From Joseph in Sacramento, Calif.:
Hey Mark, it seems to me that the Nats obviously miss that one big, RBI producing bat in the middle of the lineup. Nick Johnson is solid, but he is not a run producer, he's an OBP guy. And Ryan Zimmerman seems more like a #5 hitter who isn't the prototype #3 run guy. Has there been any internal discussions on how this can be remedied, or is it just going to be a long offensive year when it comes to RBI's and HR's? Thanks.
Mark Zuckerman:
What do you know, a question about the offense to start us off! ... You're right that the Nats don't have a true big-bopper in the middle of the lineup, but I don't see much changing in that regard anytime soon. Zimmerman is indeed struggling big-time right now (1-for-17 with RISP!) but let's not forget that he drove in 110 runs in 2006 and 94 last year. I do think he can be a run producer. Johnson is not a prototypical cleanup guy, because he's probably at best going to hit 25 homers and drive in 90 runs. The question is where he'd best be suited to hit. Second? Third? Fifth? Honestly, I'm not sure.

From Kevin Hendon in Ellicott City:
Hey Mark, I hit the thesarus for Nats ...
Abominable, amiss, atrocious, awful, bad news*, beastly, blah*, bottom out, bummer*, careless, cheap, cheesy*, crappy*, cruddy*, crummy*, defective, deficient, diddly*, dissatisfactory, downer*, dreadful, erroneous, fallacious, faulty, garbage, god-awful, gross*, grungy*, icky*, imperfect, inadequate, incorrect, inferior, junky*, lousy*, not good, off, poor, raunchy*, rough, sad, scuzzy, sleazeball, sleazy, slipshod, stinking, substandard, synthetic, the pits*, unacceptable, unsatisfactory.
Now having said that, who goes first: Bowden, Harris or Acta?
Mark Zuckerman:
Wow, that's quite an impressive list. I'm not sure how to respond to that ... As for your actual question, neither Jim Bowden nor Manny Acta is going anywhere anytime soon, so let's forget about that. Lenny Harris is a more interesting case. He admittedly wasn't quite ready for the job when he took over last summer, but vowed to get better and was given a vote of confidence from both Bowden and Acta. The results, obviously, haven't been good, and I've got to wonder whether Harris (a fine hitter in his day) just isn't cut out (or isn't ready yet) to be a big-league hitting coach.

From Fan Man:
Nobody seems outwardly concerned about the hitting problems the team has. All they seem to do is hit the pitcher's pitch, swing early in the count, and basically not have a plan to drive the ball. They're merely happy with making contact. The opposing pitchers pound the same weaknesses in each guy over and over, especially when they get ahead in the count. At what point does Lenny Harris (lack of individual game plans), Acta (lackadaisical attitude), and the rest of the coaching staff appear in the crosshairs? Thanks, and keep up the good work.
Mark Zuckerman:
Hmm, I sense a recurring theme here ... Actually, I'm a bit surprised by the sudden vitriol directed toward Acta. Not saying fans don't have a right to question their manager, but I don't know that I heard one complaint about Manny a year ago. Guess the honeymoon's over. Again, though, Acta's job is in no way in jeopardy. Ownership and the front office love him. Harris could come under more fire if this continues, though I don't know whether this team would seriously consider an in-season coaching change.

From GoNats! in Manassas:
Do you think Austin Kearns is overrated? He just doesn't seem to be able to produce.
Mark Zuckerman:
As rough a start as Zimmerman has had, Kearns has been perhaps worse at the plate. He's hitting .217 with no homers, five RBI and two doubles, and he leads the NL with five grounded-into-double-plays. He was touted as a 30-homer, 100-RBI guy when he was acquired two years ago, but he just hasn't lived up to that hype. Personally, a see a guy who has a really long swing and is highly susceptible to inside fastballs, and I don't see much changing in that regard. I think he is what he is: a .260-20-70 hitter and solid outfielder who might be OK as the No. 6 or No. 7 hitter on most teams but isn't good enough to bat fifth everyday on a real contender.

From Lyle in D.C.:
I've heard many people complain about the feel of the park. Too commercial, the seats are too expensive, the staff is rude. Have you seen some RFK nostalgia too?
Mark Zuckerman:
Actually, I haven't heard those kind of complaints at all, aside from the expensive tickets part. In my experience so far, I've found Nationals Park to be a very nice (while not spectacular) place to watch a ballgame. I don't think they beat you over the head with gigantic ads or the over-commercialization that you find in many new parks. And I've found almost everyone who works at the park to be very friendly. Perhaps that hasn't been the case in the stands, though fans I've talked to haven't had many real complaints.

