Greetings from (in my opinion) the most-beautiful city in America. Seriously, does it get any better than San Diego, where the temperature is 70 degrees 365 days a year and the sun always comes out in the afternoon? I think not.

Some quick news to report before I continue my review of opposing ballparks. ... Kory Casto was officially recalled from Class AAA Columbus today, and infielder D'Angelo Jimenez was designated for assignment. Casto will be here in time for tonight's game against the Padres (load up coffee, all you back in D.C., cause first pitch isn't until 10:05 p.m. EDT) and I would suspect he'll be starting in left field. It's going to be interesting to see what Manny Acta does with Kory, who didn't really look ready for the big show during his first stint. He did tear the cover off the ball at Columbus, hitting .324 with four homers in 10 games, but how will that translate to the majors? Also, what happens in a week or so when Nook Logan comes off the DL and Ryan Church moves back to left field? Is Casto destined to earn premier status on the Washington-to-Columbus shuttle, or is there still a place for him up here? All questions I will try to answer later on this evening once I get to the ballpark.

As for Jimenez, his time in D.C. won't be remembered much at all. One hit in 14 at-bats, and (like several of his teammates) he seemed to have trouble getting a sacrifice bunt down when called upon. Seriously, I know these guys are major leaguers and there's a reason there's so few of them in this world, but how hard is it to get a bunt down? Anyways, the Nats now have 10 days to either pass Jimenez through waivers, trade him or outright release him. I doubt any other clubs are going to be interested.

Now, on to Petco Park, one of the best new stadiums in baseball. They built a ballpark befitting of this fine city here. It's got a nice, wide-open feel, great views of downtown. There are also two distinctive touches. One is the old Western Metal Supply Co. building, which has been incorporated into the park and actually serves as the left-field foul pole. Yes, the foul "pole" is just a corner of the brick building. Pretty cool. There's also several patios that jut out from the building and hang over the left field fence, making for some nice views. The other distinctive touch is the park beyond the center field fence. It's a big, giant grassy area, with a slight incline so fans can see into the stadium, and on most nights you'll find kids running around, playing Wiffle Ball and such while their parents sit in the amphitheatre-style bleachers and watch the game. Great environment.

Petco Park (and the name is really the only bad thing about this place) sits just off of downtown San Diego, adjacent to the hip Gaslamp Quarter. It's one of the oldest sections of town, but it's been converted into a hot nightstop, with restaurants, bars and shops. And throughout the area, brand-new condos are under construction. Folks in D.C. should take notice of this, because it's a good example of how a ballpark can combine with neighborhood shopping/restaurants to create urban development. This whole scene didn't exist 10-20 years ago, now it's become one of the hottest parts of town.

Like I said, San Diego knows how to do things classy.

Some post-game news to report: The Nationals will recall outfielder Kory Casto from Class AAA Columbus in time for tomorrow night's game in San Diego, a move that's surely intended to inject some life into the club's struggling offense.

Washington managed just six hits in today's 1-0 loss to the Mets and was particularly woeful when trying to move runners up and in from scoring position. Maybe Casto, who's hitting .324 with four homers at Columbus, can help in that department.

No corresponding move was announced, but candidates to be sent down include outfielder Michael Restovich (hitting .167 in 11 games) and infielders D'Angelo Jimenez (.071 in 17 games) and Josh Wilson (.067 in 13 games).

Turns out the Nationals didn't need to demote one of their relievers to make room for Ray King after all. Right-hander Jerome Williams, who sprained his left ankle during last night's 12-inning loss to the Mets, was placed on the 15-day DL this morning, opening a spot for King to be activated and return to the bullpen.

Williams said hurt himself swinging on his sixth-inning single off the left-field wall and then aggravated the ankle moments later when he slid into second base trying to break up a double play. He faced one batter in the top of the seventh but was removed after issuing a leadoff walk. Following the game, the right-hander insisted the injury wasn't serious and he'd be fine to make his next start. But while Williams said his ankle felt better this morning than it did last night, the Nats didn't want to take a chance and decided to disable him.

For now, the club will go with an eight-man bullpen any only four starters because Williams' next turn in the rotation would have fallen on Thursday (an off-day). The Nats will need to add another starter for the May 8 game at Milwaukee, at which point Jason Simontacchi should be ready to return from his strained groin. Williams won't be eligible to come off the DL until May 14.

Meanwhile, catcher Brian Schneider is out of the lineup for the second straight day with flu-like symptoms. Schneider will fly with the club to San Diego tonight and hopes to be ready to play tomorrow against the Padres. Rookie Jesus Flories is starting behind the plate again today against the Mets.

Gearing up for Nats-Mets tonight, which hopefully should bring a nice crowd out to RFK. I have to say, home attendance has been quite disappointing so far this season. I understand the lousy weather and a bad team are huge factors in keeping people away from the ballpark, but how do you explain last night's crowd of 21,662? A beautiful Friday night in April with the Mets in town, and that's all they could draw? Truth be told, I was surprised when the number was announced during last night's game, because it sure looked and felt like there were more people in the stadium. Guess that tells you just how many no-shows there had been at some of the earlier games this month. All those nights where the announced attendance was 17,000 or 18,000? There probably weren't more than 10,000 fans actually in the house. We'll see if that changes tonight and tomorrow. The last two seasons, Saturday night against the Mets would be a guaranteed crowd of at least 35,000. This year, the Nats would probably be happy with 25,000.

