It's 6-3 Nationals in the sixth, and the biggest development here today is the production of their top two hitters. Cristian Guzman and Lastings Milledge have combined for three hits and four runs, including Milledge's two-run homer to left in the sixth inning. That was set up by Guzman beating out an throw from shorstop Jimmy Rollins for a two-out infield hit.

Matt Chico just gave up a homer to Chase Utley, but otherwise, he's winning in classic Chico fashion. He's thrown 93 pitches, just 53 of them strikes, and three of his four strikeouts came in an inning where he gave up a run. In the fifth, he gave up three straight singles, then got back-to-back strikeouts and a popup to escape with just one run. Manny Acta just lifted him for Joel Hanrahan, who came in and picked up right where he left off in spring training: He struck out Pat Burrell and Pedro Feliz in succession to end the inning and preserve the lead.

How's everyone doing so far today? Still aglow from last night's theatrics? I've heard there was still a buzz around town this morning, though I had long since hit the road for Philadelphia to get to experience it myself.

The Nats enjoyed a nice bus ride up last night, watched "No Country for Old Men," which seemed to have confused plenty of people. Perhaps the fact they were watching it at about 2 a.m. had something to do with that. Some bleary-eyed looking guys in the clubhouse today, but everyone's ready to get going with the real grind of the season.

Some pregame news items...

Chad Cordero still insists he's going to be fine, just needs a couple of days to recover from the cortisone shot he received yesterday. The team will reevaluate him Wednesday, but they've recalled Chris Schroder from Columbus (more on him in a second) and given themselves plenty of relief options to get them through the next few days.

Willie Harris will be starting in left field today, and likely for the immediate future while both Elijah Dukes and Wily Mo Pena recover from their injuries. Dukes reaggravated his strained hamstring last night and was placed on the 15-day DL. Pena is still recovering from a pulled oblique muscle, though he appears to be making progress and may not be that far off. If, however, neither Pena nor Dukes is ready soon, the Nats might have to consider some other options. Harris really isn't an ideal choice as an everyday left fielder. He's great as a fill-in, but he's more valuable as a utility guy off the bench who can play all kinds of positions. Same for Rob Mackowiak. Manny Acta did admit today that the club considered recalling Justin Maxwell from Harrisburg, and I wouldn't be stunned if at some point that happened, especially if the Nats need a starting left fielder for an extended period of time.

Schroder's story: He and his wife were driving from Viera to Columbus yesterday and had gotten to western Virginia when he got the call that Dukes was going on the DL and he needed to make it to Philly ASAP. So they turned the car around, backtracked a bit to reconnect to I-95, drove til about 2 a.m. and found a place to sleep a few hours. Woke up really early and hit the road again, made it to the ballpark around 11:30 this morning. All their belongings are packed in their car. Who says the life of a big-leaguer is glamorous?

With that, here's today's lineups...

NATIONALS
SS Cristian Guzman
CF Lastings Milledge
3B Ryan Zimmerman
1B Nick Johnson
RF Austin Kearns
C Paul Lo Duca
2B Ronnie Belliard
LF Willie Harris
P Matt Chico

PHILLIES
SS Jimmy Rollins
CF Shane Victorino
2B Chase Utley
1B Ryan Howard
LF Pat Burrell
3B Pedro Feliz
RF Jayson Werth
C Carlos Ruiz
P Brett Myers

Tarp's on the field and there's been a light drizzle all day, but they say they're going to get this game in. Enjoy!

Here you go, the starting lineups for the historic first game at Nationals Park...

NATIONALS
SS Cristian Guzman
CF Lastings Milledge
3B Ryan Zimmerman
1B Nick Johnson
RF Austin Kearns
C Paul Lo Duca
LF Elijah Dukes
2B Ronnie Belliard
P Odalis Perez

BRAVES
2B Kelly Johnson
SS Yunel Escobar
3B Chipper Jones
1B Mark Teixeira
RF Jeff Francoeur
C Brian McCann
LF Matt Diaz
CF Mark Kotsay
P Tim Hudson

Fans have been filtering into the park, mostly hanging out around the outfield plazas, though a few have made their way to the dugout railings. Security was tight outside, be prepared to wait in line for a while. Sky is overcast, temps are in the mid-40s and the wind is blowing in lightly from right field.

It's about five hours before gametime, and I've arrived at Nationals Park for tonight's opener. Security is like nothing I've ever seen. Secret service and other security personnel are at every corner, and the inspection at the media entrance took 25 minutes. The Secret Service inspected my bag, asked me turn on my computer and even took a test photo with my digital camera. It's as if the president were coming or something. Jeez.

Fans won't be allowed in until 3:30, but there is already a long line down First Street for fans looking to get the $5 tickets for the game. I was told that tickets would only be distributed at the main box office, but it appears they are sending the line around the corner. (The team had said fans would not be permitted to line up before 3 p.m. but I think that's unenforceable.)

The block of Half Street stretching from the Navy Metro station to the ballpark has been decorated with arches of red and white balloons, and they've placed a red tarp down right in front of the main entrance.

