The first four pitches tonight from Houston's right-handed starter Brandon Backe are balls as Washington's leadoff hitter, and center fielder tonight, Willie Harris takes a walk. Cristian Guzman grounds weakly to second but hustles to beat out the back end of a DP. Backe gets up 0-2 on Ryan Zimmerman, and then gets him swinging out an outside curve. Nick Johnson hits a two-out double off the wall in right center scoring Guzman from first for an early 1-0 DC lead...Nationals' lefty John Lannan returns the favor with a four pitch walk to Michael Bourn to lead off the Astros' first. Bourn runs as Kaz Matsui goes down swinging, but the throw from Wil Nieves' bounces off Ronnie Belliard. Miguel Tejada flies out to center. Lance Berkman and his .361 average are up, but he grounds a low fastball to first to end the inning. 

Today's DC LF Rob Mackowiak hits a one-out liner to short center for a single. Wil Nieves grounds into an inning ending DP, Tejada to Matsui to big Berkman at first. "El Caballo" Carlos Lee ricochets a grounder off Lannan's leg, into Guzman's glove and over to first. Lannan gets Hunter Pence swinging. Ty Wiggington hits a two-out double to left, but a ground ball out from catcher J.R. Towles ends a scoreless second. 

Willie Harris makes the most of the rare start, jumping on a high hanger and going deep off Backe for a one-out solo shot to right in the third. 2-0 Nationals after two and a half. John Lannan gets Backe, Bourn and Matsui in order for his third scoreless. The Discerning Eye of Nick Johnson earns him a one-out walk to start the fourth. Kearns swings his way back to the dugout. Two pitches on the outside edge fell Belliard. Rob Mackowiak watches strike three all the way into Towles' glove...

...Miguel Tejada beats Nick Johnson to the line with a sharp single to start Houston's fourth. Ryan Zimmerman dives for a Berkman blast in the hole, but Zimmerman has it go off the glove. Two on, no outs for El Caballo...Carlos Lee backs Willie Harris up to the bottom of Tal's Hill, advancing both runners. Hunter Pence beats out a ground ball to short, when Guzman hesitates with the throw to first...Tejada scores. 2-1 Nationals after four. 

Backe strikes out two of the three batters he faces in the fifth to bring his total to nine for the game, and then Backe singles off Lannan to start the Astros' fifth. Bourn goes down swinging. Kaz Matsui grounds to third for the second out. Miguel Tejada grounds back to the mound. 2-1 Nationals after five. 

Cristian Guzman smacks a high fastball through second for a leadoff single in the sixth. Ryan Zimmerman lines a single to center, and Guzman hustles to third. The Discerning Eye of Nick Johnson earns a walk to load the bases. Austin Kearns sends a rainbow over second and into short right for a two-run single. 4-1 Nationals...John Lannan allows two singles to Berkman and El Caballo, but gets a DP grounder from Pence and a final out from Wiggington to end the sixth with the lead. 

Astros' reliever Tim Byrdak gives up a leadoff double to Aaron Boone in the seventh, but gets Willie Harris to ground out and Guzman to ground into an inning-ending DP to bring Houston up in the seventh. Saul "Sa-ool" Rivera takes over for Lannan (6.0 IP, 7 hits, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K's) giving up a two-out single and a stolen base to Michael Bourn, but retiring the Astros without giving up a run. 4-1 DC after seven. 

Ryan Zimmerman scores on a wild pitch from Oscar Villareal, after Zimmerman singles, moves to second on a throwing error, and over to third on a ground out, 5-1 Nationals. Rob Mackowiak makes Manny Acta look smart for the second time tonight, homering to left off Villareal for a two-run blast that plates Kearns for a 7-1 Nationals' lead. The Astros add two off Luis Ayala in the eigth, on an RBI single from Carlos Lee, and a ground ball out from Wiggington. 7-3 DC. Cristian Guzman scores on a double play grounder in the top of the ninth to make it 8-3 DC, and the Tallest Pitcher in MLB History Jon Rauch comes on in the eigth to retire the Astros in order and salvage one win of the three games in Houston. Nationals win. 8-3 final. 

Nationals now 15-20.

On the Hill...

The Washington Nationals have dropped two straight on the road in Houston, Texas, and tonight they look to salvage the trip by taking at least one at Minute Maid Park, before heading back home to Nationals Park to face Florida in DC on Friday night. The pitching matchup tonight...

John Lannan (2-3, 3.74 ERA) vs Brandon Backe (2-3, 4.42 ERA)

Washington's left-handed starter John "Cool Hand" Lannan had a rough outing last time on the mound at home against Pittsburgh, lasting only 3.0 innings and giving up 6 hits, 4  ER, 1 HR and 2 walks...but of course that outing followed two shutout starts of 7.0 innings a piece against Atlanta and Chicago...Lannan's (1-0) in 1 start against the Astros going 5 innings and allowing 5 hits, 3 runs, 1 HR and 5 walks, in a 7-6 win last August here in Minute Maid Park...

Brandon Backe is (2-0) in 3 starts at home in Minute Maid Park this season, and in his career, Backe's (16-5) in home starts, (8-13) on the road, with nearly two runs a game difference in his ERA (3.59 home - 5.58 away). Backe's last trip to the rubber strip was May 3rd in Houston against Milwaukee, a start Backe won with 5.2 innings of 5-hit, 2-run ball, that were rewarded by 5 Astros' runs to give Houston the lead in the bottom of the fifth, earning Backe the win. In 7-year MLB career, the right-handed Backe is (1-1) in 2 starts against DC, with a 3.75 ERA in 12.0 innings. 

