From Jeffrey Saffelle in Alexandria:
After all the efforts this spring by the Washington Nationals to try to "Build A Rotation" from scratch, how serious are the concerns now that Jason Simontacchi is out with a groin injury and John Patterson is reportedly throwing his fastball in the High 80's instead of the 90's. Has much of the progress been negated?
Mark Zuckerman:
While there are some concerns associated with Simontacchi's strained groin -- he wasn't able to throw his bullpen session today and won't make his scheduled start Sunday -- I don't think it throws the rotation completely out of whack. Certainly, Simontacchi has been a welcome sight this spring, a consistent thrower who keeps the ball in the strike zone and works fast. And if he has to open the season on the DL, it will be unfortunate. But the injury isn't believed to be serious to keep him out for an extended time, so we may only be talking about one or two turns in the rotation. Patterson, meanwhile, has given little reason for anyone to be concerned this spring. His fastball may be down a little, but remember that he's still building up his arm strength and is making only his third official spring start today. He may not be in absolute, tip-top shape on Opening Day, but I don't think it will take long for him to get there.

From Ted in Alexandria:
Any word on who will throw out the opening day pitch? It was uncomfortable for the V.P. last year.
Mark Zuckerman:
No final word yet, though it definitely won't be the President. Official reason from the White House: scheduling conflict. I've been told there may have been some other thoughts behind the decision, as well, namely that he doesn't want to get booed. Stan Kasten said that's why he generally advises politicians not to appear on the field at all. Unless your approval rating is 90 percent or higher, you're probably going to hear it from the crowd. It'll be interesting, though, what happens next year when the new ballpark opens. It'd be the perfect opportunity for the President to throw out the first pitch. Will a then-lame duck W. make the trip out then? We'll see.

From Mike H. in Silver Spring:
What's the status of Billy Traber? I thought he was a rotation contender, but it looks like he's off the short list.
Mark Zuckerman:
Traber was optioned to Class AAA Columbus the other night, a move that wasn't all that unexpected. The Nationals believe Traber's future is as a reliever, and while he pitched well this spring, they'd like him to work on things a little more in the minors and then be available for a call-up if either Ray King or Micah Bowie falters/gets hurt as the season plays out.

In-Game Update No. 1: John Patterson just struck out the first two batters of the game on a total of seven pitches, then got Magglio Ordonez to line out to right on four more. Yeah, I don't think there's much reason to be concerned about him. Heading to the bottom of the first here against the Tigers, no score.

From Robert in Springfield, VA:
Do you think *today* the Nats will be better or worse this season as compared to what feelings you may have had at the start of spring training?
Mark Zuckerman:
That's a good question, one I hadn't really thought about til now. I actually came into this camp believing the Nationals wouldn't be as bad as a lot of people did. Oh, I thought they'd still be bad, just not historically bad, 130-loss bad. I'd say the developments of the last six weeks (especially the last two weeks or so) leave me more encouraged than I was when spring training started, but I wouldn't get my hopes up too much. There are still huge question marks in the rotation and a lack of big-time, productive bats in the lineup aside from Ryan Zimmerman. I'll make my official win-loss prediction in our Baseball Preview Section (coming March 29 to a newsstand near you) but I'll tease you a little bit by revealing that my win total will be higher than 62. Not much higher, but higher nonetheless.

From Chris in Fairfax:
I drafted Shawn Hill in my fantasy league, what do you think I can expect from him for this season? He has been quite impressive in Spring Training.
Mark Zuckerman:
I'm very interested to see how Hill performs over the course of a full season. I liked what I saw from him for the most part last season, but it's a small sampling, so I'm curious to see more. My hunch is that Shawn isn't going to dominate many opponents but will generally be pretty effective, especially when his sinker is working. If he makes 30 starts (and we don't know for sure that he will), I'll say he goes something like 10-10 with a 4.25 ERA. Decent, not superb.

In-Game Update No. 2: Not much doing for the Nats in the bottom of the first. Zimmerman drew a two-out walk off lefty Nate Robertson, but that was it. Still scoreless. Oh, and by the way, it's NASA Day here at aptly named Space Coast Stadium. The first pitch was thrown out by a guy in a full moon suit. Managed to get it in the general vicinity of the plate. No word whether the Nats will be offering him the No. 5 spot in the rotation.

