Alright - Lo Duca thinks he’s better.  He played in one game, went 1 for 3 and actually caught Reyes stealing.  Fine and good.  So, we have a catcher to fill in until Jesus Flores is ready.  Manny suggested today that Estrada will start the season on the DL. The backup will be Wil Nieves.  Flores will still likely start in AA Harrisburg.

So two questions:  Why is Lo Duca talking about his long-term future here? (There isn’t one, is there?) And why is Bill Ladson STILL picking fights with Brian Schneider? (It seems personal and it’s getting old)

Between the underage women, gambling, attitude issues, heavy steroid use (and his inability to face up to it until months later) oh and the recent injury - we’re supposed to cheer for this guy, re-think our real long term plan for catcher and forget that Brian Schneider was a good guy.  Yea, Paul, you can bet we’re skeptical, but at least there’s a beat writer on your side.

Take Bill’s great example of clubhouse leadership:

Early this week, for example, an upset Lo Duca didn’t see his name in the starting lineup against the Mets, so he went into manager Manny Acta’s office for an explanation. Lo Duca calmed down after Acta told him the team wanted Lo Duca to be in a “more controlled environment” and make sure that his left knee was OK when he is hitting and catching behind the plate.

That’s leadership?  Demanding an answer when your name isn’t in the line-up?  Storming into Manny Acta’s office for an explanation? That’s respect?

Are we even in the clear for no suspension or is that yet to be determined?

Wow we are shocked about the J Pat news, but admittedly relieved and a little pleased. This isn’t just about the big loss to the Orioles the other day. It’s part of Patterson’s continuing pattern of complaining and blaming poor performance on lingering pain, and every other excuse possible.  Remember this one?

“I was picking up a ball during BP,” said Patterson, “and I turned to throw the ball in the bucket, and as I was set to release the ball, that’s when the other ball hit me in the face. It spun me around and I saw stars for a little while and walked off the field. It has been a crazy month. I have been sick for almost the whole month. I’m finally on medicine to get that cleared up. I get hit in the face with the ball yesterday, and now my arm’s throbbing and sore. How much more stuff can you deal with?”

Recently, days after Patterson blamed a vicious flu on his bad performance against the Orioles, Tim Redding pitched a phenomenal game under the same conditions.

A bad game never seemed to be Patterson’s fault. In 2007 he was limited to just seven starts.  While attending the May 5th game in Chicago last year, we felt like we witnessed a total melt down. John pitched just two innings and gave up four runs on seven hits. He was placed on the 15-day DL the next day due to right elbow soreness. We didn’t know at the time, but that game would be the last time we’d see him pitch in 2007. 

The team was pretty patient after last year’s long drawn out search for new treatments.  It got old fast. He eventually underwent surgery in September, his second in two years.  Throughout his whole major league career, John is just 18-25.  He’s played in 88 games in six seasons. Guess he can nurse his bumps and bruises on somebody else’s DL. Releasing Patterson also creates an opening for a young guy like John Lannan.

Not catching in major league games. Paul Lo Duca played three innings on Saturday in minor league camp. He will play again in a minor league game today. He isn’t scheduled to play a major league game until Thursday against the Astro’s. He says he’s feeling good though. I wonder how good the potential rotation feels about it. It sure doesn’t give the pitchers much time to work with Lo Duca before the season officially starts. Along the same lines, Estrada is still suffering from tendinitis in his elbow, he’s begun a throwing program, but Manny says he won’t be ready for opening day…

 Cue the understudy.  The team still says it won’t be Flores playing backup unless he can play more than 3 games a week.  So his role is dependent on the health of Lo Duca. Flores has had a great Spring and clearly wants to stay in the majors for the ‘08 season.  That leaves Wil Nieves and Humberto Cota to fight for the spot. We’ll cast our vote for Nieves, who acted as a backup last year for the Yankees.

Still lots of questions with Opening Day quickly approaching. Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone. Hopefully the Nats get some luck from the Irish as they take on the Mets this afternoon!

Losing to the Dodgers, I can handle.  Tommy needed his first Grapefruit League win since his managing days.  Perez did get knocked around a bit in his debut (four runs in 4 1-3 innings, five hits and two walks.)  Rivera and Hanrahan combined for a scoreless, hitless 7th, 8th and 9th.  Miss Chatter was there and has some great photos!

But, losing 11-3 to the Orioles today was just brutal.

