Nationals Might Have Better Days Ahead of Them

Few days likely will be more depressing for Washington area sports fans than last Wednesday (May 13, 2009 for those scoring at home) afternoon and evening.

True, the Nationals actually won a game. That alone is usually cause for celebration in these parts. But while the Nats were defeating the San Francisco Giants, 6-3, Ryan Zimmerman was going hitless for the first time in more than a month. That brought to a halt the one development in Nats-land that was perking up spirits and drawing some rare positive national attention to the woebegone club.

Of course, the end of Zimmerman's streak -- in the final game before an 11-game home stand -- was just the warm-up act to the District depression. That night, the compelling seven-game Eastern Conference semifinal between the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins ended in anticlimactic fashion with the Penguins' 6-2 laugher of a victory. There's no doubt the Caps are going to be serious Stanley Cup contenders for years to come. Owner Ted Leonsis and General Manager George McPhee lived through the dark days as they de-constructed their team to rebuild through the draft and came out on the other side of the tunnel.

The question now is whether the Nationals can do the same thing. The answer is a definite maybe.

Right now watching them play most days is a little bit like watching "Groundhog Day." The starting pitcher usually goes somewhere between four and six innings and gives up somewhere between four and six runs. The offense consistently scores somewhere between four and six runs. Then the bullpen rides in to make sure that's just enough runs to lose.

This past weekend's series against the Philadelphia Phillies was a perfect example. The Nats scored 22 runs -- six, five, five (in five innings) and six. That sort of output would usually be good enough for at least a split of four games. But the Phillies scored 10, eight, seven and eight. Do the math and you know the home team went 0-for-the-weekend. That left them with a record of 11-25 (the worst in baseball) and a lot of frustrated fans.

Okay, maybe not so many frustrated fans. It makes team president Stan Kasten nuts that there has been so much focus on the Nats' dwindling attendance this season -- maybe he'd prefer people write and talk more about the bullpen? -- but what's truly sad is to hear more cheers for the Phillies at Nationals Park than for the Nationals. Then again, Kasten did do everything but send chartered buses to encourage fans to come down from Philadelphia.

You reap what you sow.

And yet, amid all the depressing numbers on and off the field, there is real hope for the future. Good teams, as anyone who has ever paid attention to baseball for more than 15 minutes, are built around starting pitching. A year from now, the Nats could have a starting rotation that includes John Lannan, Jordan Zimmermann, Shairon Martis (5-0 while the rest of the team is 6-25) and Stephen Strasburg. Scott Olsen might be the fifth starter or it might be Ross Detwiler or it might be an offseason free agent pickup.

In any event, that rotation could be very, very good for a long time to come. What's more, the lineup is good now and should get better. Zimmerman's a star, and Adam Dunn, who isn't 30 yet, was a good free agent signing. If Nick Johnson and Cristian Guzman stay healthy, both are solid offensive threats, as is Elijah Dukes.

The real weakness is the bullpen, which for the first couple of years with Jon Rauch setting up and Chad Cordero closing, was probably the team's strength. As of this moment, Dennis Eckersley could help -- at age 54. Anytime the bullpen door opens, the inclination is to cover one's eyes.

What's more, fixing a bullpen is a lot harder than it looks. The New York Mets blew two pennants because they couldn't fix theirs. They went out and spent millions this winter on J.J. Putz and Francisco Rodriguez. Time will tell if that's the answer. And while a good team is built around its starting pitchers, it can be torn down by a lousy bullpen. The Lerners will almost certainly have to spend money on at least one and perhaps two proven relievers this winter if they don't want to spend next year watching Lannan, Zimmermann, Martis and Strasburg leave games with leads only to see them lost by the bullpen.