The Marlins-Nationals match-up has sparked another friendly exchange of questions from “N.L. Least” bloggers. This time the N.L. East Chatter community (and, more specifically, the guys from The Real Dirty Mets Blog) provided five questions for CFG on the Nats, while we (and our cohorts) provided another five to Wally Londo of FishGuts on the Marlins. In the wake of the Phish’s blowout of the Nats in soggy Miami on Saturday (which saw the Marlins dominate the Nats’ pitching staff) the questions from our colleague seem particularly pertinent. The good news? We aren’t the only ones who have noticed Ian Desmond — who had another amazing night, this time going 4-4 in only his second game as a major leaguer. It won’t last, of course, but with twenty games left in the season, Nats fans can be assured of this: after a summer of struggle, the Nats finally have the one thing that every successful team must have to win — a solid front office that knows what it’s doing.

Stickguy (TRDMB): rate the odds (highest to lowest) on which guys will get traded in the off season. For the Nats, special emphasis on Dunn.

CFG: The odds? I think the odds of Cristian Guzman being traded are about 80 percent, Dunn about 10 percent and Zimmerman 0 percent. The marginal, veteran .230 to .250 hitters (Belliard et al) are gone and what is left are prospects, projects and the core. No one will touch the core (Zimmerman, Lannan, Dunn, Willingham, Flores, Morgan) the projects (Gonzalez and Dukes) are projects (no one really knows how good they will be — or if they will be good at all) and the prospects are the great unknown — like Ian Desmond and Stephen Strasburg are coming, they are good, and they will make a difference. But not right away. So trades? There’s not much to trade, to be honest, with the exception of Guzman.

Prismo (TRDMB): What do you think is the most needed area for improvement in the offseason for the Nationals?

CFG: Defense, defense, defense. And I don’t see how the Nats get better at defense without moving Guzman off the ballclub. The problem is his $8 million (due next year) and his shakiness at short. So if you can’t move him and Ian Desmond is going to be handed the shortstop job, you think odd things: like shifting him to second. It’s a bad idea, but you never know. With Nyjer Morgan playing a full year and Flores back from an injury the Nats should be better in the field, but should be probably won’t be good enough. They need a good glove man, like Orlando Hudson, up the middle.

Prismo (TRDMB): Starting pitching seems like the obvious pick, but the offense has been bipolar, the bullpen mostly terrible, and the defense very shoddy at times. Or should they just ignore these problems, and fully focus on minor league development?

CFG: If you ignore these problems for this next year, the next problem you will have will be putting people in the seats. And right now, that’s not a crisis. People here in DC still go to the games and still root for the team. But it could be a problem in the future and you can’t ignore it. So I don’t think the Nats are just going to focus on minor league development. Yes, it’s important to Mike Rizzo, but the Nats lost so much credibility before he was named as Bowden’s replacement this year that the team just can’t afford to ignore what’s happening in the parent club with all eyes on the future. I would expect them to resign Livan Hernandez and pick up another veteran pitcher (like John Garland, or a John Garland type) and sign a middle infielder with a good glove. And their offense hasn’t been “bi polar” — it’s been good. Very good, in fact. You know, I also hate to read on the internet about how some club has a top ranked farm system. Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati — they have very solid farm club operations. But who the hell cares? And Nats fans will sometimes say that: well we have a good farm system. That’s great, but you know, I don’t live in Harrisburg.

Matt R (NLEC): Is it just that I don’t know much about the Nats, but who is Ian Desmond? Where did he come from?

CFG: Hope springs eternal: so here goes. He is the bright shortstop of the future who is going to hold down that position, with Gold Glove after Gold Glove for the next ten years. Well, that’s the hope. More specifically, Ian Desmond is a 24 year old talent rich guy and former 3rd round 2004 draft pick of the Montreal Expos who has had his share in injuries, but who has gotten through them and worked hard at his game. Everyone in the Nats organization predicted that sooner or later he would be in the show. “Later” ended up being this September. He showed this year in AA and AAA that he can hit the cover off the ball. He’s solid. The only question is: has he really arrived? He looks ready to me. The other night, against the Phillies (and in his major league debut) the thing that impressed the most is that he didn’t look nervous, he didn’t look scared, he didn’t overswing. He looked like he belonged. You kind of had to be there to feel it, frankly. Down in the lower boxes, the Nats new brain trust just fell silent as he trotted on the field. And when he put one into the center field seats later in the game, they didn’t really cheer — they just kind of looked at each other. Mike Rizzo had this “I told you so” grin on his face. I think he’s here to stay.