Ground crews are getting the field ready for play; they are carving the curly "W" into the centerfield grass. In a few hours, the first season at Nationals Park will officially be under way.

Many Nationals fans will be seeing the team's new ballpark for the first time tonight, but the rest of the country will also see it live as part of ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball coverage.

The sports network has the exclusive rights to show the game live nationwide, and officials believe that it marks the first time Sunday Night Baseball has broadcast an opening game live from a brand-new ballpark.

ESPN will have about 80 workers on hand and at least 16 cameras throughout the ballpark. The network plans to open its coverage with a shot of the Capitol Dome.

"This will be seen worldwide on all of our platforms," said Tim Scanlan, ESPN's vice president of event production, in an interview this morning. "In terms of taking the Nationals brand and putting out there, this is a pretty smart move by baseball."

It was, of course, touch and go as to whether ESPN would even get to televise this game. Scanlan said the network and baseball identified the first game at Nationals Park as a potential opener early on, but the ongoing construction of the ballpark created uncertainty.

"Because of the new park, we knew that was a guaranteed story going in," Scanlan said. "The conversation with baseball started real early. The big issue was whether they'd be able to finish the stadium in time."

Production crews were invited to the ballpark in February to scout locations. Crews arrived Friday for the game and watched MASN's coverage of last night's exhibition game to get a sense of how the game could look on television.

"As of Friday we were confident from a video standpoint we were getting everything from our cameras," said Tom Archer, coordinating producer for Sunday Night Baseball.

The stadium will obviously be the main storyline during tonight's broadcast. Archer said the network plans to show many shots of the Presidents Club, featuring photos of various heads of state throwing out the first pitch at old Senators games. President Bush, who is throwing out the first pitch tonight, has been invited into the booth to speak with announcers Jon Miller and Joe Morgan during the third inning.

"He's a baseball fan," Archer said. "I'd love to give him a little bit of time off. The guy works hard. If he can come up and exhale and enjoy, then good on us for giving him the night off, especially since he's leaving for the NATO summit at 7 a.m. the next morning."

Archer and Scanlan, who have been to virtually every ballpark in the country, said they have yet to get a sense of where the ballpark ranks among other stadiums in the country. But Archer said he believes the ballpark has an open feel, particularly around the concourses, that puts it at least on part with the other baseball-only facilities built over the last two decades.

"The advent of the open concourse is one of the best things they've ever done to a ballpark," Archer said. "The fact that all the new ones share that trait almost puts them all on the same plane. Every one has an interesting aspect to them, but they feel more baseball. Once we watch the game tonight, I'll have a better sense of what I think from a television perspective."

Peter Gammons, who will serve as a sideline reporter for tonight's game, said "this is a great ballpark. It's just astounding." He said the construction of Nationals Park serves as a reminder of the impact of Camden Yards, which he said triggered a trend in retro-style parks that is the most significant thing to happen to baseball since Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier.

Guys, I'll have another one coming later about ESPN...got comments from their producers as well as Peter Gammons. But this one's just a recap of last night with some detail I didn't get into the main story.

Thought I'd offer some detail about Nationals Park that I wasn't about expound upon in our 25 cent edition today.

Generally, it seemed like things went well last night. I toured the ballpark for the entire game, seeing not one pitch, and talked to scores of fans. They all seemed to be enjoying themselves. If there was one comment I heard more than any other it was to compliment the "openness" of the concourses. And for sure, this ballpark has some wide-open spaces, particularly in the area behind the main scoreboard.

There were some long lines at various concession spots, but Nats President Stan Kasten said that every single point of sale was operational, meaning there were no computer snafus that caused any stands to be shut down.

Not surprisingly, the lines at Ben's Chili Bowl were incredibly long, often as many as 100 fans deep.

"We asked the guy who was at Ben's 'Hey, are you having a problem?'" Kasten said. "He said 'no, no, this is what we do everyday. This is how it is.' That's not the answer I was looking for, so we're going to work on that."

Kasten said the lines at Ben's may diminish as fans realize that they can get a Ben's half-smoke at 12 other concession stands around the ballpark.

Another problem area last night appeared to be at the PNC Diamond Club, where there was some confusion over whether fans would get free food with their tickets. Kasten said the problem stemmed from the fact that the tickets for the exhibition game were comped, and so the computer system in the restaurant didn't know how to process them. It won't be an issue for tonight's game, because the tickets are paid for and pre-loaded with a certain amount of food credits.

As for getting to and from the ballpark, I think the general consensus is that Metro needs to find a way to prevent the massive crowding on some of the platforms. There was a lot going on in the city yesterday, but I know from personal experience and from talking to fans that there just simply weren't enough trains coming through some of the largest stations on the way to the ballpark. I got on Metro at L'Enfant Plaza and had to wait a full 13 minutes for a train. That's far too long a wait when the platform is already packed with people.