Nationals' #'s Against Brandon Backe...

Wily Mo Pena - 0 for 4

Austin Kearns - 0 for 6

Ryan Zimmerman - 0 for 2, 2 K's

Felipe Lopez - 3 for 8, .375 AVG, 4 walks

Nick Johnson - 3 for 7, .429 AVG, 1 2B

Cristian Guzman - 0 for 3

Aaron Boone - 1 for 2, .500 AVG, 1 HR, 3 RBI's

Lo Duca Update...

According to MLB.com's Bill Ladson's article, "Lo Duca reaggravates right hand injury", Nationals' catcher Paul Lo Duca is heading for an MRI tomorrow after reinjuring his right hand, which landed him on the DL in mid-April, and now threatens to cost Lo Duca another extended stay on the bench. As the catcher explains it to Mr. Ladson:

"'...It's been tolerable, sore the last couple of days. Tonight it didn't feel right. I thought to myself, 'Keep both hands on the bat,' and I couldn't do it.'"

Do the Nationals now stick with Johnny Estrada and Wil Nieves if Lo Duca is out for an extended period of time? Or do they call down to Columbus and get Jesus Flores headed East? 

And the Other Change in the Lineup...

Meaning Chico to the pen, O'Connor a starter...it's still on, in spite of what it looked like last night with O'Connor's relief appearance, the lefty is still scheduled to start Saturday night against the Marlins. 

(ed. note - "Game time tonight is 8:05 pm EST live from Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas. Lannan vs Backe...Would that excite anyone who is not a DC or 'Stros fan? I want to see how Lannan recovers, and if Zimmerman can hit two more...?")

I wrote the other day about a yahoosports.com article by Jeff Passan entitled, "Weak attendance could be a National Emergency", which took a look at the early returns on the Nationals' new ballpark, and wondered why it was half full most nights.

Now Dave at Bottomfeeder Baseball has written a FANPOST here at federalbaseball.com entitled, "In Addition to the Yahoo piece re: Nats Park", which features Dave's response to an article by Eric Knopsnyder, from The Tribune Democrat newspaper out  of Johnstown, PA, entitled, "Hardly a Nationals treasure", about Mr. Knopsnyder's trip to Washington, DC and the new Nationals Park. 

The two paragraphs from Mr. Knopsnyder's article that caught my own and Dave at Bottomfeeder Baseball's attention:

"What’s left is a shiny new ballpark that is home to bad baseball and seemingly uneducated fans. Maybe it’s unfair to judge a city’s baseball IQ on a few games with the Pirates – after all even the most ardent baseball cities often need big promotions to draw fans when the Bucs are in town – but that’s all I have to go on so far.

"Although many cities might have already turned on third baseman Ryan Zimmerman for his slow start, it’s understandable – some might even say admirable – that Washington fans still give him the biggest cheers. What’s harder to imagine is why they are so quick to applaud Wily Mo Pena and his Mendoza Line batting average, other than the fact that he’s the one other name in the lineup that they recognize."

Wow, "uneducated fans" huh? Dave at Bottom Feeder Baseball let's you know what he thinks of Mr. Knopsnyder's opinion in his FANPOST, here's your chance to voice your own...Why do you still cheer for a struggling Zimmerman? Does Mr. Knopsnyder know Wily Mo Pena's recovering from a lengthy DL stint? Should anyone from Pennsylvania, home of the Phillies' fan ever question another city's baseball intelligence? (ed. note - "Why aren't they booing Burrell now?") 

Voice your opinion, that's what Federalbaseball.com is here for...

A curveball off the outside corner from Houston starter Roy Oswalt gets Washington's leadoff hitter Felipe Lopez looking for the first out of tonight's game. Cristian Guzman punches a single through short for a one-out hit. Ryan Zimmer...THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!! THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!!! Fastball high and away and Zimmerman pushes it out to right for a two-run blast and a 2-0 Nationals' lead after a half. Lance Berkman, who went 5 for 5 last night, comes up against Odalis Perez in the bottom of the first with one on and two out...Berkman's now 6 for 6 this series, as he singles through short with Kaz Matsui running all the way to third. "El Caballo" Carlos Lee goes down swinging. Odalis is through the first. 

Oswalt drops a two-strike curve onto the outside edge to get Austin Kearns looking. Paul Lo Duca strikes out for the first time this season, and he does so staring. Wily Mo Pena swings through a fastball....Ryan Zimmerman backhands Hunter Pence's sharp grounder and throws to first in time. Odalis Perez issues a one-out walk to Ty WIggington. Brad Ausmus grounds into what should be a DP, but Guzman loses it on the transfer and can't make a throw. Odalis Perez gets the opposing pitcher to end the second. 2-0 DC.

Oswalt strikes out Odalis for his 7th K. Felipe Lopez splits the gap in right center and comes in standing at second as the ball's thrown back in. Cristian Guzman flies out to center, Lopez tags and advances. Zimmerman chases the outside curve, Oswalt has 8 K's after three. Odalis Perez gets Bourn, Matsui and Tejada in order for his third scoreless. 