From time to time, our friends at NL East Chatter post the latest, best exchange between NL East rivals — with questions posed by bloggers for each team. This week, to mark the Phillies-Nats toe-to-toe match-up here at Nationals Park, I asked my colleague over at (the newly redesigned and ujpgraded) Phillies Phandom five questions about the ponies. He came back with what I thought were some pretty good, and interesting, answers. As those lovable Phuzzies are in town, I thought it might be useful to reprint the Q and A for the benefit of our worldwide audience.

Q: This question has been asked a thousand times, but needs to be asked again: if Brad Lidge can’t hold down the end of a game, who can? And can the Phillies survive the post-season without him?

A: Lidge is toast. He’s finished. I don’t know who can do the job, but my top choice is Brett Myers, who showed he could do it two years ago. Myers looks good so far working in late innings, but that doesn’t make him a surefire bet to be a great closer (See Ryan Madson). Chan Ho Park is another option, but he’s too valuable in the sixth and seventh innings. I hope to see J.C. Romero back before the end of the season because I think he has the mindset to close. But… all those options have question marks. This will be an issue from now until October.
 
Q: Cole Hamels seems to have found his stride: which is great news for the Phils in the playoffs — but is J.A. Happ now a better pitcher, and do you pitch him ahead of Hamels the rest of the way? And maybe Lee, Martinez, and Happ are your one-two-three-four in the playoffs. With Blanton there, Hamels sits. Who woulda thunk it.

A: This has been a great debate for weeks now. Here’s my 1-through-4 right now: Hamels, Lee, Blanton, Happ. Hamels, even though he’s been sub-par most of the year, is a proven winner in the playoffs. Lee, while he’s probably the better pitcher, doesn’t have two MVPs. Give Hamels the benefit of the doubt. Let him pitch Game 1 in a series, especially if he continues to pitch very well… Blanton is No. 3 because he’s been the team’s most consistent starter since May… Happ over Pedro at No. 4 because Pedro would be a valuable contributor out of the bullpen – a shutdown guy in the seventh inning perhaps (a la Randy Johnson years and years ago for the D-Backs). That’s the way the roations should set up, regardless of how each inidividual performs from now to the end of the regular season.
 
Q: The Phillies just got swept by the Astros in Houston and Charlie the Man said that his team looked complacent. With a six game lead in the East that’s what it looks like. What or who is going to get them going. And when?

I don’t know. They all feed off each other. Typically, it’s J-Roll that lights the fire, but in all honesty…Raul Ibanez is the big piece here. The guy is starting to turn the corner and get back on track. He was our best clutch performer for the first three months of the season. I think it will be a different-guy-a-night thing before the rollercoaster hits full stride. I’m concerned about the lack of hitting in key situations, but something tells me the Phillies will keep finding ways to win when it matters most. They are an all-or-nothing team and nothing will really change that. You just hope the ON switch is, uh, on come playoff time.
 
Q:  That bullpen sure is shaky: Chan Ho Park? Jamie Moyer? Too late now, you’ve got what you’ve got. But it’s going to take some management. Who can the Phillies count on in those vital middle innings?

I disagree. The bullpen is very strong (albeit banged up injury-wise) except for Brad Lidge. The Phillies’ pitching, in general, has been excellent since the All-Star break. The elephant in the room is Lidge and only Lidge. The rest of the guys are doing a good-to-great job. Hopefully, all of our walking wounded (Madson, Clay Condrey, Romero) will get 100 percent healthy before the postseason.

Q: If you had to do it all over, would you trade Michael Bourn for Brad Lidge?

Yes. I know Lidge has been absolutely dreadul this year, but nothing beats a World Series championship. And without Lidge, the greatest October in my lifetime would never have happened.

Check out CFG’s view of the Marlins — and FishGuts view of the Nats — over at NL East Chatter. It’s a pretty good exchange. Wally at FishGuts was asked which National strikes fear into Marlins’ fans. ”Josh Willingham is a man on a mission this season,” he says, ”and he’s really making the Marlins regret trading him and not Hermida. He’s been on fire, and you don’t want to see him right now. Jordan Zimmermann is going to be a legitimate front line starter, and he’s got enough stuff right now to cause any lineup fits.”

I think that’s about right; and it’s only justice that a team like the Marlins (who stumble into a world series about every sixth year or so — and for no good reason at all), should be vulnerable to a guy they gave up on. It’s true: if Willingham in Washington is “the hammer,” in Florida he was a screwdriver: so far this year he has 17 home runs this year in 253 ABs, last year with Florida he had 15 in 351. With Emilio Bonafacio (the center of the Willingham- to-D.C. trade), now relegated to a utility role in Florida, Marlins’ fans might be looking for revenge. They should rethink that: if Aaron Thompson doesn’t work out, the Phish will have gotten 1B Nick Johnson, one of the best on-base players in baseball, for nothing.