A week ago, the Nationals were riding high after opening their season with a 2-0 record. It’s a different story this week, as we are now dealing with a 5 game skid. The game got off to a rough start in the first inning when a Lastings Milledge fielding error allowed one run to score. Milledge was able to make up for his mistake by hitting an RBI double in his first at bat. The Nats had a 3-2 lead heading into the third inning. The Marlins certainly had their bats swinging and were able to connect to drive in 5 runs throughout the inning. Out of the 7 runs scored with Tim Redding on the mound, 6 of them were unearned, which kept his ERA at a low 0.82.

Unlike Redding’s last outing where he pitched into the eighth inning, he only made it 4 innings tonight. Chris Schroeder, Saul Rivera, Luis Ayala and Jon Rauch all pitched at least one inning to complete the game. Only Rivera and Ayala were able to escape their innings without any damage.

Even though the boys looked rather good at the plate, they were unable to capitalize on a late inning opportunity. With two men out in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Marlins walked Zimmerman, Johnson and Kearns to load the bases and bring up Paul Lo Duca. Lo Duca struggled and grounded into a fielder’s choice. All together, the Nationals stranded 11 men on base tonight and have left the bases loaded 9 times this season. Clutch hitting is key to any team’s success, and we are feeling the absence of it this season. We’re hoping that as the guys get into the groove of the season, they get more comfortable in those pressure situations.

The rest of the week is supposed to bring warmer temperatures to the area, and we’re hoping that it also brings some wins for our boys!

A 3-0 record. Only 3 pitchers. A complete game in 2 hours and 15 minutes. A spot on top of the NL East? We surely can’t be talking about the Washington Nationals, can we? This is not the same team from last year. There is an excitement in the fan base, confidence among the players, power in the offense and a brand new stadium that has done wonders for teams in the past.

The game got off to a quiet start until the top of the 5th when Ryan Zimmerman belted a solo home run into right field, scoring the only run of the game. Zimmerman had quite a game defensively too. In the bottom of the 3rd, he snagged a short hopper by Rollins that bounced off of Redding’s back and made the out at first. In the 7th inning he made a diving stop on a hard hit ball to throw out Howard at second and turn the double play. Even though it’s still early in the season, Ryan Zimmerman isn’t the only one showing he deserves Gold Glove considerations. Austin Kearns, who was talked about for the honor last season, chased down an Utley line drive that easily could have dropped for a single. Austin isn’t going to be the type to make the diving, dramatic plays, but he positions himself so well in the field that he is able to make big plays looks easy.

Tim Redding was tonight’s winning pitcher and he was certainly impressive by retiring 13 batters between the end of the 2nd through the 6th inning. Last season, we got used to a good outing from the starters equating to 5 innings and maybe part of the 6th, but Tim looked strong through the 7th. He showed a calm confidence by not getting rattled when he was behind in the count. It was surprising, but exciting to see Manny Acta give Redding a vote of confidence by allowing him to start the 8th inning. He only threw 93 pitches and gave up only one hit through seven innings of work. Ayala came in to complete the 8th inning and Rauch pitched a great 9th inning to earn his first save of the year.

There is a strong possibility that John Lannan will join the rotation on Sunday. He looked good during the spring and handled the pressures of the majors extremely well last season. Watch the Nats go for the series sweep against the Phillies at 1:05pm on Wednesday!

Now that the first official weekend in Nationals Park and the first Curly W are both in the books, it’s time to take a look at the widely publicized transit options. Before I begin to review the options, there are a few key points that we feel are crucial to the transit issue. One issue is the fact that the Nationals have extensively advertised both the Metro and the Nats Express, while the front office has enthusiastically endorsed these options. We can appreciate the fact that Stan Kasten took a test run of the Metro a few weeks ago, however his experience was nothing compared to the real deal on game nights. From experience, we know that cramming onto a train with thousands of other fans after sitting through a three hour game in the middle of July is not exactly pleasant night after night. Transportation to and from games is a huge issue for the fan base, especially when most of us are coming in from the suburbs and it takes over an hour each way.