Patterson looked more 2007 than 2005 today.  He allowed Oriole hit after hit (eight in all) and six earned runs in four innings.  Munoz entered the game, lost a pop up in the sun and gave up a 2 run shot to new Oriole Luke Scott.  Schroder, still battling for a spot in the bullpen, pitched a perfect 6th before turning it over to Charlie Manning.  Manning’s line followed more like Patterson’s.  Three earned runs, three hits, two walks.  Even Jesus Colome struggled getting outs in the 8th — giving up 2 hits and a walk.  All in all, a brutal pitching day for our guys against our beltway rival.

Of course, any offense at all would have helped Patterson out a little.  Felipe Lopez had a hit to start things off but the Nats had no runs until the 6th inning with G. Guzman’s 2 run blast to right field.  Luis Jimenez later scored on a de Caster sacrifice for the final 3rd run.  The only regulars to travel to Fort Lauderdale for today’s game were Belliard, Johnson, Milledge and Lopez.  But still, 11-3?

Tomorrow:  Happy St. Patrick’s Day and Mike O’Connor on the mound?  Very clever, Manny.  It’s our first reunion (if you skip the rain-out) with Church and Schneider, should they make the trip and Lastings first game against the Mets after harsh words about his former team.  Hanrahan, Rauch, Ayala and Cordero are expected to work in relief.

We’re almost there - nearly two weeks away from Opening Night. 

The Post has a cool piece today by Fred Bowen interviewing Jim Chibnall, an architect who helped design the new ballpark.

But the most important thing is to come down and experience the building. I think people will like this building and call it their home away from home for years to come.

Metro has released special plans to accomodate the Papal Mass at new Nationals Park in April including extra trains, shuttles from RFK Stadium, extra staff and a commemorative Metro pass for $9 good for the entire day.

WMP strained his left oblique muscle.  According to Barry, “club officials were preparing for the possibility that Peña could be out as many as six weeks.”

Dmitri looked good in his debut in Grapfruit League action (2 for 3 and a walk).  Austin came alive with a double and Aaron Boone hit in the only Nats run.  Schroder, who now seems to be fighting for a spot in the bullpen with Hanrahan, gave up two inconsequential hits and Saul Rivera collected a rare blown save.  Saul hadn’t given up a home run since last April.  He would have been out of the inning without Kasto’s costly error.

Dave and Charley have the Cleveland game at 1 and the Dodgers game Saturday.  The Nats are on MASN on Sunday, but with the O’s broadcast team.

The Nationals have trimmed the Spring roster to 44. Some moves were expected like re-assigning Collin Balester, Ian Desmond, and Bobby Brownlie to minor league camp. Looks like Tyler Clippard, Garrett Mock, and Josh Whitesell are headed to Columbus to start the year, while Justin Maxwell will start in Harrisburg. Nats rising star Ross Detwiler will start the season in Potomac. I think we will have to take some more trips down that way when the Nats are away this year. In addition, after hitting four monster home runs in the past week, Luis Jimenez was also assigned to minor league camp. I liked watching him take BP in Florida, maybe he will make an appearance in DC this year.

I was surprised to read that catcher Chad Moeller was released unconditionally, while Javier Herrera was re-assigned to minor league camp. That leaves only Nieves, Cota and Flores competing for a back-up position right? Although, it sounds like Flores will definitely start the season in the minors. Apparently Lo Duca is making progress, he took full batting practice today and thinks he will be able to play on the 15th (less than a week away). Meanwhile the other catcher Estrada, played catch today from 60 feet after receiving a cortisone shot on Friday, his status is still unknown.

John Lannan got a taste of that nasty Detroit lineup today. He did ok, pitched 3 innings and seemed to calm down a bit after giving up two home runs early. He said he has to work on throwing first pitch strikes, and that Randy St. Claire knows what he’s talking about. Matt Whitney hit a 3 run homer to tie the game, but the Nats eventually lost 4-3.

Nats take on the Braves tomorrow at 7. Oh and go vote for which hairstyle you think Nick Johnson should start sporting!

It was definitely hard to come back to DC after a baseball and sunshine filled week in Florida. Getting back into the daily work routine has been tough, but knowing that opening day is just 26 days away makes it a little easier.

Watching the four practice days was a great way to catch a glimpse of all the guys, especially the non-roster invitees, most of whom where unfamiliar to me. It was also cool to watch the team concentrate on the basics. The competition for every spot except third base was evident as well. Most of the guys showed a lot of dedication and heart even during those days of just drills.

For me things got exciting when we attended the first spring training game against the Marlins. Seeing Nick Johnson make his 2008 debut at first base was one of the best moments of my trip. When a Marlin hit a pop up down the first base side and Johnson, Belliard, and Dukes all ran for the ball, I held my breath and hoped for the best. Dukes made the catch and no one was hurt. Johnson must have had some scary flash-backs in that moment. The battle for first base isn’t won yet. With Dmitri out due to abdominal soreness for most of our trip, we saw Nick Johnson, Luis Jimenez, and Josh Whitesell start at first. Jimenez was impressive with the bat during BP session and made an unbelievable pop-up catch during Sunday’s Nats/Astro’s game. It’s just a gut feeling, but I think the first base spot will go to Nick.

