Washington Nationals Come Up Empty, Stephen Strasburg Suffers First Loss, 1-0 To Kansas City Royals.

Today's Top 5: 

5. E: 16, 63: Ian Desmond's 16th error of 2010, and the Washington Nationals' Major League-leading 63rd, came on a throw to first on a Jose Guillen grounder in the fourth. Guillen was eventually stranded at second, so no harm. It's the sort of play the Nationals knew they'd have to live with from the young shortstop who'd committed 28 errors in 97 games last season between Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Syracuse before making his debut last season on September 10th and committing 6 errors in 21 games, but that was when the 24-year-old shortstop was hitting .330 with a .401 OBP and a .477 SLG in the minors in '09 and .280/.318/.561 in his month in the majors with the Nats. So far this June, however, Desmond's hit .229/.250/.381 down considerably from his .272/.296/.402 July and he's now hitless in the last 5 games and just 2 for his last 28...errors are some much easier to take when a double or HR follows...

4. Strasburg's First MLB Hit: Royals' starter Brian Bannister, who was 0 for 2 with 2 K's against Nats' right-hander Stephen Strasburg, and gave up Strasburg's first MLB hit, a ground ball to left hit on a 1-2 93mph fastball, went cute in his post game comments, telling Washington Post writer Adam Kilgore (as reported via Twitter @AdamKilgoreWP), after his 30-43 Royals eeked out a 1-0 win to salvage the final of three games in DC after losing the first two, that, "'I think we were on the nice list for #Strasmas this year. It's a tought list to get on to.'" The Royals, who managed to get 5 more hits than anyone had yet collected on Strasburg, 9 overall, also struck out 9 times, and hit nothing but singles off Strasburg, which they're wont to do, leading the league in hits and team avg as they are, but sitting outside the top ten in doubles, HR's and RBI's. Slap hittin' Royals talking....the only thing keeping them out of the AL Central's basement is the Indians...

3. K's For Days: With 9 K's today, there were reports that the Nats' '09 no.1 overall pick set another record, besting former Cleveland Indians' left-hander Herb Score's record 41 K's in his first 4 starts, but that's the problem, Score had 41. So does Strasburg. Or is Baseball-reference.com wrong? What am I missing? Either way it's impressive, considering Score set the mark in 1955. Hmmm? Seems the AP's saying Score only had 40 K's? Can I get a judgement please? Strasburg's 41 K's also put him 1 K ahead of Livan Hernandez and only 13 behind team-leader Tyler Clippard's 53. Livan's pitched 92.2 innings, Clippard 45.2...Strasburg 25.2...

Stephen Strasburg's Line: ( L, 2-1), 6.0 IP, 9 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 9 K's, 95 pitches, 75 strikes, 3 groundouts, 3 flyouts. 

2. Jose Guillen!!!!: Former Nats' right fielder, Jose Guillen, extended his heat streak to 18 games with a one-out single in the second off Stephen Strasburg. 5 for 12 in the three game series with the Nats', the 34-year-old veteran of 14 seasons and 9 different teams is now hitting .275/.340/.471 on the season for Kansas City. Guillen knocks David DeJesus in from third with a two-out single in the fifth on a low 96mph 1-2 fastball from Strasburg that Guillen goes with, singling to right for the winning run and then gunning Roger Bernadina down from right field on a play at the plate in the sixth to preserve the lead...or "sort of" throw Bernadina out, I should say...because.... 

1. ROGER BERNADINA WAS SAFE!!!!! Sure the Nats should've score more than one run off of Royals' right-hander Brian Bannister, who'd allowed 14 ER's over 7.0 IP in his previous two starts against the Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves, but the Nats did score one, Hunter Wendestedt just blew the call. Roger Bernadina, who was 1 for 4 in the two-spot today, batting behind Nyjer Morgan (0 for 3, 1BB), got his one hit in the 8th, lining to center for one of his Trademark Singles™, but he reached base in the sixth too, on an awful bunt attempt that turned into a sharp groundout to third and a force at second, but Bernadina was safe at first, and after a single by Ryan Zimmerman moved Bernie into scoring position Adam Dunn's single off Bannister drove Bernadina in...or so it seemed to everyone watching but the home plate ump, the aforementioned Mr. Wendelstedt, who called Bernie out though Royals' catcher Jason Kendall didn't tag him til he was knee-high in plate having scored what would have been the tying run...or bases loaded for Josh Willingham if Pat Listach didn't send Bernadina on Guillen's arm...eh, two out of three ain't bad?

• Miss The Game? The DC Faithful Don't Miss Strasstarts: 

• Final Score: Royals 1, Nats 0.

Nationals now 33-40.