The Discerning Eye of Nick Johnson takes a 3-2 curve for ball four and a leadoff walk. Lastings Milledge tries to bunt his way on, but settles for a sac bunt. Austin Kearns grounds out...Berkman goes 8 for 8 with a loooong home run over the left field wall and onto the train tracks. 2-1 Nationals. Ryan Zimmerman knocks down a screaming liner from Hunter Pence, but can't make a play. Odalis Perez hits Ty Wiggington on the toe. Hunter Pence steals third without so much as a glance from Paul Lo Duca. Wigginton steals second. Odalis Perez gets a friendly call from the Ump to get Brad Ausmus looking. Roy Oswalt singles up the middle on a high hanging curve, two runs score. 3-2 Astros. Nick Johnson snags Michael Bourn's hotshot, but Odalis Perez doesn't cover. Matsui flies out to end the fourth. 3-2 Houston. 

Oswalt retires the Nationals in order in the fifth. Odalis Perez gets a fly ball from Tejada...and POPS UP Berkman!! (8 for 9 ain't so special.) Carlos Lee grounds to short. 3-2 Houston after five. Guzman tops off a groundout to second. Roy Oswalt FINALLY hangs a curve, and Ryan Zimmer...THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!! THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!!! Ryan Zimmerman destroys Oswalt's curve, or at least enough to get it out to left. 3-3 ballgame. 

Mike O'Connor takes over for Odalis Perez. O'Connor issues a leadoff walk to Hunter Pence. Ty Wiggington rips one through short for a single. Brad Ausmus pops up a bunt, but it does the job. Roy Oswalt almost gets down the squeeze, but it rolls foul, and Oswalt ends up lining into O'Connor's glove. Bourn grounds to third, Zimmerman fields and throws. 3-3 after six. 

Oswalt pops up Kearns. Lo Duca suffers a hand or shoulder injury and is replaced by Wil Nieves who inherits two strikes, and provides one himself, flailing at an Oswalt curve. Wily Mo Pena doubles off the wall in left. Oswalt walks pinch hitter Aaron Boone. Felipe Lopez rips one to center...Michael Bourn comes up throwing, Wily Mo Pena's coming home, the throw...beats him, Ausmus tags, "YOOU'RRRE OUT!!" yells the Ump. 

"Wild" Joe Hanrahan takes the hill in the home half of the seventh, and walks Kaz Matsui. Matsui steals second. Miguel Tejada does his job, grounding out to the right side of the infield. Lance Berkman gets the intentionals...to bring up El Caballo, Carlos Lee, who gets down 0-2 and chases a slider, Hanrahan gets the K for the second out. Hunter Pence flies to center, Milledge closes his glove on the seventh. 3-3. 

Doug Brocail gives up a line drive single to Ryan Zimmerman with one out in the eigth. Nick Johnson chases a high fastball for a swinging strike three. Lastings Milledge grounds out to short. 3-3 middle of eight. Hanrahan's back, and he gets ground ball outs from Ty Wiggington and pinch hitter Darrin Erstad, and gets Michael Bourn swinging to end the eigth. 

Houston closer Jose Valverde comes on to keep it tied and retires Kearns, Nieves and Pena in order. Matsui, Tejada and Berkman due up...against Hanrahan again? Leadoff walk to Matsui. Matsui steals second, beating Nieves' throw. Miguel Tejada loses sight of a sinker that falls out of the sky...Berkman gets the intentionals...Jesus "Everyday" Colome comes on to face Carlos Lee. Colome throws a two-strike pitch in the dirt...Matsui takes third...Carlos Lee flies to center...Deep enough...4-3 Astros win.

Nationals now 14-20. 

On the Hill...

Game two of three between the visiting Washington Nationals and the Houston Astros in Enro...Astro...Minute Maid Park get underway at 8:05 pm EST tonight with "Opening Night" Odalis Perez (0-3, 3.18) on the mound facing Houston' right-handed starter Roy Oswalt (3-3, 5.57).

Odalis Perez is (0-4) in 5 starts and 6 appearances against the Astros, with a 12.91 ERA in 23.0 IP, in which Odalis has allowed 39 hits, 33 ER, 4 HR's and 21 walks...(ed. note - "This could get ugly...") Roy Oswalt, on the other hand, has handled the Nationals pretty well in 6 starts and 8 appearances, going (3-1) with 2 complete games, 1 a shutout, and 33 hits, 13 ER, 1 HR and 6 walks against in 47.2 IP. 

"So get Hanrahan(reliever 'Wild' Joe) up early," My Brother Scout, Braves Fan and Source For All Things Baseball, says as he calls to check in before Atlanta's game with San Diego gets underway...and it does appear to be a mismatch on paper, but with the short porch in left anything's possible in this park...

Nationals #'s Against Roy Oswalt...

Paul Lo Duca  - 5 for 17, .294 AVG, 2 2B.

Johnny Estrada - 5 for 14, .357 AVG, 1 HR, 4 RBI's. 

Wily Mo Pena - 2 for 7, .286 AVG, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI's. 

According to Bill Ladson...

