More of the Same for the Nationals

The baseball season got off to a roaring start yesterday for the Washington Nationals as they lost at home to the Philadelphia Phillies 11-1. This game was especially embarrassing considering that the Nationals headed into the fourth inning with a 1-0 lead. Ok, so the Nationals faced the two-time defending National League champions and newly acquired pitcher Roy Halladay, widely considered to be the best pitcher in the MLB, but this is really no excuse. The Nationals are not a minor league team, they are in the same league and division as the Phillies and they should have done better than an 11-1 blowout on opening day in their own stadium.

To add to the misery of opening day was all the fans who packed the stadium clad in red and blue not for the Nationals, but for the Phillies. With a strong fan presence their team did not disappoint. Despite all their moves in the offseason to become more competitive, the Nationals had only three starters from last season's lineup, the team failed to produce on opening day. Ace John Lannan was pulled in the fourth inning having pitched zero strikeouts and allowing seven hits and five runs. New shortstop Ian Desmond made an error off of the first ball hit to him. It just looked like the same disorganized and dispassionate team from last season.

Now granted, it was the first day of the season and teams will have their bad games. There is no reason to write the Natinals off yet, oops I mean Nationals, where did I get Natinals from? (I would buy a Natinals jersey if they sold them) What worries me is that this game didn't happen in June or July, when teams hit that wall and players struggle to stay motivated for every game. This happened on opening day. Early season jitters? Stage fright at playing in front of President Obama even if he did only stay for a short time? A testament to the strength of Halladay and the Phillies? Let's hope something like that did happen or it's going to be a long season again for the Nationals.

The good news? The Nationals are only one game below .500 and one game back in the division. It's good to think positive while you still can.