Put the champagne on ice, kids. The Nats, at 4-9, are threatening to climb out of last place for the first time since last June, ahead of struggling Philadelphia. Both teams are 4.5 games back, but the Nats have one more win thus far. Try washing down your $90 million payroll with that, Phils fans!

After a dreadful first turn through the rotation, the Nats starters have rebounded with some impressive performances as of late. Jason Bergmann, John Patterson, and Shawn Hill all had effective outings during last week’s road trip. Last night was Matt Chico’s turn, and the rookie southpaw earned his first major league victory in a 5-1 win over Atlanta, the Nat’s third win in their last four games. The starting rotation’s ERA is down to 4.70, which is pretty pedestrian, for sure. Still, it’s a vast improvement over the season’s first week. It’s also a better mark than last year’s starters — Tom Boswell may turn out to be prescient just yet.

While the offense isn’t exactly setting the league on fire, it’s starting to show signs of life. Dmitri Young is the leader out of the gate for Comeback Player of the Year, putting aside last year’s legal, physical, and behavioral issues and getting his Nationals career off to a good start. D’Meathook is batting .302, including last night’s 3-for-4, two RBI outing against the Braves while wearing #42 in a delayed tribute to Jackie Robinson.

Besides Young, Ronnie Belliard, Ryan Church, and Felipe Lopez continue to hit well enough to keep the offense afloat. The most encouraging news, however, were the two hits and two runs notched last night for Ryan Zimmerman, who had been struggling enough to start hearing the words “sophomore slump” in his sleep.

Tonight, in the conclusion of a short two-game series, Jerome Williams hopes to take his turn as a resurgent starter and pick up his first win of the year. He’ll need some help from the bats, though, as he faces off against Braves ace right-hander John Smoltz.

Photo by Flickr user smleon.