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!!!

Perspective

Well... That sure was an incredible game last night - I mean, I can't believe that Manchester United was able to come back from a 3 goal deficit to tie the game, simply amazing!

And now, as you wake up from your food and beverage induced coma, call in "sick" to work only to sit down at your computer to read some Nats coverage, it's time to remind you what is really important in the world of sports.

The Nats pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in LESS THAN TWO WEEKS.

In less than two weeks we will have actual on-the-field news to report instead of just speculation on how the rosters might shake out. It's time to get down to business. To start, let's figure out just what we do know about the 2012 Nats, no guessing.

How many roster spots are locked up and who owns them?
By my count the Nationals have 19 players locked in for 2012.
C -Ramos, Flores
INF - LaRoche, Espinosa, Desmond, Zimmerman
OF - Werth, Morse
SP - Strasburg, Zimmermann, Gonzalez, Jackson
RP - Storen, Clippard, Rodriguez, Lidge, Burnett
P - Detwiler, Wang

Who is fighting for a spot?
INF - Lombardozzi, DeRosa, Moore
OF - Harper, Bernadina, Cameron, Ankiel
SP - Maya (Ha!), Lannan
RP - Mattheus, Perry, Severino, Gorzelanny, Stammen

My two cents on who is going to actually fill out the last 6 spots -
P - Gorzelanny (Under contract for $3 Mil)
OF - Harper (Davey wants him), Cameron (Veteran bench guy), Ankiel (Proved valuable last year)
INF - Lombardozzi (Will push for playing time), DeRosa (Veteran utility guy)

This is purely on the roster as currently designed - I believe that Lannan will be traded, most likely a center fielder (Nick Cafardo reported Sunday that the Nationals are attempting to get Peter Bourjos from the Angels for John Lannan - which would be a coup). In which instance, we will have to play this little exercise again.

What are your thoughts on the 25-man, as currently constructed?

Recapping 1 of 162: Opening Day

(Photo credit Joe Drugan/Capitol Baseball 2011)

After a cold, rainy Opening Day in Southeast DC, let's do the first evaluation of 2011's talent.

Livan Hernandez looked good. There are a surprising number of people in the blog world that have been critical of Livo's Opening Day appearance. In 6 2/3 innings, he threw 77 pitches and gave up just 2 runs on 5 hits. It's hard to ask for a whole lot more than that. His first two innings could have been better, but he was on fire for the rest of the game. Seriously folks, as a starting pitcher, you have to hope that your team can muster two measly runs to help you out. But the Nats didn't and Livan got the loss + quality start combo.

Sean Burnett made the Braves batters he faced in the 9th, lefties and righties alike, look silly. He continues to make a case for himself to be the Nats closer. One can't look into the fact that he pitched in the 9th inning today because it wasn't a save situation, but it'll be interesting to see how it rolls out over the next two weeks.

Jayson Werth, Ryan Zimmerman, and Adam LaRoche did exactly what they should be as the 2-4 hitters. They hit and created nearly all of the Nats offense. The rest of the team will have to help out if they're going to have any sort of offense this season. LaRoche also had a sick diving defensive play at 1st base that I guarantee Adam Dunn not only wouldn't have made, he wouldn't have even tried.

Danny Espinosa started the season out with a bang, too. He went 2 for 3, and one of those hits was a frozen rope to the left center field gap. He also made a running stop and put out at 2nd that had Nats fans (and Bill Ladson) extremely excited.

Ian Desmond looked downright uncomfortable at the plate. He'll certainly get his chance at the top of the order, but if Espinosa's first outing was any sign, he might end up in the top spot after all. On a happy note, Ian committed no errors today!

Finally, Tyler Clippard looked good, getting out of a jam with 2 inherited runners. But we're protesting saying much more than that because he no longer enters the game to Peaches. Not cool, Tyler...

What did you think about the Nats first game of 2011?

Opening Day Has Arrived!

Welcome to the 2nd regular season for Capitol Baseball! We're honored that you still read our musings.

Well, the sun is shining, the flowers are blooming, and the Nats will take to the field for the 1st of 162 times today. It's going to be a cold, damp Opening Day, but that's not going to keep Capitol Baseball from the Park. We hope to see you there!

We're excited to see the story lines for 2011 finally begin to evolve. Let's bullet point some main ones that we expect to see in 2011.

• How will the young players development continue?
• Will the numerous veteran's on the 25-man be able to stay healthy?
• Will Ian Desmond improve defensively?
• How will Jordan Zimmermann's elbow hold up to the rigors of a full (albeit inning-limited) season?
• Can Ryan Zimmerman stay healthy after a few quirky injuries during Spring Training?
• Will we see Stephen Strasburg this September? What about Bryce Harper?
• Will Livan Hernandez remain a statistical anomaly and stay off the DL for another season?
• Can Jason Marquis recover from the worst season of his career and return to All-Star form?
• Can Michael Morse keep his outrageous pace from Spring Training?
• How long will Pudge remain the starting catcher with Flores and Norris making progress in the minors?
• Who will be the first bullpen guy to go? And can Storen recover from a lackluster spring?
• Can the 2011 Nats achieve a .500 record?

