Not Enough

Just not quite enough yesterday from the Nationals. Not enough offense to support a solid start by John Lannan. They just didn't do enough to get the job done, and now they are right on the cusp of getting that 30th win. If they get it tonight, that means they've won four of the last five. However, if they don't, then it will be a little bit of a slump they are in. Win and the confidence goes up. Lose and you're stuck in a losing streak.

Anyway, like I said, Lannan was terrific. A few mistakes here and there, such as the two-run home run from the breaking ball pitch that he left hanging. But other than that, Lannan was absolutely excellent, and he's only 23 years old, meaning he's just going to get better (we hope). Paul Lo Duca stepped in as designated hitter, taking the place of Wily Mo Peña (thank God!). I am sorry but I just don't see much value in Wily Mo anymore. Can the Nats convert Lo Duca into an outfielder to take the place of this struggling slugger? It would be nice. Maybe even a first baseman, and Kory Casto can take the outfield. Anything to bench Wily Mo, who just hasn't been producing.

As SBF over at Nats320 said, we really need a slugger who can create the spark to get the offense going. That was what was missing last night. Someone who can get the home run or the extra base hit in order to spark the offense on a rally. None of that from the Nats last night. If we can get one, the picture gets brighter.

Jason Bergmann takes the mound tonight against the Twins. Can he rebound from a couple bad starts and go back to pitching at an all-star level? In his last start it appeared as though he gained back some of the confidence that he lost in the shellacking a couple weeks ago. We'll see, but I have my full confidence in this man. A 26 year old who will hopefully continue to improve.

Last night, the Celtics did exactly what I expected them to do. Win in 6 games over the Lakers. At the beginning of this series... I called it - Celtics would win in 6. Unfortunately I didn't blog about it, but please believe me! That makes me 2-0 on my NBA finals prediction... lifetime. The other series I called was way back in 2001... when I didn't even care about basketball. This year I gave it a shot... so we'll see what happens with it.

Tim Russert's remembrances will be televised from the Kennedy Center at 4 pm. I'll be watching, and I hope many of you will be too.