From Lisa in Springfield, VA:
We've heard a lot about Dmitri Young's past and the trouble he's had. Does he strike you as willing or interested in making a fresh start with the Nationals? Are we looked at a cleaned up guy or should we expect trouble?
Mark Zuckerman:
I've obviously only spent limited time with Young so far, but he strikes me as a very engaging guy. His troubles are well-documented, but he insists those are behind him and I tend to believe him. Obviously, alcohol addiction is a serious problem, as is domestic abuse. But as Jim Bowden put it when he signed Young, everyone deserves a second chance. The club will have zero tolerance with Dmitri if there are any more problems, but I don't think there will be. He genuinely seems appreciative of the opportunity he's been given, and he was definitely humbled by the experience.

From Brent in Burke:
So with Simontacchi seemingly on the shelf for the first week or so, does Redding make that 5th start on April 6th? Speigner? Bergmann? An arm yet to be named? Who ya got?
Mark Zuckerman:
Well, I can tell you the Nats honestly don't know who it'll be and they plan to spend the next 10 days deciding. They'll take this right down to the wire. Redding obviously has major-league experience and seems a logical choice. But he's been downright awful this spring, and are you really going to reward that with a spot on the Opening Day roster? I think it depends on how long Simontacchi is going to be out. If it's really only one or maybe two starts, I say go with Levale Speigner. The rookie right-hander has pitched exceptionally well this spring and has basically earned a spot in the bullpen as a long man. Give him a chance to go 5-6 innings and see what he's made of.

In-Game Update No. 3: We're in the top of the third now, still scoreless. Both Patterson and Robertson cruising along. Nice crowd on hand at Space Coast Stadium, including esteemed blogger and frequent Live Chat questioner "Miss Chatter." So that's why my inbox is so empty today...

From Gary Fogel in Washington:
Mark: Not surprisingly, Sports Illustrated -- that former bastion of cutting-edge journalism that is now reduced to having Ivy Leaguers write stories off press releases -- ranked the Nationals No. 30 out of 30 teams in their preseason rankings. As somebody who's had to watch all of the spring games, is that semi accurate? Or should the die-hard fan be a little more optimistic than they were a month ago?
Mark Zuckerman:
Wow, harsh words for the most popular sports magazine in the history of sports magazines. I won't touch that subject, but I will say that they aren't the only ones bashing the Nats this spring. Every major national news outlet has written something about this team calling them the worst in baseball, potentially historically bad, etc. That's probably a product of all the negative publicity over the winter, from the lengthy managerial search to the loss of Soriano to four-fifths of the rotation being up for grabs when camp started. All legitimate concerns, but I'll say it again: I don't believe these guys will be historically bad. Bad, yes. Not historically bad, and I'd venture to guess that someone else out there (Tampa Bay? Seattle? Kansas City? Colorado?) will have a worse record than Washington come September.

From Felix Van der Vaart in Alexandria:
I've been looking into the Nationals First Baseman business and I really think that there is a lot of competition. First off we have Nick Johnson whom I presume will have to play first when he's off the DL. But for now, who do you think has got the upper hand, Dmitri Young or Travis Lee?
Mark Zuckerman:
Nick Johnson will indeed play first base if and when he comes off the DL. But that's not going to happen for a long time. Johnson has just now begun jogging, and if he's back in the lineup before the All-Star break, I'll be stunned. So prepare to see lots of ... Dmitri Young for the next three months. I believe he'll win the job over Lee because Manny Acta has said he wants offense out of his first baseman, and that's the one thing Dmitri can provide.

From Pincus in Burtonsville:
How can you stand working with that Thom Loverro? He is such a negative guy and an egomaniac. Doesn't he get on your nerves?
Mark Zuckerman:
You have no idea, my friend. I mean, when Loverro walks into the press box, you can just feel the aura of negativity surrounding him. Well, it's either that or the stench of him hitting a trifecta at the dog track and letting us all know about it. That said, it's truly an honor to work alongside such a talented and hard-working columnist as Thom. And I'm not only saying that because I have a hunch he's posting on this live chat with a pseudonym.

And on that note, I think we'll adjourn for the day. Nats now leading 2-0 in the bottom of the third thanks to an RBI triple from Nook Logan (hitting from the right side of the plate, mind you). Thanks for your questions, and check back in when we get back to D.C. for our regular in-season live chats. So long for now...