Diamond notes Werth mentioning: Four hits first for Nationals rightfielder; Detwiler's 18-inning streak

WERTH IT OR WERTH LESS: Much can be said for Jason Werth's baseball intangibles on the field and in the dugout. In fact, too much has been said. The talking heads blather on nightly about his base-running prowess, his ability to make a pitcher work deep into counts, and his stellar defense.

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The talk needs to stop until Werth puts his feet on the base-paths enough to justify the big contract he signed last season, when he recorded a career low .330 on-base average and an ugly .232 batting average.

Slapping four hits in a game, like he did against New York, helps, but the Nationals have seen too little of this kind of production. In fact, Tuesday night was the first time the team saw it, period. Werth never had more than three hits in a game during the 2011 season, and notched three hits in only six of the 150 games he played in his debut season with Washington. His last four-hit night was in June of 2009 with Philadelphia.

While ownership can never expect a player to consistently go 4-for-5 at the plate, players paid like top-notch studs are supposed to have banner nights now and then. Werth is not a .300 hitter, and only once in his Major League Baseball career has he produced an average above .275. He has to get on base this season at a higher rate to justify the seven-year, $126 million albatross of a contract he signed with the Nationals that left the rest of the league snickering.

LANNAN DEMOTION PROVES PRESCIENT: Perhaps the chattering will end after Ross Detwiler threw five scoreless, almost flawless innings in Tuesday's tilt against the Mets. Again, prognosticators had a virtual field day when John Lannan and his $5 million guaranteed contract were sent to AAA Syracuse two days before Opening Day, making Detwiler the No. 5 starter in Washington's rotation.

But a closer look at the 26-year-old former first-round pick's last three games, going back to mid-September, shows he should be a more than adequate replacement. Detwiler has pitched 18 consecutive scoreless innings, giving up only nine hits and four walks, while recording 13 strike-outs. He's a power pitcher, where Lannan relies on finesse -- a fine quality if you have Greg Maddux-like accuracy and half of your starts are in a pitcher's ballpark.

The Nationals have waited since 2007 for Detwiler to mature on the mound. He's arbitration eligible in 2013, so Washington's front office needs to determine whether he will be worth future investment in lieu of more one-year veteran signings like Edwin Jackson.

BEAST BESTED BY BACK: Nationals.com is reporting that rightfielder Michael Morse, Washington's biggest offensive weapon last season, was pulled Monday from a rehab game at Class A Hagerstown when he irritated his strained back muscle.