Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader wonders if thou hast seen the lastest standings in the National League East? Well, allow your Maximum Leader to say that they might surprise you.

NL East
Philadelphia 15-11
New York (Mets) 15-12 (.5 GB)
Washington 14-12 (1 GB)
Florida 13-13 (2 GB)
Atlanta 11-15 (4 GB)

Who’da thunk it was possible? Last nights game was well played. Livan Hernandez seems to be playing like he did a few years back (like during his first stint with the Nationals). Let us hope that the Nats continue to play like professionals. Your Maximum Leader is concerned about the teams -17 run differential. That number shows that they’ve been lucky more than once.

Your Maximum Leader reads that the Nationals are promoting (phenom) Steven Strasburg to AAA Syracuse yesterday. Your Maximum Leader is of two minds on Strasburg. The first tells him that they shouldn’t rush him up. Indeed, Strasburg shouldn’t even be thought of in the organization as a possiblity to play for the Nationals until after the All-Star break. And even then it might be best to wait until very late in the season and let him test the waters (and even start in AAA next season). The second mind says that (presuming one will still limit his appearances and pitches) he could help the team sooner if they continue as they have, so there might be a strong financial and on-the-field rationale to bringing him up. Your Maximum Leader still is concerned that the Nats might try too much to fast with him and blow out his arm…

Of course, one has yet to see if Strasburg is really the great hope that he is rumoured to be. We will not know, of course, until he has to stare down someone like Ryan Howard or Albert Pujols…

Carry on.