Sunday Inbox

Ladson's at it again! Inbox time!

I've been a fan of Hill's since he made his debut with the Expos in 2004. I don't understand why the Nationals released a man with his great work ethic. The team has had patience with first baseman Nick Johnson. I think you will agree Hill had tremendous upside.
-- Ben F., Suffolk, Va.

To be honest, Hill's time was up with up. He might be a great pitcher somewhere else, but we just couldn't count on him anymore. The team was better off moving on, in my opinion.

How is Johnson looking this spring?
-- Lou L., Sacramento, Calif.

Numbers are decieving (and pretty much pointless in Spring Training), but from what I've heard so far, Nick the Stick is looking decent. Here's to hoping he can play 130 games this year.

Do you think that the Nationals are going to miss Perez? Last year, he ate up a lot of innings and had a decent ERA. I never understood why the Nats didn't reward him with a Major League contract.
-- Phil I., Rockville, Md.

No. He was league average, yes, but they have a lot more pitchers this year capable of doing so. And I don't think it's good to have 3 LHP in the rotation, either. Olsen is his replacement, and at least Olsen has upside.

You said recently to not get ahead of ourselves when talking about right-hander Steven Strasburg -- but how can we not? He is the greatest prospect to come along since right-hander Mark Prior, and we have the No. 1 pick. Are you saying the Nats aren't going to pick him?
-- Michael S. Richmond, Va.

Look at what you just said..."the greatest prospect to come along since right-hander Mark Prior." Remember what happened to Mark Prior? Don't get ahead of yourself, there is no such thing as a known quantity in college baseball (or really in any kind of baseball).

Right-hander Jason Bergmann has yet to give up an earned run. I think he is really making a case to make the team and showing how much he wants to stay in the Majors. What are his chances?
-- Alex C., Montreal

He'll make the team as a middle reliever...a 75% chance.

Is Jesus Colome still alive in the competition to make the bullpen? You don't have his name listed on the depth chart.
-- Joseph M., Westwood, NJ

Also a 75% chance. For both of them, we'll see them anyways so it's not a huge deal if they don't make the initial Opening Day roster.

I would like to see the Nationals hire Frank Howard as a hitting coach. Is this possible?
-- Alan N., Washington D.C.

As a hitting coach, no. He should be hired somewhere in the system, but  not as the hitting coach. Think "special instructor" type roles. Team Ambassador? Something like that?

And the winner of my first real scorn of the year goes to

Odalis Perez!

According to Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes (via MLBTR), Odalis regrets giving his verbal approval to the $850k minor league deal the Nats offered him. The kicker: he hasn't signed the deal and doesn't plan on doing so without a raise. 

Here's the key quote: "'I thought it best and I prefer to sit in my house if the Nationals do not show more appreciation for my work,' Perez said from Santo Domingo. 'Appreciate my work means to increase the value of the contract and guarantee it. I will not accept any minor league contracts with no safeguards. I instructed my agent to report my position to the Nationals,' Perez said, who also said that he's not negotiating with other clubs."

This isn't the first time Odalis felt he didn't get enough "respect" before. Per PE.com in 2006 (via MLBTR): "(Perez) stopped his O's 45's program, in which he bought 45 tickets for inner-city school children to attend his starts, after losing his starting job. He said he would not reinstate the program now that he is starting again because he felt he never got enough credit from the club or the public for his charitable contributions. 'When you spend your own money you want to be recognized for that,' Perez said. 'I don't want to be a hero, but just pay more attention to what I'm doing. People don't want to give me the recognition for it.'"

Don't bother negotiating with this piece of greedy garbage. Give his spot to one of the kids (better use anyways) and tell him that he got his recognition in 2006 and 2007 when he got paid $16.5 mil for 263 and 2/3 innings of 5.87 ERA ball. 

Notes

The Nats signed Scott Olsen today, avoiding arbitration. They did a lot better than just meeting half-way at $2.8 mil (with $2.5 mil being the Nats' offer and a $3.5 mil counter from Olsen). Nice job by the front office getting him to agree to a deal below the midway point.

On the other hand, bad job by the front office not settling with Shawn Hill. It was a mixed bag, though, because Hill didn't seem to be distraught by the arbitration process, saying, "they stayed clean with everything, didn't attack my character or anything. It was a pretty easygoing trial." One of the first examples I've seen where players didn't mind the arbitration meeting.

Everything I read about Steven Strasburg makes me want him even more. If they screw this up...

