That poses a challenge for Washington’s pitching staff, too. The pressure mounts when the opposition is keeping your offense off the board consistently. And that’s why John Lannan’s start today was so encouraging. He missed one earlier this month with a sore elbow. The Nats have been careful to limit Lannan to under 100 pitches since then. On Sunday he threw just 88. There were three walks, but none in the same inning. And the Orioles scored just once off him with both hits coming in the first inning. With Scott Olsen (shoulder) and Jason Marquis (elbow surgery) on the disabled list the Nats really can’t afford to have Lannan get hurt again. The team still won’t concede that prized prospect Stephen Strasburg will be up early next month. For now, they just want to get through this arduous road trip, which includes a four-game series in Houston the following week. If Strasburg remains in the minors, as expected, J.D. Martin is a good bet to make the start on May 29 in San Diego in place of Olsen. The 28-year-old had his moments at the end of last season when he was recalled from the minor leagues. He missed some time in April with a back injury, but is now 2-1 with a 2.97 ERA. And Martin pitched brilliantly on Saturday night for Triple-A Syracuse with no runs on three hits in eight innings.

The Nats get a needed day off in the Bay Area tomorrow after playing 19 games in 20 days – one game getting rained out during that stretch with a subsequent doubleheader. By the end of this upcoming trip they will have played 31 road games, including 19 of the previous 24 away from Nationals Park. That’s a grind. The schedule is much kinder starting June 4 and running until the All-Star break, which begins after the games played on July 11. During those 37 days the Nats will be away from home for nine days total – short trips to Cleveland, Detroit and Atlanta. I’m not counting the three-game “road” series in Baltimore. That’s nine true road games in 37 days plus another four days off during the All-Star break for whichever Nats don’t make it. Meaning most of them. They just have to get to that softer part of the schedule intact.

Nats Notes

» Nyjer Morgan got the start in center field one day after his epic gaffe led to an inside-the-park home run by Baltimore’s Adam Jones. Morgan insists he’s not been in a slump and is just hitting balls hard right at defenders. He might have a point. He was 2-for-5 on Sunday with a run scored. He had a hit on Saturday. He had a double and a run scored on Friday. And earlier in the week he walked three times in a brief series against the Mets with another hit. It’s a start. Now if he could just start swiping bases again at a decent rate.

» Cristian Guzman batted 2-for-5 on Sunday and raised his batting average to .345. Not bad for a “part-time” player. Check out Phil Wood’s column on Guzman’s success this season and what he’s overcome to get there.

» Wil Nieves also had two hits for the Nats. The back-up catcher could see a decent chunk of playing time with Ivan Rodriguez nursing a lower-back strain, but – for now – staying off the disabled list. Mike Morse is the emergency catcher if Rodriguez can’t go during the series against San Francisco.

» Justin Maxwell made his second return from Triple-A Syracuse this season sporting new eyeware. No idea if his improved vision will help at the plate. Maxwell was a defensive replacement in right field during Sunday’s game, but didn’t get an at-bat.

» Tomorrow’s print edition of Cheers & Jeers has more on what we learned about the Nats and Orioles during this weekend series. For Washington, the bullpen has been stabilized with the promotion of rookie Drew Storen and the addition of veteran Doug Slaten two weeks ago. They go with Tyler Clippard and Matt Capps, who have been a strength most of the season – though Capps did blow his first save on Sunday. And don’t forget Sean Burnett, who has been quietly excellent in recent days with 6 2/3 straight scoreless innings. Storen, Burnett and Slaten all pitched well in relief on Sunday against the Orioles.

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