Starting pitching has been a thorn in the Nats side for a while now. Coming into spring training it looked like the two top starters would be John Patterson and Shawn Hill. Patterson seemed to be throwing well and was energetic during the practice days, but when he threw against the O’s on Saturday something seemed to be missing. I’m still a little skeptical about his position on the starting rotation. Hill on the other hand was impressive during the practice days; no one seemed to be able to get a hit off him. With the results from Hill’s second opinion MRI back, all seems normal, but he is still listed as day to day. It’s disappointing that injuries seem to plague Hill. The young guy has such great stuff; he really deserves a chance to show what he can do. Both Matt Chico and Tim Redding impressed with their first spring training starts. Thanks to their performances last year, these two just might have secured spots on the starting five. John Lannan was equally impressive in his innings of work. He appears composed and confident with his pitches. He’s clearly fighting for a spot. I’d love to see him get it.

With injuries already hindering the team, the catcher’s spot is also a large unknown. While management says Lo Duca is making progress in his rehab, we didn’t seem much of him during our week in Viera. Estrada is currently shut down with elbow tendinitis, no word on when he will be ready. Jesus Flores clearly wants the job. He was working hard every day, taking extra BP and staying after to run sprints. He looks comfortable behind the plate, and is the only catcher on the roster who has worked with the majority of the Nats pitchers. Flores is making a case for himself with the bat also; he knocked out a couple of singles last week and hit a monster of a triple on Saturday. I’m still not convinced that having him spend the season in Harrisburg is what’s best for the team, especially with the status of Lo Duca and Estrada.

A lot of questions still remain and Manny is going to have some tough decisions to make. One thing is clear, 2008 looks to be an exciting season!

We just wanted to send out a Happy Birthday wish to the Nationals play-by-play announcer Bob Carpenter. Bob really helped us learn the game. You can catch Bob on MASN today at 1pm for the Nats vs. Dodgers spring training game.  You can also listen to Charlie and Dave tonight at 7pm from Dodgertown!

It was cold again today in Florida, but at least it was sunny. We spent our afternoon watching the Nationals dominate the Georgetown Hoyas at Space Coast Stadium. The game was free so we headed over a bit early to score some good seats and catch any interesting warm ups. We got to watch Ross Detwilers’s bullpen session. Randy St. Claire was working closely with him; Detwiler seems to be looking more comfortable by the day.

As we headed into the stadium we commented on how nice it looks. The seats are navy blue while the railings and trim are bright red; it really looks sharp. Our seats for the game were a few rows behind the Nats dugout. It was easy to see how excited the guys from Georgetown were to be at the game. It must have been a pretty cool experience for them. The Nats starting line up was a bit intimidating I’m sure. With Bergmann pitching, and Belliard, Kearns, Young and Zimmerman all starting, these young guys really got a chance to square off against the big leaguers. The Nats sure rocked the first inning scoring five runs. Bernandina, Belliard, Zim, Young, Flores, and Whitney all had nice hits.

Bergmann pitched well for two innings getting a couple strikeouts and giving up only one walk. After the first inning, the starters were taken out, and the Nats still dominated. We watched the Nats hit line drive after line drive. One of those line drives went right at third base coach Tim Tolman. He quickly jumped out the of the way to avoid being hit, but that ball was moving fast so I’m sure his heart was pounding a bit. Before we knew it the score was 14-0, and the Hoyas were cheering for a comeback. The Georgetown guys were clearly having fun, grabbing for foul balls and taking pictures of the game from the dugout.

We saw Josh Smoker pitch three innings today he looked solid and composed. Prospect Colin Ballaster pitched a couple innings. He didn’t look as comfortable on the mound, and had some trouble with the location of his pitches. An awful lot of his stuff was really high. Mike Hinckley pitched also. His stuff had some great movement and he did well. Barry says that Manny said earlier today that Hinckley will be converted into a reliever. The role seems to suit him well. While it wasn’t too exciting watching another team be so sorely defeated (final score was 15-0) it was great to be at a baseball game and get a look at some upcoming guys.