One collectively great move the Nats made was dumping Tim Redding and resigning Odalis Perez to a minor league deal. Glad they didn't do it the other way around, they saved a lot of money (and while I think they need to spend more money, this is one example in which being thrifty is much much much better than being fiscally irresponsible).

Some interesting scenarios

Lots of good stuff today over at MLBTR.

In this link dump, Tim Dierkes notes that Odalis Perez wants to come back and pitch again for the Nats next year. His source, Pete McElroy of MASN also notes in the same article that Aaron Boon'e top choice is to come back to the Nationals.
Dierkes also mentions that Aaron Crow could be gone at the Royals' 12 pick next year (apparently the Royals like him). But who cares, the guy's a bum!

In a short post about A.J. Burnett, Dierkes says that in 2005, the Nats were the only team (besides the Blue Jays, of course) to offer Burnett a 5-year deal. Also mentioned is the fact that "Burnett's preference to be close to his Maryland home could be a factor." The Nats aren't listed as a potential suitor (while the AngelO's are), but I can see them being a dark-horse candidate for Burnett, Oliver Perez and even Ben Sheets. They probably won't get any of them, but I can definitely see them being in the top 3 bidders, losing out over dollars rather than years.

Last but not least, in Dierkes' chat today, he speculates the Nats might be in on Mike Hampton this offseason (presumably if Odalis leaves). A Hampton signing sounds the kind of move Bowden always makes. Not sure how much I like it, but Hampton was pretty good before his injuries (and he can hit, just like Odalis, Livan, etc...unlike Bergmann and Lannan!).

Here are some scenarios (all are pure speculation):
Signing 1 of the following: Oliver Perez, Ben Sheets, A.J. Burnett (5% chance of happening)
Signing 1 of the following: Odalis Perez, Mike Hampton, Livan Hernandez, Sergio Mitre (50% chance of happening)
Signing 1 of the following: C.C. Sabathia, Mark Texiera, Francisco Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, Ryan Dempster, Brian Fuentes (.00000000000001% chance of happening)
Signing 1 former Red: Adam Dunn, Sean Casey, Corey Patterson (goodness I hope not), Paul Bako, Ben Broussard, Juan Encarnacion, Brett Tomko (99.9% chance of happening)
Trading for 1 of the following: Mark Reynolds (Diamondbacks), Nick Swisher (White Sox), Matt Holliday (Rockies), Jeremy Hermida (Marlins), various Marlins pitchers (5% chance of happening).
Trading for 1 of the following: Jake Peavy (Padres), J.J. Hardy (Brewers), Magglio Ordonez (Tigers) (.0000000000001% chance of happening)

What are your thoughts? (FYI, I think the chances of getting a Holliday or Sheets are less than an Oliver Perez or Mark Reynolds, I just felt like grouping them in the "higher chance" groups because they won't be the top players on the market, more likely a plan B for the Yankees and Red Sox of the world).

At least today can't be worse than yesterday...

Yeah, I know the Nats won. In the grand scheme of things, though, I would prefer a Hokies win to anything else. I'm not going to talk about the game any because it makes me want to cry, but I will leave the following as my statement of the game:

In other news, the Skins made their cuts. I'm very proud of Justin Hamilton for making the team and I'm also happy that Durant Brooks grabbed the punting job from Derrick Frost. Frost seems quite bitter for someone who shouldn't have had any feeling of job security. The best way to sum up the punting battle in my opinion came from The Redskins Report (via the official blog of the Redskins):

If you are one of the worst punters in the league, you’re going to have to whip the competition to win a camp battle, Frost didn’t. It was close and tie goes the guy who might not suck.

Tonight has to be the night Odalis gets dealt. He has no value to the team anymore (just blocking youngsters) and has been surprisingly effective for someone who nobody else wanted. I don't think anyone else gets moved...Colome, Boone, Nieves, Harris and Langerhans could be of some use to contending teams as well, so maybe one of them could be dealt. I'd say there's a less than 10% chance anyone gets dealt, though, and if anyone it's gotta be Odalis. Check out MLBTR's list of guys who have cleared waivers. Expect a few trades tonight before the playoff roster deadline at midnight.

