Team Preview - Washington
Nationals - 2007 Record 73 Wins 89 Losses - 4th National League East
2007 Money +$1,622 Moneyline ~ +$1,282 Runline ~ 72-79 Over/Under
2007 Review
It was a third straight non-winning season for the Nationals since coming over from Montreal but if any positive can come out of last season it was that they did not finish in last place in the National League East for the first time. 16 games under .500 might sound bad but this team was projected to lose over 100 games and possibly be one of the worst teams in history. The Nationals collected $1,622 for their backers, easily the most for a team with a losing record. Now it is time to increase the win totals.
2008
Offense
The offense was dismal last season for the Nationals and that really came as no surprise as coming into the season they knew it would be a weakness. Washington hit only .256 last season, 4th worst in the National League while its 123 home runs was the lowest in the league. Upgrades were needed and the Nationals did just that in the offseason. They acquired Lastings Milledge from the Mets and Elijah Dukes from the Devil Rays, two young outfielders with loads of upside.
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Also brought in from the Mets was catcher Paul LoDuca who should help bring in more production at that spot. Holdovers from last season include Ryan Zimmerman, whose numbers dipped somewhat last season but still has a great upside, Austin Kearns, who had a career high in RBI's and Dmitri Young, the Nationals lone All-Star from last season. Young will get pushed at first base by Nick Johnson, who missed all of last season with a broken leg. A veteran middle infield also remains intact.
2008
Starting Pitching
The starting
pitching is a fragile unit and fingers
will be crossed throughout the spring.
Shawn Hill, the likely Opening Day
starter, has already been shut down
after complaining of tightness in his
right forearm, an injury that forced
him to miss time last season. An MRI
came back negative and rest is hoping
to do the trick. He was solid last season,
posting a 3.42 ERA in 16 starts. John
Patterson, last year’s Opening
Day starter, has made only 15 starts
the last two seasons due to nerve injuries
in his throwing arm.
Next in line is Jason Bergmann, who
missed time in 2007 with elbow and hamstring
injuries. After coming back at the end
of August, he posted a 4.24 ERA after
putting together an ERA of 2.76 in April
and May. The bottom half of the rotation
looks to be possessed by two lefties,
Matt Chico and John Lannan, both of whom
are coming off decent rookie campaigns.
They will both be pushed by veterans
Tim Redding and Odalis Perez as well
as a crop of young players.
2008
Bullpen
Last year the bullpen was a big weakness
but this year it could be the strength.
The White Sox pen had an ERA of 5.49,
one of only four teams in all of baseball
that finished with an ERA over five.
The .281 average allowed was second worst
in baseball and Chicago knew something
needed to be done. Bobby Jenks excelled
as the closer and actually had a better
season last year than in 2006, his first
as the full time closer. He was one of
the only bright spots of the entire relief
corps.
The bullpen has been the strength of this team ever since coming to Washington. The Nationals had a 3.81 ERA last season, which was 8th best in baseball and there is no reason to think it won't be just as good. The Nationals possess one of the best closers in the game in Chad Cordero and even though his numbers slipped for a second straight season, he is still one of the tops in baseball. Setup men Jon Rauch and Saul Rivera are both back and are vital to this unit.
Even better news is the health of Luis Ayala who after missing all of 2006, came back in late June last season and continued his dominance with a 3.19 ERA in 44 appearances. Jesus Colome and Chris Schroder, who posted 3.82 and 3.18 ERA's respectively, are the likely long relief candidates and then throw veteran Ray King into the mix and what you have is one of the best pens in baseball. Mike Bacsik struggled as a starter last season but could fill the final bullpen spot.
2008
Overall Outlook
The Nationals are going in the right direction and after surpassing expectations last season, they hope they can continue to do so. The problem is that they are playing in the National League East with the Mets, Phillies and Braves, all of whom are thinking postseason and beyond. The below average record last season will help out bettors this season as Washington will remain low on the radar. If the starting pitching can remain healthy, we will once again see some great value with the Nationals.
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