The Nationals continue to embarrass themselves

Former Phillies closer Brad Lidge recently came out and said that the Nationals are “probably the most talented team I’ve ever been on.” Yes, this is the same Brad Lidge that threw the last pitch in the Phillies 2008 World Series victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. A Philadelphia team that included Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Cole Hamels, Jimmy Rollins and other great players.

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Lidge now plays for a Nationals team that is unproven and injury prone. Their ace Stephen Strasburg is coming off Tommy John surgery and has not proven that he can stay healthy at the major league level. Arguably their best player, Ryan Zimmerman, missed about 60 games last season with injuries. Jayson Werth, a player who enjoyed his best years with the Phillies, hit .232 last season with only 58 RBIs. The additions of Gio Gonzalez and Edwin Jackson will boost Washington’s rotation, but still doesn’t give them the talent level to compete with the Phillies. Jackson has made his way around the league and has a career ERA of 4.46.

Speaking of the Washington rotation, the Brad Lidge comments come just days after Washington manager Davey Johnson stated that his rotation matches up with the Phillies rotation.

“Their top three versus our top three, stuff-wise, we match up as good,” Johnson said.

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                Considering that the Phillies still have arguably the best pitcher in the league in Roy Halladay, 2008 Cy-Young winner Cliff Lee and 2008 World Series MVP Cole Hamels, Johnson doesn’t have much of an argument. Both Strasburg and Gonzalez have great potential but have not been in the league long enough to prove themselves. Neither of them have playoff experience, something that all three of the Philadelphia aces have. Edwin Jackson got rocked by the Phillies last post-season and has been nothing but inconsistent in his career. Jordan Zimmerman has yet to have a winning season as a starting pitcher in the league, posting a career-best 8-11 record last season. John Lannan, who will most likely be the fifth starter for the Nationals, has a career ERA of 4.00 and went 10-13 last season.

                All of this comes after Washington publically admitted that their fan base is awful by launching a ‘take back the park’ campaign. A campaign that started with the Nationals selling tickets for a single weekend series against the Phillies that went on sale a full month before the rest of the single-game tickets go on sale. Not to mention that these tickets will only be available to buyers who own a credit card connected to an address in Maryland, the District or Virginia. They even went as far as contacting their season-ticket holders and asking them to make sure that their tickets stay in the hands of Washington fans.

                If Washington knows anything about Philadelphia fans, they should expect just as many Phillies fans in their ballpark this season. Those fans will be sure to cheer extra loud, as the Nationals have made this more than just an on-field rivalry.