Hat-tip to NFA, who was the first (or at least the first I saw) to note the Nats' press release concerning the September call-ups:
Roger Bernadina
Kory Casto
Alberto Gonzalez (activated from the DL)
Mike Hinckley
Shairon Martis
Levale Speigner

The Nats' press release has some decent detail on everyone. The other day I predicted Casto, Gonzalez, Tyler Clippard and Brian Sanches would be added, plus good possibilities that Hinckley, Luke Montz and Bernadina would get the call. I was less pessimistic on Leonard Davis, Yunior Novoa, Jordan Zimmermann, Ian Desmond and Mike Daniel, and for good reason, as none were called up. Everyone seemed to miss out on Martis, probably because they figured his innings limit was coming, but it's not a real surprise. I'm very surprised Clippard and Montz didn't get the call, but they might when the AAA season concludes (or at least Clippard might).

And about this. Are you freaking serious? Vladimir Nunez, you are not a good pitcher. Become a ML-quality reliever and then comment on the awful taunting that is celebrating after a win. Geez, what a moron. It's the second time this year a crappy pitcher has attempted to diss the Nats for being "unprofessional" after losing to them. The first one, Nelson Figueroa, is unprofessional himself, because he is no longer a professional baseball player (or at least a ML one). I have a feeling Vladdy Nunez is going to join him soon.

When no news isn't good news

Still no real word on Aaron Crow. I know everyone's saying all of the 1st round guys who are unsigned are just waiting for one domino to fall, but if he's really asking for $8-9 mil and an ML contract, I'm not confident he'll be signed. Whether or not he's worth that price is a different story, but am I the only one that doubts the Nats will give him even half of that? When he signs, I'll be happy. Until then, I'll be skeptical, especially when I keep reading articles like this.

Why is Odalis Perez still on our team? His last 3 starts have all been quality ones (6 IP or more while allowing 3 ER or less). He's got a 2.79 ERA and a 2-0 record in those 3 starts. And he's got a 4.12 ERA for the year while only making $1 mil. AND HE'S A LEFTY! I can't help but believe this is another instance where JimBow is asking for the moon and we'll end up with nothing to show for it. I find it hard to believe we can't score a Jhonny Nunez-level player for Odalis, so just like in Crow's situation, I'll be wearing my skeptical pants for now.

One last thing: would anyone be interested in a contest? There wouldn't be any prizes or anything (I am a poor college student, you know), but you would get the pride of knowing you're the best Nationals fan in the world. Email me your list of guys who you think the Nats will call up when rosters expand on September 1. I'll compile the winners that day and announce them afterwards. Sound like fun?

That's about all I've got for now. Check out Steven's interview with Baseball America Editor John Manuel here. As I posted in Steven's comments today, FireJimBowden is a daily must-read. You may not agree with everything, but it's still worth reading. I wonder what he'll call his blog when Bowden is fired?

Monday Roundup

The New Nats had a great weekend, sweeping the Reds.

In game one (5-2 Nats), Odalis Perez threw 7 and 1/3 innings, scattering 3 hits and allowing a single run. If he had done this last week, the game would have been pitched by the likes of Clippard/Mock/Zimmermann, as Perez would be in a different uniform by now. It did raise his value, I'm sure (beleive it or not, he has a 4.16 ERA), as many contenders could use a cheap solid lefty starter signed only through this year.

In game two (10-6 Nats), the Nats tagged their former teammates Bill Bray and Gary Majewski for 1 and 2 runs, respectively. Bray let in one inheirited runner whereas Majewski allowed 3, so 7 of the 10 runs were either scored while the two were on the mound or by runners that reached base against the two. Millz with Thrillz and Belliard both hit homers while Emilio "Bad to the" Bonifacio had a double and a triple. While watching this game, I came to realize that this team, no matter how bad it was, is now really really exciting. Bonifacio, Harris, Milledge, Dukes and Gonzalez all have great speed and can make things happen, and the double play combination of Emilio and Alberto seems to produce at least one web gem per game. Combine this with timely hitting from Flores and Kearns (and Zimmerman when he returns) and you have a decent ballclub. And don't look now, but Ayala threw his third straight shutout inning. Just sayin'.

In game three (4-2 Nats), rookie Collin Balester tossed his second straight solid outing, going 5 and 1/3 innings while only allowing 1 run on 6 hits. Balester now has 10 strikeouts against only 2 walks in his last two starts (totalling 11 and 1/3 innings) and topped 100 pitches for only the second time this year. Bonifacio had another 2 hits, raising his average from .167 to .280 in the series while Milledge hit another blast (and went 1/2 in stolen bases). Kearns had his second straight 3 hit game and is now hitting .293/.355/.414 since returning from the DL a month ago.