According to MLB.com's Bill Ladson's article, "O'Connor replaces Chico in rotation", the Nationals have decided to swap Matt Chico and Mike O'Connor, with O'Connor taking over the starting role the struggling Chico has failed to hold onto, and Chico moving to the bullpen where he, like O'Connor had been, will be the only left-handed reliever on the roster. (ed. note - "?"). Mr. Ladson quotes Nationals' Manager Manny Acta, who states:

"'It's not a tryout, one-game type of thing,' manager Manny Acta said. 'We want to relieve Matt from some of the tension he's having. And we want to give O'Connor a shot. [Chico's] having some trouble every five days, and he understands that.'"

O'Connor's now worked his way up this season from Triple-A Columbus up to the bullpen and now the starting rotation, where he'll look to improve upon his (3-8) record and 4.15 ERA in 20 Major League starts.

Why not let Chico gets starts in Triple-A? Is there no room in that rotation, where all of the Nationals' young guns are hurling? Does Chico seem particularly suited for relief work to you? Not to me?...

It's almost Game TIme...

(ed. note - "I put a link to last night's Nationals v Astros Game Report here so that I could feature an important message from the DailyNorseman, and then also feature some of the recent FanPosts at federalbaseball.com on the top of the page...")

The DailyNorseman, the SB Nation's unofficial Minnesota Vikings blog, reached out to the writers of the other SBN blogs with their post, "Where We Help Out In The Fight Against Leukemia", and I'm sure they won't mind if I just quote them, rather than paraphrase their message:

"Many of you have heard that Vikings' DE Kenechi Udeze was diagnosed with leukemia shortly after the season ended. He's since been told that it's in remission and that his brother is a match for a bone marrow transplant. He certainly won't be on the field in 2008, but that's really secondary to what's going on with him healthwise.

In light of this, The Daily Norseman, along with Vikings' War Cry and AOL Fanhouse's Vikings blog are calling for people to join the National Marrow Donor Program. Ordinarily there's a fee for joining the registry, but during their "Thanks, Mom" celebration between now and 19 May, the fee will be waived for the first 10,000 online signups."

(Here's the post again - "Where We Help Out In The Fight Against Leukemia")

FANPOSTS!!!

While I was away yesterday, I asked if anyone had anything to say in the FANPOSTS, and got the first three entries in over a week, so since I asked, I figured I'd continue the good will efforts and post links here for anyone who has never looked at the right column of this site. If you ever want to get your opinion out, the Right Column, and the FANPOST Section is the place to go...

Our friend Doghouse checked in first, answering the challenge with a:

"Challenge? Rate the new guys." by Doghouse - Which takes a close look at the Nationals' offseason acqusitions and what they've contributed to DC baseball thus far. (ed. note - "Doghouse might be part of the Lastings Milledge Fanclub.")

One Day Later...

Doghouse was back with, "Tuesday Nats Stats - League Leaders" by Doghouse, which uses baseball-reference.com and the "Nats Progress Index" from NATIONALSPRIDE.COM, for a statistical analysis of the Nationals recent success. 

The Most Recent FANPOST...

...is entitled, "Columbus Clipper AAA Report" by columbusOFcubsfan, who has been watching the Nationals' Triple-A team, and reports back on the progress of Jason Bergmann, Ryan Langerhans, and the rest of the Clippers.

And Lest We Forget?...

...Here to remind us, with a FANPOST entitled, "Give Us Our Twirly Baseball!" by twirlyball, a fan who seems to have a single-minded(and shared with me) obsession with the fact that all of the early renderings of Nationals Park included a magnificent oversized twirling baseball in the outfield, which has yet to actually materialize on the grounds of Nationals Park...Where is our twirly baseball? Was it so magnificent as to distract hitters? Were they afraid people would simply surround it in mesmerized awe? Would it distract from the Cherry Trees? twirlyball wants answers!!!

(ed. note - "I'll get a Game Thread up late tonight, so the important stuff stays on the front page for as long as possible. Game time 8:05 pm EST tonight, Game 2 of 3 in Minute Maid Park.)

Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros, the short porch in left, the silly hill in center, and H.W. and the Mrs. firmly ensconced behind home. Astros' righty (and flat-brimmed starter) Shawn Chacon gets Felipe Lopez looking at a two-seam strike three for the first out of the evening, and Chacon gets Cristian Guzman and Ryan Zimmerman in order for a scoreless first. Miguel Tejada gets the Houston fans in the right field stands excited, but Austin Kearns catches the last out of the first just a few steps onto the warning track. 

Nick Johnson reaches out and pokes an outside pitch into the Crawford Boxes in left for a 320 ft. HR and an early 1-0 Nationals lead. Paul Lo Duca doesn't strike out, but he does ground into a DP the way only a catcher can. 1-0 after one and a half. Lance Berkman doubles off the outfield wall in center, but inside the painted yellow home run line, it's yellow and winds around and over and in the corner it's marked, but steps up...ahh forget it, Berkman doubled. El Caballo, Carlos Lee doubles off the wall in left...UGH!!...for a run-scoring double. 1-1 ballgame. Shawn Hill walks the number eight hitter, catcher J.R. Towles, to bring up Shawn Chacon, who singles to left to load the bases, but Hill gets Michael Bourn swinging to end the second. 

Wily Mo Pena is caught twisting in the wind, and he has a fly ball off Kaz Matsui's bat glance off the top of his glove as he backpedals towards the wall...Lance Berkman hits a one-out single under Felipe Lopez's glove at second, scoring Matsui to give Houston a 2-1 lead. Berkman swipes a base off Lo Duca. Shawn Hill walks Carlos Lee. Hunter Pence grounds to Guzman, to Lopez, to Johnson, inning ending DP. 2-1 Astros. 

