Nationals News: Unswept by Philly Edition

Nationals News:

  It's official: the Nationals have asked shortstop Cristian Guzman to move to second base next year. FanGraphs digs into this possibility. Is Ian Desmond the answer at short?

  Big League Stew rounds up responses to Jim Riggleman's statement that baseball is not physically taxing.

  Depending on how this season ends, the Nats could be top 20 in terms of back to back season losses.

  The Nationals claimed Jesse English on waivers from the Giants. In Class AA, he went 7-7 with a 4.20 ERA.

  Jim Riggleman says he likes the direction the team is headed, and appreciates the fans' understanding.

  Ian Desmond, he of the 4 RBIs in his first game, said the ball was "crystal clear." I hope it remains crystal clear for him.

  FJB liked both Ian Desmond's slide, and the ump's call. I wish he had been safe, but the ump was right.

  Stephen Strasburg spoke to the media for the first time since rejoining the Nats last Friday.

  Thomas Boswell puts the Nationals "success" under Riggleman in perspective.

  Despite pitching well in his starts, Livan Hernandez earned his first win as a National last night. Go Livan!

  Nationals Farm Authority discusses Ian Desmond's major league debut.

Non-Nationals News:

  Bud Selig spoke with Ken Rosenthal, and said that small and mid-market teams are still competitive, regardless of team spending.

  'Duk gives us milestones worth following through the rest of the season. Adam Dunn hitting 40 is on there.

  The Detroit Tigers were swept by the Royals. Yes, those Royals. I guess they don't want Bryce Harper!

  An (almost) streaker was banned from Citi Field for a year. He had a stuffed monkey tied around his waist. Unfortunately, there are no pictures.