Matt Chico had a rough outing (The Post, The Wash. Times) againist Balmer yesterday and the Nats lost a close one, 4-2 (ESPN Boxscore). Three runs were charged to Chico in the 3rd inning. Another loss to Angelo$, even though it doesn’t count.

The Nats biggest offseason acquisitions were scouts (The Post). Thankfully, GM Jim Bowden has not said “scouting, scouting, scouting” yet.

IF Ronnie Belliard was expecting a good contract in the offseason, but he had to settle for a minor league deal (The Wash. Times) with the Nats. So far, he is a hit in the clubhouse. More from The (Fort Lauderdale) Sun-Sentinel: Belliard lands spot in D.C.

The CityPaper reports that Baseball Prospectus editors will be at Politics and Prose in NW this evening at 6:00. If you are into that kind of thing.