On the Hill...

Two of John "Cool Hand" Lannan's thirteen Major League starts have come against New York, though he's yet to beat the Mets, going (0-1) over 11.2 IP, including a start here at Shea on 4/17 in which Lannan lasted 6.0 innings and gave up just 3 hits and 1 run with 0 walks and 11 K's in a game that saw Jon Rauch blow a save opportunity and Joel Hanrahan eventually...take the loss in a 3-2, 14-inning, viewer-endurance test. So far in '08, Lannan's (3-3) with a 3.40 ERA. 

The New York Mets counter with John Maine, who, in '08 is (4-2) with a 3.00 ERA in 7 starts and 42.0 innings, and is (4-2) with a 4.84 ERA in 8 career starts against the Nationals. Maine last faced Washington on 4/16, earning a win for 6.2 innings pitched over which Maine surrendered 5 hits, 2 ER's and 1 HR. Maine's won four of his last five starts, allowing just 2 runs over six innings in the one loss, and though his ERA is higher (4.44 - 3.73) on the road than at home, in his five-year MLB career, Maine's (14-8) in 29 starts and 31 appearances whilst traveling... 

The Bats, The Bats...

The Nationals hit double-digits in runs for the third time this season (11 against Philly, and 10 twice against the Mets), thanks mainly to Elijah Dukes' vocal bench support, but also thanks to...

Nick Johnson - 1 for 3, .239 AVG, 3 runs, 1 RBI, 2 walks.

Lastings Milledge - 1 for 4, .252 AVG, 1 2B, 1 walks, 2 RBI's. 

Oliver Perez - 3 for 3, .312 AVG, 2 RBI's. 

Nationals' #'s Against John Maine...

Ronnie Belliard - 9 for 13, .692 AVG, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI's. 

Nick Johnson - 2 for 9, .222 AVG, 1 HR, 1 RBI. 

Austin Kearns - 4 for 12, .333 AVG, 1 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI's. 

Lannan Should Look Out For...

Luis Castillo - 2 for 5, .400 AVG, 1 HR, 2 RBI's. 

Jose Reyes - 4 for 6, .667 AVG, 1 2B.

THURSDAY'S STARTER?...Updating the Continuing Story...

Washington Times writer Mark Zuckerman weighed in with a post entitled, "Ballgame Tonight?" at "Chatter: A Nats Blog", in which Mr. Zuckerman writes that the Nationals still:

"...need a starter for Thursday's game after shipping Mike O'Connor yesterday. Candidates include Matt Chico (currently in the bullpen), Jason Bergmann (whose next turn at Columbus lines up for Wednesday and could easily be bumped back a day) and if you believe Manny Acta, Jordan Zimmerman, who has been at Class AA Harrisburg for less than two weeks. Stay tuned."

A Federalbaseball.com MYSTERY... Federalbaseball.com will be going on assignment, this week, and no it's not to Shea Stadium, unless someone comes through with free tickets? No? Well, the assignment, which shall remain a mystery for now, is baseball-related, and should prove interesting for federalbaseball.com readers...A hint?...How about three...

Orange, NJ?...One of three to be the first to do something?...Jimmy Nelson?

7:10 pm EST again tonight at Shea Stadium for the second of four in New York for the Nationals. Last night's win broke a three game losing streak for DC. "Cool Hand" Lannan says, "...Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand." (ed. note - "John Lannan does not say this.")