But back to on-field issues... No announcement yet on Ray King's activation off the DL, but it should come after the game. Sounds like there was no real urgent need to have King available to pitch tonight, but I think there could be something else going on here, too. Conventional wisdom has been that the Nats would be forced to send down one of two relievers when King returns (Saul Rivera or Ryan Wagner). Well, Rivera has been outstanding, and Wagner remains an intriguing reliever. So perhaps the Nats have something else up their sleeves. Here's a theory for you: If Jerome Williams doesn't enjoy a dramatic turnaround tonight, he gets designated for assignment. It makes sense on several levels. For one, Williams clearly hasn't pitched well enough to stay up here. Though he is out of options, there's a good chance he could still clear waivers. Secondly, Jason Simontacchi is close to coming off the DL himself. He threw five innings of one-run ball last night at Columbus and will make one more rehab start before getting promoted. But, you ask, what would the Nats do about Williams' next turn in the rotation? How convenient that it happens to fall on Thursday -- an off-day between road series in San Diego and Chicago. So the Nats really don't need a fifth starter until May 8 at Milwaukee, and by then, Simontacchi will be ready to join the staff.

Again, that's pure theory on my part. I haven't been told this will happen by anyone. But it seems to make an awful lot of sense, and it would allow the Nats to keep both Rivera and Wagner in their bullpen for another nine days.

RFK Stadium may be an old dog, but the Nationals have quietly become one of the more tech-savvy teams when it comes to helping fans get into games. The team plans to hold a technology fair this weekend to show of some of the slick new things fans can do with their tickets.

The team is trying drum up awareness of new services like Tickets@Phone, which allows fans to enter the game using a bar code stored on their cell phones, and the My Nationals Tickets and Ticket Replay services, which help season ticket holders resell, trade or transfer their tickets legally online.

Other services on display include ticket kiosks and Tickets@Home, which allows fans to print out tickets at home.

Representatives from the Nationals and Tickets.com will be at the 300 level near the Red Hot and Blue restaurant from the time the gates open until the end of the eighth inning on Saturday and Sunday.

Nothing like some morning excitement to get the day going before heading to the ballpark.

Finding a hotel anywhere in Philadelphia on short notice was nearly impossible because the Penn Relays, the nation's premier track meet, is being held this week at the University of Pennsylania.

Thousands of athletes and their families have descended upon the city and snatched up all the hotels rooms. After an extensive search, I found a 1.5-star Days Inn in Chester, Pa. This hotel was smack in the middle of a real dicey neighborhood along I-95. Walking around to see the sights at this Days Inn could cost you your wallet. It's about 12 miles south of Citizens Bank Park.

Anyway, this morning I'm in the shower and the hotel's fire alarm goes off. A recorded message tells guests to evacuate the building and find the nearest stairwell to get out. Soaking wet, and barely dressed (no socks), I dash down the stairwell with groggy and disheveled US Airways flight crews joining me in the stairwell.

On the way down the steps from the third floor, I passed a firefighter with an axe going up the stairs. The Chester Fire Station No. 2 is conveniently located 50 steps from the hotel's front door. Once outside, I walked around the building looking for smoke. When I reached the hotel's main entrance the fire alarm was turned off.

According to the front desk staff, a toddler pulled the fire alarm thinking it was a toy.

The rigors of the baseball beat being what they are, and given the fact I can't cover all 162 games this season (lest the girlfriend who barely recognizes me leaves me altogether), I'm taking this week's series at Philadelphia off. I know this will come as traumatic news to my legions of loyal fans out there (hello, all three of you!) but rest assured that I'll be back at RFK this weekend for the Mets series. In the meantime, the esteemed Ken Wright has got me covered at Citizens Bank Park.

But, since I just can't tear myself completely away from the last-place Nats for a full three days, I will still be holding my weekly live chat at its regularly scheduled time (Wednesday at 2 p.m.). Please join us then for all the usual fun, and feel free to submit your questions in advance to natsmailbag@washingtontimes.com. See you online Wednesday and out at the park Friday.

Last week, someone asked Nationals manager Manny Acta when pitcher Mike O'Connor, recovering from elbow surgery, would be back.

Acta said, "He is so far away."

Gee, I hope he's back in time for next year's winter caravan.

Beating a dead horse (that deserves beating), I found out recently that this past winter in southern Maryland an Atlantic League team that doesn't even exist yet and won't begin play until 2008 drew 4,000 people to its fanfest!

I doubt 4,000 people even knew there was a Washington Nationals winter caravan this off season.

So Ryan was, in fact, benched by manager Manny Acta for not hustling down the line on his second-inning grounder today. Acta said he won't tolerate lack of effort, so he didn't hesitate to pull Church from the game and insert Chris Snelling in his place.

"I think everybody here knows from day one when I took this job that I'm a Ryan Church fan," Acta explained following the Nationals' 12-6 loss to the Marlins. "But we're going to keep teaching here to play the game the right way. Win or lose, we're going to play hard, and that's not going to be tolerated."

Church said he understood the reason for his benching and vowed not to let it happen again. He did say he's been suffering from "shin splints" and that's why he grimaced as he went down the line. But he didn't use that as an excuse for his lack of hustle.

"I know I messed up," Church said. "I got the message loud and clear. We'll leave it at that."

