"If you had to pick one representative game from this Washington Nationals season, Wednesday night would not be a bad choice. John Lannan, their starter, pitched well enough to win. Michael Morse, their one consistent force all year, destroyed one ball, a line-drive home run that left a vapor trail as it rocketed over the right-center field fence. And the rest of the Nationals' offense did almost nothing.

The Nationals' 3-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves before 20,687 at Turner Field made their nine-run, four-homer outburst a night earlier feel like an aberration. They managed three hits against Derek Lowe and the Braves' unparalleled bullpen, their offense again costing them when they otherwise could have had a chance. The Nationals have surely made progress this season, but at times their offense has done plenty to obscure it.

Lowe may have deserved as much credit Wednesday as the Nationals' hitters deserved scorn. He threw zigzagging sinkers and cutters all night at the low-and-outside corner, where home plate umpire Eric Cooper consistently called strikes. "It looked borderline to me all night," Manager Davey Johnson said. "I'm not saying they weren't strikes.""