2008 Washington Nationals season

2008 Washington Nationals
Major League affiliations
National League (since 1969)
Eastern Division (since 1969)
Location
Nationals Park (since 2008)
Washington, D.C. (since 2005)
Other information
Owner(s)	Lerner Enterprises
General manager(s)	Jim Bowden
Manager(s)	Manny Acta
Local television	MASN WDCA (My 20)
Local radio	WWWT
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The Washington Nationals' 2008 season was the fourth season for the franchise in the District of Columbia, and the 40th since the original team was started in Montreal, Quebec, in 1969. It also marked the first season the Nationals played at Nationals Park. The team finished in last place in the National League East with a record of 59–102, the worst record in Major League Baseball.

Offseason

On November 30, 2007, the Nationals traded Ryan Church and Brian Schneider to the New York Mets for Lastings Milledge.^[1] On December 3, 2007, they traded minor-leaguer Glenn Gibson to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for Elijah Dukes,^[2] and on the following day they traded Jonathan Albaladejo to the New York Yankees for Tyler Clippard.^[3]

Advertising and marketing

The Nationals′ marketing slogan for 2008 was "Welcome Home." The slogan welcomed Nationals fans to their new "home" at Nationals Park, where the Nationals began play in 2008 after three seasons at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium.^[4]

Spring training

The Nationals held their 2008 spring training in Viera, Florida, with home games played at Space Coast Stadium.

Regular season

March

President George W. Bush throws the ceremonial first pitch before a sold out crowd at the Washington Nationals' season opener on March 30, 2008

The Nationals opened the 2008 MLB season by hosting the Atlanta Braves in a nationally-televised night game on March 30, 2008. It was the first professional regular-season game to be played at the Nationals' new facility Nationals Park. President George W. Bush threw the ceremonial first pitch to Nationals' manager Manny Acta, and Ryan Zimmerman hit a two-out, walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to mark an exciting beginning to the 2008 season. The Nationals also blew out the Phillies 11-6.

April

The Nationals clinched the series against the Phillies, winning 1-0. However, the Nationals struggled after a promising 3-0 start, losing 16 of their next 19 games to start off 6-16. They improved for the rest of the month, earning splits at Atlanta and at home against the Mets, and winning series against the Braves and the Pirates. Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass at Nationals Park in front of 47,000 people on April 17 while the Nationals were on a road trip.

May

The Nats started May winning 3 of the first 4 games of the month, earning them a 14-18 record, but lost 2 of 3 at Houston and were swept by the Florida Marlins at home. Then they took 3 of 4 against the struggling Mets at Shea Stadium, but in the first Beltway Series of 2008 they were nipped by the Orioles at Baltimore and lost two of three against the high-powered Phillies' offense. They split a series two games apiece against the Brewers and lost a series to the Padres. The Nats then beat up on the Diamondbacks in the first game of a series.

September

The team finished 59-102, the worst record in Major League Baseball. Six of the team's coaches were dismissed the day before the final game (a loss to the 2008 World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies); only manager Manny Acta and pitching coach Randy St. Clair were retained.

Season standings

NL East	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
Philadelphia Phillies	92	70	0.568	—	48–33	44–37
New York Mets	89	73	0.549	3	48–33	41–40
Florida Marlins	84	77	0.522	7½	45–36	39–41
Atlanta Braves	72	90	0.444	20	43–38	29–52
Washington Nationals	59	102	0.366	32½	34–46	25–56

