesadillas like this before. new fire-grilled

lannan. let's go back to johnny and ray in our studios. >> our congratulations to john lannan, winner of his year. you caught something talking to debbi taylor. >> it's a part of leadership. he told wil to move to the center of the plate because he was just missing with his fastball. that's the first time i've heard the assertiveness, but i've seen the assertiveness from john for the last probably month. there's just a different attitude. i don't know what it is. we always call it that it. he has it. he has it on the mound, that special something. he's starting to express it. even in the way that he talks, he's developing, i don't think it's an eric but it's a very positive oh aura or attitude about his confidence as a pitcher. he expects to go out there and win. >> a confidence swagger maybe would be the term? >> i like that. that's why you get paid all the big bucks. confidence swagger. >> shall we talk about the nationals offense today. they did score two, came up in the fourth inning. they scored another run in the sixth and that wasn't all. they scored another run in the seventh and the

[laughter]. >> johnny: phillips works a walk out of lannan. he is on base for the second time. lannan issues his second walk of the afternoon. this telecast may not be reproduced or retransmitted in any form and the accounts and descriptions of this game may not be disseminated without the express written consent of the washington nationals. a thursday afternoon affair. the sun peeking through the clouds here at nationals park. we are in the 5th inning. so far so good weather wise. jonny gomes up for the third time. flew to left and got hit by a pitch from lannan back in the 4th inning. >> rob: all right. so, you did a funny thing happened on my way to the forum? >> johnny: no. never did that. >> rob: dinner theater? you don't know that one? >> johnny: i know the show. i just never did the show. time for a quick trip to the mound as wil nieves goes out. >> rob: steve mccatty out. he has noticed something in the delivery here in the last 6 pitches of john lannan. probably, you know, one of the things pitching coaches are known for is taking inventory. what are you doing right he

johnny: still learning. count is 2-1 to alex gonzalez the reds shortstop. lannan retired the first two batters he faces. >> rob: let's take another look at home numbers. there he is. second right now in the national

. >> johnny: in the replay, looked like he could have maybe had a play at home. >> rob: john lannan, deep in thought right there on the bench. he did his job. he did a great job again today. >> johnny: 6 innings pitched. >> rob: and he has lowered his e.r.a. it is well under 3 now after that last start and with today. >> johnny: only one of the two runs earned today. gonzalez swings and flies it to center. willie tavarez hauls it in. top of the 7th and now it is a one run game. golden, colorado. it's followed one tradition: use the best high-country barley... and only rocky mountain water. and it's been brewed under one motto: never compromise. now maybe this means we're a little set in our ways. but we know a few guys who will drink to that. coors. the banquet beer. y taveras hauls it in. top of the 7th and now it is a one run game.  >> johnny: 2-1. get your red on and buy yourself a grand slam flex plan today. hello. you can enjoy ultimate flexibility. pick your plan and your games and get a free game. it is just that easy. for more i

johnny. >> with the buzz going for me. how about john lannan, i heard a comment, somebody asked him about now you're the ace of this staff, you're the key guy in this rotation. he said not really. i think everybody's going out there trying to do the best they can. if a guy throws a complete game, i want to throw a complete game. >> that's because he's humble. he's not the oldest, stammen is, but he's a guy that's been there the longest and has put together a tremendous resume. not in terms of won and losses, but in pitching quality starts. 14 times he's given up three runs or less, in the last five games his earned run average is down to 2.20. >> you like him, i like him, guess who else likes him? his manager, manny acta. >> we expect that out of him now. i mean this type of outings, just every five days whenever we're struggling giving us a chance to be in the ballgame. it didn't start the way it ended. he at the beginning was a little bit off. actually gave up three walks in the first four innings. he had good sink to his fastball and had goo

johnny holliday and ray knight with you. john lannantunity today to get the things back on track again for this ball club. >> we started to talk about john lannan, but he can't pitch any better. he has been able to throw the ball over the plate, varying speeds, in and out, up and down, and he has developed that leader attitude on the mound. you see him jump over that mound when he was with the yankees when he got that win. he's our staff ace. realistically if we scored enough runs, he should have 15 wins. hernandez, his first year in the big leagues, i looked over his minor league stats, he blew people away in the minor leagues. he has over 600 strikeouts in 500 innings. didn't walk a lot of people. fastball dominant type pitcher. we'll find out a lot about him today. >> 3-2 at norfolk for this kid hernandez. both guys only 24 years of age, both guys with tremendous up sides as far as looking down the road. >> we saw bergesen first night, and we know that we have four, five, six, seven, when you get on down to balancister who is pitchin

. >> rob: well, johnny, we stole one there and that is just what the doctor ordered. wonderful job by the pitching staff. john lannan, the bullpen and then scratching and clawing in the last three innings to get three runs. >> johnny: it is nice to see the guys standing there bumping fists together. joe beimel hands shake from bard. nats win it 3-2. you salt-wash everything and let it breeze dry. knit, delicate, permanent press... the ocean doesn't care. so grab your bag. (tucci) count on the nation's fastest 3g network. at&t >> byron: welcome back. the washington nationals e back to defeat the cincinnati reds. they finally get one on get away day as they head off to tampa bay and puts smiles on the faces of everybody. >> ray: everybody. >> byron: byron kerr with ray knight. we are getting ready for nats xtra minutes away. >> ray: it was a fielder's choice that gets the win. important contact. phillips tried to and had to chance. the great thing was the lead-off pinch hit by harris and another pinch hit by hernandez to get it started. >> byron: in the 9th, joe beimel got the job done. debbi taylor is stand by

johnny holliday along with ron dibble. gonzalez 2-3 with an rbi run scored. micah owings goes 5 and gives up an unearned run, walks four and strikes out four. john lannan pitching well enough to win this game. 6 innings, 5 hits, earned run, one earned run, two walks and two strikeouts. and kept the ball club close. willie harris will lead-off to start the 8th. >> rob: alex gonzalez 2-3 day. many years in the big leagues. >> johnny: willie harris will hit for wil nieves. josh bard will hit. 2-1 cincinnati. they have led all the way. nats have scored 5 runs in the last four ballgames. they got shut out and so far only 5 runs against the reds in this series. harris digging in. he said when you come down to florida state, can you get me tickets. >> rob: oh sure. >> johnny: i might be possibly able to do that. >> rob: going into yankee stadium the end of the week. can you get me tickets. >> johnny: anxious to see you get the response of homeruns flying out of that park, aren't they. >> rob: yeah. when you look at the pictures side by side on the internet, the old yankee stadium, big stadium. the new one is almost twice as big on the interior. so, it is the

lannan as the nationals get ready for the cincinnati reds. trying to get one out of this series before they head to tampa bay. we are going get this one in. johnnyand rob dibble have the play-by-play next. enjoy the game. at pnc, taking the long view is how we help you take the right path. even to change it when conditions demand. keeping you on the road to achieving your goals. it's something we've been doing for over 150 years. let our strength and stability be the basis for yours. pnc. leading the way. for the next minute, i'm gonna show you what it's like to have verizon fios. these are your widgets, they let you put whatever you're watching down here, while you check out local traffic, weather, even your news up there. i've got a news flash you're out of mayo. how did you get in here? door was open. you'd have tons of ways for you to search for content: by actor, director, any word at all. what about chicken? chicken's fine. any word. no i mean do you have any chicken? i want to eat some chicken. one of the coolest things you can do with fios... ...is stream your music and your photos from your computer to your tv. slideshows look and sound