The bullpen was awesome this weekend, throwing 8 and 1/3 innings and only allowing 2 runs (both by Hanrahan). I wouldn't worry, though. Hanrahan allowed one run in a non-save situation on Friday and another with a 3-run lead on Sunday. He'll be fine.

And on another note, this is certainly something I'm happy to hear:

Ever since the Trade Deadline, when Washington released its veterans and acquired shortstop Alberto Gonzalez, the Nationals have been playing with a windfall of energy and a renewed sense of enthusiasm.

They picked up their first home three-game sweep of the season on Sunday, scoring 19 runs, while allowing just nine, and hitting .330 -- well above their season average of .240

Pete Orr talked about the change after Saturday's come-from-behind 10-6 win, saying that the Nationals are feeding off one another.

"If you don't get excited watching the last two games, then you're not a baseball fan," Orr said.

Orr added that the hustle of Gonzalez and new double-play partner Emilio Bonifacio -- recalled from Triple-A Columbus on Friday -- is starting to rub off on teammates.

"Everything carries over," Orr said. "You watch those guys play, you get excited, and when you get a chance to do something, you want to do it, too."

Notice that it's the energy of the new guys that gets the credit, not the good pickups by Bowden or bood hitting strategy compiled by Lenny. They probably have till the rest of the season to plead their respective cases. If the next two months go like this, they could be retained (notice the groans from bloggers everywhere...but read this and see why Bowden won't be back...two words: economic irresponsibility). Be carefully optimistic, though, because the Old Nats started the season 3-0 also.

Friday afternoon roundup

A decent bit of Nats rumors today.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via MLBTradeRumors.com) speculated today that both New York teams should have interest in Austin Kearns. The Mets have two corner outfielders on the DL (Church with post-concussion stuff, Alou out for the year now) and are starting Inning-Endy Chavez and Fernando Tatis, who both could be considered the epitome of short-term solutions. The Yankees have Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon on the DL. There is apparently no timetable for Matsui's return, but no matter when the two of them get back, Sherman doubts the Yankees' ability to hit lefties (something Kearns does well). This isn't really a rumor, more of a speculation of sorts. I don't see Bowden trading Kearns unless he gets a decent bit in return, so it's really a win-win for us. We either get to see Kearns back in DC next year (and, as I hope you know by now, I'm a big Kearns fan) or we get a decent bounty of prospects (hopefully ones that can hit) in exchange for him.

Also, MLBTradeRumors.com reported that the Cardinals were scouting the Nats recently. The original article came from MLB.com, where the author, Jim Molony, suggests the likely players scouted were Odalis Perez or Tim Redding, "both available inexpensive options who have been pitching well lately." Tim Dierkes of MLBTR also speculated that the Cardinals could be looking to upgrade at SS by aquiring Cristian Guzman. Howabout Perez and Guzman for Aaron Miles and 2 or 3 B prospects?

Lastly, the Caps resigned defensive forward Boyd Gordon to a 1 year deal at $725k. The general consensus is that it was a good signing. I haven't seen anyone who says otherwise. Gordon is a good checking line/4th line guy who can play both the wing and center. He can shut down opposing players, but he doesn't score many points. Japers' Rink had a great write-up on his value to the team this morning.

One random note: Check out the "Answer Man" series of interviews on "Big League Stew," a Yahoo! Sports blog run by David Brown. Some of the stuff is pretty funny, and very interesting. I spent a good hour of my Friday morning (from 1 pm to 2 pm) reading the interviews. Some of my favorites were Huston Street, Kerry Wood and Bert Blyleven. Even Joba Chamberlain is pretty funny. Just skip the Derek Jeter one-he's about as exciting as a grey tube sock.

EDIT (5:15 PM): Roger Bernadina was sent down today. Ryan Langerhans was called up. Why waste a spot on a guy we know can't hit? Give Escobar or Daniel a chance. Another poor move on management's part.

BERGMANNIA part 2

Might we finally have the 5th piece to the puzzle?

Jason Bergmann has found more mitts (14 k) than hits (8) over the last two games (spanning 14 innings). He hasn't allowed any runs, and has walked a modest 5 opponents. What's interesting is the fact that he has more than halved his ERA in his last 2 starts, from 11.68 to 5.47. I guess that's what happens when you throw 14 scoreless innings after throwing 11 and 1/3 innings that were anything but scoreless.