Record vs. opponents

2008 National League Records Source:
Team	ARI	ATL	CHC	CIN	COL	FLA	HOU	LAD	MIL	NYM	PHI	PIT	SD	SF	STL	WSH	AL
Arizona	–	3–5	2–4	2–4	15–3	2–7	4–2	8–10	2–5	3–3	3–4	4–3	10–8	11–7	3–4	4–2	6–9
Atlanta	5–3	–	0–6	3–3	4–3	10–8	3–3	4–2	3–6	11–7	4–14	2–5	5–1	2–5	2–5	6–12	8–7
Chicago	4–2	6–0	–	8–7	5–1	4–3	8–9	5–2	9–7	4–2	3–4	14–4	5–2	4–3	9–6	3–3	6–9
Cincinnati	4–2	3–3	7–8	–	1–5	6–2	3–12	1–7	10–8	3–4	3–5	6–9	4–3	5–1	5–10	4–3	9–6
Colorado	3–15	3–4	1–5	5–1	–	5–3	3–3	8–10	4–3	3–6	0–5	5–2	9–9	11–7	3–4	4–3	7–8
Florida	7–2	8–10	3–4	2–6	3–5	–	4–2	3–4	5–1	8–10	10–8	3–2	4–2	3–3	2–5	14–3	5–10
Houston	2–4	3–3	9–8	12–3	3–3	2–4	–	4–3	7–8	5–2	3–4	8–8	3–3	7–1	7–8	4–2	7–11
Los Angeles	10–8	2–4	2–5	7–1	10–8	4–3	3–4	–	4–2	3–4	4–4	5–2	11–7	9–9	2–4	3–3	5–10
Milwaukee	5–2	6–3	7–9	8–10	3–4	1–5	8–7	2–4	–	2–4	1–5	14–1	4–3	6–0	10–5	6–2	7–8
New York	3–3	7–11	2–4	4–3	6–3	10–8	2–5	4–3	4–2	–	11–7	4–3	2–5	5–1	4–3	12–6	9–6
Philadelphia	4–3	14–4	4–3	5–3	5–0	8–10	4–3	4–4	5–1	7–11	–	4–2	4–2	3–3	5–4	12–6	4–11
Pittsburgh	3–4	5–2	4–14	9–6	2–5	2–3	8–8	2–5	1–14	3–4	2–4	–	3–4	4–2	10–7	3–4	6–9
San Diego	8–10	1–5	2–5	3–4	9–9	2–4	3–3	7–11	3–4	5–2	2–4	4–3	–	5–13	1–6	5–1	3–15
San Francisco	7–11	5–2	3–4	1–5	7–11	3–3	1–7	9–9	0–6	1–5	3–3	2–4	13–5	–	4–3	7–0	6–12
St. Louis	4–3	5–2	6–9	10–5	4–3	5–2	8–7	4–2	5–10	3–4	4–5	7–10	6–1	3–4	–	5–1	7–8
Washington	2–4	12–6	3–3	3–4	3–4	3–14	2–4	3–3	2–6	6–12	6–12	4–3	1–5	0–7	1–5	–	8–10

Opening Day lineup

Opening Day Starters
Name	Position
Cristian Guzmán	Shortstop
Lastings Milledge	Center fielder
Ryan Zimmerman	Third baseman
Nick Johnson	First baseman
Austin Kearns	Right fielder
Paul Lo Duca	Catcher
Elijah Dukes	Left fielder
Ronnie Belliard	Second baseman
Odalis Pérez	Starting pitcher

Notable transactions

• July 22, 2008: The Nationals traded Jon Rauch to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Emilio Bonifacio.^[5]
• July 31, 2008: The Nationals traded Jhonny Núñez to the New York Yankees for Alberto González.^[3]
• August 17, 2008: The Nationals traded Luis Ayala to the New York Mets for a player to be named later. The Mets sent Anderson Hernández to the Nationals to complete the trade on August 20, 2008.^[1]

Draft

The 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft took place on June 5 and 6. With their first pick – the ninth pick overall – the Nationals selected pitcher Aaron Crow. Other notable players the Nationals selected were shortstop Danny Espinosa (third round, 87th overall), catcher Adrián Nieto (fifth round, 151st overall), pitcher Tommy Milone (10th round, 301st overall), pitcher Louis Coleman (14th round, 421st overall), first baseman Tyler Moore (16th round, 481st overall), shortstop Steve Lombardozzi, Jr. (19th round, 571st overall), pitcher Cory Mazzoni (26th round, 781st overall), pitcher Chris Heston (29th round, 871st overall), catcher Rob Brantly (46th round, 1,378th overall), and outfielder Alex Dickerson (48th round, 1,432nd overall).^[6] Crow, Coleman, Mazzoni, Heston, Brantly, and Dickerson all opted not to sign with the team. Moore finally did sign with the Nationals; it was the third time they had drafted him, but he had opted not to sign with them the first two times (in 2005 and 2006).

