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