The Discerning Eye of Nick Johnson works a one-out walk in the fourth. Austin Kearns hits a two-out single, Lo Duca doesn't strike out, he grounds out. 2-1 'Stros after three and a half. Hill walks the #8 hitter(Towles) this time through too, allowing the opposing pitcher, Chacon to lay down a sac bunt. Hill tries to pick off Towles, but the ball gets away allowing Towles to take third. Hill buckles down on the mound and gets Bourn again to end the fourth. 

Wily Mo Pena hits a dribbler up the middle of the infield to start the fifth. Hill gets down the sac bunt. Felipe Lopez gets hit by a pitch, but he was trying to swing, and followed through for strike three. Cristian GUZZZZZZMAAAN doubles off the base of the wall in left for a game-tying RBI double. 2-2 Ryan Zimmer....THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!! THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!!! RBI double off the left-center arches, Guzman scores. 3-2 DC. Nick Johnson gets the intentionals. Milledge?... lines one to right....Zimmerman 'rounds third...Hunter Pence comes up throwing, and...NAILS Zimmerman at the plate. 3-2 middle of the fifth. Hill does it himself, pitching, fielding, throwing to first to get the first two outs of the fifth, but Lance Berkman singles to right to bring up El Caballo...who lines a single to left. Hunter Pence hits a broken bat single to right, and it drops in...Berkman scores. 3-3 game after five. 

Two pop foul outs start the sixth for the Nationals. Wily Mo Pena strikes out to end it. Shawn Hill issues a one out walk to the opposing pitcher, and that's all for Hill on the mound in Texas. (5.1 IP, 8 hits, 3 ER, 4 walks, 3 K's.) Jesus "Everyday" Colome on in relief...and walks the first batter he faces, Michael Bourn. Kaz Matsui beats out the back end of his own DP grounder to keep Houston alive in the sixth. Miguel Tejada rips one...right into Felipe Lopez's glove. 3-3 after six. 

Aaron "Pinchin'" BOOOOOONE HITS ONE ONTO THE TRAIN TRACKS!!! Pinch hit home run for Aaron Boone. 4-3 Nationals lead. Ryan Zimmerman hits a two-out single up the middle. Johnson gets more intentionals. Outside, outside, waaayyy outside, Lastings Milledge down swinging, as per the scouting report. Stand up and stretch...Lance Berkman rips one that Lastings Milledge can't get under, as he twists in the wind and has it go off his glove for a double. Berkman steals third. Rivera walks Hunter Pence. Rivera tries the fake to third, to first, move and BALKS in a run? Berkman scores. 4-4 game. Rivera walks Ty Wiggington. J.R. Towles flies out to center for the second out. Hunter Pence grounds back to the mound. Tied after seven. 

Austin Kearns takes the first pitch of the eigth to left for another cheap home run off Doug Brocail. 5-4 Nationals after seven and a half. Luis "Set-Up" Ayala comes on to pitch the bottom of the inning, Wil Nieves on to catch. Michael Bourn tries to bunt, but Ayala cuts him down. Kaz Matsui grounds out to second. Ayala saws off Tejada and the ball drops into short center. Lance Berkman's fifth hit(5 for 5, 4 R, 1 RBI, .353 AVG)...of the night is a single to center. Tejada to third. El Caballo at bat...lines to right...Kearns dives forward and misses it...two runs score. 6-5 Astros after eight. 

Houston closer Jose Valverde comes on to close it. Felipe Lopez grounds out to short. Guzman grounds to second. Zimmerman rips one...right into Jose Cruz Jr's glove in left to end it. Houston steals one. 6-5 final. 

Nationals now 14-19. 

On the HILL...

"Weak attendance could be a National Emergency", is the title of Jeff Passan's Exclusive yahoosports.com piece on the abundance of empty seats at Washington, DC's new Nationals Park, which has stood three-quarters-full on most nights, to watch a team, that admittedly has only recently begun to give the District's baseball fans reason to believe. As quoted in Mr. Passan's article, Nationals' President Stan Kasten seems sure of what will bring more fans into the Park, telling Mr. Passan:

"'It’s clear to me that when we turn the corner as a team, they’ll come.'”

Until such a time as the Nationals' are "competitive", Mr. Kasten and the team will seek to provide "an experience" for DC baseball fans, with Mr. Passan noting, that Nationals Park is a, "...perfectly acceptable new stadium," though:

"...not transcendent like its Beltway neighbor, Camden Yards in Baltimore, and not a billion-dollar homage to gluttony like the new Yankee Stadium will be. It is a good place to take the family for $5 a ticket, grab a drink in the packed center-field bar, watch a footrace involving people wearing giant foam heads of dead presidents, ogle the HD video screen..." 

(ed. note - "Or watch John Lannan pitch, Nick Johnson hit...just as other, uh, admittedly less-humorous examples...")

