A win and a loss (Ramos heading to DL)

The Nationals beat the Reds 2-1 tonight, winning their third straight and securing yet another series win. Jordan Zimmermann delivered another fantastic start, striking out nine over seven one-run innings, lowering his ERA to 2.14. Danny Espinosa hit his second homer in as many ballgames, breaking a 1-1 tie in the sixth inning by crushing a ball over the wall in right and raising his average to .205, the highest it's been since April 29. Henry Rodriguez got his eighth save of the season, and looked absolutely electric in the process. But there's a dark cloud hanging over tonight's victory, and it has nothing to do with the Caps getting eliminated in Game 7. The apparent knee injury to Wilson Ramos could be a big blow (or should I say, another big blow) to a Nationals team which has suffered a number of injuries to key players already this season. Ramos was starting to heat up at the plate, with tonight's homer giving him two in the last four games. He hasn't been crushing the ball this season, but has been a stable factor in the eight-hole in the order and has handled the pitching staff nicely. Jesus Flores can step in and handle the starting catching job admirably, but if Ramos' injury is as serious as is looks like it might be, the Nats will be without one of the top young catchers in the game for a while. Update: Per this tweet from the Nationals PR department, Ramos is heading to the disabled list with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. According to multiple reports out of Cincinnati, catcher Sandy Leon has joined the Nationals and will back up Jesus Flores.