Johnny Holliday

No more streak talk for Nats

by Johnny Holliday

No More Streak Talk...Thank goodness Bob, Don, Ray and I no longer have to ramble on about a Nationals losing streak! How interesting to see things turn around just for one night.

Question now is, can the ballclub keep it going?

The 5-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds is at least a step in the right direction, and with two months remaining in the season, the Nats can certainly play spoilers as they look towards the future.

That 5-and-19 mark in July was hard to swallow. The Nationals' clubhouse had a different feeling for Friday night's game and all signs point to two new faces and one familiar one as being the reason.

All three were in Manny's starting lineup. Emilio Bonifacio at second and leading off; Elijah Dukes was back in left and hitting 3rd; and Alberto Gonzalez handled shortstop hitting 8th. They went a combined 4 for 8 with 3 RBI, 3 runs scored and a stolen base. Not a bad start!!!

To borrow an old line when Gary Williams' University of Maryland Terrapins won their first National Championship in basketball back in 2002, "The Kids have done it!" There are now nine Nats age 25 or younger on this ballclub.

Paul Lo Duca and Felipe Lopez have packed their bags, and I wish them both well. It was nice to work with Paul while he was on the DL. With Don Sutton battling some throat problems, Lo Duca filled in admirably for the Hall of Famer as I sat in for Bob Carpenter during a series against Milwaukee and San Diego. I know there will be a place for Paul in the broadcast booth once his playing days come to an end.

I for one hope he continues to play and someone give him a shot. For whatever reasons, Lopez just never got it going the past two seasons--good guy, perhaps a change of scenery with benefit Felipe as well.

I believe the future looks brighter today than it has in sometime. If we can just get the offense, defense, and pitching together on the same page, the next two months could be interesting.