I did not have the chance to speak to anyone who took the free shuttle from RFK, but one Nats official said that things were going surprisingly smoothly and that it could become one of the more popular options for fans. A big test will be whether it all works well during a weeknight when there's rush hour traffic to contend with.

The Nationals' first (unofficial) game is in the books, and though there were a few rough spots, the team looked solid in a 3-0 win. Some highlights: Jason Bergmann's first pitch was a ball, Nick Johnson had the first hit and first RBI (a single to center), Cristian Guzman scored the first run, Bergmann got the first win (after allowing one hit, striking out four and walking three in five innings) and Mike O'Connor got the first save.

Of course, none of this is official. So if you're the type of person who measures firsts in the regular season, disregard everything you just read.

If you're looking for concerns about the team's performance, two stick out

- First, Bergmann's control was less than stellar. That certainly has something to do with the chilly temperatures (53 degrees at game time, or about a 25-degree drop from what the team has been used to for the last month). But the starter wasn't terribly happy with himself in that department.

- Also, the Nationals left 11 runners on base, including nine in scoring position. They got runners in scoring position with one out several times, only to watch rallies die. But there's plenty of time to knock the rust off.

The official opening, of course, is tomorrow night at 8:05 p.m. against the Braves, before such dignitaries as President Bush and American Idol finalist Elliot Yamin -- well, one out of two, anyway. Odalis Perez will face Tim Hudson, who is 5-1 with a 1.09 ERA in eight lifetime starts against the Nationals. See you tomorrow night.

The Nationals recommend arriving at Nationals Park by 6:30 p.m. because of the security and street closings associated with President Bush's arrival.

- Metro is your best bet. There will be 15 extra Green Line trains running and four extra on the Red and Orange lines.

- If you don't already have a parking spot, and you must drive, head to RFK Stadium and take the free shuttle to Nationals Park.

Well, Manny Acta said all his regulars would be in the lineup today, and here's his lineup:

SS Cristian Guzman
CF Lastings Milledge
3B Ryan Zimmerman
1B Nick Johnson
DH Dmitri Young
RF Austin Kearns
C Paul Lo Duca
LF Elijah Dukes
2B Ronnie Belliard
P Jason Bergmann

Obviously, there won't be a DH after today, but otherwise, it would appear this is the Nats' everyday lineup. Which means Nick Johnson is the starting first baseman, Ronnie Belliard is the starting second baseman and Felipe Lopez and Dmitri Young are on the bench. I suspect we'll hear this officially from Acta later today.

The park looks great and ready to go. If you're coming tonight, bring layers. It's going to be chilly out here.

Believe it or not, I'm currently sitting in the press box at Nationals Park. Man, this place looks fabulous. I've got to give them credit -- they pulled this thing off, and it's a thing of beauty. The field looks pristine.

The clubhouse is huge (Joel Hanrahan, whose locker is at one end, suggested they add an intercom system so he can talk to Dmitri Young, who is about a football field away at the other end). The HD scoreboard is, well, spectacular.

Manny Acta is currently meeting with his players, the only time he plans to speak to everyone as a group before the season starts. Everyone will emerge from the dugout around 6 p.m. for the first workout at the park, something that is highly anticipated. Players want to find out how the field plays, how the balls bounce off the wall, how thick the grass is, how the ball travels in the air.

This in particular is a concern, because the wind is blowing in pretty strong from left field, right in between the two parking garages. It then appears to swirl around the stadium and blows out to right field. This has been one theory for a while about how this park will play, and it bears watching.

PA announcer just ran through a test, saying: "Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States." Yep, this is really happening now.

Nationals Park formally opens this weekend with an exhibition game between the Nats and Orioles on Saturday, followed by the official home opener on Sunday night against the Braves.

The Washington Times' sports business reporter Tim Lemke will host a live chat on Friday at 1 p.m. to talk about what to look for, how to get there and, of course, answer any questions from fans. He'll also be happy to answer any other questions related to ticket sales, concessions, sponsorships or other sports business matters.

If you have a question but can't make it back Friday at 1 p.m., send an e-mail to Tim at natsmailbag@washingtontimes.com.

The Nationals and Orioles are tied 1-1 after five innings at Space Coast Stadium. Felipe Lopez, who has struggled all spring, hit a solo homer to right in the third. John Lannan continues to impress, striking out four and allowing three hits through five innings. If Shawn Hill can't pitch on April 13, Washington shouldn't have any qualms about calling Lannan up from Class AAA Columbus.

Lastings Milledge fouled a pitch off his left shin in the fifth inning. He limped out of the batter's box and toppled in the grass, but was able to get back in and finish his at-bat (a flyout to left). The Nationals replaced him with minor-leaguer Michael Daniel for the top of the sixth.

Hi Folks,

Thom Loverro will be on SportsTalk 980 again today as an in-studio guest on the Sports Reporters program from 4 to 7 p.m.

Today's topic: Baseball. So grab your Nationals Special Section (at 25 cents, it's a steal), on news stands today, and follow along and give the boys a buzz.