Ryan Church was removed from today's game against the Marlins in the second inning, and the club says he's not injured. Church ran slow down the first-base line on a groundout to open the top of the second, and though he appeared to grimace at one point, he apparently didn't hurt himself. When the Nationals re-took the field for the bottom of the inning, he was replaced in center field by Austin Kearns, with Robert Fick moving to right field and Chris Snelling coming off the bench to play left.

Talked to Shawn Hill this afternoon. He hadn't had his left shoulder examined by a doctor yet, but he did say it felt much better today than it did last night (when he jammed it into third base while diving headfirst during a rundown). Sounds like there's no real injury to be concered about here, just some soreness that Hill believes will heal in time for him to make his next start. An important test will come tomorrow, though, when he makes his regular in-between-starts bullpen session.

Actually, the bigger concern with Hill might be his right forearm, which he acknowledged was particularly tight last night and prevented him from throwing his best stuff. (On a side note, if Hill's capable of carrying a no-hitter into the fifth inning when he doesn't have his best stuff, what's he capable of doing when he does feel good?) This forearm thing has been bothering Shawn since spring training, but it hasn't really affected him from doing much. He thought all along it was muscle-related, but today he admitted it's nerve-related. That may raise some red flags with Nationals fans who immediately think of John Patterson's forearm/nerve injury from last year, but Hill immediately pointed out that there's no similarity between the two. Patterson's nerve problem was near the inside of his elbow; Hill's is on the outside of his forearm. Still, this is something to watch over time. Hill is three years removed from Tommy John surgery. You'd hate to find out he's developed some new complications.

For your Nats vs. Marlins LHP Scott Olsen
SS Lopez
2B Belliard
3B Zimmerman
1B Young
RF Kearns
CF Church
C Schneider
LF Restovich
P Hill

But enough about the major leagues. Let's make a quick run through the farm system, with a couple of interesting lines to note from last night: Class AAA Columbus beat Durham, 5-4, and the winning pitcher was none other than Tim Redding. Redding, you'll recall, had a bit of a rough outing his last time on the mound (something like 12 runs allowed in 1 1/3 innings, then he dusted off home plate with his hands as he left the field, prompting an ejection and fine). Well, thrown back out there on only two days' rest (cause really, did he need more than that after lasting only 1 1/3?) the right-hander turned things around. Allowed three runs in 5 2/3 innings, earning his first win of the season. He was aided by Tony Batista (yes, that Tony Batista), who went 3-for-4 and came within a single of the cycle.

Meanwhile, in Harrisburg, top pitching prospect Collin Balester churned out six shutout innings against Altoona, though he didn't get the win after Jim Magrane blew the save. Still, Balester is 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA in three starts for the Senators (with a 16:4 K:BB ratio to boot). The 20-year-old's progress bears watching, because there are some within the organization who believe he could be major-league ready before this season is over. On the downside, Harrisburg is now 2-10 on the season.

... where it's currently 81 degrees and sunny. Quite a nice departure from the last two weeks in D.C./Atlanta/New York. What? It finally warmed up in Washington today? Figures, just as I leave town. Like John Patterson, I just can't catch a break.

Speaking of which, everyone's well aware of Mr. Patterson's struggles on the mound yesterday and throughout this season, so there doesn't seem to be any more need to delve even deeper into the subject. Let me just say this: Patterson obviously isn't right, physically or mentally at this point. I don't doubt that his problems stem from his longer-than-anticipated recovery from last year's surgery, but it's also clear he's got about 27 different things running through his head right now. His 10-minute postgame media session yesterday was fascinating stuff, and unfortunately, only a few bits and pieces were able to make it into the paper. Some of the stuff I didn't have enough space for: Patterson several times said his arm "gets tight" as the game wears on, it may be months until he's back to 100 percent and he's trying to channel old teammate Livan Hernandez when it comes to battling through tough spots on the mound. I found that last comment particularly interesting, because it could mean one of two things. Either 1) Patterson is maturing as a pitcher to the point where he realizes he's going to have to learn how to pitch differently in order to be successful, or 2) His head's so screwed up right now, he's searching for answers anywhere he can find them and that's only hurting his cause more. At some point, Patterson may just have to suck it up, block out all that stuff circling through his head and just throw the ball.

Thankfully, as far as the Nats are concerned, Patterson's struggles haven't been a major problem for the team. That's because the rest of the rotation (sans perhaps Jerome Williams) has looked quite good the last two times around. Shawn Hill goes tonight against the Marlins, and I'm very interested to see if he can keep this up (and have success against Florida in his second head-to-head meeting of the season). Still, you've got to wonder if the Nats are paying close attention to a certain former rotation member who is off to a stellar start this season. Ramon Ortiz for AL Cy Young, anyone? Would you have paid him $3.1 million to return to D.C.?

And with that, let's move on to what was supposed to be a regular feature on the Chatter blog ... until I forgot to do it last weekend in New York: Ballpark reviews. I'll give you my thoughts on Shea Stadium later this season when the Nats are back in town (trust me, you're not missing much). Today, let's focus on another eyesore: Dolphin Stadium, which used to be known as Dolphins Stadium, which used to be known as Pro Player Park, which used to be known as Joe Robbie Stadium.

