Dan Haren had been waiting to prove he belonged in Washington's vaunted starting rotation. After winning his past two starts, Haren is feeling a little better, and that's mostly because he's not overthrowing his fastball. "I'm not going to care about velocity anymore," he said with a smile. "I'm sick of that. It just gives me problems. I'm just going to be myself out there. Whether it's 88 or 85 (mph), I don't really care. I know I can get people out." Haren pitched eight sharp innings, Denard Span hit a two-run double and the Nationals beat the Atlanta Braves 3-1 on Thursday night.
