The Nats, after a lackluster start to the season, seem to have solved their opening woes. Usually a 12-inning affair, like the game with the Phillies on Friday night, would end in a Nats loss- but not anymore. The team has finally found its winning groove, despite pitching and hitting issues. The real question is, how long can this last? No one thought it would last up to this point, so there’s hope yet. Some are actually talking about playoff chances, but that’s pie-in-the-sky talk at this point. Remember last year? They were solidly in the playoff hunt until the second half of the season. Anything can happen, especially if Soriano gets traded by the July 31 deadline, which is likely. He told the Washington Times that he would not want to stay if Jim Bowden stays as the GM. Who can blame him? Soriano provides the offensive spark that the Nats need, and has proved to be a pretty decent left fielder as well. It will be a shame to see him go.

Meanwhile, at RFK, the Nats need to replace their awful stadium announcer. The guy is incompetent. A ten-year-old could do a better job of making the announcements. At opening day, he couldn’t give the names of some of the players on the field, just their numbers. Real helpful, thanks. At another game this season, he announced that “Vinny Castilla” was coming up to bat. The problem was, the Nats were playing the Pirates and it was Jose Castillo. At one of the games vs. the Dodgers, he announced that Derek Lowe, the “catcher,” was coming up to bat. The list goes on and on. Perhaps this is something that Lerner/Kasten can add to their list of RFK improvements.