Greetings from Viera, one last time. The Nationals are taking on the Orioles today in their last spring training game at Space Coast Stadium. They'll fly back to Washington tonight and head over to Nationals Park to check out their new digs. Most of the players haven't seen the finished stadium, so they'll spend some time tonight poking around the field, dugout and clubhouse and seeing what the place is like. Manny Acta said he expects it "might turn out to be a longer time than we want to spend over there."

Here's the lineup today:

SS Felipe Lopez
CF Lastings Milledge
DH Ryan Zimmerman
1B Dmitri Young
RF Austin Kearns
2B Ronnie Belliard
3B Aaron Boone
LF Rob Mackowiak
C Jesus Flores

P John Lannan

In case any of you loyal readers out there haven't seen it yet today either in print or online, the Times published two special preview sections: one on the Nats and MLB going into 2008, and one on the new ballpark. They're really well done, and I don't just say that because I wrote a couple of articles that are included.

Top to bottom, this is an outstanding preview for the upcoming season, and credit goes to my colleagues Ben Goessling, Thom Loverro, Tim Lemke, photographers Peter Lockley and Rod Lamkey and editors Mark Hartsell, Harrison Goodman and John Taylor for making the whole thing look so great.

Here's a link to a page that has just about everything from both sections, including several PDF files with graphics and photos. But do yourself a favor and fork over the 25 cents to buy a hard copy of the paper, because both sections are worth seeing in hard-copy form.

The Braves ended up winning this one 10-2 after tagging Ray King for five runs in the 1/3 of an inning he pitched. The left-hander picked a good time to have a bad outing, though, because as expected, he's on the final roster.

That leads us to more important news: The Nationals' Opening Day roster is set. The team made the following moves to get to 25:

- Placed catcher Johnny Estrada (right elbow) on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to March 21.
- Outrighted Ryan Langerhans, who cleared waivers, to Triple-A Columbus
- Optioned starting pitcher John Lannan to Triple-A
- Reassigned infielder Pete Orr to minor league camp
- Optioned relief pitcher Chris Schroder to Triple-A

Langerhans, Orr, Schroder, catcher Wil Nieves and pitchers Garrett Mock and Mike O'Connor will join the team for its Saturday exhibition against Baltimore at Nationals Park.

Here is the Opening Day roster:

INFIELDERS (7)
Aaron Boone
Ronnie Belliard
Cristian Guzman
Nick Johnson
Felipe Lopez
Dmitri Young
Ryan Zimmerman

OUTFIELDERS (5)

Elijah Dukes
Willie Harris
Austin Kearns
Rob Mackowiak
Lastings Milledge

STARTERS (4)

Odalis Perez
Matt Chico
Tim Redding
Jason Bergmann

RELIEVERS (7)

Luis Ayala
Jesus Colome
Chad Cordero
Joel Hanrahan
Ray King
Jon Rauch
Saul Rivera

No big shockers, although Hanrahan and Perez have to be the biggest surprises of camp. Perez will start Opening Day against the Braves, while Hanrahan looks like he could be a valuable arm out of the bullpen after spending his whole careeer as a starter.

We'll be back with more tomorrow for the Nationals' last game of the spring at Space Coast Stadium. First pitch is at 1:05 p.m.

Opera singer Denyce Graves, former "American Idol" finalist Elliot Yamin and F-16 fighter jets from the DC Air National Guard will be among the special guests when the Nationals Park makes its official debut on Sunday Night.

The Nationals confirmed that President Bush will throw out the first pitch, escorted to the mound by team owner Theodore N. "Ted" Lerner, manager Manny Acta and third baseman Ryan Zimmerman.

Graves, a native of D.C. and a graduate of the Duke Ellington School for the Performing Arts, will sing the National Anthem.

Other pre-game events will include the showing of a special video on the Nationals 4,811 square foot video board, followed by the unfurling of two large American flags in the outfield with a flyover from the F-16s. Nationals broadcaster and Hall-of-Famer Don Sutton will act as emcee. D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty will also be on hand to to announce "Washington...Let's Play Ball."

Yamin, a Richmond native, will sing "God Bless America" prior to the 7th inning stretch.
Nationals Park will open at 3:30 p.m., nearly five hours before the first pitch. All fans will receive rally towel and lanyard as they walk in and will be greeted by a Dixieland jazz band and barbershop quartet.

- Tim Lemke

After faring relatively well through the fourth inning, Matt Chico started to struggle in the fifth. The Braves scored two off him in the inning, and got another run in the sixth. He got out of a one-out jam in the sixth with runners on second and third, but the outing didn't end as smoothly as he would have liked.

Chico's final line: 5 2/3 innings, 7 hits, 5 runs (all earned), 1 walk, 2 strikeouts, 83 pitches (51 strikes).

It's 5-2 Braves in the bottom of the seventh.

The Nationals just ended a scoreless streak of 14 innings -- stretching back to Ryan Zimmerman's eighth-inning homer on Monday -- by scoring two in the fifth inning of this one to tie the game. Cristian Guzman and Lastings Milledge ripped back-to-back doubles, but give some credit to Matt Chico, who dropped a perfect bunt down the third-base line to move Willie Harris over to second.