I've only attended one game this season, as I live about 90 miles north of DC, but I'll admit to having been a little worried when half of the crowd disappeared sometime around the fourth inning on Opening Night in Nationals Park, (though the mid-40's March weather may have played a role in premature departures), and when I tuned in on MLB Extra Innings, for the second home game, which actually occurred a week after the home opener, I grew a little more concerned, and Mr. Passan seems to think that might not be the wrong reaction, noting that the second game at Nationals Park:

"...actually had worse attendance than the second game at decrepit RFK Stadium last year."

"Is Mr. Kasten concerned yet?"

Mr. Kasten tells Mr. Passan, "Sounds like you’re a lot more concerned about this than me." Mr. Passan cites possible reasons for the lagging early attendance, with anything from the Jack Abramoff Lobbying scandal, to the Love for Ovie, ("That's Alex Ovechin of the Washington Capitals, the team Pittsburgh loves to eliminate from Cup contention..."), and even Washington's Wizards surprising NBA Playoff run, as other potential alternatives delaying the influx of fans...

?'s for DC Baseball Fans...

Should Mr. Kasten be worried? Are you?

What reasons do you think there are to attend Nationals Park? If you live there and you're not going, why aren't you?

Were you so enthralled with Alex Semin, Alex Ovechking, Nicklas Backstrom, Mike Green, and Cristobal Huet that you couldn't make it down to DC's new ballpark? (ed. note - "Second hockey reference? Yeah, I watch hockey! What of it?")

On the Hill...

While worries grow back home, the Nationals are off on a three-game trip to Houston, Texas to take on the Astros, starting tonight at 8:05 pm EST. Shawn Hill, (0-0, 3.50) against Shawn Chacon, (0-0, 3.32) on the hill. Hill has yet to face Houston in his four year career, and Hill's career record on the road is (3-5), same as at home, though his ERA jumps from 3.49 at home(s), to a high 5.45 ERA on the road in 28 starts and 161.0 innings. Shawn Chacon's faced Washington 11 times, 7 as a starter, in his 8-year MLB career, and Chacon's (3-2) with a 4.30 ERA in 44.0 innings against the Nationals. 

Nationals' #'s Against Shawn Chacon...

Paul Lo Duca - 9 for 21, .429 AVG, 2 doubles, 1 HR, 4 RBI's with 3 walks, 1 K. (ed. note - "And that's a lot of K's for Lo Duca...")

Wily Mo Pena - 1 for 1, 1.000 AVG, 1 2B, 2 BB's...

If DY were here... - 4 for 12, .333 AVG, 2 2B. 

Shawn Hill Should Watch Out For?...

Mark Loretta's 3 for 4 against Hill. Kaz Matsui's 2 for 3 with a 1 3B. Hunter Pence, 3 HR's in his last 3 games. Carlos Lee, because he's Carlos Lee. Lance Berkman, who's a .331 lifetime hitter against the Washington, and who has collected, 14 2B, 4 3B, 7 HR's and 33 RBI's in 49 games and 175 at bats...and finally, Shawn Hill should look out for outside pitcher to lefties, and wheelhouse hangers to right-handed hitters, because the number one thing Hill should watch out for in Minute Maid Park is...?

The Left Field Corner - 315ft.

8:05 pm EST, the Nationals play the first of the three game road trip, before heading back to DC to welcome the Florida Marlins. C'mon Hill...

So, Ed wants us to get out of the comments and write something, eh? (When I say "us," I mean, "us commenters." I'm not using the royal We or referring to the voices in my head.) Well, what do you all think of the new guys on Your 2008 Washington Nationals?  Here are my authoritative assessments, based entirely on what I read in other blogs and half-remembered "fun facts" from Charlie and Dave (for the stat-averse: OPS+ and ERA+ are hitting and pitching performance compared to the league average.  100 is average, more than 100 is better than average, less than 100 is worse than average):

• Lastings Milledge -- I was among the first to leap aboard this bandwagon! I love his aggressive, semi-boastful, almost-flashy attitude, and how was always one of the two Nats quoted in early-season articles.  Granted, he's made some gaffes in the field and on the basepaths, but Manny is nothing if not a teacher.  We can chalk those up to inexperience and look forward to someone giving Zimmy a run for Face o' the Franchise (while a paragon of virtue, Z-man is a dreadfully dull interview; not so for LMilz!).  With the bat, he's been good for an OPS+ of 84 so far. (Ex-Nat Ryan Church, part of our swap for Milledge, is currently tearing it up with an OPS+ of 132.  But we know he'll collapse later in the season, right? Milledge will blossom for years.  Church is a bum--the guy in the row behind me said so.)
• Paul LoDuca -- Although not technically part of the Church+Schnieder for Milledge trade, it sort of ended up that way for the purposes of fan complaints.  PLoD was the other one always good for a quote in the early season, and I admit that it's a struggle for me not to call him "squirrel" when comes up to bat (I'm trying to stay positive in my cheering).  I chided him as "Schneider without the defense" when I heard about the offer, but he's had a 72 OPS+ so far this year before losing a couple of weeks to a HBP on the hand that left him unable to grip a bat.  Interestingly, he has zero Ks in his 50 PA this year, with 5 walks.  He's thrown out 1 runner against 6 SB  this year.  Schneider has an 82 OPS+ so far, with 3 CS and 3 SB against.  Of course, Schneider has struck out 7 times this season, so PLoD's got him there.  I guess he's Snyder (as HoFer Don Sutton would say) without the defense, the strike outs, half the walks, and 70 points of BA...
  