Jesus Flores played in most of today’s game. He had a pretty good game, caught a pop-up, hit a couple line drives and even attempted to throw a runner out at first. His comments over the past few days indicate that he thinks he is ready to be a big league catcher, and better yet his actions are proving it.  With Estrada admitting today that his recovery is taking longer than he expected, and with Lo Duca still rehabbing, it sure makes it easier for Flores to make his case. He looks comfortable on the field and is clearly working hard. Pat Corrales is a fan of Flores and it would be hard to continue to bolster that mentorship if Flores is in Harrisburg. I guess the catcher situation is still unclear.

Here’s the photos!

 Yes, it was really cold – good preparation for opening night in Washington. 

This afternoon, we drove 2 hours down the coast to see the Nats in their first spring training game of the 2008 season at Roger Dean Stadium.  After watching batting practice, we took our seats just a few rows behind the Marlins dugout, joining some DC folks that have transplanted themselves to Florida.  As such, they had no harsh words about the Nats.  We spent the next few hours reminiscing about past Marlins vs. Nats games and the trades, players and overall direction of both teams, while engaging in friendly banter.  At least we can all agree on our least favorite team.

There we were – surrounded by hard core baseball fans in a beautiful stadium for our first night game of 2008.  The stadium lights beamed brightly, ushering in a new season – a fresh start for our organization.

Christian Guzman entered the batter’s box and the season began with a quick at bat;  Guzman singled.  Felipe Lopez, with so much to prove, drove a ball to right field to put runners on first and second.   We now had the opportunity to see Lastings Milledge first at bat as a National.  Milledge was dramatic in trying to get balls called; he eventually hit into a 5-4-3.

Then came the moment we’ve all been waiting for – Nick Johnson’s first at bat since fall of 2006.  You’ve heard it before, but Nick is so much thinner than I can ever recall.  Believe it or not, Johnson gets hit by Marlins pitcher Scott Olson and takes his base.  Wily Mo hit a long ball to the centerfield wall to end the inning. 

Now the Nats take the field for the first time.  It’s hard to convey how great it feels (even if you’re freezing) to see your team on the field for the first time in almost five months.  Every hit, every at bat, every pitch – the long off-season was officially over.

Poor Nick Johnson.  In the second inning, a pop fly soars out to shallow right field forcing Dukes, Lopez and Johnson to all make a run for the ball.  Dukes ended up completing the catch but it had to make the Nats fans in attendance and GM Jim seated down by the dugout quite nervous.

Chico pitched just fine.  He struck out Mike Jacobs and later Luis Gonzales.  However, he did give up one walk during his two short innings.

Oddly, Marlins closer Kevin Gregg comes in to pitch the third – with no problems (just seemed strange) and Garrett Mock entered the game for the Nationals.

Lastings had a good fourth inning.  Milledge singled and then stole second and third.  Trust us when we say, you did not want to see his slide into third.  His face dug through the dirt head first, helmet flying off and landing harshly at the bag.  It wasn’t your typical dive.  Fans all around yelled that he needed more practice at sliding.  We’re just glad he didn’t jam his neck.  In the midst of Lastings speedy but scary base-running, Wily Mo Pena took a pitch to his biceps.  He stared down the young Marlin during his slow strut to first.  Escobar’s sacrifice fly sent Milledge home safely. 

Dukes hit a mammoth shot to centerfield bringing him to second base before Pena was thrown out to end the inning.

Things got a little rocky in the 4th inning.  Milledge bobbled a ball and was charged with an error.  Mock took a hit in the leg leaving Kory Casto to recover the ball and hold the runner at 3rd.  The Marlins end up getting their first run and the game was tied 1-1. 

Manny moved in a lot of replacements and put Rob Bell on the mound. 

In the 6th, Milledge doubled down the line.  Pena pulled maybe a dozen balls foul before hitting a laser down the right field line.  Milledge scored and the Nats led 2-1.

Bell then promptly gave up a home run to Mike Jacobs;  the Marlins led 3-2.  Hanrahan pitched an inning and had really improved his composure.  He looked like he knew that he was a major league pitcher.  He struck out two, walked one.

Schroder entered to pitch the 8th and looked super.  Chris struck out all three batters he faced.

In the top of the ninth, Josh Whitesell had a single, followed by a Padilla strike out and a DuBois hit.  Justin Maxwell would have hit into the next out but the Marlins pitcher was charged with a throwing error.  The bases were then loaded with nats.  Orr hit right at the second baseman, who instead of completing an easy out overshot the long throw to home, allowing the Nats to tie the game.

The Nats couldn’t get any more runs in, but Brian Sanches held the Marlins off to end the game with a tied score of 3-3.

We said goodbye to our new friends and look forward to their visit to our new baseball stadium in DC. 

It’s baseball season again.  Enjoy the photos! We will tag and title them tomorrow we promise.