From Sec. 314:
Now that Nick Johnson has returned with gusto, has any thought been giving to batting him third instead of Zimmerman? Johnson is definitely going to get the ball in play a lot more often than Zimm.
Mark Zuckerman:
You know, it's funny -- I had this exact same thought last night and brought it up to a couple of people. I think there could be some merit in the thinking. Guzman and Milledge have been doing their job at the top of the order, and Johnson has been by far their most patient hitter. Bat him third and he might have a better chance of driving in those guys in front of him, or at the very least drawing a walk and then setting the stage for Zimmerman. The downside is that they'd have a bunch of right-handed hitters in a row (Zim, Kearns, Pena, Lo Duca, Belliard), which could be a problem late in games when opposing managers go to their bullpens.

From Carl in Needham, Mass.:
How much patience did you think Jim Bowden has? It's embarassing to watch the Nats continue to lose!
Mark Zuckerman:
The organization, including Bowden, continuess to preach patience, but we all know he can only go so far before he feels the need to make changes (see: Bergmann, Jason). I'd give this at least another week or so before I'd expect any major bombshells. And even then, I'm not so sure there's a whole lot Bowden could do at this point. There's no offensive stud waiting to be called up to the big leagues (and no, Chris Marrero is not ready yet. He's still at Class A Potomac, so don't even think about it).

From Mr. Madison in New Carrollton:
It is too early for massive panic, I think. But changes DO need to be made. Why not move Zimmerman down to say 5th,move Johnson up to 3rd and try Pena or Dukes(when he comes back) in the 4th, with Kearns batting 6th? Just to shake things up. besides, Johnson was BORN to bat 3rd, really he was. the Middle of our order is the greatest weak point on this team right now. even weaker than the pitching staff, if that is even possible. They guys who are supposed to be driving in the runs are not doing so, and something needs to be done to wake them up.
Mark Zuckerman:
Another vote for Nick Johnson in the 3-hole. The larger question, though, is: Would Manny Acta actually consider this? My hunch is to say no, though perhaps I'll try to bring this up with him today and see what he says.

From Brian in Alexandria:
What starting pitching prospects are on the horizon? Who are the first down the chute when the Nationals need another arm?
Mark Zuckerman:
Based on what we've seen so far from the staff at Columbus, I'd say Mike O'Connor would get the first call. In addition to getting off to a good start this season, he had an impressive spring and he's got big-league experience, which counts for something. Collin Balester is probably going to be a better pitcher over the long run, but he's probably better served with some more seasoning at Triple-A.

From Brewer on Capitol Hill:
Hey Mark, What role do you think that Lo Duca has played in the problems that the bullpen has experienced so far? Does he have enough experience with each of the guys to know what their strengths and weaknesses are yet?
Mark Zuckerman:
I don't know how much of a factor that's really been. Lo Duca may not have spent a lot of time working with the Nats relievers, but he knows what the gameplan is for each opposing hitter and he has a general idea what each pitcher throws. I think the bullpen struggles are more a lack of execution on the pitchers' parts, though it would help if we could actually see these guys in a situation where the Nats were leading by a run or two in the seventh inning.

From Tom in Burlington, Ontario:
Hi, Mark. Who do you think is most likely to get dropped from the roster when Dukes and Young are healthy enough to return?
Mark Zuckerman:
Good question, although I don't think we're going to have to worry about the Dmitri Young part of the equation for a while. He still has a ways to go. But Dukes could be back within a week or so, and that raises this issue. There's no one among the players on the bench who still has minor-league options, a significant concern. You've got to wonder whether a guy like Rob Mackowiak (0-for-10 on the season) is in danger of being released. He's making $1.5 million guaranteed, but what's the difference eating that money for a guy who has literally contributed nothing to date?

From D.C. Dave:
Do you think the fans believe that the Nationals are actually better than they really are, i.e. a below .500 ball club years away from competing?
Mark Zuckerman:
Hmm, based on the questions I've been getting today, seems like the fans don't believe much at all in the current team ... You know, I think some people might have been fooled a bit by last year's performance. There was so much optimism based on their 64-64 record after May 11 and the offseason additions that people (including some within the organization) might have had some unrealistic expectations in 2008. Remember, this team went 73-89 last year, and by all accounts overachieved. Even if they only improve a few games from that mark (or finish around the same record) it's not necessarily a disaster of a season.

From R.F. in Burke:
What's the atmosphere in the clubhouse like these days? Are the guys really down or are they keeping positive?
Mark Zuckerman:
It's been pretty quiet in the clubhouse postgame following these losses, as you might expect, but pregame things have been pretty normal. Guys joking around, playing cards, watching TV. There's been a lot of "It's still early, no time to panic" talk, maybe too much so. If this continues for another week, I don't know that anyone can still claim "it's early."

All right, good round of questions this week. Maybe we need the Nats to keep losing 10 of 11 all season to keep the fan vitriol alive! (Kidding, kidding, of course.) Thanks to everyone who submitted questions -- enjoy tonight's game, if that's possible. I'll talk to you next week from back home in D.C.