Remember That One Time...

So, if you follow me on Twitter (@CraigMac), then you probably know exactly what is coming.

I predicted last night's Nats loss. Last July.

That's right. Last July I was frustrated. Davey Johnson had come in and made some changes that weren't so much working. One of these issues was that he had such faith in his pitchers to get the job done that he wasn't using them to their strengths - he was setting them up to fail.

Last night was an exact repeat of the scenario that had plagued HRod so many times in the past. And once again he showed that he was unable to sit in the dugout and then come back out for another inning. Granted, he was squeezed by some incredibly questionable balls and strike calls, but with his stuff that shouldn't even be the slightest of an issue. It was an unacceptable mistake.

The Nationals are going to have some growing pains as they try to nudge their ways to the pantheon of MLB Contenders and last night they lost the game because of it.

Nats Talk On The Go: Episode 15

With this week's episode, the Washington Nationals regular season is officially underway, and there's quite a bit to talk about. At the top of the ledger is injuries and the issues with Drew Storen's elbow. We talk Michael Morse and Rick Ankiel, and Anthony Rendon's ankle, too. We spent a lot of time talking about Adam LaRoche's crazy start, and if you throw in some pitching talk, some offensive concerns, recaps of the first series, and some series previews, you have a full lid on this week's episode.

Question Of The Week: What were the three biggest surprises of the Nationals Opening Series vs. the Cubs? We read a few listener responses, too.

Number One With A Bullet

Opening Day had all the pomp and excitement that was to be expected after a flurry of offseason moves changed the landscape of the Nationals franchise. Even better, the Nationals were able to eek out a 2-1 victory despite an embarrassing performance by the team's offense.

Let's take a look at some of the highlights and lowlights of yesterday's opening game.

- Highlight: Stephen Strasburg absolutely dominated the Cubs through 7 innings while only throwing 82 pitches (58 for strikes). He only gave up the 1 run and struck out 5 baby bears.

- Lowlight: Nationals bats were atrocious against Ryan Dempster. Dempster threw 7.2 innings and only allowed 2 hits. Ouch.

- Highlight: Ian Desmond. His offensive performance today was fantastic, flat out. He got 3 of the team's 4 hits, in addition to a reach on error. Oh yea, and he stole a base at a crucial moment to get in scoring position with two outs for Ryan Zimmerman.

- Lowlight: Defense. Though the official box score only lists the Nationals as having just one error, they suffered in the field far worse than that. In the early innings the infield decided to let a pop up fall instead of, you know, catching it. Desmond had a throw that pulled LaRoche off of 1st, but it was somehow ruled a hit. And then there was the Espinosa bobble in the late innings for the Nats only official error (though was, somehow, initially ruled a hit).

- Highlight: The Nationals, with two runs, have more runs than any other team in the NL East. And yes, the Marlins have played two games...

- Lowlight: LaRoche looked completely lost against the Left Handed Dempster, striking out 3 times in his 3 at-bats. Maybe Davey's platoon wasn't the worst idea in the world...

- Highlight: Ryan Zimmerman sure is hitting the ball on the screws right now. He had two bombs that would have been long gone on a warmer day that instead were long outs. Not to be outdone, Bernadina also got a piece of one that almost went out.

- Lowlight: 5 runners LOB (4 in scoring position) in the first three innings is completely unacceptable for the 3-4-5 hitters.

- Highlight: Brad Lidge getting the save with 2 strikeouts in his first appearance in a Nationals uniform.

- Lowlight: Mark DeRosa losing his batting eye, going 0 for 4 on just 13 pitches - a far cry from the .587 OBP he put up this spring.

- Highlight: Nats win 2-1.

What are your highlights and lowlights of the first game of the season? Post them in comments!!!

2012 Predictions

Its Opening Day. Feel free to say that out loud at frequent intervals with no provocation for a while. So that means predictions. Why? Because we just can't help ourselves.

Sean's Predictions:

Wins: 90 - A first half around .500 will give way to a torrid August and September and lead the Nats into a wild card spot.

Offensive MVP - Ryan Zimmerman. He plays over 150 games and hits close to .300 with over 30 HRs and over 100 RBI.

