Bryce Harper hit his first major-league home run last night in the Nationals 8-6 win over the San Diego Padres.

Our long nightmare is over: The Wizards closed out the 2011-2012 season with a big win over the very tepid Miami Heat. And the Nationals failed to complete a series sweep in San Diego.

The Washington Nationals arrived at this year’s All-Star Break in ignominious fashion, suffering their fifth sweep of the season at RFK. This time, the Nats were victimized by the San Diego Padres. After a successful series against Florida earlier this week, the Nats could smell second place in the NL East. They now find themselves amid the musky odor of the division’s basement. That they played the Padres so closely only adds to the…

After getting thrashed at home by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to the tune of 11-1, the Nationals experienced something of a wake-up call. The Nats might have looked around and found out that they were in the basement of one of the worst divisions in baseball. They might have done some research and found out that Friday night’s beat-down was at the hands of franchise whose entire existence has been marred by futility…

We’ve all heard the news — the negotiations between MLB and the District over the new stadium aren’t going particularly well. The City Council is increasingly annoyed with a stadium that is fast exceeding expected costs, while MLB continues being its own worst enemy by refusing to consider even the most basic financial concessions to the city. In a private meeting with the council yesterday, MLB chief negotiator Jerry Reinsdorf both surprised and angered the…