With those recent goose-eggs thrown onto the board by Jason Bergmann, it would appear that the Nationals now have a pretty good rotation. At very worst, Bergmann is a good option in the 5 slot. Redding, the staff ace, isn't even giving up 7 hits per 9 innings and has a 6-3 record to go with his 3.16 era. Lannan is holding his own, with 5 performances of 1 run or less and 6 innings or more and a 3.40 era to boot. Perez is filling his spot nicely, keeping his ERA around 4.24 for the time being (and hitting .313!!).

Then we have our staff ace, Shawn Hill. If you look at that link, it's not Shawn Hill. It's Shawn Hill's replacement, Matthew Bryan Chico. This is where we go from pretty good to mediocre. We're back to the black hole in the 5th spot until Hill comes back (and I really hope it's just 1 start, because I don't know how much longer I can stomach the Fullerton, CA native). This is the life of a Nats fan...just when we get excited, something bad happens. But at least whatever bad happened didn't happen to Ryan Zimmerman, so the throngs of casual fans won't notice.

Concerning the bats (or lack thereof): I don't have answers. I am not a hitting coach, and I admit that I had a worse batting average in my last two years of organized baseball than Austin Kearns has right now (better OBP and SLG though...I was a Jack Cust/Adam Dunn prototype). But that's why we have hitting coaches and base coaches. Just like a soccer mom driving in her giant Expedition can't afford gas these days, the Nats can't afford to waste solid outings by their pitching staffs. And, in honor of the great Chris Needham of Capitol Punishment, I will end with this: FIRE LENNY!!1!!!!ONE!!!

Other note: click on "bats" for the gamer for the game from last night, and watch the "Guzman's throw" clip. It was #5 on SportsCenter's top plays!

Monday night roundup and a must-see link!

Regarding tonight's 10-4 win over the Mets: Wow, we can beat these guys, but not the Marlins? I mean sure, Nelson Figueroa is no Johan Santana, but it's not like he's worse than Ricky Nolasco. But I digress. Tonight was odd...a pretty bad pitching outing by Odalis Perez (seriously, 11 hits allowed in 6 and 1/3 innings?) to go with his great evening at the plate (3-3, 1 run, 2 RBI, 1 sacrifice). The team had 4 doubles. Flores continues to alternate between hits and strikeouts, Guz leaves 8 men on base...and we still won by 6 over what was supposed to be the clear favorite to win the NL pennant at the beginning of the year. That's why ballgames are played on grass, not paper.

The Post has a new beat writer for the Nats, Chico Harlan. He's looked good so far, but only time will tell regarding whether or not he is Svrlugaesque.

Quick answers to the Mailbag questions:
Since Lastings Milledge hasn't been performing well enough, is there any way that the Nationals would consider signing Jim Edmonds?
-- Josh T., Chevy Chase, Md.
Are you serious? Edmonds is awful! He can't hit any more (.178/.265/.233). He was outhit by Jake Peavy by over 100 points, and Peavy isn't even a .300 hitter!! Edmonds can still catch the ball but he takes roughly eighteen years to get to it, so his defense isn't better. I mean if we want an more expensive and worse player than Milledge, Edmonds is definitely our guy. Stupid question.

What do you think of general manager Jim Bowden's strategy of signing veterans to fill out his roster -- Aaron Boone, Rob Mackowiak, Johnny Estrada and Paul Lo Duca. The Lerner ownership would have been better served by just saving its money. What is your view of this?
-- Michael L., Westport, Conn.

Boone-Good
Mackowiak-Good (Signing him was a good idea, keeping him is not)
Estrada-BAD!!!!!!!! MOST WORTHLESS PLAYER ALIVE!!!!!!!
Lo Duca-Poor...not quite bad, but I'm not feeling Jimbo on this one. Should have just let Jesus play in the Majors.

The Lerners were going to have to spend money in the offseason to keep fans from killing themselves, so this is what we got. I would have rather had them sign Boone and Mackowiak and Wil Nieves and save the money they spent on past-their-prime has-beens like Johnny Estrada and Paul Lo Duca on a contract extension for Ryan Zimmerman, because that's something the fans would actually get excited about. Not a stupid question.

Would there be negative consequences by sending Wily Mo Pena or Austin Kearns to the Minors and bringing up Ryan Langerhans? Langerhans seems to have corrected his hitting problems at Triple-A Columbus.
-- Geoff B., Las Vegas

No matter what corrections were made, Langerhans had 35 hits in 210 at bats last year. We would have to waive Wily Mo or Kearns to send them down. Learn waiver rules, please. It would make so much more sense to send down Mackowiak or Harris (inferior players to Kearns/Pena) or Dukes (options left). Stupid question.

