Back To Twelve

The team has all but confirmed that Luis Ayala will start the season on the DL. And contrary to what nationals.com reported a day or two ago, the Nationals are still going to carry 12 pitchers when they come north. That means one fewer bench spot.

Who loses out?

Cristian Guzman played the field today, and reported no problems, so there's less of a chance (for now) of him starting the season on the DL. Alex Escobar is set to DH over the next day or two, and he could be ready to start the year.

I suspect that that final roster spot is going to come down to a healthy Alex Escobar versus the loser of the Larry Broadway/Travis Lee derby. If Escobar isn't ready to go, then the problem solves itself.

Jason Simontacchi, with an effective five innings, basically clinched one spots up for grabs in the rotation, joining John Patterson and Shawn Hill. Two weeks left, and nobody has a clue who the other two will go to, although Jason Bergmann, who pitches tomorrow, can make himself the front runner with another strong outing.

Nats 320 rightly thinks that Levale Speigner (I need to come up with a cutesy nickname for him quick so I don't have to keep typing that name) is the winner of the Luis Ayala sore-arm roster derby.