Woooo hoooo! It’s Michael Morse with a beastly grand slam off Johan Santana.

As a pitching-and-defense-loving fangirl, I have to concede that offense can be fun too.

How fun? I got a big hug from Peter, the sometimes-grumbling season ticket holder who sits in front of me at Nationals Park.

Nats 6, the New York Metropolitans 4. Record another curly W for the major-league-leading, 74-wins-and-counting, Washington Nationals.

Photo: Michael Morse and his RBIs celebrate Morse’s grand-slam home run on August 17. Left to right: Ryan Zimmerman, Jayson Werth, Morse, and Bryce Harper.

NL East standings, after the second home stand

Whew! Did that homestand have enough drama for you? For me the highlight was Bryce Harper, who represented my team well with his play and his maturity. The lowlight was Jayson Werth’s broken wrist, just as Werth was hitting his stride and beginning to win over skeptics. Ugh!

By the end of the weekend, the good guys had won both series (2-1 over the Diamondbacks and 2-1 over the Phillies) and still led the National League East. I was at the ballpark for all of the wins and none of the losses, and I’m starting to wonder if I need to attend every game.

Today, the Nationals begin a six-game trip to play three games each at Pittsburg (12-16) and Cincinnati (15-13). I like our odds to win both series. Let’s go Nats!

With today’s 5-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Nationals brought fans another exciting ending. Out of 15 wins so far this year, seven have been by one run.

It’s fun, but it may kill me.

Bryce Harper put on a hitting show, going 3-for-4 with two doubles, two runs scored and an RBI. And Ian Desmond triggered the victory horn when he hit a 2-run, walk-off home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.

Great stuff, but I also liked the rundown in the top of the ninth, which erased a D-backs baserunner and yielded my photo of the day.

Photo: Danny Espinosa chases Arizona shortstop John McDonald, who tried but failed to steal second. 

NL East standings, after the second road trip

That road trip could have been more fun, but hey, we’re still 14 and 8 and tied for first in the NL East. Our starting pitching is awesome; In two games, Bryce Harper gave the world a glimpse of his ridiculous talent; and Tyler Moore hit the ball in his major-league debut.

Winning the Padres series 2-1 was nice, but it stung to lose all three against the Dodgers. Or maybe more accurately, Saturday’s loss stung because we really should have had that one. And then there’s my effort to organize my life to follow West Coast games and get enough sleep. Score that one #Natsfangirlfail.

With the team back home, let’s win a couple of series over the Diamondbacks and Phillies.

My goodness. That was some baseball game, although I would have preferred a different ending than a 4-3 win by the Dodgers in 10 innings.

Bryce Harper logged his first major-league hit and RBI, and his arm made its own debut with a bullet from left to home. Stephen Strasburg was terrific, logging 9 strikeouts in 7 innings, while allowing just 5 hits and one earned run. Strasburg also hit a double and came thiiiiiis close to adding a 3-run homer.

And then there’s Henry Rodriguez. In two-thirds of an inning, Rodriguez tortured Nationals fans by allowing 3 hits and 2 earned runs. He threw 3 wild pitches, and for all I knew, his next pitch might have landed in my living room in DC.

I’m always a wreck when Henry is pitching. When is Drew Storen coming back?

Photo: From a game with a happier ending, on April 18, Henry Rodriguez earns the save in a 3-2 win over the Houston Astros.

Finally, 691 days after Bryce Harper became the first pick in the 2010 amateur draft, today is the day.

Given the Nationals’ lack of offense, I’m looking forward to Harper’s bat. And I’m a fan of his arm, although I’ve seen the canon misfire a few times.

But more than anything, I love this kid for his energy. Harper does everything 110%, except when goes for 120%.

He’s a hotshot and there will be bumps in the road, but I think fans will embrace Bryce. Not just because of his talent and potential, but also because he plays so hard.

I know I’m cheering for Harper to take the world by storm. Congratulations Bryce!

Photos: (1) Bryce Harper on first after hitting a single in the 2012 spring opener against Houston; (2) Harper at bat in an exhibition game against the Georgetown Hoyas; and (3) Harper runs out the play for a single.

Congratulations, Bryce!

Originally published on November, 16, 2010

Last week, I traveled west to catch some Arizona Fall League (AFL) baseball.

I met my mother in Scottsdale, and we watched a pair of Scorpions games before driving together to the Las Vegas area. My Mom (Sue), my Aunt Judy, and a few cousins live in Henderson, Nevada, and I couldn’t resist the opportunity to combine baseball with a family visit.

Mom doesn’t follow baseball or the Nationals, but has become more interested in both partly because I love it, and partly because my enthusiasm can be like an infectious disease for friends and family. This year, we went to 3 games together, one in Washington and two in the Phoenix area.

She might not be a baseball expert, but that doesn’t mean my mother lacks an eye for talent.

On Friday, we caught the end of batting practice at Scottsdale Stadium. Over and over, we heard the solid crack of a bat, then watched a ball soar.

“Wow! Who’s that guy?” my Mom asked.

I offered a few details about the 18-year-old kid who was drafted in June by the Nationals, signed a crazy-big contract in August, and has played a handful of professional baseball games in the AFL. Bryce Harper wouldn’t be playing in Friday night’s game, but we’d get to see him play on Saturday against the Surprise Rafters.

Saturday afternoon we watched a player throw a rocket from right field to the infield. “Wow!” my Mom said again.

“Same kid,” I told her.

“It’s pretty obvious that he’s different.”

Yes, pretty obvious.

Photos: All photos from the AFL game between the Scottsdale Scorpions and Surprise Rafters on November 13, 2010. Bryce Harper (1) gets loose in the on-deck circle, (2) sports his trademark eye black, and (3) signs autographs for fans.