For all the hand wringing over the Nats 9-17 April record (the second worst in baseball), the month’s last game provided some vindication for many of the teams fans, and especially for centerfielder Ryan Church. At the beginning of April, Church’s fate with the team was cloudy, with his supporters almost hoping he could be traded to find another opportunity. A quick glance at the lineup before a 3-2 win over the Padres late Monday night showed a surprising shakeup that tells the story: Church would bat cleanup.

To those who’ve watched the Nats thus far in the young season, the move shouldn’t seem that surprising. In Washington’s moribund offense, Church’s bat is one of the few providing consistent production. Among the regulars, he’s either tied or leading the team in doubles, homers, RBI, walks, steals, on-base percentage, and slugging.

But for those who’ve followed Church’s uneven relationship with team brass over the past few years, it marked a shift from the veiled criticism and limited opportunities the team has shown him in the past. Even though he’s been with the club as long as anyone on the team (dating back to when the Expos received him in a 2004 trade), his tenure has been star-crossed, and he’s seemingly been jerked around at every opportunity. The shift to 4th in the lineup marks a rare public acknowledgement of Church’s importance to the team’s success.

Even though he’s struggled in his first two games at cleanup (including an 0-4 in last night’s 3-0 loss), there’s no understating the importance of gaining the club’s confidence and its ability to affect on-the-field performance. Church was quoted in the Post’s Nationals Report about the difference between this year and last:

Just waking up every morning knowing you’re going to be in there gives you that mental edge that you don’t have to really wonder: ‘[Am] I’m going to be playing here, playing there? When am I going to get in a game? Am I going to pinch-hit?’ I’m going to be in the lineup.

The Nats aren’t scheduled to face a left-handed starter until Saturday against the Cubs, so the move should get an extended look. Then again, Kory Casto just got called up again…