I really enjoyed watching the rise of John Lannan from Class A Potomac to the big leagues last year, and now he is our best starter. The Nationals have a similar pitcher this year in Cory VanAllen. Have you heard any mention of him from the "think tank" about moving him up the ladder?
-- Cole J., Atlanta

Ladson's response: Oh, yes. He was already promoted to Double-A Harrisburg, and Bowden talks about him often. I would not be surprised if we saw VanAllen in the Majors by August or September.

Sounds good to me. I don't have any "think tank" connections so I'll have to defer to Ladson on this one.

You mentioned special assistant to GM Barry Larkin's stepping in to offer advice on hitting. How does hitting coach Lenny Harris feel about Larkin's presence? Is there some bad chemistry going on between the players and Harris?
-- Dean O., Winnipeg, Manitoba

It's not bad chemistry, it's the fact that Harris is not a very good hitting coach, period. Teach patience, patience, patience, the Nicky J method. Please, FIRE LENNY!!!

Considering how quickly Jason Bergmann was sent down to Columbus after pitching poorly in April, are you surprised that the Nats haven't sent Matt Chico down yet?
-- Mike G. Millersville, Md.

I'm not surprised at all, but I'm rather appalled. Bergmann>Chico. Chico needs the AAA seasoning more. Just because he pitched 31 games in the Majors last year doesn't mean he deserves a spot through thick and thin this year. Bergmann had 21 starts last year and put up a 95 ERA+ to Chico's 91. Give the guy with more pro potential another shot. That guy is Bergmann.

I recall Ryan Zimmerman's rookie season in which he had a significant number of bunt singles. Any thoughts on him trying that a couple of times to help him get out of his funk?
-- Doug C., Lubbock, Texas

Zim: please start doing this again. I miss your amazing drag bunts!!

***And here's your must-see link. A bunch of hilarious "Hardball made easy" videos with real MLB players such as Carlos Zambrano and Brad Hawpe. They're worth 10 minutes of your time (5 videos in all)

You hate to say it, so I'll say it

The Nats are actually looking good right now. Sure, they lost two winnable games in a row. But the difference between now and before the pseudo-streak they're on is that they're staying close in games. Sure, they won't win every 1 or 2 run game, but they are at least giving themselves a chance to win. The Nats have lost 11 games this year by 3 or more runs, which is a pretty scary thought. But now that they've kept themselves within a few runs, they'll be able to hang with the big guns. As long as Lannan pitches the way he is (and, like I said before, I'm 100% happy with the 2 quality start, 1 implosion pattern he's on, because he puts us in position to win 2 of every 3 games he pitches), as long as Redding pitches the way he is, as long as Odalis pitches the way he is, and as long as Chico stays in the bullpen (had to throw that one in there), I think the Nats will be able to play near-.500 ball. Fundamentals are what it all comes down to, and I think this team has more figured out than we think.

Looking ahead at our next 7 games, the Nats could have some favorable pitching matchups. They will be facing Ricky Nolasco (6.10 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, facing Redding), Andrew Miller (7.96 ERA, 2.12 WHIP, facing O'Connor) and Nelson Figueroa (4.81 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, facing Odalis). I know these guys have potential, but as of now, they're hittable. We'll also have our two best pitchers (although Redding is arguably better than Lannan, we'll just say they're options 2a and 2b right now) facing the two best opposing pitchers: Shawn Hill facing Scott Olsen and John Lannan facing John Maine. Probables are not listed for the last two games of the Mets series, but it looks like they will be Tim Redding vs Mike Pelfrey (liking that matchup at this point of the season) and Johan Santana against O'Connor (crap!!). Right now I like our chances against Nolasco (3-1 vs us, but high ERA, high AVG against, some of the decisions may have been in relief), Miller (hasn't pitched against the Nats), Figueroa (outdueled by Lannan earlier this year only for Hanrahan to blow it in extras) and Pelfrey (has been hit hard by the Nats before this year, shut them down this year). Let's see if we can take those 4 games (and maybe a 5th in the Hill vs. Olsen game...and the Nats hit Maine hard, with 6 HR and a 5.21 ERA from 05-07, so anything could happen) and continue playing at or above .500 ball for the next week!

I just want to be better than the Orioles. Is that too much to ask?