Chico has been solid on the mound, too. He gave up a two-run homer to Mark Teixeira, but the Braves have managed two other hits off of him. In his third start after switching to a high leg kick, his fastball is consistently around 88 mph, or about a 3-mph jump from where it was before.

Nationals Park formally opens this weekend with an exhibition game between the Nats and Orioles on Saturday, followed by the official home opener on Sunday night against the Braves.

The Washington Times' sports business reporter Tim Lemke will host a live chat on Friday at 1 p.m. to talk about what to look for, how to get there and, of course, answer any questions from fans. He'll also be happy to answer any other questions related to ticket sales, concessions, sponsorships or other sports business matters.

If you have a question but can't make it back Friday at 1 p.m., send an e-mail to Tim at tlemke@washingtontimes.com.

The Nationals are at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex today for their last road game of spring training against the Atlanta Braves. They'll play a home game against the Orioles tomorrow afternoon, followed by an exhibition at Nationals Park against Baltimore on Saturday night.

Sounds like the team is going to announce its 25-man roster after the game today. General manager Jim Bowden said this morning there were some tough decisions and in particular cited two pitchers who he said deserve to be here but have minor-league options. That probably means John Lannan and Chris Schroder are heading to the minors -- no big surprise there. We'll keep you posted.

In the meantime, here is today's lineup:

SS Cristian Guzman
CF Lastings Milledge
3B Ryan Zimmerman
1B Nick Johnson
RF Austin Kearns
C Paul Lo Duca
LF Rob Mackowiak
2B Willie Harris
P Matt Chico

Be sure to check back in about 40 minutes for Mark Zuckerman's last live chat from spring training.

Got a question now but can't make it at 1 p.m.? Send an e-mail to natsmailbag@washingtontimes.com.

We're already through seven innings here at Roger Dean Stadium. Cardinals lead the Nats 3-0, with not much happening offensively for D.C. -- singles by Milledge, Johnson and Odalis Perez off Anthony Reyes.

Perez wasn't quite as effective -- he allowed three runs on seven hits in six innings -- but that's a bit misleading. The veteran lefty dominated for five innings, then ran into trouble in the sixth and wasn't helped when left fielder Rob Mackowiak lost a fly ball in the sun. That helped allow the final two runs to score.

Overall, I'd say Perez looks as ready as he'll ever be for Opening Night. He may not have the pedigree of Tim Hudson, but he's had a nice spring and he's genuinely appreciative of the opportunity he's been given. I look for him to keep the Nats in the ballgame.

Of course, if these guys struggle to hit like they have today, it won't matter how well Perez pitches.

Just got back from Shawn HIll's two-inning start against the Dodgers' Class A club over at the Nats' minor league complex. Hill wasn't totally sharp with his command in his first game action of the spring, but of more concern to him was the fact his forearm felt strong.

With Manny Acta and Pat Corrales watching from a golf cart, Hill retired the side in the first. He allowed a double, a walk and a single in the second but struck out two. He threw first-pitch balls to seven of the nine batters he faced. Final line: 2 ip, 2 h, 2 r, 1 bb, 2 k. 39 pitches, 23 strikes. His fastball was clocked at 91 mph.

Hill's evaluation of his pitching performance: "So-so. But to be honest, I really didn't care how I did. It was more how I felt today."

And how did Shawn feel? "I was really tight and in a little bit of pain when I was warming up. It's still tight, but when I got going ... it felt better."

What it amounts to is this: Hill is going to be pitching in pain for the foreseeable future. He knows this. It's just a matter of how much he can tolerate it.

"Whatever's causing pain, I'm not going to hurt myself by throwing," he said. "And we're still trying to find out what might be wrong. Until we find out, I might as well keep throwing because if I can tolerate pain, I can continue to throw. It hurts like hell sometimes. Today it didn't really hurt that bad."

The plan from here: Hill is now on a five-day pitching schedule. He'll throw three innings in another minor-league game on Saturday, then four innings on April 3, then five innings on April 8. If everything works out, he still hopes to pitch for the Nats on April 13.

Meanwhile, in the big-league game, the Tigers currently lead 3-1 in the sixth. Jason Bergmann just departed in favor of Joel Hanrahan. His line: 5.2 ip, 7 h, 3 r, 2 er, 2 bb, 4 k.

Several little bits of info to pass on already this fine morning...

-- Tim Redding, who came out of yesterday's game with back spasms, will see a doctor later today but the Nats aren't concerned at this point that the injury is serious and Redding remains committed to not missing any time.

-- It didn't make the blog last night because the news came down late, but Wil Nieves was reassigned to minor-league camp, which means that Jesus Flores will make the Opening Day roster as the No. 2 catcher. The club, however, does not expect Flores to remain there for long, because Johnny Estrada should be ready to return from his elbow injury within a couple weeks. Estrada went through some throwing drills this morning, firing from a crouch to second base and looked strong.

