From Barry Prophet in Reston:
Another throwing error by Ryan Zimmerman hurt the Nationals big time last night. The guy seems to gobble up everything around him but is the team concerned at all about his throwing?
Mark Zuckerman:
Zimmerman has had quite the unusual season. He makes probably two or three spectacular plays a week that few other third basemen would make, but he also commits about one error per week, too. Last night's was particularly costly, because it set up the Phillies' eighth-inning comeback. Zim has been shrugging these errors off, but Manny Acta seems to think there's a mechanical thing going on. Basically, he feels poor footwork causes Zimmerman to stand up too straight when he makes casual throws to first. He plans to work with Zim on this in the coming days, hoping that will help solve the problem.

From Jack in Parts Unknown:
What do think the possibility is of dumping Church, Logan, and Kearns and getting two dependable hitters who can field?
Mark Zuckerman:
Wow, you want to dump all three starting outfielders? I don't see that happening. Kearns, especially, isn't going anywhere after signing a three-year extension last winter. The other two spots, I believe, will be looked at, particularly center field, with such big-name free agents as Andruw Jones, Torii Hunter and Aaron Rowand available this offseason.

From jpsfanandproudofit in still confused:
Last week you said you would try to find out what progress John Patterson is making in his comeback attempt, but we have heard nothing. Do you have an update for us or will you please print one shortly? It seems that a lot of people would like to just forget about Patterson, which I don't understand. He proved in 2005 that he is a major league caliber pitcher and it is certainly not his fault that he has been injured since then! He is at least as good a pitcher as Shawn Hill and it would be great to have them both healthy and back in the rotation.
Mark Zuckerman:
Patterson is rehabbing at the Nationals' spring training complex in Florida but has not yet pitched in a game. With the minor-league season ending in less than three weeks, time is running out for Patterson to get his arm back into the kind of shape it would need to be in order to pitch in the major leagues again this season.

From Hulda Russell and Loretta Bowler of Mount Vernon:
The Nationals seem to play in a lot of games decided by one run. Do you know what their record in those games is?
Mark Zuckerman:
Mrs. Russell, who is in her 80s, actually called me yesterday on behalf of her neighbor, Mrs. Bowler, who is 92, to ask me this question. They are both avid baseball fans and watch the Nationals regularly on TV and were dying to know the answer to this question. I looked it up and told Mrs. Russell over the phone but promised her I'd publish her question for everyone else to see. So, for the record, yes the Nats do play in a lot of close games. With last night's 3-2 loss to the Phillies, they are now 21-16 in one-run games.

From Eric Jewett of Des Peres, Mo.:
What is the status of Nick Johnson and John Patterson's rehab? Any chance either or both of them will be making rehab appearances before the minor league season ends?
Mark Zuckerman:
Already touched on Patterson, so I'll focus on Johnson here. He remains with the Nats and goes through a rigorous workout each afternoon, including taking batting practice and fielding grounders. Unfortunately, he just hasn't made enough progress to be able to start playing in game-like conditions. I know he desperately wants to come back this season, but barring a miracle in the next week or two, I think he's just going to run out of time.

From Billy T. in Silver Spring:
I have a question about the lineup structure employed by Manny Acta. Isn't Nook Logan's greatest asset, his speed, being negated by hitting eighth? There have been times when he could have stolen bases, but becuase there were two outs and the pitcher at the plate he didn't because if he was thrown out, the pitcher would lead off the next inning. Is there any consideration to maybe flip-flopping Logan and Schneider at the bottom of the order?
Mark Zuckerman:
Ideally, yes, Nook would be a leadoff hitter. That's where speedy guys who can bunt and get on base should hit. Here's the problem: Until the last two weeks or so, Logan hasn't been able to do that with any consistency. So he hits eighth. I understand your point about how down there he's hurt by the pitcher hitting behind him. And perhaps he could flip-flop with Schneider and hit seventh. Personally, I'd rather see him get a shot up at the top of the order ... provided he keeps this pace up.

From Brian in Alexandria:
There have been reports that the negotiations with Jack McGeary might not be over just yet and that it's not an issue of money, more an issue of MLB and their reaction to the Nationals breaking slot. Is there any validity to this?
Mark Zuckerman:
All I can say is that the two sides still have until midnight, and that no final decision has been made by anyone. Does that mean McGeary is suddenly about to sign? I still tend to think not. But until the clock reads 12:00, I suppose, it's not over.

From Art Griffin in Centreville:
Now that Shawn Hill is back in the rotation, the Nationals have a ton of starting pitching prospects for 2007. What's your projection of who will be in the rotation next opening day? And there's no way they bring back John Patterson, right?
Mark Zuckerman:
Hmm, I guess it's never too early to start making predictions about 2008, especially because 2007 has been all about figuring out who should be a part of this team in 2008. OK, I'll go with Shawn Hill, Jason Bergmann, John Lannan, Matt Chico and Joel Hanrahan. Please, please, please don't take this to mean I don't believe any of those other guys don't have a chance. Obviously, they do. As for Patterson, though, I just don't see how he returns in 08, unless he were to come back next month and pitch very well. The Nats would have to offer him arbitration, and he'd surely make close to $1 million. Given the pitching depth that now exists in the organization, it just doesn't seem like it makes much sense to bring him back at that price.

From Gary Schmitt in Parts Unknown:
Logan has been on quite a tear recently, at least compared with the way he batted the first half of the season. Any particular change he’s made at the plate? Also struck by how little commentary you’ve seen from the coaches about the improvement? Are they just knocking on wood, or are they convinced they still need to go find someone else to man the position next year?
Mark Zuckerman:
Lots of Nook questions today. I guess that's what happens when you hit .337 since the All-Star break. ... The biggest change he's made, of course, was giving up on switch-hitting back in June. He's always swung better from the right side of the plate (.314 as a RHH vs LHP, .249 as a LHH vs RHP). So that's made a difference. He also seems to be bunting more often, which is one of his best assets. As for his future with the club, while he's certainly made some nice strides the last month, I don't hear many team officials touting him as the long-term answer in center field.

From Donald Sanger in Falls Church:
Granted the Nationals aren't exactly an offensive juggernaut but they were stymied in Arizona last weekend. After seeing the D-Backs, do you make them the NL favorite at this point?
Mark Zuckerman:
I've got to say, I'm thoroughly impressed with the Diamondbacks after seeing them in person. I thought with all their young talent that they had a chance to surprise this year but were probably looking at 2008 as the real target date to contend. Well, they're the hottest team in baseball now, and they're doing it without Randy Johnson. Brandon Webb probably deserves another Cy Young -- the dude hasn't given up a run in 33 straight innings! So are they the NL favorites? Hmm, not ready to go that far yet. They've been a little too streaky for that. I'd probably have to say either the Mets, Braves or Phillies are the favorites at this point, particularly New York if Pedro Martinez comes back strong.

Looks like we're out of questions, so that'll do it for this week. Thanks as always, and keep spreading the word -- 2 p.m. every Wednesday right here. So long!