This was a game the Nationals could have won, but they made enough mistakes and got a spotty enough outing from Shawn Hill that they weren't going to get it done. Hill couldn't get his off-speed stuff over the plate all night, and Baltimore's offense just sat on his fastball, fouling away the ones they couldn't hit, running his pitch count up and hammering his mistakes.

The two plays that really cost the Nationals were with the game tied fifth inning, when Elijah Dukes misplayed Brian Roberts' shot off the right-field wall, turning it into a triple. Manny Acta said Dukes played it incorrectly, while Dukes didn't speak to reporters after the game. Lastings Milledge got a bad break on a Melvin Mora fly ball on the next at-bat, and when that fell for a double, Roberts scored the eventual game-winner.

Milledge said he was playing a shift on Mora to left center, got a bad break on the ball and admitted he should have had it. But he's still in his first season playing center field, and he knows he's still got a lot to learn. Acta didn't waver on keeping Milledge in center after the game -- it's pretty clear he's going to let him learn as he goes.

If you're a look-for-the-silver-lining type person, Ryan Zimmerman went 3-for-5, and Jesus Flores was 2-for-3. If he keeps that up (he's now hittting .393), the Nationals are going to have a tough time making him wait until next season to be the everyday catcher. And Dmitri Young is back in the lineup. He went 1-for-4. Washington had 11 hits, but only one went for extra bases.

It's Odalis Perez against Brian Burres at 7:35 p.m. tomorrow at Camden Yards.