Pitching MVP - Jordan Zimmerman. Strassy, Gio and even Ejax may have gaudier stats, but Jzimm will make close to 35 starts and have a quality start % in the 70s.

Biggest Offensive Surprise - Ian Desmond. He will hit 20 HRs and score over 100 runs.

Biggest Pitching Surprise - Edwin Jackson. Minimize his starts at Citizen's Bank and he will be golden.

Biggest Offensive Disappointment - Hate to say this, but Michael Morse. He will fall alittle further back to earth. But a healthy Zim, LaRoche and a bounce back year for Werth will help the offense along.

Biggest Pitching Disappointment - Chien Ming Wang. I firmly believe he is made of candy-glass and will never throw any substantial innings again.

Best Moment - I want to say when the Nats clinch a wild card spot. But really it will be the first time Wilson Ramos comes to bat in the home opener. I will not forget the shock and unease I felt during those days in winter.

Nationals All-Stars - Ryan Zimmerman, Steven Strasburg, Drew Storen

Teddy Wins - 0

Player Games lost to the DL - Lots

Prop-Bets - Davey Johnson ejections 2, Zim walkoffs 1, Ian Desmond errors 17, Jayson Werth beard alignments 7, Strassy's last start August 24

Craig's Predictions:

Wins - 86 - I think that injuries are going to be a huge concern throughout the year and that the offense struggles to catch up to the pitching staff.

Offensive MVP - Ryan Zimmerman. It's going to be a 90+ RBI season with a .300 average without a lot of support in the lineup.

Pitching MVP - Gio Gonzalez. He is going to win 15 games and completely dominate the NL.

Biggest Offensive Surprise - Adam LaRoche. He will bounce back from his injury filled 2011 and hit 20 bombs and drive in 70+ runs.

Biggest Pitching Surprise - Craig Stammen. He will have the best ERA and WHIP on the team.

Biggest Offensive Disappointment - Michael Morse. There is simply no way that he will be able to produce like he did last year.

Biggest Pitching Disappointment - Tyler Clippard. He will deal with some injuries due to over-use in the past two seasons, struggling whenever healthy.

Best Moment - Without a doubt Wilson Ramos. This is now Ramos playing with House Money and it will be fantastic to watch him soak in everything for the rest of his career.

Nationals All-Stars - Ryan Zimmerman, Gio Gonzalez.

Teddy Wins - 0

Player games lost to the DL - Hundreds.

Prop Bets - Davey Johnson Ejections 3, Zimmerman Walk-offs 1, Ian Desmond Errors 21, Werth Beard Alignments 3, Strassy's Last Start August 11, Harper's 1st game June 17

Well, we are on the record. How about you join us and post your predictions in the comments section!

Cold-Blooded Nationals

Yesterday the Nats optioned John Lannan to triple-A. Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post used the phrase "cold-blooded". To me its far more than that.

This move is an important one for the Nationals organization. It signals an important shift in focus, from perennial underdog to consistent contender. Yes, the Nats are at a point in their existence where the personnel decisions are made strictly based on the on-the-field product. Gone are the days of "Mike Bascik, he's such a nice guy, great story, glad he's on our team" and in are the times where the most reliable Nats starter in history is optioned to Syracuse. It's encouraging to future fans of the team and means that the building of a rotation by cattle call is a thing of the past.

But none of that makes this alright with me. John Lannan is a wonderful person and very good pitcher. Let's look at the stats: 751 innings pitched in 128 starts, basically 6 innings per start, an ERA right at 4.00 and has a career WAR over 7 in 5 seasons, all the while costing a total just north of 3.5 million dollars (not a year...for his whole time in a Nats uni). He has been the stalwart of the rotation and endured the humiliation that was the Nats run-support and defense. To demote him to triple-A and tell him in the middle of the last exhibition game is so outside the realm of decent that there are no words.

This was an inevitable step in the progression towards being a keystone franchise. It makes the on-field product better, or at least gives it more potential. And Lannan at Syracuse is a nice insurance policy. That does not excuse this. John Lannan deserved better of the Nationals. Be it through trade or outright release, he is a Major League pitcher and the ignominy of being sent to triple-A is outrageous. The lack of decency and loyalty will not soon be forgotten by Lannan. Or me.