-- Shawn Hill throws two innings in a minor-league game this afternoon, his first game-like outing this spring. I'll head over there to watch it and report back to you on how he looks.

-- It appears John Patterson will sign a minor-league deal with the Texas Rangers and report to Class AAA Oklahoma City. If that indeed is formalized, that could be a good situation for Patterson. He's from Texas, and the Rangers' rotation is loaded with question marks, so you've got to think there would be an opportunity for him to crack the big-league rotation if he pitches well.

Today's lineup against the Tigers:
SS Cristian Guzman
CF Lastings Milledge
3B Ryan Zimmerman
1B Dmitri Young
RF Austin Kearns
C Paul Lo Duca
DH Elijah Dukes
2B Felipe Lopez
LF Willie Harris
P Jason Bergmann

Tim Redding said he hopes his back spasms aren't serious enough to keep him from missing his first start of the season, and the Nationals are proceeding as though he'll be OK (although the club is putting together a contingency plan that would ensure someone else -- probably John Lannan -- could slide into Redding's spot and start April 2 in Philadelphia if needed).

Redding began today's game against the Marlins with three scoreless innings, but as he was warming up for the fourth, he noticed some tightness on the right side of his back. He thinks it might have stemmed from him running the bases the previous inning on a bunt. Redding didn't think too much of it and felt he could push through it, but as the fourth inning went on he realized he was causing more damage than good. After throwing a low pitch that got by catcher Paul Lo Duca, he felt something "grab" and he hunched over and called for a trainer.

"I'm hard headed," he said. "I'm usually the one that tries to push the envelope and see if I can get out of the inning. Fortuantely enough it was a spring training game where it's not going to cost us any ground in the season. But at the same time for health reasons, I probably should have said something right away."

The prognosis, though, is good. Redding wasn't in any pain after some ice treatment and he plans to throw his regular bullpen session on Tuesday, then pitch in a minor-league game down here Friday (since the team doesn't have a game that day, only a workout at Nationals Park).

But if there is a silver lining, it's that the Nats feel more comfortable turning to their minor-league staff to find a replacement starter now than they did in the past.

"We have options this year," Manny Acta said. "That's what gives you a little more peace of mind."

Marlins won the game, 4-2. Lo Duca caught six innings and went 0-for-3 but reported no problems with his knee. Elijah Dukes played all nine innings and said his hamstring felt fine.

Oh, and Ray King (who was wearinig No. 92 because he forgot to pack his jersey!) wound up getting a plate appearance and dropping down a mighty impressive sacrifice bunt.

The medical report on Tim Redding just came in. He has right thoracic spasms. What does that mean? Apparently, he has spasms in the right part of his upper back.

Doesn't sound terribly serious, but we'll have to wait and see what Redding has to say and how he looks. For now, he's just getting treatment and is being monitored.

If that's all it is, there could be a huge sigh of relief coming out of the Nats' dugout.

Meanwhile, for those interested in the game, the Marlins lead 4-2 in the top of the seventh.

Here is the last thing the Nationals needed to happen: Have a starting pitcher go down.

Tim Redding just came out of today's game in the fourth inning after throwing a 1-0 pitch to Luis Gonzalez that got past catcher Paul Lo Duca and was scored a passed ball. Redding immediately bent over at the waist and motioned for a trainer and was escorted off the field. Manny Acta could only stand there with hands on hips as he signaled for the bullpen and pondered how serious of a blow this might be.

Redding, as you know, is slated to be the No. 3 starter, opening next Wednesday at Philadelphia. We'll have to see what his status is, but all of a sudden you've got to wonder whether Matt Chico and John Lannan might both be in the rotation when this thing's all said and done.

Updates when we have them.

Hello from Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter for like the 27th time this spring. It feels like the Nats have played more games here this spring than Space Coast Stadium. And we still get to come back one more time on Tuesday!

(Sorry, can you tell some of us are ready to come home?)

Anyways, some minor news to report as the Nats and Marlins prepare to get going. Washington managed to work out a trade with the Twins to keep Rule 5 draftee Garrett Guzman in the organization. Minnesota will get a player to be named later or cash in exchange for Guzman, who has played pretty well this spring but had no real chance to make the club. Jim Bowden said the outfielder will start the season at Columbus, and the organization believes he could help out at some point as a fourth or fifth outfielder.

Bowden also said this morning that the Nats aren't close to making any trades involving their excess infielders (Felipe Lopez, Ronnie Belliard, Dmitri Young) and suggested that the club will open the season with all of those players on the roster, even if they'll be coming off the bench. From what I've gathered through several sources, Lopez has drawn interest from both the Cubs and the Orioles (though his status is in many ways dependent on whether those two teams finally complete a deal for Brian Roberts). Several teams have shown interest in Belliard, but the Nats have no interest in trading him.