On Saturday, I chose to try out the Metro. Everyone on the train understood that between the game, Cherry Blossoms and a marathon, the stations were busy. When we finally arrived at Navy Yard, I was really looking forward to seeing the new platform. Unfortunately, the fact that there were only 2 escalators that were 2 people wide was a disappointment. I expected there to be more escalators, or at least wider in order to accommodate the large crowds after games. Stadium Armory was much better in this respect. On a positive note, there were “SmartTrip Express” lanes that will certainly help move people along. Also, once we were able to weed through the crowds and come up to ground level, we were treated to view of the beautiful stadium directly in front of us.

For Sunday’s game, I opted to join Stephanie and Kristen on the Nats Express. We really appreciate the effort to provide fans a free alternative to get to the games. We were able to get on a bus quickly and the ride was around 5 minutes. Overall, transit to the game has been smooth, although it would be nice if we were able to get dropped off a little closer to the park.  After the amazing game, we were greeted by a long, unorganized line for the bus and we were given conflicting information about where to wait for a bus. One worker lined us up around the corner from the rest of the crowd, then put us in line with everyone else, took us back around the corner and finally we were again sent to stand in line with everyone else. While we waited, we only saw a maximum of 5 buses, which would mean that 45 should have been in transit and at RFK. The chaos at the pick up spot was created in part by the fact that fans and workers were both yelling which upped everyone’s tension levels. At one point there were three buses and people were loading whichever bus was closest rather than moving up to fill the front bus first. It would have made more sense and created less chaos, if one bus had to be full before another bus could board people. While this wouldn’t necessarily work in the immediate rush after a game, it would help organize the rest of the fans who leave 15-20 minutes after the last out.

Also contributing to the chaos were a few fans who had a bit too much to drink. Yes, it’s fun to have a couple of beers at the game but there is a point at which it is obnoxious. We encountered some of these people in line, which makes the whole experience for families and non-drinkers less than pleasant.  Once we were on board we only counted 20 buses from the pick up location into the RFK lot. Most of the buses that we counted were stuck in the line of cars waiting to exit the lot. Because the exit lane is so narrow, as one bus is entering RFK, all of the oncoming traffic had to be stopped, thus creating a huge delay in the shuttle system. A separate lane for buses would surely alleviate the congestion. It doesn’t do any good to have these buses if they are stuck in a traffic jam at RFK.

Finally, I do have a few concerns about the RFK lot. It is dimly lit, which does raise some security concerns. The lighting also contributed to the free-for-all that took place as cars left because it was difficult to see where we were actually supposed to be exiting.  Overall, we understand that there are going to be hiccups in the system and this was a near sell-out crowd in attendance. As many have pointed out, the real test will come next Monday when Nats fans have to get to the game during rush-hour traffic. While we will deal with not really being able to park at the stadium and appreciate the free shuttle option, fans shouldn’t be fooled - parking in RFK last year was worlds better than dealing with the crowded metro or a shuttle system.

Unfortunately, there is some sad news to report. Elliot Yamin, who was scheduled to sing “God Bless America” Sunday night, lost his mother today. Our thoughts go out to him and his family.

 Today was Day 3 of our Spring Training trip and weather-wise it was the best. We enjoyed temperatures in the mid-upper 70s with a light breeze and beautiful sunshine all morning. The incredible weather seemed to rub off on the players as everyone was in an especially good mood for the start of practice. Wily Mo Pena, Ronnie Belliard, Jesus Colome and several other players got the morning started sharing some good laughs and stories.

After the full team warm up, which included some different exercises today, the boys split off into their respective groups. Stephanie, Kristen and I all went over to watch the group working with Bullpen Coach Rick Aponte. The mixed group of starters and relievers focused on fielding bunts today. They started with sacrifice bunts where the pitchers were supposed to scoop up the ball and make the out at first. After Ryan Wagner overthrew to first, Ray King was there with some inspirational words, encouraging Wagner, “Don’t get bitter, get better!” Next on the agenda was to practice fielding a short bunt by scooping the ball up bare handed and making plays at both first and home.

Even though there were some rough plays out there, Aponte kept encouraging the guys and joined in the fun. He joked that he had the best left and right handed starters and relievers, to which the guys responded they had the best bullpen coach in the league. Overall the guys looked great. They continue to work hard all while keeping the lighthearted attitude that makes them so much fun to watch.

