VIERA, Fla. -- Washington Nationals manager Manny Acta describes his attitude in life and in baseball as "optimistic, but realistic."
He called on that philosophy repeatedly last spring, his first as a big league manger. It bugged him that the national media viewed his Nationals as a certain 100-loss club, one that likely was the worst in baseball. "I am not very good at making predictions," he said this month. "But I am worse at believing them."
Even though four-fifths of his rotation was undecided last March, Acta was undaunted. And he was right. The Nationals surprised most pundits by finishing fourth in the National League East with a 73-89 record. Despite an awful 9-17 start, Washington finished strong, going 15-12 in September, including 5-2 in the last eight days against the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies. The Nationals helped torpedo the Mets' postseason chances.
"I wanted my kids to play hard for six months, not 5 1/2 months. And they did," Acta said. "We were very proud of that. That was very, very satisfying."
This year, they have a new park, a revamped outfield and a bolstered bench but a rotation that again is a work in progress. Their improved roster doesn't appear to be in the same class as those of the free-spending Mets and Phillies and the perennially solid Atlanta Braves. But don't tell the Nationals that.
"You plan on winning," reliever Jon Rauch said. "You look forward to winning, and you work toward that in spring training. When the season begins, you ultimately look to be in a playoff race and the World Series."
Rauch and closer Chad Cordero anchor a bullpen that has emerged as one of the NL's best. Last season, Washington relievers posted the most innings (590 2/3 ) in the NL but had the fourth-lowest bullpen ERA in the league (3.81). The support was needed, because the rotation never gained stability. The Nationals used 13 different starters in 2007. Only rookie Matt Chico made more than 21 starts. And Rauch, the reliever, led the team in wins with eight.
Heading into this season, the Nationals felt better about their rotation. But potential ace Shawn Hill has a forearm injury that will cost him part of April, and John Patterson, who was the team's 2007 Opening Day starter, was released this month. That leaves Odalis Perez, invited to spring training as a nonroster player, as the club's most experienced 2008 starter, leading a group that includes 2007 holdovers Tim Redding, Jason Bergmann and - eventually - Hill.
