Ryan

Church

''He used to hit the fastball,’' McCraw said. ''Now, for some reason, he lets the fastball go, and tries to hit the breaking ball. Why?’' Another reason for the recent slump may be the return of Nick Johnson and the end to Church’s everyday starts.

Not that he was much of a believer in the first place, but manager Frank Robinson seems to have lost faith in Church. His playing time has dropped off to next to nothing since he hit .239 with no homers in 46 at-bats during July.

Church was sitting against the left-hander tonight, which is usual for him. However, his homer came off southpaw Wayne Franklin and, while it’s a small sample size, he actually has better numbers against lefties than righties in his career. The Nationals should be playing him over Alex Escobar the majority of the time.

Church, who got off to a great start after being recalled in April, had been 4-for-24 since returning from flu-like symptoms earlier this month. He’s still the Nationals’ best option in center field, and there’s a good chance he’ll be back soon after he regains his swing. A better team would have given him a little more of an opportunity to work through his problems in the majors. The Nationals will go with Marlon Byrd and Alex Escobar in center for now.

It’s ridiculous that Church is in Double-A, but at least he probably won’t be there for long. He’s eligible to be recalled on May 30. A return to the majors early next month is fairly likely.

Church started both games of the doubleheader due to Terrmel Sledge’s injury, but he couldn’t finish the second. It will still be a memorable day for him, as he hit his first major league homer in the first game.

With Church out, Terrmel Sledge made a fifth straight start in left field.

Brad Wilkerson isn’t playing, so Church is needed whether he’s 100 percent or not.

Manager Frank Robinson has made Juan Rivera an everyday player at the moment, leaving one for Church and Terrmel Sledge. Sledge has been the choice the last three days.

Valentino Pascucci was also worthy of the opportunity, but Church earned his callup by batting .343/.428/.620 for Triple-A Ottawa. Expect him to get a lot of starts against right-handers, giving him some value in NL-only leagues.