When their session was finished, we split up to catch the action on all of the fields. Unlike previous days, all of the fields were focusing on similar drills – squeeze plays and outs at second. Over the weekend, the boys seemed to be working specifically on technique with these drills by running slower, but today they were going at 100%. Manny was really pushing them to make sure the boys finished all of the plays and called out players who gave less than all of their effort. To add some reality to the drill, Ryan Wagner reminded all of his teammates that Jose Reyes was the imaginary runner. Despite the intensity on the field, there were some funny moments. Saul Rivera wound up for the pitch but didn’t follow through. The runners ran anyways and several players were quick to call the play a “balk” and everyone both on and off the field joined in the laughter.

Batting practice with full pitching took place on two of the fields, with a slower pitched practice on another field. It was great to see the power sluggers really be able to just swing the bat and get big hits. Austin Kearns looked especially good at the bat all day. Among the pitchers who threw today were, John Lannan, Mike Bacsik, Chris Schroeder, Tristan Crawford, and Mike Hinckley. Crawford looked good on the mound, except for one pitch that just got away from him. Justin Maxwell was batting and pitch went wild, but Maxwell tried to get the ball to keep it from hitting catcher Jesu s Flores. The ball ended up bouncing off Maxwell’s bat and hitting Flores, leaving him hunched over in pain for a few moments. He returned to action though and continued catching, batting and even stayed after to run sprints.

In other Nationals news, Bret Boone revealed he has successfully dealt with an alcohol issue.
MASN announced that they will show 20 home games and 20 away games in HDTV. Also, Matt Chico will be the starer for the Nats first Spring Training game on Wednesday.

Check out our photo album for the day!

Jeff Passan from Yahoo! Sports released his list of winners and losers from this year’s winter meetings. Not surprisingly, the Dukes situation was brought up in both columns. Tampa Bay was listed as a winner for getting rid of him, while Jim Bowden received some critiques for acquiring the troubled player.Here’s what Passan had to say:

“Jim Bowden: The most dangerous qualities a baseball player can exhibit simultaneously are ability and disappointment. Because more than anything, people around baseball love to fix things. They love to believe they can fix a flat curveball, and that they can find the hitch in that long swing, and, in Bowden’s case, that they can turn a monster into a mite. Elijah Dukes needs a coterie of good doctors, not the Washington Nationals’ GM trying to rescue him. If there’s an upside, it’s that Lastings Milledge will look like a choir boy in comparison.”

We sincerely hope that Dukes is given a zero tolerance policy and that the Nationals stick to it. It would be incredible if Dukes can turn his life around, but if he can’t, he needs to be shown the door.

Sean Taylor, safety for the Washington Redskins, died early this morning from a gunshot wound he suffered early Monday after an intruder broke into his Miami home. Taylor was only 24 years old and was widely acknowledged to be enjoying the best season of his career as well as maturing into a respectable young man according to teammates and coaches. In just his fourth season in the NFL, Taylor already played in the Pro Bowl and led the NFC in interceptions. He will be sadly missed both off and on the field.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Sean Taylor’s family, friends and the Redskins community.Sean Taylor pictured with Redskins coach Joe Gibbs.
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Kevin Wolf

As news continues to emerge regarding the Nationals’ broadcasting team, many of us are left wondering “Why is a change even being considered?” We understand that everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but a majority of people have grown to respect, admire and most importantly, enjoy the Nationals broadcasting team both on TV and the radio.In today’s Washington Examiner, Jim Williams writes that the front office should, “stick to building a winning baseball team and let your broadcasters alone - they are already winners.” We couldn’t agree with Williams more. Dave and Charlie are an excellent team who clearly have fun with their jobs and with each other. Their enthusiasm for the game is easily conveyed over the airwaves and the fact that they do not have contracts for upcoming seasons yet is disturbing. Whether I am driving in the car, or listening between innings of an away game, I truly enjoy hearing Dave and Charlie’s take on the game.

As for the TV side of the broadcasting team, we have always been impressed with Bob Carpenter’s work. In a recent Washington Post article supporting the return of Bob, there was confirmation that fans had written into the Nationals and MASN to support Bob. We are certainly hoping that he will be back for many more seasons to come.

Dave, Charlie, Debbi and Bob are all great broadcasters who have done a great job of drawing in the occasional fan (like myself) and turning us into devoted, season-ticket holding fans. While work does need to be done on the field, the broadcasting booths should be left alone.