OK, today's lineup:

SS Cristian Guzman
C Paul Lo Duca
CF Lastings Milledge
1B Nick Johnson
LF Elijah Dukes
RF Rob Mackowiak
2B Ronnie Belliard
3B Aaron Boone
P Tim Redding

Here are some observations about Nationals Park after the exhibition game Saturday between George Washington University and St. Joseph's:

The most interesting thing was the wall behind home plate. One wild pitch that got away during the game hit the wall -- made of jagged blocks, with various angles available -- bounced right back quickly to home plate. The potential is there for the ball to carom in different directions, and will make baserunning on such plays an adventure. Kasten said he called general manager Jim Bowden immediately after seeing how the ball came off the back wall to let him know it will be a factor.

The wind was blowing in throughout the game, coming in between the two parking garages.

The batter's eye seemed strong, with a green center field backdrop that seemed to make it easy to pick up the ball; based on the 13 runs scored yesterday, batters got a pretty good look at pitches.

The center field plaza where most people will enter is very impressive, with a lot of space and activities and a great view of the field as you come in. And the Racing Presidents are everywhere, including in the future part of a "Build A Bear" shop.

There is a new Washington Hall of Stars banner, not quite as large as the one at RFK Stadium, but still prominently displayed on the side of one of the parking garages and visible to everyone in the ballpark.

The President' Club, to accommodate the big spenders behind home plate, reeks of power, and has one particular asset I doubt you will find in any other ballpark -- you can see the indoor batting cages from the club, behind a glass wall, as well as the interview room where the post-game press conferences will take place.

The 4,800-square foot HD video board presents amazingly sharp images.

Prepare to be impressed.

Nats beat the Braves, 4-1, behind six strong innings from John Lannan and a well-balanced offensive attack that included two hits from Felipe Lopez, Ryan Zimmerman, Nick Johnson, Austin Kearns and Rob Mackowiak.

But the big postgame news from Manny Acta had nothing to do with that. He officially named Odalis Perez as his Opening Night starter.

"He earned it," the manager said of Perez, who signed as a minor-league free agent one week into camp and wound up earning the top spot in the rotation.

"We just never knew what we were going to get out of [Shawn] Hill and [John] Patterson, health-wise," Acta added. "So this was kind of the Plan B all the way. That's why he was slated there."

This will be the first time Perez, 30, has started on Opening Day in his career and he was both surprised and appreciative upon learning the news from Acta.

"I feel very fortunate to be able to come into this team just trying to make the team, and to hear the news that I'm going to be the No. 1 guy, that makes me feel the job I have done came out with good results," he said. "I'm happy I'm getting this opportunity that a lot of people wanted."

Perez's story is an unlikely one. Consider that of all 30 projected Opening Day starters in baseball, he will have by far the highest 2007 ERA (5.57 with Kansas City). His opponent on March 30, Tim Hudson, had a 3.33 ERA last year, eighth among all of this season's Opening Day hurlers.

"I knew if I came to this team, I might have a chance to be in the starting rotation," Perez said. "But not to be No. 1, that never crossed my mind."

Hardly a shocking development, but the Nats have officially purchased Ray King's contract. That ensures the veteran left-hander will make the Opening Day roster, and pretty much finalizes Washington's bullpen as thus:

RHP Chad Cordero
RHP Jon Rauch
RHP Luis Ayala
RHP Saul Rivera
LHP Ray King
RHP Jesus Colome
RHP Joel Hanrahan

That last spot hasn't been formally revealed, but everyone agrees Hanrahan will beat out Chris Schroder, both because of his dominant performance this spring but also because he's out of options and Schroder still has them.

Oh, and lest I forget, here's today's starting lineup against Jair Jurjjens and the Braves:

SS Felipe Lopez
CF Lastings Milledge
3B Ryan Zimmerman
1B Nick Johnson
RF Austin Kearns
LF Rob Mackowiak
2B Ronnie Belliard
C Jesus Flores
P John Lannan

Today the honor of the first baseball game to be played at Nationals Park will go to a group of college students from George Washington University and St. Joseph's from Philadelphia.

You have to wonder if John Patterson will ever pitch there -- as an opponent.

The Nationals made a stunning move by releasing Patterson this week. His value had diminished so much that it is clear the club couldn't even get a toss-in minor leaguer in a deal for him. Everyone had seen enough this spring to know that he is far away from being the Patterson who was so effective in 2005. If he wants to pitch somewhere now, he will likely have to accept some sort of minor league assignment -- or even an Atlantic League job, to prove himself all over again.

The most interesting thing about the Patterson decision was his belief that owner Mark Lerner was involved in the decision. This is the first time one of the Lerners names has come up involving a baseball decision. Whether it is true or not, it is worth wondering if this was just Patterson's own paranoias, or if the word in the clubhouse is that the Lerners are feeling more empowered to step into baseball matters. There has been no evidence of that to date.

The first National to pitch in a regular season game -- opening night March 30 against Atlanta -- appears to be Odalis Perez, and he is probably the best choice at this point. Managers line up their pitching rotations weeks in advance to go into the season, and there was no clear cut choice weeks ago to line for up the opening night start, as there was when, say, Livan Hernandez was here. You mess with the days of rest for a pitcher during a playoff run, not to accommodate an opening night start.

