FanHouse JeromeWilliams

I post this for two reason: 1) I'm mildly amused at the idea of Jerome Williams being greeted by screaming children everywhere he goes in the Philippines; and 2) I'm authentically impressed at how Williams has parlayed a mediocre playing career into an opportunity to travel the world doing good things, which he's been doing pretty much non-stop since he retired in 2005.

Mike Bacsik is very close to being called up to the major leagues to pitch for the Washington Nationals. But if I was Bacsik, I wouldn't leave the house. You see, the whole reason Bacsik is on his way to the show is because practically every other Nationals starter has fallen to injury. First is was John Patterson. Then Shawn Hill. Jerome Williams came off the DL on the 15th to only last two innings before returning.

And now it's Jason Bergmann, who recently came within six outs of throwing a no-hitter, is on now the disabled list with inflammation in his throwing elbow. So that's four-fifths of his rotation, in addition to Ryan Wagner and Luis Ayala, on the DL. Your starting rotation is now Matt Chico, Jason Simontacchi, Levale Speigner, and Bacsik. Yet this team, amazingly, has won five out of six.

We wondered what was in the Wheaties of the Nationals pitching ... now we know: elbow inflammation. Don't eat those Wheaties, Mike.

Previously on The Fanhouse:
What's in the Wheaties of the Nationals Pitching

Four earned runs in six innings doesn't sound like a spectacular game for a starting pitcher But for the Nationals, it's a start worthy of a pre-game ceremony the next day. Jerome Williams, the fifth starter for the Nats, pitched the first 1-2-3 inning of the season for a National pitcher. Considering that we're talking about the fifth game of the season, that's a sad state of affairs.

But Williams wasn't done there. In fact, he retired the first ten Arizona Diamondback hitters. That alone constitutes a stellar outing ... an outing worthy of Walter Johnson, perhaps ... in Washington DC. Unfortunately, the Nationals still lost 7-1 to the Diamondbacks.

Figures the one game that the starting pitcher would give them a chance to win, the hitting and defense would let them down. Ryan Zimmerman came up with the bases loaded against Micah Owings making his first major league start, and Zimmerman struck out on three pitches. Zimmerman had a tough night in the field too, making an error which brought in the second Diamondbacks run immediately after Austin Kearns butchered a fly ball which brought in the first run. Kearns was also caught in a rundown between third and home on a grounder to third while down 5-0.

"I thought I'd steal a run," Kearns said, "and ended up looking like an idiot."

Hey, down 5-0, you gotta do what you gotta do, right?

If the Nationals keep squandering the few chances that their starting pitching will give them, it's going to be a long season. Well, it'll still be a long season, but longer than usual.