There's no way to sugarcoat this: This is a horrible place to watch a baseball game. Football? Fine. There are plenty of good sightlines and a full house of Dolphins fans makes for a fun environment. But there is perhaps no more depressing sight in the major leagues (other than Tampa Bay's Tropicana Field) than a midweek tilt between the Nats and Marlins in front of 4,000 South Floridians at this stadium. You can hear every conversation, and that's not an exaggeration. Nobody, and I mean nobody, sits in the upper deck. And beyond the outfield fence is nothing but a sea of orange and teal emptiness. The viewing angles are also weird because the configuration for baseball is slightly off-center. They did install two impressive and gigantic HD scoreboards in both end zones (oops, I mean in right field and behind third base), but again, those are much more geared toward football than baseball. Then there are the Marlins Mermaids, an NBA-style dance team that performs on the field and on top of the dugouts in between innings, apparently in an attempt to distract the opposing team from playing well. Because there aren't enough fans in the stands to be entertained. Oh, and no trip to this place would be complete without an hour-long rain delay in the top of the sixth inning. It's impossible to make it through a full series here without at least one. Allegedly, the Marlins are working on building a new baseball-only park here. I'll still believe that one when I finally see it. Until then, this franchise is doomed to play in one of the sport's worst facilities.

Another day, another less-than-inspiring performance from John Patterson. Four-plus innings, three runs, seven hits, four walks. So in four starts this season, the "ace" of the Nationals staff is now 0-2 (0-3 if the Nats don't rally from a 4-0 deficit today) with a 7.00 ERA and 14 walks issued in 18 innings. At what point is it appropriate to be concerned?

Patterson's velocity remains down, though he did reach 89 mph this afternoon, his high point of the season. But forget about how hard he's throwing the ball, the bigger problem is *where* he's throwing the ball. He's been out of the strike zone far too often, and when he does put it over the plate, he puts it *right* over the plate. And he's paying the consequences for it.

The Nationals will continue to insist everyone needs to be patient with Patterson, because it's going to take a while for him to come all the way back from his surgery. Fans had better hope so, because this team is counting on the 29-year-old to lead its pitching staff into the future. So far, he's been the worst member of the rotation. Who ever would have guessed that?

I've got to give this Nationals team credit.

I still believe they will be every bit as bad as I expected before the season began, because they are operating on a tightrope right now. Just witness last night's remarkable 13-inning 5-4 win over the Phillies at RFK. They still have very little room for error, and teams get exposed over 162 games.

But if the Phillies had the heart of the Nationals, they would be coasting to the NL East title already.

What a dog of a team! The Phillies have three All Stars in the infield -- players who perhaps are among the best in the game at their positions -- in Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins. The Nationals can't come close to stacking up to the Phillies talent-wise. But they have shown a lot of heart so far this season, enough to make them a team worth investing your own heart in.

Keep the defibrillator close by, though, just in case.

The Phillies are a wreck, and their manager, Charlie Manuel, should have been fired during the game. First, he tries to deal with the aftermath of his blowup with Philly sports radio talk show host Howard Eskin on Tuesday night by telling reporters before last night's game, "I got questioned [about] who I was as a man, and how tough I am." Manuel went on to say he is not just the goober that everyone thinks he is, or, as he said, "Take-It-Easy Charlie, Laid-Back Charlie, Uncle Charlie, Grandpa Charlie."

How about Goodbye Charlie?

And then, he drops this bomb that their best starter, Brett Myers, is being moved to the bullpen. The Philly writers laughed out loud when he first said it, thinking he was joking. But he was serious.

The guy who set the stage for the game-winning hit for the Nats -- outfielder Michael Restovich, just called up from Class AAA Columbus -- should not have even been in the game. But Goodbye Charlie couldn't stand watching reliever Matt Smith throw another wild pitch or walk another batter in the seventh inning. He didn't wait for Nats manager Manny Acta to officially put Restovich, who was out on deck, into the game in the seventh inning as a pinch hitter. He pulled Smith, the left-hander, out and put in the right-hander, Geoff Geary, before Restovich was officially in the game. So Acta pulled Restovich back and sent up left-handed hitting Robert Fick to hit.

Six inning later, Restovich was back in the game. After Chris Snelling singled in the bottom of the 13th, Restovich doubled to right, sending Snelling to third and setting up Felipe Lopez's game-winning sacrifice fly.

If Goodbye Charlie earlier in the game simply had waited a few seconds, Restovich would not have been available to Acta.

I would be stunned if Phillies coach and former Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox manager Jimy Williams wasn't managing this team by the end of the week. The Phillies are too talented to keep traveling down this path. They need a shakeup like the one the Florida Marlins got in 2003, when they fired Jeff Torborg early in the season and Jack McKeon took them to the World Series championship.

You want to know the most remarkable thing about all of this? After the 2004 season, the Phillies -- then under general manager Ed Wade -- passed over Jim Leyland, who led the Tigers to the American League pennant last season, to hire Manuel. And last year, during the All-Star break, Lou Piniella believed he was going to be the next manager of the Phillies because they were struggling and Goodbye Charlie was nearly out the door. But they managed to come back and finish with a very strong second half, strong enough that they could not fire him.

He should be toast now. Goodbye Charlie.

For those not watching the game on TV or in person, the Nationals are wearing Virginia Tech caps during tonight's game against the Braves. Nice way to honor the memories of those killed during yesterday's shooting spree. The idea came from Dave Lanham, a Nats fan from Calvert County, Md., who e-mailed team president Stan Kasten earlier today with the suggestion. It took the Nats a little while to make it happen -- they found a sporting goods store in Alexandria that was willing to donate the hats, but they didn't arrive until after the game had started. So after wearing their standard red "curly W" caps for the first inning, the Nats took the field for the second inning wearing several different variations of the Virginia Tech caps. That brought a nice ovation from the crowd.

