Dead Greek Predicts Nats Pennant in '07

The Chief just struck out a Detroit pinch-hitter on three pitches. And if baseball had like six bases instead of three, it would have been a save for the Chief, too.

But after the fifth straight win in a row, the sixth in seven games, and decent outings by pretty much all of our remaining starter candidates whose names don't rhyme with "shedding," the Nationals have now outscored their Spring Training opponents 131-107.

Our old friend Pythagoras says that if the Nationals can keep up that ratio of runs scored to runs allowed in the regular season, they would expect to finish 96-66. In this division, this year? Ninety-six wins is the pennant, baby.

Now, BallWonk does not actually expect the Nationals to win the division or win 96 games. But when you squish up the grapefruit and read the patterns left in the pulp, you don't have to be completely insane to think you see evidence that maybe we won't lose 120 games after all.

The best news of the week was that Jerome "Da Kine" Williams had another decent outing yesterday. He's the one member of Stan W. Kasten's "surge" of 21,500 starters BW most wanted to see make the rotation. In addition to Da Kine's personal story and the terrific talent he displayed when he first reached the bigs, there's the fact that Williams in the rotation equals mandatory aloha shirts and tiki drinks every fifth day this summer. You may have to trust BallWonk on this, but Cristian Guzman is a lot easier on the nerves when you've got a bright printed shirt on your back and a fruity rum drink in your hand.

It's just too bad that Da Kine is wearing number 26 instead of 50. Or is it childish to want the Nationals to have their very own Hawaiian five-oh?