Perez has pitched in 222 major league games, five postseason games and an All Star Game. He has by far the most experience to handle such a big stage -- opening night on ESPN in the new ballpark -- and would be the least affected mentally if it turned out to be a disaster. He is one cool customer.

We had been assuming for weeks now that John Smoltz would be on the mound for the Braves Opening Night at Nationals Park, but that's not the plan anymore. As David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution just told us, Smoltz is battling a sore shoulder, which caused the Braves to juggle their rotation around a bit.

So it'll be Tim Hudson on Opening Night, not necessarily good news for the Nats, because Hudson owns them. In eight career starts against the Washington franchise, he's 5-1 with (get this) a 1.09 ERA and a 46/9 strikeout/walk ratio. Good luck with that, guys.

Hudson's opponent still hasn't been announced, but as we've been saying for a couple weeks now, Odalis Perez remains on schedule to pitch the opener. I suspect Manny Acta will make that official following Perez's next (and final) spring start: Tuesday in Jupiter.

Good morning from Viera, where the Nationals continue to make progress toward finalizing their 25-man roster. Two more moves have already been announced this morning: Rule 5 draftee Matt Whitney has been returned to the Indians and lefty Mike O'Connor has been reassigned to minor-league camp.

No big surprises there. Whitney, despite having a reputation as a power bat, hit a paltry .107 this spring. And the Nats simply have too many other corner infielders in the fold to worry about trying to keep Whitney. O'Connor, meanwhile, impressed plenty of folks around here the way he pitched this spring, so much so that he's back in the club's thoughts. But he wasn't going to beat out Matt Chico or John Lannan for the final rotation spot. He'll join a Columbus rotation that also includes Collin Balester, Garrett Mock and Tyler Clippard -- not a bad group, and I suspect we'll see several, if not all of them before this season is over.

So all that leaves the Nats with 32 remaining healthy players in camp. One of those, catcher Johnny Estrada, is almost certain to open the year on the DL.

Does that mean there are still six guys out there fighting for a spot on the Opening Day roster? Not necessarily. Manny Acta basically said the 25-man roster is set in his mind at this point. He just doesn't want to reveal it, for two reasons: 1) He doesn't want to create any tension in the clubhouse, and 2) You never know what could still happen in the next week, between injuries and trades.

But given all that, here's my best educated guess as to who makes it and who doesn't:

PITCHERS (11)
Odalis Perez
Tim Redding
Jason Bergmann
Matt Chico
Chad Cordero
Jon Rauch
Luis Ayala
Saul Rivera
Ray King
Jesus Colome
Joel Hanrahan

CATCHERS (2)
Paul Lo Duca
Wil Nieves

INFIELDERS (7)
Nick Johnson
Dmitri Young
Ronnie Belliard
Felipe Lopez
Cristian Guzman
Ryan Zimmerman
Aaron Boone

OUTFIELDERS (5)
Austin Kearns
Lastings Milledge
Elijah Dukes
Rob Mackowiak
Willie Harris

MISSING THE CUT (6)
John Lannan
Chris Schroder
Jesus Flores
Pete Orr
Garrett Guzman
Ryan Langerhans

The Nationals' bullpen didn't do much to help Matt Chico after he left; Chris Schroder and Jason Stanford gave up a combined eight runs (although only three of them were earned) before Ray King pitched a scoreless eighth.

Postgame updates: Dukes said he's fine, just a little soreness in his hamstring. Lo Duca felt good, is planning to make his case to Manny Acta to catch Sunday and Monday. He threw out Jose Reyes from his knees at third and went 1-for-3.

Saturday's game is back at Space Coast Stadium, when John Lannan faces the Braves at 1:05. See you then.

The Nationals lead 2-0 after four innings here in Port St. Lucie. Felipe Lopez drove in one on a sacrifice groundout in the second, and Austin Kearns hit a (long) solo homer in the fourth.

A couple other observations:

- Manny Acta and trainer Lee Kuntz came out to look at Elijah Dukes after his double in the second inning. Dukes strained his right hamstring running the bases last week and hasn't played since. He never really accelerated on his double, although that was partially because he hit it into the left field corner and was never in any jeopardy of being thrown out. But it's something the Nationals continue to monitor. You can say this about Dukes, though: He hits the ball hard. He's jumped on pitches in both of his at-bats, hitting a hard liner to left for an out in the fourth inning.

- Paul Lo Duca's looked fine in his first game back. He's 1-for-2, has run the bases without any problem and done what's been asked of him behind the plate. Aside from catching a foul popup in the third inning and attempting to throw out a runner in the fourth, that hasn't been anything extraordinary. But he's passed the first test.

- Matt Chico has been steady through four innings. He's issued one walk and gone deep in the count to a number of hitters, but he's getting groundball outs. Manny Acta hinted this morning Chico would be the final starter in the team's rotation at the beginning of the season, and he's done nothing to diminish his case here today.