Join beat writer Mark Zuckerman for his weekly live chat Wednesday at 2 p.m. Send your questions in advance to natsmailbag@washingtontimes.com, then go to Nats Home Plate at 2 p.m. and join in the discussion. See you then!

There has been tension between Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter in New York ever since A-Rod arrived, and it probably will remain until A-Rod leaves the Yankees. There is always that fear of two egos clashing on a team when one comes into a new situation where the other is already the big dog.

That makes what Brooks Robinson and Frank Robinson did on the Baltimore Orioles even more special.

Frank arrived in a trade with the Reds after the 1965 season, and Brooks was already the big star on the Orioles. There was a lot of speculation about how the two of them would get along, but it turns out they set the standard for getting along for the good of the team. Both of them, in Baltimore and Washington last week, spoke about how they meshed.

"There was never any tension between Brooks and I from day one, although one reporter who covered the team tried to create a situation," Frank said. "But we lockered next to each other, and there was never any cross words or problems between us. We were fighting for the same cause, to play as hard as we could and make the team as good as we could possibly make it."

Brooks said they didn't know what to expect when Frank got to Baltimore.

"It was lets wait and see how this goes when he got to spring training," Brooks said. "Then, first of all, we got to see what a tremendous player he was. We got along very well. When he got here we started winning, and we had little celebrations after we won, the court and him being the judge. He fit right in with everyone, and I think everyone realized very quickly that he was the best player on the team. We will just fill in behind him and keep going."

Columnist Thom Loverro will appear on The Sports Reporters on WTEM Sportstalk 980 today from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m, talking about the Nationals and other issues.

Sunday's rainout at Shea Stadium has officially been rescheduled. The Nats and Mets will now play a day-night doubleheader on Saturday, July 28. First game at 12:10 p.m., nightcap at 7:10 p.m.

That's a tad surprising, considering the two teams had a common off-day July 30 and could have just extended their weekend series through Monday. Apparently, they'd rather play two and enjoy a day off.

Yes, they're planning to play ball tonight at RFK Stadium. Tarp has been off the infield all afternoon, the gates are open and everyone's bundling up for what figures to be a brutal evening. There's a little sprinkling of rain, but the bigger issue is the cold and the wind. As Manny Acta put it, it's going to be a "40-40 night," as in 40 degrees and 40 mph wind.

"This weather doesn't help anything," Acta said.

Including two Nationals recovering from injury: Nook Logan (sprained foot) and Cristian Guzman (strained hamstring). Both are eligble to come off the 15-day DL tomorrow, but neither is ready. Both need to resume baseball activities and both need to spend a few days on a minor-league rehab assignment getting their swings down. But if the weather continues like this, Acta said there's no sense sending those guys to Potomac and risking further injury. So don't expect either guy back in the majors until the end of the week at the earliest.

Meanwhile, due to yesterday's rainout in New York, the Nationals will hold their version of "Jackie Robinson Day" tonight. That means Dmitri Young will get to wear No. 42 after all, something the first baseman is quite proud of. There will be a small celebration before the game, as much as the Nats could put together on short notice. Still, it's nice they'll be able to join the rest of MLB in honoring one of the sport's true heroes. There will also be a moment of silence for those who were killed this morning in the Virginia Tech shootings.

Here's tonight's lineups:
NATIONALS
SS Lopez
2B Belliard
3B Zimmerman
1B Young
RF Kearns
CF Church
C Schneider
LF Snelling
P Chico

BRAVES
2B Woodward
SS Renteria
3B C.Jones
CF A.Jones
RF Francoeur
C McCann
LF Diaz
1B Wilson
P James

Just got back to town after a kind of crazy travel day. Two separate flights from NY to DC canceled (one from LaGuardia, one from Newark) so I wound up hopping on board Amtrak instead. Since I was out of the loop while traveling, I couldn't update the previous entry with some pitching news, but here you go, better late than never.

Manny Acta will bump all his starters back a day, so Matt Chico (today's scheduled starter against the Mets) will now pitch tomorrow against Chuck James and the Braves. Jerome Williams goes Tuesday, which means we won't get the much-anticipated Jason Bergmann-John Smoltz rematch. Probably a good thing, because I seem to remember an old saying that goes something like: Lightning never strikes twice in the same place.

Still no word on a makeup date for today's rainout, but as I detailed earlier, there are several options later this season when the Nats return to Shea Stadium.

Sunday's game at Shea Stadium has been postponed due to ... well, this massive storm that's sweeping through the Northeast today. Perhaps you're aware of it. Based on all the TV coverage around here leading up to it, you would have thought the end of the world was near. I'll get back to you if that one happens, but for now, there's just a lot of rain and a lot of wind. It started last night and is going to continue all day, so there was no sense trying to stick around the ballpark to see if conditions improved enough to play.

No makeup date announced. The Nats are scheduled to make two more trips to New York this season: July 27-29 and Sept. 24-26. So they could play a doubleheader on any of those dates. Also, both teams are off Monday, July 30, and Thursday, Sept. 27, so they could just make it up either of those days. Stay tuned.

No word yet on what manager Manny Acta will do with his pitching staff now. Matt Chico was scheduled to start today. Everyone could be bumped back, with Chico starting tomorrow against the Braves at RFK, but maybe Acta wants to skip the kid's turn and let him work on some things before returning to the mound. We'll see.

