The Nationals have been wondering all season what they were going to do to solidify their middle-infield positions for the future. On Tuesday, they believe they resolved both spots.

In trading closer Jon Rauch to Arizona for 23-year-old second baseman Emilio Bonifacio and re-signing shortstop Cristian Guzman to a two-year extension, Washington took two bold steps to address some of its biggest long-term concerns.

Bonifacio was rated the sixth-best prospect in the Diamondbacks' farm system, according to Baseball America, and though he'll begin his Nationals career at Class AAA Columbus (Ohio), he's expected to become a mainstay on the big-league roster soon.

"He'll be our second baseman next year," general manager Jim Bowden said of the speedy switch hitter.

Guzman, meanwhile, will be sticking around for two more years after earning a $16 million extension on the heels of his All-Star performance this season. A pending free agent this winter, the 30-year-old had expressed a desire to stay in Washington and help the organization develop into a winner at last.

"We looked at all the alternatives out there at shortstop for the next two years, potential free agents, potential trades," Bowden said. "We felt Cristian was the best possibility that we had to put at shortstop for the next two years."

GIANTS 6, NATIONALS 3: RHP Jason Bergmann surrendered three homers, and Washington could not come through in the clutch against LHP Barry Zito in the opener of a three-game series at AT&T Park. Bergmann fell to 1-7 after serving up a leadoff homer to Fred Lewis in the first inning and then a pair of long homers to Bengie Molina. He's now allowed a team-high 16 homers this season. The Nationals lineup was bolstered by the return of 3B Ryan Zimmerman after a two-month stint on the DL, but it still couldn't come through against Zito, who improved to 2-0 against Washington this season despite his overall 5-12 record.

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