Nice picture that still needs developing

What kind of snapshot do we have of the 2008 Washington Nationals so far?

A team that can score a lot of runs and score when it counts.

A team with solid starting pitching.

A team with a weak bullpen.

Well, that picture is a little out of focus.

The beauty of a baseball season is that over 162 games, teams generally play as well as they are supposed to.

Critics got worked up about the Nationals fading in the 2005 season after a strong start, but the reality is that their 81-81 record was a true reflection of that team.

It is likely that these early games are not a true reflection of the 2008 Nationals. That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy looking at the snapshot, but the picture should change over the course of a season to reflect a true picture of this team.

A team that can score more than any other Nationals team (including 2005).

A team with inconsistent starting pitching (not as good as in 2005).

A team with a strong bullpen (perhaps stronger than in 2005).

A team with some options (much better than in 2005).

That’s not a bad picture, perhaps the best to date of the Washington Nationals.

The bullpen will come together — even if Chad Cordero’s sore shoulder becomes a chronic problem (though, if so, the regret of not trading him before now will haunt the franchise). Jon Rauch can handle the closer’s role, and the bullpen’s depth showed from the start when the club called up Chris Schroder to the major league roster to fill Elijah Dukes’ spot after the outfielder went on the disabled list.

Schroder would have started the season in most major league bullpens, and there are more arms down on the farm if needed. There is Steven Shell, the kid Davey Johnson loved on his USA team. And let’s not forget Mike O’Connor, who was perhaps the best pitcher the team had all spring and who has pitched himself back into the future of the franchise. So the bullpen should wind up pretty much as expected — strong.

The starting pitching also should turn out pretty much as expected, sort of like a Matt Chico outing — rough around the edges, on the verge of falling apart, managing somehow to hold it together enough to keep the team in the game until they get to the bullpen. A caretaker rotation, if you will.

No one should expect more from Chico, Odalis Perez, Tim Redding and Jason Bergmann at this point, based on their track records to date (though if Bergmann progresses, he could become a consistently effective starter). Either option for the last starter — a 70 percent Shawn Hill or John Lannan — could wind up being the best of the group, particularly in Hill’s case.

As with the bullpen, the depth of the options with the rotation is far better than in 2005. They would rather not call on young prospects Collin Balester, Garrett Mock or Tyler Clippard (or even O’Connor) this year, but the fact that they could in a pinch is certainly an upgrade from past teams. (Or don’t you remember the names Pedro Astacio and John Halama?)

Even among position players — the weakest pool in the organization — the club has at least one quality young player to call on: outfielder Justin Maxwell. Manager Manny Acta made it clear he has no problem calling on Maxwell, who could use another full season of minor league ball. Acta was impressed with the way Maxwell played and handled himself this spring. But just the fact that he is there for the calling makes this team different from any other Nationals team, including the 2005 squad.

Come the end of the season, the 2008 Washington Nationals should be the team they deserve to be — and in the brief history of this franchise, that may be the best team yet.