ATLANTA 13 Washington 0 (ESPN Boxscore)

Up until last night, the Nationals had won every game that Micah Bowie had started. That is no longer true. He gave up six runs over 3 1/3 innings. Three of the four relievers gave up runs with Billy Traber allowing 5 over two winnings. Brutal stuff.

The Nats were outscored 23-3 during Atlanta’s three game sweep.

Nats Show Nothing in Atlanta – The Post

Nats’ offense stays dry in south – The Wash. Times

1B Dimitri Young will likely be the club representative at the All-Star Game (The Wash. Times) in San Francisco next month. Tim Kurkjian of ESPN writes about Young’s resurgence too.

The Nationals will platoon two weak hitting centerfielders, Ryan Langerhans and Nook Logan, in the leadoff spot.

Post columnist Marc Fisher is skeptical of the upcoming Faith Night at RFK Stadium, seeing it as a reminder to an episode in the 2005 season involving the baseball chapel (The Post). He adds:

Baseball is a secular church, an elaborate belief system with its own symbols, martyrs and gods. As Michael Novak has written, sports offer rituals and liturgies, “teach religious qualities of heart and soul,” and provide significance and order to our lives.

In the end, I don’t think this will be a big deal.