Another Loss

The pain just keeps coming. Day after day the Nationals continue to botch their chances. Yesterday seemed different. In the bottom of the eighth inning, somehow the Nationals managed to load up the bases with two outs. Felipe Lopez up. He's been in a slump lately; isn't this the perfect time for him to break out of it? A hard hit to right center - this should score someone! But the right fielder was shading towards center and made the easy out. The rally was done and the Nationals, hoping for a curly W, instead managed to get "curly L" number 40. Another new pitcher, this time another one who was immediately sent down to the minors. The future is bright though and with a bit of refining I feel confident that one day these new pitchers can take over. When Perez and Redding are finished, maybe Mock and Clippard can take over and do a good job. 

Lastings Milledge continues to swing a hot bat, and so does Elijah Dukes. In fact, Milledge hit a home run the other day. The rest of the offense is struggling. But, we've heard good news in the past week or so. Chad Cordero is throwing again. Ronnie Belliard was called up from the minors - hopefully to sit Lopez down on the bench. Zimmerman was evaluated yesterday and Kearns says he has never felt better. Lo Duca was throwing the other day, but with Flores playing so well, who knows where he will end up? When you have eight players on the DL, it is tough to win. Maybe Belliard will provide that spark in the dugout that this team needs to get on track.

Another thing I want to bring up is my earlier prediction of 85 wins for the Nats this season. I originally thought that these guys would come out with a strong offense. But again, I must say, EIGHT players (FIVE of which were starters) on the disabled list is a tough thing to swallow. I do believe this team will get better when these players return from the DL. When they return is another question. Tonight maybe we can turn over a new leaf for this team. It enters a nine-game road trip, with series against the Pirates, Mariners, and Twins. If the Nationals can scrape a winning record on this trip, that would be huge momentum for the return home.

One last comment I have is about attendance at the ballpark, which has been really good. The average attendance at Nationals Park has OUTPACED THE FIRST PLACE DIAMONDBACKS. The team enjoyed an attendance of over 30,000 fans again yesterday even with the triple digit heat overwhelming the area. So, Mr. Peter Angelos, what was that about no Nationals fans? Have you gotten your ass on the Green Line by the ballpark before game time? Because believe me, those people on the Metro aren't just riding to work. They're going to see the best baseball team Washington has to offer.