An article on today’s WashingtonPost.com reports that the door isn’t entirely closed for Bob Carpenter and the Washington Nationals. Carpenter, who has remained professional throughout the final weeks of the season despite being told he was released, was informed on Friday that there is a chance he will return as the play by play television announcer for the Nationals!

The Nats bats were swinging in full force last night as they recorded 4 doubles and 2 3-run home runs in an pounding of the New York Mets. Matt Chico, the lone starting pitcher who has survived this season, got his 6th win of the year last night. The Mets got on the board first, but the Nats stayed patient and scored 2 runs in the top of the 4th to take the lead. Austin Kearns, who has struggled a bit at the plate this year, belted a 3 run homer in the top of the 5th to give the Nats a 5-1 lead. In the top of the 9th, Ryan Langerhans essentially locked up the game when he hit a home run that drove in Felipe Lopez and Justin Maxwell. It’s great to see Kearns and Langerhans hit some big home runs! They have both had a frustrating hitting season. Robert Fick, who has really stepped up for the Nats this month, extended his hitting streak to 10 games. This game showed that the Nats could score under pressure, as they got 10 of their runs with 2 outs!
Saul Rivera, Luis Ayala and Jesus Colome came in to pitch 3.2 scoreless innings. As the season winds down, it is worth mentioning how great this bullpen has been over the season. Our starters often don’t last through the sixth inning, so these guys are seeing a lot of time. They have been able to consistently keep game close and give the offense a chance to win the game.Mike Bacsik, who has bounced from starter to the bullpen more times than I can count, will again take the mound as a starter in the series finale on Wednesday night.

Nats News:
RHP Shawn Hill is scheduled to undergo surgery for a nerve problem, and also to repair his shoulder. He is expected to be back by Spring Training.

Nationals Journal has done a position by position post about the bullpen. Barry Svrluga considers Jon Rauch and Luis Ayala to be locks for next season’s bullpen. Rauch is an example of why we have to look past the numbers when evaluating a player. Yes, he leads the Nats in wins, but most of those are only because he blew the lead and the offense was able to pick it back up. He is a shakier player than Saul Rivera, who I consider to be a necessary weapon in the bullpen.

Check out Mark Zuckerman’s individual awards for the Nats in his Washington Time’s article. We will also be doing postseason awards, so be sure to check back for that after the season!Photo Credit: AP Photo Kathy Willens

Last night Nats fans were not only treated to another spectacular come from behind victory, but those of us in 301 and 201 also enjoyed the company of Washington Nationals President, Stan Kasten. He was incredibly kind and even allowed us to hold his World Series Championship ring from the 1995 Atlanta Braves team!! It was amazing to see the ring, but to hold it was something I can’t describe. I know that one day, the Nationals are going to have rings of their own and I can’t wait to be at the ballpark to see it! Stan seems to enjoy his time with the people and making his way through the ballpark.
The Nationals seem to be playing with a little extra spark lately. Whatever the reason, the Nats have been fighting like mad to stay in the game and have really looked a lot looser and like they are having more fun than they have had all season. Like Monday, the game got off to a rocky start. Joel Hanrahan had some trouble commanding his pitches and attributed some of the hits to the absence of his slider.

With the Nats down 4-0 heading into the bottom of the second, there was a familiar feeling from the night before. However, we were able to bounce back last night and we had confidence we could do it again. Austin Kearns got the Nats on the board with his solo home run to deep left. The Nats then scored in each of the next 4 innings to win the game 9-8! Ronnie Belliard hit a 3 run shot to deep left and D’Angelo Jimenez, who has been outstanding lately, came in for a pinch hit home run. It was the second pinch hit homer in 2 days for the Nats!Perhaps the highlight of the game for us was not as notable as all of the home runs, but just as important. Felipe Lopez drove in his first RBI in 5 weeks. We are certainly glad to see that frustration hasn’t gotten the best of him and his confidence seems to be building after two productive nights!

We had a great time at the ballpark last night. The Mets fans we sat with were really good sports. We were treated to an exciting win and we were able to not only meet Stan Kasten but hold his ring!

Nats News:
Guzman may play again in 2007. He will likely play in a simulated game this week and depending on progress we will see him in action before the season ends.