• Elijah Dukes -- My initial reaction to this acquisition was, "Eep!"  However, he's held it together, behavior-wise, at least for the first month (notwithstanding his recent ejection from a rehab game, apparently for arguing balls and strikes).  His potential and all-round hunkiness certainly have some of the ladies who share my section all a-flutter; we'll see if his batting numbers can match.  I'm still hoping for a "Wily Mo with speed."
  
• Odalis Perez -- Who?  Boy, I was steamed when he got the nod for opening day over a "veteran Nat" like John Lannan...  Still, his "out" pitch is a thing of beauty on the super-slow-mo replay, the ball breaking down and in wickedly while the batter flails uselessly.  He has decent control, with 2-1 K/BB and 1.3 Walks/Hits per IP.  With an ERA of 3.18 and ERA+ of 132, his 0-3 record has largely been a result of bullpen bobbles and the Nat's anemic early-season offense.  New guy or not, pitching well is a shortcut to my approval.
• Wil Nieves -- Mr. Snow is my fave new guy.  Great attitude, the pitchers like him, and he can throw (2 CS and 9 SB).  After a dozen years rattling around the minors with some time as backup catcher for the Yankees, he's on the batting tear of a lifetime, with an eye-watering 156 OPS+ (based on an absurdly small sample of 35 PA, but who cares?  MVP! MVP!  Who needs Church when you have Nieves?).
• Aaron Boone -- I always find myself wondering, "Was he the one who posed in Playboy, or the one who was in The Young Riders?"  Anyhow, "Buffalo" Boone apparently plays every position (including running the scouting department), and even hits the ball.  While my overall impression is, "meh," I'll give him props because he wears his pants up.
• Johnny Estrada -- So, today's revelation is "I'm glad there are all these other catchers to give my arm time to heal."  What are you doing on the 25-man?! However, he not only wears his pants up, he even wears stirrups, so I'll give him a pass.  That is, until the Meathook comes back to help him pack his bags for Columbus.  (OPS+ of 7--that's seven--in 41 PA.  But 4 CS and 9 SB in spite of the arm trouble.)
• Rob Mackowiak -- Your name is hard to spell, but I'm sure Dukes will be happy to lend you bus fare to Ohio. OPS+ of 26 in 27 PA.  I know, life is hard as a utility guy/PH.  Once Dukes and Meathook are healthy, I'm afraid there's no room for Robbie Mack.
• Willie Harris -- "Wee" Willie is small, fast, and managing a 79 OPS+ in 47 PA.  I've seen him make some great plays in LF, plays that would have been questionable for WMP (we're still waiting to see Dukes' fielding performance).  L'il Willie absolutely has the inside track on 5th OF over RMaK--we all know how Manny loves him some late-inning defensive replacements.

So, who's your fave new guy?  Are you really going to let me trash Rob Mackowiak like that? Tomorrow's game is a long time away.  What else are you going to do between now and then? WORK?! It's a beautiful day out--post on teh interwebs!

(ed. note - "I'll be away from my desktop for most of the day tomorrow, so here's a super-long Game Report, (with one completely ridiculous section), links and such for the travel day. It's also a great opportunity for someone to throw up a FANPOST which I can then promote for some federalbaseball.com front-page coverage(a couple hundred views of your writing) for the entirety of the Nationals-Baseball-Free-Monday...So there it is!!...A CHALLENGE to federalbaseball.com readers...Who has something to get off their chest, a rant, something good to say after the Nationals have pulled themselves to within 4 games of .500, and within 4 games of first in the NL East...Anyone have anything to say?")

GAME REPORT...Pirates at Nationals - Sunday Matinee...

Right-handed starter Tim Redding and the rest of the Washington Nationals are wearing their Sunday reds, with the interlocking DC logo as opposed the tradition white cursive "W", as they take on the Pittsburgh Pirates in the fourth of four at Nationals Park in Washington, DC this afternoon. Redding retires the Pirates in order and the Nationals are up to bat in the bottom of the first...Pirates' righty Ian Snell on the hill gets Felipe Lopez for the first out of the frame, but he can't get Cristian Guzman, who slaps a single through short. Lastings Milledge is batting in the three spot with Ryan Zimmerman...SITTING? Milledge HBP. The moustachioed Nick Johnson gives DC an early lead, going the other way for a run-scoring single to left. 1-0 Nationals. Snell hangs a 2-1 fastball inside to Austin Kearns, and Kearns rips it to left scoring Milledge from second. 2-0 Nationals after today's 3B Aaron Boone hits into an inning-ending DP...

Redding's fastball is biting down hard, and he gets Ryan Doumit chasing three of them. Xavier Nady flies out to right, and Redding blows Adam LaRoche away with a trailing fastball outside to end his second scoreless. Today's DC left fielder Rob Mackowiak hits a one-out single to left, but Tim Redding bunts his way into a double play to end the second. 

Redding abuses Jose Bautista with a breaking ball off the outside edge. Rookie Pirates' shortstop Brian Bixler goes down swinging at a straight fastball. The opposing pitcher, Ian Snell flies to short right, Milledge and Kearns converge, and Milledge makes the catch for the third out of the inning...Lastings Milledge drops a two-out single into short right in the Nationals' third. Miledge steals second. Nick Johnson's discerning eye earns him a walk and gives Austin Kearns an RBI opportunity. Snell gets a good call and gets Kearns looking at a low outside strike three to end the third.

