WASHINGTON 2 Atlanta 1 (ESPN Boxscore)

Last night’s game with Atlanta was an excellent example of why a bad baseball team is better than no baseball team. Even when the team stinks like the Nats, they have good nights.

Against Atlanta, P Jason Bergmann was pitching like a man possessed. He was striking Braves out with frequency and keeping the ball out of the outfield. For seven innings he didn’t allow a hit.

Matching Bergmann nearly pitch for pitch was Braves ace, P John Smoltz. Aside from a SS Cristian Guzman triple and 3B Ryan Zimmerman sacrifice RBI in the first, he kept the Nats off the board.

Coming out of the seventh inning stretch, LF Ryan Church singled. RF Austin Kearns followed with a double that sent Church home. A sacrifice by C Brian Schneider advanced Kearns to third, setting up the oddest play of the night. On a suicide squeeze gone wrong, Kearns got caught in a rundown. Smoltz went tagged him and immediately fell to the ground in agony. He slammed his glove to the turf and grabbed his pitching hand. He may miss a start having dislocated his pinkie. People need to learn if Kerns is coming at you, GET OUT OF THE WAY!

In the 8th, Brian McCann broke up the no-hitter with a homer to right. Bergmann retired the next three batters and came out to pitch the ninth. He gave up a hit to Matt Diaz, prompting Manny Acta to replace him with Jesus Colome who retired the first two batters he faced. A single to Edgar Renteria meant runners at first and second with Nats-killer CF Andruw Jones at the plate. With a full count, Colome somehow blasted a fastball past Jones for the final out. Bang. Zoom. Great ballgame — Bergmann has come a long way from the six walks in his first start. This was the second time he went toe-to-toe with Smoltz and didn’t flinch.

Winning Bid for Bergmann – The Post

Bergmann loses no-hitter late – The Wash. Times

In The Wash. Examiner, Phil Wood wonders if RFK Stadium will ever see a no-hitter.

RHP Shawn Hill is on the DL (The Post), retroactive to Saturday (The Wash. Times), because of his injured non-pitching shoulder. His inflamed pitching elbow won’t mind the rest either.

Closer Chad Cordero is back from bereavement leave, but he won’t be put into a save situation for a few days. Also, OF Kory Casto was demoted to make room for Southeast Jerome Williams.

Beat writer Mark Zuckerman doesn’t care for country music (The Wash. Times).