From Robert in Springfield:
I can't tell you how excited I was to see the Phillies were worse than the Nats. But that was last week. This week, the Nats find themselves back on the bottom. Tell me the Philles will once again collapse? Or is there another team that will fall to the bottom?
Mark Zuckerman:
I hate to burst your bubble, but I don't see the Phillies finishing in last place in the NL East this season. Just way too much talent there -- I still believe enough to think they can contend for the division title with the Mets and Braves. If there's any one team that could conceivably finish behind the Nats, I guess I'd say it's the Marlins, who are going through their own struggles right now. But I still think that team's significantly better than the Nats at this moment, so I think local fans are stuck with a last-place team in 2007.

From Jeffrey Saffelle in Alexandria:
Most everyone predicted the Nationals to struggle in 2007, but most didn't expect Ryan Zimmerman, Chad Cordero or Austin Kearns--so called "CORE PLAYERS" to struggle as well. Are the Nationals showing concern over them yet, or just considering all three just off to slow starts? Zimmerman seems to be pressing and trying to do too much, completely uncomfortable in the field at times.
Mark Zuckerman:
I don't sense that the Nats' brass is overly concerned with any of the three ... yet. Zimmerman is undoubtedly off to a rough start, though I think it's safe to say his bat will come around as this thing plays out (it already seems to be). What's surprising to me is his subpar defensive play lately. He did not look like himself over the weekend in Florida, and the was no excuse for him letting that relay throw go through his legs last night. Is Zim taking his offensive struggles out into the field with him? Perhaps. Cordero is another interesting case, and I outlined much of it in a story that ran in yesterday's paper (I'll try to set up a link to that). Kearns has begun to produce a little. In his case, I don't think he's ever going to be a true slugger that can carry a team. I think he's best suited to be a No. 6 hitter, a guy who can hit 20-25 homers and drive in 80-90 runs on a good team, but not the kind of hitter you build a lineup around.

From Brian in Mount Vernon:
John Patterson seems to react poorly when something goes wrong. If he's not perfect (in his mind) all bets are off on his performance. What can the Nationals do about Patterson's psyche?
Mark Zuckerman:
This is an interesting one, and you're right about Patterson's psyche. He's quite analytical, some might even call him fragile-minded. He's certainly the type of pitcher who feels the need to have everything working in sync for him to pitch well. The problem is: He's not in sync right now. His arm is still coming back from last year's nerve surgery, and his fastball is a good five mph off its usual pace. Patterson knows this, and he points to it when explaining why he hasn't performed well so far. What he needs to do is overcome those physical restrictions and just start pitching as well as he can. John had an interesting line last week after his last start. He said he thought to himself, "What would Livo do?" if the ex-Nats ace was struggling like this. I find that kind of thinking encouraging. Patterson isn't going to be old self for a while. But like Livan Hernandez did when he pitched through a knee injury, what can John do to battle out there and still get the job done, even when he's not 100 percent? I guess we'll see in about five hours.

By the way, here's the link to that Cordero story I was telling you about...

From Milt in Reston:
Mark: You wrote over the weekend that Manny Acta isn't a big believer in bunting runners over to produce runs. In relation to their first inning difficulties, wouldn't it make sense to try and play station to station baseball to get an early run and give the young starting pitchers a slight cushion?
Mark Zuckerman:
No, Manny is not a fan of the sac bunt. And it should be noted that he didn't put the bunt on Friday night in the first inning after Felipe Lopez led off the game with a single. Ronnie Belliard did that on his own (and the Nats still didn't score a first-inning run. They've now set the NL record to start a season, having failied to score in their first 20 games). Maybe it would make sense for Acta to start playing "small ball" and try to push across an early run, but this team's problem really hasn't been getting an early lead. The problem has been giving up runs (early and late) and -- and this is the big one -- not scoring runs later in games when they have a chance to pile on. Sac bunts aren't going to solve that one. Clutch, two-out hits with runners in scoring position are.

From Gary V. in Arlington:
If John Patterson continues to pitch the way he has, I don't think we'll be able to call him an "ace" anymore. If he isn't the "ace," who is? Or, with this team, should we just forget about the "ace" talk altogether?
Mark Zuckerman:
Let's just dispell with this notion right off the bat: The Nats have no "ace." Could Patterson become the ace? Yes, if he returns to his 2005 form and then some. Could Shawn Hill become the ace? Possibly. I've been really impressed with the way Hill has pitched, but also with the way he's shown some grit in pitching through both right forearm and left shoulder issues. But before we can call anyone the ace of this team, they're going to have to do something dramatic like win 15 games and post an ERA under 3.00.

From Michael in Alexandria:
I see Cristian Guzman is on the All Star ballot. Two questions: 1) When will he be back in the lineup? 2) It is a joke that he's on the ballot? I sure did laugh.
Mark Zuckerman:
It's no joke. Guzman is on the ballot, just like every other regular position player on every team in the majors. To the best of my knowledge, I believe Nick Johnson is on this year's ballot, too, which you'd think would be odd since he won't be playing until at least July. As far as Guzman's return goes, he should be ready to come back from his strained hamstring by next week. Then, Manny Acta faces a real decision: Put Guzman back in the lineup and move Felipe Lopez back to second, or keep Lopez at short and Ronnie Belliard at second, with Guzman relegated to the bench.