In the meantime, enjoy your Sunday away from baseball. I'd suggest getting out of the house and getting some fresh air, but unless you enjoy wearing waders, I'm guessing you won't be venturing outside today. Talk to you tomorrow.

Mark Zuckerman's Nationals Mailbag makes its regular-season debut Monday, so send your questions on all things related to this team now to natsmailbag@washingtontimes.com. The best of the crop will be featured in Monday's paper and online.

Well, you can't say the Nationals are making history. We're in the fourth inning now of a scoreless game, and that means Washington has become the first team in major-league history to fail to score in the first three innings of the first 10 games of the season. Let that one sink in for a while.

Some injury news to update everyone on this afternoon: The Nationals have placed reliever Ray King on the 15-day disabled list with left shoulder tendinitis. Not a huge surprise considering that King was going to have to shut himself down for several days anyways while taking anti-inflammatory medication. Might as well not waste his roster spot, so right-hander Saul Rivera has been added to the bullpen.

Rivera had a quietly solid rookie season for the Nats in 2006 (3.43 ERA in 54 appearances) and probably deserved to make the club out of spring training. Only Jesus Colome's surprising performance in Florida -- not to mention the "out" clause he had in his contract -- kept Rivera from being at RFK on Opening Day. Oh well, he's back in the big leagues now after only one outing at Class AAA Columbus.

As for King, he was due to have an MRI this morning and I suppose we'll learn the exact findings of that test later today. He was still hopeful last night that the injury was nothing more than tendinitis, but it's awfully hard to believe that someone who has pitched nine seasons in the major leagues has never developed any real arm trouble. King's only other DL stint in his career came in 2002, when he was out 15 days with elbow tendinitis. Pretty remarkable.

That's all for now. Final game at Turner Field tonight at 7:35, with the Nats turning to Jason Bergmann to try to snap a six-game losing streak. On the mound for Atlanta: some guy named John Smoltz. Try to keep the faith, everyone.

Nothing too dramatic here, just Casto back in the 2-hole after a night off...

SS Lopez
LF Casto
3B Zimmerman
1B Young
RF Kearns
CF Church
2B Belliard
C Schneider
P Williams

Join beat writer Mark Zuckerman for a live chat at 2 p.m. Wednesday. Send your questions on the Nats' rough start to the season, the emotional toll it's taken on the players and all other matters pertaining to this team. Go to Nats Home Plate before the chat or send your inquiries in advance to natsmailbag@washingtontimes.com, then check in at 2 p.m. to see if it was selected.

NATIONALS
SS Felipe Lopez
LF Chris Snelling
3B Ryan Zimmerman
1B Dmitri Young
RF Austin Kearns
CF Ryan Church
2B Ronnie Belliard
C Brian Schneider
P Matt Chico

BRAVES
2B Kelly Johnson
SS Edgar Renteria
3B Chipper Jones
CF Andruw Jones
RF Jeff Francoeur
C Brian McCann
1B Craig Wilson
LF Matt Diaz
P Tim Hudson

Nothing huge to note here, other than Snelling starting in left field for Kory Casto, who was given the day off. Casto's in a 2-for-14 slump since recording his first career RBI last Wednesday and has looked a little lost at the plate. Plus, as manager Manny Acta put it, Snelling needs to play a little bit himself so the team can get a better feel for his capabilities.

... where, stunningly, I don't need my winter coat, gloves and long johns when I step outside. Nope, it's a balmy 62 degrees here today, a much-needed respite from frigid Washington. The Nats are in town to open a three-game series against the Braves (Matt Chico vs. Tim Hudson at 7:35 tonight) and we're about to find out whether this team is capable of playing any better on the road than it did at home. Common sense says it's unlikely, but then again, how could they play any worse?

Not a whole lot new on the major-league front to report yet, so let's turn our attention to the minor leagues (since the Nats' front office is going out of its way to tout its restocked farm system and try to keep attention away from the current big-league product). The best news from week one in the minors is the superb debut for Class AAA right-hander Emiliano Fruto, a reliever who only a week ago was converted into a starter. So how did the hard-throwing, 22-year-old do in his first start? How about six innings of no-hit ball against Louisville? Fruto, acquired last winter from Seattle with Chris Snelling in the Jose Vidro trade, struck out five, walked two and threw 40 of his 61 pitches for strikes. Good stuff, and I know all this because I only received three different e-mails from members of the Nats' PR department this morning touting Fruto's debut. (Hey guys, we get it -- you're trying to pump up the farm system. You don't have to beat us over the head with it.) Oh, and by the way, as impressive as it appears Fruto was on the mound, I still won't be sold until he's able to drive in a man from second with two outs...

OK, so with that out of the way, I thought I'd take this opportunity to start up a new feature on the blog. Seeing as how the Nats are embarking on their first road trip of the season, this might be a good time/place to review the opposing ballparks they play in. Through hard work/dumb luck, I've managed to cover games at all 30 current MLB ballparks, so I suppose I can offer the kind of first-hand perspective few out there can. Hence, a quick tour of Atlanta's Turner Field...

"The Ted" opened for baseball in 1997, about eight months after it served as the main venue for the Atlanta Summer Olympics. These days, you'd never even know they held track and field here. They did a nice job converting a mammoth, Olympic oval stadium into a 50,000-seat ballpark. One of the chief planners for this place, of course, was Stan Kasten, then Braves president and now Nats president. In designing the new Nationals Ballpark, Kasten and the Lerner family definitely incorporated some ideas from Turner Field.