Nats Talk On The Go: Episode 14

In this week's episode, Joe and Craig have their first guest, Brett Taylor of Bleacher Nation. Brett provides great insight on the state of the Chicago Cubs, who the Washington Nationals are playing on Opening Day, and is an all around cool guy. Besides that, a few other pretty interesting things happened for the Nationals in the past week: John Lannan was demoted, Ross Detwiler was added to the rotation, more injury stuff, the bullpen, and spring training surprises, followed by the official end to spring training.

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Former Nats Greats: NL East Edition

That's right. We are bringing it back. Get ready for a whole new string of Former Nats Greats. This segment will run throughout the season, depending on when I find a specific player inspiring. If you are joining us for the first time, this is a place where we can celebrate the best of the worst that has graced the fields of DC baseball (Nationals-Era); think Lastings Milledge, Elijah Dukes, etc.

Today we are jumping right in with a piece on the Former Nats Greats that will be suiting up for the Nationals NL East opponents against your Washington Nationals. Let us venture onward.

Philadelphia Phillies

Laynce Nix - Nix is a player that no one saw coming in 2011, us especially. It was a shock to learn that Nix was given a spot on the 2011 Opening Day roster, but he came in and did exactly what the team needed of him. He put up a solid .451 Slugging % while launching 16 HR in just 351 At-Bats. He signed a 2-year contract with the Phillies this offseason.

Pete Orr - Pete Orr was never very valuable in the Curly W, registering a -0.4 WAR over his two years with the ballclub (2008-09). A stereo-typical utility player, he was able to play 6 different positions in DC. Don't expect him to remain with the Phillies too long, as he will most likely be gone once injured players return.

Brian Schneider - The man that caught the first pitch of a United States President and the first pitch in Nationals history. He has been playing with Philly for a few years now, after a brief stop in New York. Schneider was one of the best Nationals in that magical 2005 season (2.9 WAR), but his value dropped precipitously after that (1.7 the next two years combined).

New York Mets

Jon Rauch - Rauch, one of the tallest players in MLB history, is terrifying. He has tattoos and everything. He was a National for 2005-08, only to be traded to the Diamondbacks for a young speedster named Emilo Bonifacio; who eventually turned into Josh Willingham and Scott Olsen - pretty good deal. The Nationals surely bought low and sold high, capitalizing on 135.2 IP in '07-'08 and a 2.5 WAR in a trade that changed the landscape of the organization. Rauch hasn't had a season even close to his 2007 campaign.

Miami Marlins

Emilio Bonifacio - One of the fastest players I have ever seen. He came in with a bang but left with a whimper. His speed never was able to transfer into OBP as he registered a .305 in his 41 games with the Nats. He was then traded to the Marlins where he flourished in 2011, notching a 3.3 WAR.

Austin Kearns - Wow. Where to begin with this guy. He came over to the Nationals with All-Star SS Felipe Lopez in a blockbuster trade that changed the face of two franchises. He put up a 2.1 WAR in his first 60+ games in DC only to be given a 3-year/$16.5 Million contract extension. The first year was a huge success (3.7 WAR) and it looked like the ballclub had hit a home run. The next two years (when he was making $5 and $8 Million, respectively), Kearns registered a combined WAR of just 1.1. Ouch.

Chad Gaudin - Chad Gaudin leveraged a solid 2011 Spring Training to make the Nationals Opening Day roster only to pitch terribly for a few weeks and get himself released after a shoulder injury. His 6.48 ERA is what some people would call "unsightly". A -0.1 WAR in less than 9 IP isn't too good.

Atlanta Braves

Livan Hernandez - Up until last week the Braves were going to be clear of the Former Nats Greats stigma - but then Livo got released by the Astros and immediately picked up by the Braves. What's to say about Livan that hasn't already been said. He was and is incredibly valuable to this Franchise and its' history - he threw the first pitch, was reliable, did what was told, and served as a mentor for the young pitchers when he knew his time in DC was numbered. Hats off to the guy.

Thus concludes our look at the Former Nats Greats of the NL East - be sad that we narrowly avoided JD Martin (-0.2 Nats WAR) earning a roster spot with the Miami Marlins.