manny acta was changed with jim wriggleman, so all the things he has done is positive. but i like listening to him. he wants to win. not just about developing for the future, stephen strasburg, etcetera, he wants to win right now and be competitive right now but his long-term goals are to win championships and i think kasten, the lerner family, they are all going in the right direction. >> everybody in the organization wanted to him to get the job. we're going to cover the bases, with sean burnett, one of mike rizzo's acquisitions, 26 years of age from dunedin florida, a # 1/2 e.r.a., a win, and so far anchoring the left side of that bullpen. high cholesterol. you've taken steps to try and lower both your numbers. but how close are you to your goals? there may be more you can do. only caduet combines two proven medicines... in a single pill to significantly lower... high blood pressure and high cholesterol. in a clinical study of patients... with slightly elevated blood pressure and cholesterol, caduet helped 48% reach both goals in just 4 weeks. caduet is one of many t

a victory tonight would make jim wriggleman the first gnats to sit two games above 500 since 1904.hope for the diamondbacks and the rays' pitcher. josh willingham's not impressed. bottom four, he gets just enough for an eight-game homer. jared finished seven on the night. top eight, ryan zimmerman makes ooh the great play with a glove. 5-2, the gnats win the seventh in a row. for the first one, you pay the price with a cream pie in the mug. the skipper with the improved play in the defense on this winning streak. >> we had a couple of bad ball games after the break. for the most part, i think we've played about as good a defense as most teams, you know when you match up our defense on another on that particular night, i think we're right there with everybody. >> orioles mayed a matinee with the jays and toronto. this one went to extra. adam lynn, a runner on second. l tils the ball game. >>> still to come, andy roddick found himself in the rare position of watching the legg mason final a year ago when he catapulted himself back in th year. and the fan appreciation is pretty much a

but also in this lineup, which is a pretty good lineup that jim wriggleman is fielding every night, isstar third baseman ryan zimmerman. you talk about a guy that has been smoking in the month of august, ryan is just that guy. >> i'll say. 16 games, .431, 15 runs, 13 r.b.i.s, picking everything at third base, four cowboys doubles, four home runs, and you know, one more time johnny. what am i gonna say. >> johnny: yeah. >> ray: he is the best third baseman in the league, defensively, growing that way as a hitter, and putting together probably his career year, johnny. when you look at what he has on the behind the baseball and driving the baseball, emerging as a leader, much more open this year and much more x trough verted. >> johnny: you wonder what his numbers are gonna be when he finally hits 25 years of age? considering how young he is? >> ray: putting up some numbers in a hurry. said this, we have mentioned this, i didn't get to the big leagues until i was 25, this isn't about me playing every day but this kid is gonna have numbers that, you know, close to a thousand hits by that t

no nonsense, very fundamental people, and the bottom line is they have taken on the image of jim wrigglemanit isn't about what the other managers did do not, it's about what these managers do. >> how about 47-25 under tracy? dexter fowler on the move for an easy out. and zimmerman who doesn't first pitch swing very often is out on one offering here in the first. that will bring up adam dunn. >> rob: jimenez will bring the heat. almost 95 plus on any pitch. one of the hardest throwing pitchers in the nationals league. a knee buckling curveball, and he has control issues sometimes. thus 13 losses for the rockies in his 24 starts. >> bob: the shift ondunn. rockies are 6th in the league in team defense. it seems like they're among the best in the league almost every year. fastball inner half right by adam dunn. >> rob: three starts in august have been outstanding. 8 innings, 6 and 2/3. >> bob: that's his changeup. >> rob: that's a fork ball at 89 miles an hour. that's how hard norm charlton used to throw his. that's unbelievable. >> bob: adam dunn sitting on 86 rbis. out of play, left side. the

. >> bob: we've seen jim wriggleman go sidewaysle with this bullpen tonight.r once pitch, and then of course bergmann the same thing. >> rob: to get into a pitching war right now with the nationals, probably not what jim tracy would have really loved to have done, but he has ubaldo jimenez, a very strong 26-year-old young man, may even throw him out there another inning, so it will l be interesting to see how they manage, since they're in the chase for a playoff spot. >> bob: and they have a very good closer in houston street if it gets to the 9th inning and colorado might have the lead. a breaking ball, and that's over, and out. wow! carlos gonzalez, his 7th of the year. that ball took about four seconds to bounce off the back wall of the ball pen, and is personnette greeted rudely. >> rob: a lot of left-handed hitters, when facing a left- handed reliever, looking breaking ball first pitch. burnette will come with a breaking ball, first pitch. carlos gonzalez greets him with a bye-bye off the back wall of the bullpen. my bout as badly located as a lefty to le

if you're developing young talent -- which we are -- but jim is winning, trying to win not only for the city of washington but for wriggleman his status hasn't been decided yet. so every gape he is managing, he is managing to win so you can't afford to go long with these guys to give up six or seven runs, you know, because you're trying to cover your backside he is managing extremely well and i hope he does get that job as manager because he turned ballclub around attitude-wise. >> johnny: let's throw prince fielder break balls today. no fastballs. >> ray: that's fine, as long as you what bury them around the shoetop. [ laughter ] >> johnny: jorge padilla will chat with us in a moment. he was called up from syracuse three weeks ago this wednesday. there he is signing autograph for young fans. we'll visit with him and talk about his rise and his trips to the minor leagues. he certainly paid his dues and used as pinch hitter and got a start last night. interesting young man. i think you will enjoy our chat with padilla when we return as nats xtra pregame continue in a moment.   >> johnny: hi, eve

." >> jim wriggleman talking about garrett mock. he will start tonight. 2-4 for the nats.d think about 'em ray, he has back to back wins over arizona and cincinnati. >> he pitched extremely well. his earned run average is 2.25. you can see right there. he had a 9.50 earned run average but start to go throw a lot of strikes ahead of the hitters, a moving fastball, gets up to 92, 93, just a yacing curve ball, the change- up he has been able to work this to his repertoire. he has basically been a two- pitch pitcher as wriggleman talked about out of the bullpen but he is able to use the pitch in his repertoire. >> he has only walked 23, struck out 32, it's his first start against the colorado rockies tonight. his mound opponent is going to be jason hamel. hamel comments in tonight at 7 and 7 for the rocks. >> ray: with a four .7 earned run average, given up 150 hits, actually not a very good ratio as far as his hits to innings pitched ratio. he is a guy that doesn't strike out a lot of people either but has been hot of late. the main thing he has done is in six of his starts h