What about you, loyal readers? What's the story line you look forward to most in 2011? Is it one we provided or do you have your own? Hit the comments!

Opening Day Predictions

Over the past several days, commentators and bloggers alike have been prognosticating about what they expect to see in 2011. The hot stove season has been very active this year for the hometown team, making big offers to multiple free-agents and offering blockbuster trades. As of now there are still a few holes, but a signing here and a good-old-fashioned-Spring-Training-position-battle there should settle that.

Now its my turn to make some predictions. Today we are going to play the first edition of Predict the Opening Day lineup.

Leading off - Nyjer Morgan - 8

Kid is working on his 5th out of 9 lives. He came over to DC with a bang in 2008 2009 but couldn't live up to the hype in 2009 2010; offensively, defensively, or mentally. Under club control for several more years, it's his job to lose.
Ballsy Prediction: Will lose his job to Ankiel by July.

Batting 2nd - Ian Desmond - 6

This is his spot. Last year he was stuck for a while in the 7 and 8 hole, where he hit .289 and .254 respectively. That all changed on July 31st when 2 hole stalwart Cristian Guzman was traded to the Rangers. After that day the Nats brass decided to try Desi 2nd, he proceeded to hit .326 for the rest of the season.
Ballsy Prediction: His errors will go down by 15.

Batting 3rd - Ryan Zimmerman - 5

I got nothing.
Ballsy Prediction: Participates in the all-star game home run derby, and wins.

Batting 4th - Jayson Werth - 9

The big ticket free agent has a lot of weight on his shoulders, about $126 million dollar bills worth. He has extremely limited experience in the 4 hole, but that shouldn't bother him based on the way he has it at Nats Park in the past. He will settle in nicely to that role and will give Zimmerman some delicious protection in the lineup.
Ballsy Prediction: Werth will regret his signing in DC, at least for a year or 2.

Batting 5th - Adam LaRoche - 3

He hasn't signed with the Nats, yet. I believe that it is only a matter of time. No other team has the need for and can afford LaRoche. Ladson has been reporting that a 2 year deal has been progressing nicely. LaRoche provides a very important left handed power bat into the lineup, one that can provide protection for Werth as well. His defense will make our infield exponentially better all the way across the board.
Ballsy Prediction: LaRoche succeeds so well, Nats trade away former prized prospect Chris Marrero.

Batting 6th - Roger Bernadina - 7

The Nats are going to start the year with a platoon in LF between Bernie and Morse. I believe this. The Nats are starting the year against the Braves, whose 3 best pitchers are all right-handed. Bernadina has been in the Nats system for years and he finally has the backing of the General Manager, especially in this defense-first system. His 3.1 UZR from 2010 will be great for the team, and his bat should take a leap this year.
Ballsy Prediction: Bernadina will steal 30+ bases next year.

Batting 7th - Ivan Rodriguez - 2

Barring injury, Pudge is going to be the Opening Day starter for the Nats; the future Hall of Famer has earned it. Most of his 2010 season will be spent mentoring both Ramos and Flores, in different capacities.
Ballsy Prediction: Will have both hips replaced, and not miss a game.

Batting 8th - Danny Espinosa - 4

A September call-up, the Nats representative for the 2010 Futures Game came into the league with a bang, hitting .300 with 3 HR and 10 RBI in his first 10 games. After teams started getting tape on him however, things changed. But one of the things that never changed was his attitude, his defense, and his speed. His defense will help make the Nationals one of the best fielding teams in baseball. Espinosa's UZR/150 (Ultimate Zone Rating averaged over 150 games) is 13.3 which places 3rd in all of Major League Baseball; behind Adam Rosales and Jerry Hairston.
Ballsy Prediction: He won't be hitting 8th for long.

Batting 9th - Jordan Zimmermann - 1

This is easily the toughest of all the predictions thus far, should I have gone with history and tenure (Livan), recent history and dues paid (Lannan), or the guy with the best stuff (Zimmermann). I can't imagine how hard it must be to have to recover from major surgery, wondering if you ever can get to the precipice again. It is a long and arduous journey, and it makes you stronger in the end. They say that it takes over two years to fully recover from Tommy John, but Zimmermann has been ahead of the curve all the way through this process; he will continue to do so and will take the bump on March 31st, 2011.
Ballsy Prediction: Zimmermann no-hits the Mets.

Oh, by the way. Only 39 days til Pitchers & Catchers.

Thoughts? Arguments? Disagreements? Compliments?

Sound off in the comments!