Photo by el swifterino

After winning four straight, including two out of three against the Yankees and the Blue Jays, the Nationals returned to Fenway South last week to face the Red Sox, who promptly extinguished any hope the dozens of Nationals fans may have had that the season would turn around. The team went 2-5 over the last week, and are in the middle of a series against the Marlins. The Nats are 0-7 against Florida this year, and 29-49 against the Marlins since coming to the District, so don’t expect things to get better any time soon. Overall, the team is 22-52, but importantly are on pace for around 46 wins, which would avoid 120 losses or more.

The team remains unable to field and pitch. They have 68 errors in 74 games, which, thanks to Arizona’s 71 in 76, is not the worst in the Major Leagues. The team’s 5.22 ERA is the worst in the National League, although most of the blame falls on the bullpen. The bullpen has an MLB worst 5.67 ERA, while the team’s starters have a 13th ranked 4.97 ERA, and that includes some starts by Daniel Cabrera.

Red Sox
After the Red Sox’s invasion, Thomas Boswell wrote this article. In it, he writes that the fans of visiting teams make the Nationals a lot of money. On one hand, this is encouraging for a Washington baseball fan, because it guarantees that the team will stay here. On the other, the visiting fans allow the Lerners to make money without having to worry about fielding a good team. While Nats Park attendance will certainly increase as the team gets better, the question is would that increased revenue offset the increase in payroll that would be required to field the better team. The case could be made that the Nationals will make more money with a small payroll and lots of Phillies, Mets, Red Sox, and Cubs fans. Stan Kasten’s earlier invitation to Phillies fans heightens these fears. Frequently, running a sports team is often not a money making enterprise, and the big question for the Lerners is are they running the Nationals for a profit, or to win?

Willie Harris
Willie Harris has been one of the recent bright spots in the Nationals lineup. After hitting a walk-off home run against the Blue Jays, Harris has been getting regular playing time in center field, and will now be the team’s lead off hitter. He adds a dependable glove in the outfield, and has already made some spectacular plays. As Fire Jim Bowden says, It’s Super Willie Time.

Game of the Week
This week’s game of the week is July 4, when the Nationals face the Braves at home. John Lannan is scheduled to start for the Nats. Lannan has been pitching really well for the Nats recently, and is improving on his great 2008 season. Also, the first 20,000 fans get little American flags, which you will required to wave while singing “God Bless America.”

Breifly Noted: The Nats are trying to get rid of Lastings Milledge… Ryan Langerhans is gone… The Dutch Wonder, Shairon Martis, is sent to Syracuse to make room for Scott Olsen’s return… Teddy is trying to steal my gig.

Meaningless Statistic of the Week: The Nationals are leading the National League in being hit by a pitch while batting in the #6 position.