As for this ballpark itself, there isn't really one defining characteristic. It's very clean, well-designed, with a nice shade of navy blue seats that I find preferable to some of the green and red ones found in other parks. There's a large entertainment/concession area behind the outfield that serves as a main entry plaza to the stadium, aimed at keeping non-baseball fans interested (such as the Cartoon Network's "Tooner Field" kids area). There's also a gigantic Coke bottle and play area high above the left-field bleachers. (Are you sensing a corporate theme around here?)

The most noticeable attraction inside the park is the world's largest high definition video board in center field, measuring 72-feet by 80-feet. You can't truly grasp just how big that is until you see it in person. Let me just tell you that it's stunning, and not always in a good way. While it certainly gives fans the ability to see every replay in crystal-clear reception, it's so big and so bright that it often diverts your attention from the field. On more that one occasion, I have caught myself staring at the video board instead of the game playing out beneath it, and I think that kind of defeats the purpose. Look for a similar-quality, but much smaller video board in the Nats' new park next season.

All in all, Turner Field is a fine modern ballpark, though hardly a cathedral in the vein of Camden Yards, PNC Park or AT&T Park. It serves its purpose, but its out-of-the-way location (several miles south of downtown, next to where the old Fulton County Stadium stood) and lack of a signature trait leave it standing somewhere in the middle of the pack among all MLB ballparks.

Just when you thought it couldn't get worse ... Pitching matchups for this week's series at Atlanta:

Tuesday: Matt Chico (0-0, 13.50 ERA) vs. Tim Hudson (0-0, 1.29)
Wednesday: Jerome Williams (0-1, 6.00) vs. Chuck James (1-0, 1.80)
Thursday: Jason Bergmann (0-1, 9.82) vs. John Smoltz (1-0, 3.75)

And for those who forgot/weren't aware: The Nats have scored more than three runs in only one game this season (Wednesday's 7-6 comeback over the Marlins). They had exactly zero hits in 30 at-bats with runners in scoring position against the Diamondbacks over the weekend until Austin Kearns finally singled in Ryan Zimmerman in the eighth inning yesterday.

I know everyone's worried about the starting rotation (and with good reason). But let's not forget about the offense, which to date has been anemic. That wasn't supposed to be the case. This spring, everyone with the Nats was raving about how the lineup would be better than last year's team. Looks like they're missing Alfonso Soriano and (more specifically) Nick Johnson more than we could have imagined.

The biggest concern to me is the lack of any real protection for Zimmerman. This isn't a knock on Kearns, who has gotten off to a good start. But he really shouldn't be hitting cleanup. He's better suited to be a No. 5 or No. 6 hitter in a good lineup. Here, he's being asked to do more than he's really capable. It sounds like Manny Acta will use Dmitri Young as his regular cleanup hitter for the immediate future, and that may help somewhat. Young, for all his issues, is an established major-league hitter who has something of an imposing presence when he's standing in the on-deck circle. The Nats need that so opposing teams can't just pitch around Zimmerman.

Then again, it would help matters if they weren't trailing 3-0 or 4-0 by the third inning every night...

Let's see, opening week of baseball in Washington under new owners. The concessionaire runs out of hot dog buns because they have more people show up than expected for Opening Day. Then the team plays to record-low crowds (granted in very cold weather, just like the team) since baseball returned to Washington three years ago. Oh, and yes, by the way, the team loses six of its first seven games, all at home, and the only thing between the Nationals and the stories being dusted off about the 1988 Orioles and their historic 0-21 start is Jorge Julio blowing a save for the Marlins.

And they just don't lose six out of seven. They lose those six games by a total score of 43-16.

Have we seen this movie before? Major League, 1989? Are the Lerners and Stan Kasten, like Vegas showgirl Rachel Phelps, trying to move the team?

That would make sense. Sabotaging an opening week like this one was would at least be a reasonable explanation for such a disaster. The alternative – that the franchise may simply be this bad – may be harder to swallow.

What also may be another explanation is that maybe the Lerners were sold a fairy tale. When I was speaking to Ted Lerner at the Nationals Foundation dinner on March 31, he asked what I thought when he said that the team's pitching staff would be better than last year's. I told him I didn't think he really wanted to hear what I had to say.

On Opening Day, Mark Lerner was enthusiastic about how the team would play and surprise some people, and it didn't seem like party-line material. He really seemed to believe it. Now the Lerners may ultimately be responsible for the payroll limitations this team is operating under this season. But we really don't know the details and the decision-making process involving the plan. And perhaps the baseball people said, yeah, we can put a team out there for $37 million that won't embarrass you. Maybe that's why general manager Jim Bowden was having an animated conversation at RFK Stadium with pitcher Jason Bergmann, according to the Washington Post. Maybe nerves are already frayed because people are looking bad.

Now they have to play the Braves and the Mets on the road this week. Think about this, that Nationals pitching staff has to face these two teams 36 times this season.

Wild thing, you make my heart sing.

It was bitterly cold. The wind was howling. Snow was blowing around. In other words, it was a great night for baseball on opening night Thursday in Hagerstown.

