Nats' Comeback Falls Short

Zimmerman Hits Two-Run Homer in 8th, but O's Ray Retires Him in 9th to End Game : Orioles 5, Nationals4

Between them, the Baltimore Orioles and the Washington Nationals have seven starting pitchers on the disabled list whom they hoped to enter the season with, and the Nationals seem to send one there every day. There was no John Patterson or Shawn Hill available to start last night for Washington. Neither Kris Benson nor Jaret Wright can pitch for the Orioles.

So the 22,375 fans who showed up at RFK Stadium for this nascent rivalry between cities some 30 miles apart were treated to a battle of what, before the season, were determined to be the teams' strengths, the bullpens. The Nationals' relievers blinked first, allowing a pair of runs in the eighth that became the difference in a 5-4 loss. Washington, which lost right-hander Jason Bergmann to the disabled list yesterday, couldn't finish a comeback begun with Ryan Zimmerman's homer off Danys Baez in the eighth, succumbing to Orioles closer Chris Ray -- barely -- in the ninth.

The victory broke the Orioles' five-game losing streak and halted the momentum the Nationals had established in winning six of seven. Washington reliever Saul Rivera gave up two runs in the eighth, the first he had allowed in 10 1/3 innings, and the Nationals' bullpen -- which had been stellar during the stretch of success -- finally failed, turning a one-run Baltimore advantage to swell to three. The Orioles' final run scored on Brian Roberts's fourth hit of the night.

But as they headed into the final weekend of a 10-game homestand -- one that was marked by the club's first two series wins of the year -- the Nationals found themselves with larger concerns than a one-inning let-down from the bullpen. They now have four-fifths of their original starting rotation on the disabled list.

Bergmann, all of four days removed from taking a no-hitter into the eighth inning against the Atlanta Braves, was the latest casualty, a victim of fluid in his right elbow. The only man remaining from the original group is rookie lefty Matt Chico, who has made all of nine major league starts.

Though the club doesn't believe Bergmann's injury to be serious, he will still miss three turns. The move is retroactive to Tuesday, meaning Bergmann would be eligible to pitch May 30 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

"They just don't want to make it worse," Bergmann said. "They don't want me to hurt something else. I want to pitch. I want to be healthy. And if taking a couple extra days off to keep it from that, so be it."

So it was left to Simontacchi, who began the year with a strained groin, to serve as the dean of the rotation. At 33, Simontacchi has no gas left in his surgically repaired right shoulder, but he is here because he knows how to pitch, and he did that against Baltimore.

In just his third major league start this season, Simontacchi allowed a run on Jay Payton's sacrifice fly in the fourth. But the inning showed why Simontacchi could be valuable during this stretch in which the Nationals need any able body to make it through six innings. Though the Orioles had the bases loaded and one out, they scored just the one run.

The main damage came in the fifth, when the Orioles took a 3-0 lead on Nick Markakis's run-scoring double and Kevin Millar's two-out RBI single. And the Nationals could muster next-to nothing against Baltimore starter Steve Trachsel. Their best opportunity in the first five innings came in the fifth, when Felipe Lopez and Cristian Guzman reached base with two outs, bringing third baseman Zimmerman to the plate.

With the count 2-2 on Zimmerman, Trachsel snapped off a breaking ball that bounced in front of the plate. Lopez immediately started toward third and arrived safely. Guzman, however, hesitated, and by the time he broke toward second, Orioles catcher Ramon Hernandez pounced on the ball. His throw to second nailed Guzman by 10 feet, and Zimmerman was left to quietly remove his helmet, wondering if he would have driven in a run.

The Nationals finally touched Trachsel in the sixth on Dmitri Young's fourth homer of the year, a two-run shot that pulled Washington within 3-2. But even that rally was tinged with missed opportunity, because prior to Young's blast, Austin Kearns came to the plate with runners on first and second and nobody out, and he tapped into a 6-4-3 double play on the first pitch he saw from Trachsel.

Zimmerman's two-run homer off Baez gave the Nationals hope in the eighth, and when Ray walked Nook Logan to begin the ninth, those who remained in the stands buzzed a bit. After a stolen base and a pair of groundouts, Cristian Guzman drew his third walk of the night, bringing Zimmerman to the plate. He worked the count full and hit the ball solidly, but his line drive was right at left fielder Freddie Bynum, and the rally was over.