(Entry written by DCist contributor Chris Kelly)

The Nationals salvaged a weekend in the Lone Star State with an 8-2 victory yesterday over the Rangers, led by Brad Wilkerson’s 4 RBI and a solid start by Sunny Kim. After dropping back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday, the Nats continue their 9 game road jaunt with a visit to Pittsburgh, playing .500 ball (3-3) on the trip. Ace Livan Hernandez takes the hill tonight in Pittsburgh against Mark Redman.

Of course, the big news on Friday was that MLB handed suspensions to the major participants in last Tuesday’s “Pine Tar Wars” in Anaheim: Angel reliever Brendan Donnelly was suspended for 10 games, and both managers got hit with 1-game suspensions and $1,000 fines. Old Frank felt this was too harsh and appealed; he has a hearing today via conference call with MLB suits to plead his case. Nat’s right fielder/loose-cannon Jose Guillen, who was escorted off the field during the incident by three teammates and later tied Wednesday’s game with a profanity-laced 2-run homerun, was fined $500 for his involvement in the on-field fracas. The fine wasn’t levied against Jose for referring to Angel’s manager Mike Scioscia as “a piece of garbage” in post-game comments Wednesday night. While he should be commended for coming to the defense of his manger it’s a little surprising, and a little troubling, that Guillen, who claims that all his problems are in the past, was by all accounts still seething about Scioscia almost 24 hours after Tuesday night’s fireworks. When you consider that by all accounts he was in the wrong last year when he flipped out on Scioscia after being pulled for a pinch runner late in the season, with his team battling for the playoffs, it seems that much more troubling. So far, so good in DC, but for how long?