OK, that might be a bit of a stretch. But the Suns, Washington’s new Class A affiliate in the South Atlantic League, opened the season with a 5-4 loss to Hickory. With the game time temperature at 35 degrees, players from both teams tried to combat the cold with skull caps under their hats, jackets in the dugouts and whatever else they could find.

It was the first chance for fans in this area to see two of the Washington Nationals’ top draft picks from a season ago, as first-rounder Chris Marrero and third-round pick Stephen King made their full-season debuts. This team has a few other interesting prospects, and there are a few potential studs (Esmailyn Gonzalez, Stephen Englund, Glen Gibson and Colton Willems) who remain in Florida and could join the team at some point, but King and Marrero are definitely going to be the center of attention for now.

On this night however, Leonard “OKAYYYY!” Davis stole the show. (NOTE: Lil’ John’s popular song with a title not fit for this, or any other, newspaper is Davis’ intro music and was easily the biggest hit with those who braved the cold. With no PG-rated links to the song to be found, here is a great way to waste time with a few laughs.)

Davis was also a big hit with his bat. He belted doubles to right and left-center in his first two at-bats, dropped a perfect drag bunt the third time up and capped his night with a grand slam in the eighth inning -- a rainbow that barely stayed inside the right field foul pole.

King batted second and started at shortstop while Marrero hit third and played left field. The first thing that sticks out: King is tall. Hagerstown’s media guide actually lists them both at 6-foot-3, but King certainly looks taller than Marrero. As long as he stays at short and is considered a top prospect, he will be compared to guys like Bobby Crosby and Troy Tulowitzki because of his size.

Marrero, as another member of the media pointed out in perfect scout speak, has a “stocky lower half.” The first ball hit to him in left was a blooper toward the foul line, and he looked like a corner infielder masquerading as an outfielder on the play. He did make a couple catches, but he will have some work to do to fit there long term. Some scouts feel he might end up at first, and that might be a good bet to make.

King’s first defensive chance was a beauty -- a bouncer past the mound that he fielded on the other side of the bag. He also gloved one grounder to his right and flashed a strong arm and made a diving catch on a line drive to his left. But he also booted a ground ball hit right at him – he came up to flip it to second but it skipped under his glove.

Marrero had a pretty good night at the plate with a pair of singles. King singled in the first inning and after that, it was a long night. The Hickory pitchers found out pretty quickly that his bat doesn’t like inside fastballs much and they fed him a heavy dose. King struck out three times and grounded out in his other four at-bats. When he missed another inside fastball and struck out to end the game, he slammed his bat off the ground and that stick will not be used again.

Centerfielder Justin Maxwell also struggled with bats breaking. Maxwell defines the “looks good in a uniform” moniker and could be a fantastic defensive centerfielder, but he has work to do at the plate.

Suns starter Marco Estrada was OK. He did not pitch as well as his former Dirtbag teammate Jared Hughes did for Hickory, but the Crawdad hitters did struggle with his sharp curveball the first time through and there was some spotty defense behind him. Jamie Romak, the other guy in the Adam LaRoche deal, hit a home run that might have traveled 600 feet because of the stiff wind blowing out to right field at the time.

Despite the cold, it was a good trip. While Municipal Stadium certainly lacks modern amenities, it does have a certain charm. The Hagerbrat is recommended, while the French fries maybe not so much. For Nats fans who want to watch this organization build from the ground up, a few trips to Hagerstown this summer should be in order.

Oops, forgot to mention before that the Nats Mailbag will be returning on Monday and will continue to run each week all season. Send your questions to natsmailbag@washingtontimes.com, or click on the mailbag link on the Nats Home Plate home page, then check out the paper Monday to see if your question was answered.

This just in: It's cold here. No, really, really cold. Like, so cold I wouldn't be surprised to see flurries during tonight's game. Or a flying sleigh being carried by eight reindeer. It'll be very interesting to see how many hearty souls show up for the always-enticing Jason Bergmann-Edgar Gonzalez duel. My guess is we may set a new Nationals attendance low tonight.

Not that the home team is affected by it. The Nats remained a loose and happy bunch today, still aglow from yesterday's ninth-inning rally and first win of the season. Amazing what one win can do for you. "A lot," manager Manny Acta said. "It's a lot of weight lifted off your shoulders."

Dmitri Young was one of the stars of yesterday's game, and he made a little news today by announcing he's going to wear uniform No. 42 on April 15 to honor Jackie Robinson. MLB is giving special permission to players to wear Robinson's old number on the 60th anniversary of his debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers, and Young (one of four African-Americans on the Nats roster, with Nook Logan, Ray King and Jerome Williams) was ecstatic to make the one-day change. "It's like being king for a day," he said.

Saw ex-Nats ace Livan Hernandez in the Diamondbacks clubhouse before the game. Looks good, perhaps has even lost a little weight. He'll be starting Sunday afternoon against Shawn Hill, and all indications are that we'll be seeing the Livo of old, not the one who looked past his prime early last season. Talked to some Diamondbacks people who have been following him all spring, and apparently his velocity is back up in the mid-to-upper 80s. (Remember those games last year when he struggled to his 82 on the radar gun?)

Same lineup for the Nats tonight as yesterday (Lopez, Casto, Zim, Kearns, Young, Schneider, Church and Belliard) with Jason Bergmann on the mound. It'd be nice if Bergmann could become the first Nats starter to pitch into the sixth, but that may be too much to ask for on a frigid night. If you're coming out to the park, bundle up. If you're watching on TV at home, try not to gloat too much!