<span style="font-size:10pt;line-height:100%">The Nationals begin 2008 hoping to continue to improve their ball club after finishing last season with a lackluster record of 73 and 89, finishing two games ahead of the Marlins to avoid the bottom of the National League East. Manager Manny Acta hopes the team will continue to improve in his second year as a manager for the “Nats.” The Nationals will unveil their new stadium this year as they play the first regular season game in North America, opening Sunday Night against the Atlanta Braves. Their pitcher that night will be Odalis Perez, a former Brave who spent last year w/ the Royals. Also making their Nationals debut will be outfielders Lastings Milledge, formerly of the Mets, as well as Elijah Dukes, formerly of the Tampa Bay Rays. The Nationals have high hopes for the new young bats that will be in the lineup. However, both have experienced off the field problems in the past. Paul Lo Duca, whose name was mentioned in the famous Mitchell Report, will be the new catcher. Some players back from last years team that could contribute again include slugger Austin Kearns, Christian Guzman, and Ronnie Belliard. First baseman Nick Johnson hopes to stay healthy this year for Washington. If Johnson can stay on the field it will force GM Jim Bowden and Acta to decide between him and Dimitri Young, who played well last year. Johnson was recently named the starter at first base for opening night. Willy Mo Pena will start the season on the disabled list, but should add some much needed pop to the lineup once he is healthy. Also back is franchise player Ryan Zimmerman at third base. Zimmerman played well last year as a rookie, with 23 homeruns and 91 RBI’s. He is the player most fans hope will someday lead the Nationals to be a contending team. Joining Perez in the rotation will be Tim Redding, as well as youngsters Matt Chico and Jason Bergmann. Left hander John Lannan will begin the season in Triple A, but is expected to be the fifth starter at some point during the season. Acta has decided to start the season w/ a four man rotation. Last seasons opening day starter, John Patterson, was released during Spring Training and has since signed with the Texas Rangers. The Nationals still need a lot of help in the rotation and hope that Perez will step up for them this year. After breaking out and making a name for himself (and his straight brim hat) in the 2005 season, closer Chad Cordero has been up and down for the past two seasons. Jon Rauch and Luis Ayala have proven to be consistent options out of the pen, but the team is still lacking a left handed set up man. Expect 2008 to be another long year for the Nationals, but the team is starting to move in the right direction with the emergence of Zimmerman and the additions of Milledge and Dukes. Moving from RFK Stadium to their new ballpark can only help. Interesting side note- Last year the Nationals were the first team in modern baseball (excluding strike shortened seasons) with no pitcher in double figures with wins or losses.</span>
