The 24-year-old outfielder, called up from Double-A Harrisburg on Saturday, took the Nats' center-field job when Lastings Milledge went on the 15-day disabled list with a right groin injury.

In Bernadina's first game on Sunday, he collected his first hit -- in his first at-bat -- scored a run and later tried to swipe a bag, only to get caught stealing by Orioles catcher Guillermo Quiroz in the 10th inning.

"He looked good [in his first game]," Nationals manager Manny Acta said. "He got the first hit out of the way, and he looked good in the outfield. Got a bunt down, tried to steal a bag. It's out of the way, and he understands this is baseball.

"He's going to have to make some adjustments when people adjust to him, but he's getting an opportunity. He's playing his dream out."

Bernadina was in the lineup again on Tuesday, hitting leadoff and playing center field for the third straight time since coming up. He's likely to be a fixture in that spot until Milledge is activated off the disabled list.

So far, the 6-foot-1 left-handed hitter is only 1-for-10 at the plate. But, little by little, he's learning about Major League pitching.

"Sometimes you only have one pitch to hit," said Bernadina, who went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts on Monday. "There aren't many pitches you could hit hard, so whenever you get your pitch to hit, you've got to hit it right away.

"You have to understand that those guys know how to pitch and it just didn't work out [on Monday]. But every day is a new day."

The Netherlands Antilles native was signed by the Nationals as a non-drafted free agent in 2001 and, going into this season, had hit only .250 in his six years in the Minor Leagues. But this year, Bernadina got the attention of the Nationals when he hit .323 with five home runs and 38 RBIs for the Senators.

With six players currently on the DL, the Nationals called up seven players from their farm system in the month on June alone. But Acta insists Bernadina is not a temporary guy with Washington.

"That was part of the conversation we had when we were bringing him up," Acta said. "We weren't thinking of bringing him over here to play one game, and then sit him [Tuesday] because [scheduled Marlins starter Mark] Hendrickson is pitching.

"If we were thinking about doing something like that, then we would've brought up somebody from Triple-A to do that kind of stuff. But he's going to come over here and get a fair look."