Nate McLouth gets the first single of the day immediately erased when he foolishly tries Austin Kearns' arm and gets thrown out at second on a one-hop missile that beats McLouth to the bag by a mile. Aaron Boone gets to a hard grounder from Jayson Bay but can't throw him out in time. Bay takes second on a passed ball. Ryan Doumit flies out to center. Four scoreless for Redding....Aaron Boone leaves the yard in a hurry with a leadoff dinger to left-center in the DC fourth. 3-0 Nationals after four. 

Adam LaRoche reaches down and lifts a low slider out to left, over the scoreboard and into the first row for the first Pirates' run. 3-1 Washington after four and a half. Cristian Guzman almost takes Snell's head off with a line-drive single to start the DC fifth, but that's all Snell allows. 

Redding gets the Pirates in order in the sixth. Ian Snell gets Boone, Lo Duca and Mackowiak to end the sixth. Xavier Nady hits a one-out single in the top of the seventh. Adam LaRoche doubles to center on a 2-2 curve, Nady to third. Tim Redding's done for the day...(6.1 IP, 6 hits, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K's 1 HR, 3.20 ERA)

...Saul "Sa-ool" Rivera's on in relief to face Jose Bautista. Bautista grounds back to the mound, Rivera looks Nady back and throws to first for the second out. Doug Mientkiewicz hits one back to Rivera who throws to first to end the threat. 3-1 Nationals after six and a half. Stand up and stretch...Willie Harris ropes a leadoff double down the right field line to start the DC seventh. Felipe Lopez finds a hole in the infield with a slow grounder to center to score Harris from second. 4-1 Nationals lead. Damaso Marte replaces Snell, and ends the seventh. 

Luis "Set-Up" Ayala gives up a leadoff bunt to Nyjer Morgan in the eigth. Nate McLouth grounds out harmlessly to left. Ayala strikes out Freddy Sanchez. Jayson Bay goes down looking at a fastball....Wily Mo Pena hits a two-out double to left off lefty reliever John Grabow to score Austin Kearns. 5-1 Nationals. Jesus Colome comes on to end it, since it isn't a save opportunity. Colome gives up a run, but gets out of the inning with the lead in tact. Nationals win 5-2.

Nationals now 14-18.

GAME NOTES...

Every player in the Nationals' starting lineup on Sunday had a hit...Guzman, Kearns and Mackowiak had two hits each...

Cristian Guzman - 2 for 4, .309 '08 AVG, 1 R. 

Austin Kearns - 2 for 4, .212 '08 AVG, 1 R, 1 RBI, (1-sharp-a$$ throw in from right to nail Nate McLouth.)

Wily Mo Pena - 1 for 1, 1-2-out-pinch-hit RBI-double!! Pena's first extra base hit.

The Nationals' "Bench Players" Come Through...

Rob Mackowiak, 2 for 3 in a rare start, Aaron Boone, 1 for 4 with, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 HR in an even rarer start at third. Willie Harris 1 for 2 double, 1 R. 

DID YOU KNOW? - That Nationals' catcher Paul Lo Duca has yet to strike out in 45 at bats this season. Not one K in 15 games. 

DID YOU KNOW? Pt. 2 - That Paul Lo Duca has only thrown out 1 of 6 base stealers this season? Wil "The Thrill" Nieves...2 of 9. Johnny Estrada...4 of 9....Jesus Flores? 1 man tried, 1 man gunned! 

federalbaseball.com answers your questions...

The other day in the Comments section...Doghouse wrote, (in response to my stating I would be following the game through my iPhone):

"Speaking of iPhones...

...I was texting my wife from the game last night, and the auto-correct fixed my misspelling of Nieves. This is further proof that Wil Nieves is the Nationals Messiah."

OK so that really isn't a question, but I decided to look into it, and though the only language i've studied, other than English, is French, I was able to google the word "Nieves", and discover that it's actually Spanish for "snow", as in, according to about.com's "Spanish Language Page":

"La blanca nieve estaba por todas partes."

("The white snow was everywhere.") 

...and as part of this lesson, you'll notice the placement of the adjective "blanca"  in front of "nieve" or snow, which serves to reinforce or add an emotional affect to the noun "snow", though adjectives can also be placed after a noun in order to restrict a noun to a certain classification as in...

"la luz fluorescente" - a fluorescent light

...wherein the adjective "fluorescente" classifies the type of light. 

So what did we learn, in Spanish adjectives can be placed before of after nouns depending upon their role in a given sentence, and Doghouse, "Your iPhone knows Spanish." Don't say you never learned anything here...

Quote of the Day...

From Washington Post baseball writer Barry Svrluga's article entitled, "Zimmerman Gets A Day Off, Ending Streak", Nationals' Manager Manny Acta on his decision to sit Ryan Zimmerman, with Aaron Boone starting at third on Sunday afternoon:

"'We talked in spring training and we decided,' Acta said. 'He told me he's not pursuing Cal Ripken Jr.'s record.'"

Next Nationals' game in Houston, Texas on Tuesday night at 8:05 PM EST. It's A "High-Noon Texas Shawn-Down" with Shawn Hill vs Shawn Chacon on the mound in Minute Maid Park, where the only thing dumber than the short porch in left is that ridiculous hill in center...til then...