Lannan spotting the ball more consistently

Nationals pitcher John Lannan had his best start of the four outings so far at Harrisburg July 10 against the Reading Phillies. Lannan went six innings and allowed five hits and two runs, while striking out six batters and walking only one. Pitching coach Randy Tomlin says Lannan is gaining his confidence back with each start. "John did very well in his last outing. He needed to spot the ball more consistently and he did that. He is feeling really good about himself and the adjustments he has made. He is getting back to the fundamentals that made him who he is." So what is the main focus for Lannan right now in Harrisburg, the one thing you want him to do? "He has to get the ball to the (catcher's) glove with command. He needs to be aggressive and get ground balls." The Nationals have not told Tomlin how long Lannan has with Harrisburg; they just tell him to keep working with all the pitchers to get better. This last start shows that Lannan is closer to what he needs to be doing to get the call back than he was in starts two and three when he allowed 10 runs over 13 innings. Tomlin also said that Ross Detwiler is making strides. The coaches are concentrating on building back strength with him with each start. "He is well on his way back to where he needs to be. Everything feels good. He is getting through all of his pitches. We want to increase the number of pitches he throws per game to build back that endurance. He is getting there." Recent call-up from Potomac, veteran right-handed reliever Joe Bisenius, has a notable heater and a wicked curve. He has been outstanding with the P-Nats and now with the Senators, getting high praise from his coaches. "He has a great arm. He has a great fastball (hitting 96 to 97 mph). It will be very interesting to see what he has. He needs to repeat his delivery. He also has a good curveball. He is a guy you definitely want to keep in the back of your mind." Bisenius, who attended Oklahoma City and hails from Sioux City, Iowa, has gone 3-0 with a 1.04 ERA in 8 games for Harrisburg, striking out nine batters and giving up only three hits. Tom Milone also started the Eastern League All-Star Game with two shutout innings, allowing no hits and striking out one batter for the West, who won the game 10-3 last night in Harrisburg. Adam Carr struck out a batter in his 1/3 inning of relief. Rafael Martin earned the victory with one inning of no-hit ball, striking out two hitters. Chris Marrero went 1-2 with a run scored and Danny Espinosa also plated a run.