PROGNATSTICATIONS: iLIVAN!, John, and pray for a drenched lawn

My prediction of Astacio's won/lost record?
Nope. Just a graphic I found from this site.

Were you wondering how I was going to finish these Prognatstications posts before Opening Day? Probably not---once you've done a prediction for Damian Jackson, there's not much left of which to aspire---but, if you were, here you go.

As noted earlier, a discrete initial starting rotation is now "set." It will be, I suppose in this order:

• Hernandez
  
• Patterson
  
• Astacio
  
• Ortiz
  
• Armas

By way of reference, here is how the Nats started their inaugural season:

• Hernandez
  
• Day
  
• Loaiza
  
• Ohka
  
• Patterson (Hernandez started the fifth game, but Patterson was retained as the "fifth starter" when Armas came up lame, and Patterson started the sixth game)

Focusing only on what we knew then about last year's guys and what we know now about this year's guys, I think I'd take last year's guys. The team had more back-end depth last year at this time, too---what with Rauch and Kim, as well as Armas and Vargas coming back from injury (too soon with the latter, as it were). Still, some foul-mouthed, drunken Brits told me not to look back in anger, and Brian Lawrence instead of Pedro Astacio would have given me more confidence, at least from an innings-eater aspects.

Speaking of which, it's time for a couple of EXTEMPORANEOUS CONTEST IDEAS!!!111!!!:

• How many innings will Astacio pitch?
  
• What will be iLIVAN!'s high pitch count?

As for this year's rotation, I'll give my predictions in terms of IP/H/BB/SO, W/L/ERA in the comments. You can follow suit if you'd like.