Well, the Nats took Manny Acta's advice and kept their minds completely off baseball yesterday (their first off day in three weeks). We'll see if that time away will help matters at all.

Frankly, I have my doubts. The Nats have lost 10 straight and now face a daunting week at Philadelphia and Chicago. Do you know what Washington's record against winning teams is this year? 16-48. That's one win every four games, which means the over-under for wins on this six-game road trip is 1.5. Honestly, if they manage to go 2-4, I think it'll have to be considered a success.

There are 37 games left this season, 27 of which come against teams in the NL pennant race (the Phillies, Cubs, Dodgers, Mets and Marlins). At its current pace, Washington would lose 105 games. Needless to say, this could be a difficult final six weeks to the season.

There will be a new face in the Nats bullpen starting tonight. Right-hander Marco Estrada had his contract purchased from Columbus and will be in uniform for the opener against the Phillies. Estrada, a sixth-round pick in 2005 out of Long Beach State, wasn't really on anyone's radar screen when this season began. But he went 6-3 at Harrisburg, earned a promotion to Columbus, and then went 3-3 with a 3.09 ERA there. He's been a starter all along, but he'll get his first taste of the big leagues out of the bullpen.

Another new face is expected to arrive tomorrow: Anderson Hernandez, the infielder who is the player to be named from the Luis Ayala-to-the-Mets trade. Hernandez is another slick-fielding, no-hit middle infielder, and he may not remain on the big-league roster for long. He's really just going to be here until Alberto Gonzalez recovers from his strained hamstring. But someone else is going to have to be removed from the roster to make room for him, possibly by the end of the night. Given the sudden influx of infielders on the roster, Pete Orr would seem to be a likely candidate to go.

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