From John in Alexandria:
Are the Nationals planning on returning both Guzman and Logan to the starting lineup when they are healthy? Can the offense afford such a move?
Mark Zuckerman:
See above for part of the answer to that question. This is going to be a very significant decision for Manny Acta. Clearly, Guzman and Logan are lesser offensive forces than the guys who have been filling in for them (Chris Snelling and Ronnie Belliard). But they are better defensive players, and that should count for something. My gut feeling says Acta will put both guys back in the lineup when they return, but perhaps will have a short leash with both.

From Michael Kraft in Detroit:
Cheap Trick Review-not heard from them since 1982? They had a #1 song in 1988, a #5 song in 1989, 5 albums since 1988...tour all year...they still have a huge following!
Mark Zuckerman:
OK, for those of you who are a tad confused, some background: After Saturday night's game in Florida, Cheap Trick played a concert at Dolphin Stadium. I wrote about it in an item in Monday's paper, making a good-natured joke about the Marlins not being able to round up any bigger-name acts. Apparently, my Cheap Trick knowledge is limited (and yes, I'm afraid to admit that). So they really had a No. 1 song in 1988 and a No. 5 song in 89? Wow, who knew? Certainly not yours truly, who I hate to say is still too young to have followed that stuff closely back then.

From Screech'sBestFriend in Alexandria:
How has Nats management handled the rough start by the Nationals? Pretty much what they expected? Worse? Or not concerned with winning right now?
Mark Zuckerman:
Management (and by that I'm referring to Jim Bowden, Stan Kasten and others in the front-office) seems to be handling this fine. They knew what they were getting into. I did hear something interesting from a front-office exec, though. This person didn't exactly think it was a great idea to go into this season with such a low payroll and so few established players (particularly in the starting rotation) but was overruled by others high up in the organization who felt there was no good reason to spend millions of dollars to sign second-tier free agents who wouldn't help this team win this year. There is a difference, this person noted, between a 110-loss club and a 95-loss club, certainly in the public's eye. Fans are less likely to throw a fit over a bad-yet-competitive team as opposed to one that frequently has no chance to win on a given night. Here's how this person summed it all up: "This is a learning year for these players, but maybe it'll also be a learning year for ownership." Interesting.

From Chris in Alexandria:
Have the Nationals given any consideration of moving Ronnie Belliard out of the #2 spot in the lineup? He does not seem to be the optimal solution there. Perhaps Ryan Church?
Mark Zuckerman:
I don't see Church hitting No. 2 for this team, at least not unless they add at least three more sluggers to the lineup so they could afford to. Church has been their most productive hitter this season, and he needs to be down in the lineup where he can drive in runs (though I am curious to see if Manny considers flip-flopping him and Kearns if the latter continues to struggle). Belliard is far from the ideal No. 2 hitter, but he's the best they've got for now. Again, we'll have to see what happens when Cristian Guzman comes back. If he's in the lineup, Belliard won't be, so that would appear to make Guzie the logical No. 2 hitter. (Gulp!)

From GoNats! in Manassas:
Nick Johnson IS on the All-Star ballot, as is Nook Logan, another guy we haven't seen play since Opening Day. But my question is: my team seems nothing if not inconsistent and it appears to be weighing heavy on the otherwise-positive and upbeat Manny Acta. How is he dealing with the ups and downs and ups and downs of the team?
Mark Zuckerman:
Well, All-Star fans, there you have it! Thanks, GoNats (hmm, have to be careful saying that name, it kinda sounds like something else)... As for Acta, he's held up pretty well I'd say through all the ups and downs. He's an incredibly patient man, and he knew what he was getting into this season. The few times he has been upset or frustrated (though he hates to use that latter word) have been when someone made a mental mistake or didn't give their best effort. Like when Ryan Church didn't run out the grounder to first. Manny's willing to deal with losing as long as he feels like his players are trying their best, giving everything they've got and playing smart.

From The Fan in Richmond:
What's up with Jason Simontacchi? I saw him at spring training and he looked great until he got hurt! Where is he now and when can I expect to see him at RFK?
Mark Zuckerman:
Simontacchi appears close to returning the majors. Out since late March with a groin injury, he's been rehabbing at extended spring training in Viera but is now due to pitch five innings for Class AAA Columbus on Friday. He'll be re-evaluated after that and could make one more rehab start ... or possibly be promoted to the majors right then. I'm looking forward to seeing Jason. He was one of the friendliest and most interesting guys in camp this spring, and let's not forget that he pitched prettty well, too, before getting hurt.

OK, folks, that'll do it for this week. Thanks to everyone who wrote in. I was a little worried we wouldn't have a good turnout after realizing my esteemed competitor was holding his own live chat an hour before ours. Apparently, he didn't get the message that we've been doing these at 2 p.m. Wednesday since the season started. First-come, first-serve, right? (I'm kidding, of course. We're all friends on the Nats beat... most of the time.)

Anyways, I'll talk to you next Wednesday from sunny San Diego. And remember, I also answer reader questions every Monday in the Nats Mailbag. So if something's on your mind before next Wednesday, send your inquiries to natsmailbag@washingtontimes.com and I'll publish answers to them on Monday. So long for now!