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WASHINGTON -- Jim Bowden sauntered out of the home clubhouse at Nationals Park and headed toward Manny Acta, raising his voice loud enough for bystanders to hear.
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"Manny! One in a row, baby! On a streak!" the Washington Nationals' general manager told his manager.
Then, referring to the games-behind column in the NL East standings, the GM of the team with the worst record in the NL added, "The lead is down to 3½! This thing is a pennant race, baby!"
Ah, yes, everyone could smile Sunday evening, everyone could kid around, because the Nationals had just won a game for the first time in 11 days, snapping an 0-9 skid. Monday's day off would not be ruined by ruminations on yet another defeat. Tuesday's start of a three-game series at the New York Mets would not be viewed through the prism of a lengthy string of setbacks.
"It's a lot easier going into New York with a one-game winning streak, than a 10-game losing streak," Acta said.
Washington wasted nearly every last bit of a five-run lead it was gifted Sunday by the Atlanta Braves. Still, by managing to hang on for a 5-4 victory, the Nationals avoided what would have been the franchise's longest victory drought since 1991.
"It's always good to get a streak like that over and done with," said right-hander Tim Redding, who improved to 2-1 Sunday. "You don't want to keep going out there thinking, 'What's going to happen today that's going to cost us the win?"'
Redding is the only Nationals starting pitcher to have been credited with a win this season, one of several indications things have not gone the way Bowden, Acta and their players hoped.
Only two NL pitching staffs have a higher team ERA than Washington's 4.80. No NL team has a lower batting average than the Nationals' .232.
No one other than shortstop Cristian Guzman (.322) and center fielder Lastings Milledge (.308) is hitting. No. 3 batter Ryan Zimmerman is at .226, No. 4 Nick Johnson .263, No. 5 Austin Kearns .238.
"We haven't played well, and hopefully we're getting it out of our system early. We're a better ballclub than this. We know that. Everybody in this clubhouse knows that. If they don't know that, then they should just walk out," said catcher Paul Lo Duca, whose average is at .200.
"But we haven't hit in certain spots. We haven't pitched in certain spots. We haven't played good defense. We haven't run the bases," Lo Duca continued. "You name it. Every aspect."
The even-keeled Acta and the less-so Bowden have tried various ploys to get their team out of its funk.