Roster

2008 Washington Nationals
Roster
Pitchers 56 Luis Ayala 40 Collin Balester 57 Jason Bergmann 47 Matt Chico 19 Tyler Clippard 43 Jesús Colomé 32 Chad Cordero 55 Marco Estrada 38 Joel Hanrahan 41 Shawn Hill 58 Mike Hinckley 36 Ray King 31 John Lannan 36 Charlie Manning 51 Shairon Martis 50 Garrett Mock 54 Mike O'Connor 49,45 Odalis Pérez 51 Jon Rauch 17 Tim Redding 52 Saúl Rivera 22 Brian Sanches 45,49 Chris Schroder 59 Steven Shell 37 Levale Speigner		Catchers 23 Johnny Estrada  3 Jesús Flores 16 Paul Lo Duca 23 Luke Montz 53 Wil Nieves Infielders 10 Ronnie Belliard 6,7 Emilio Bonifacio  8 Aaron Boone  5 Kory Casto 12 Alberto González 15 Cristian Guzmán  6 Anderson Hernández 24 Nick Johnson  2 Felipe López  4 Pete Orr 21 Dmitri Young 11 Ryan Zimmerman Outfielders 7,2 Roger Bernadina 34 Elijah Dukes  1 Willie Harris 25 Austin Kearns 29 Ryan Langerhans 12 Rob Mackowiak 44 Lastings Milledge 26 Wily Mo Peña		Manager 14 Manny Acta Coaches 27 Rick Aponte (bullpen) 39 Pat Corrales (bench)  9 Lenny Harris (hitting) 28 Jerry Morales (first base) 46 Randy St. Claire (pitching) 18 Tim Tolman (third base)

Attendance

The Nationals drew 2,320,400 fans at Nationals Park in 2008, placing them 13th in attendance for the season among the 16 National League teams. Boosted by the opening of Nationals Park at the beginning of the season, it was their second-best attendance total in their short history in Washington, exceeded only by the 2,731,993 they drew in 2005, their first season in Washington.^[7][8]

Game log

2008 Game Log
March (2–0) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 1 March 30 Braves 3–2 Rauch (1–0) Moylan (0–1) 39,389 1–0 2 March 31 @ Phillies 11–6 Rivera (1–0) Gordon (0–1) 44,553 2–0
April (9–17) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 3 April 2 @ Phillies 1–0 Redding (1–0) Hamels (0–1) Rauch (1) 44,986 3–0 4 April 3 @ Phillies 8–7 (10) Condrey (1–0) Colomé (0–1) 25,831 3–1 5 April 4 @ Cardinals 5–4 Looper (1-0) Pérez (0–1) Isringhausen (2) 37,191 3–2 6 April 5 @ Cardinals 5–4 Wainwright (1–0) Chico (0–1) Flores (1) 41,463 3–3 7 April 6 @ Cardinals 3–0 Lohse (1–0) Lannan (0–1) Isringhausen (3) 41,912 3–4 8 April 7 Marlins 10–7 Pinto (1–0) Redding (1–1) 20,487 3–5 9 April 9 Marlins 10–4 Olsen (1–0) Bergmann (0–1) 23,340 3–6 10 April 10 Marlins 4–3 Hendrickson (2–1) Pérez (0–2) Gregg (2) 24,549 3–7 11 April 11 Braves 3–0 Hudson (2–0) Chico (0–2) Moylan (1) 28,051 3–8 12 April 12 Braves 10–2 Smoltz (2–0) Lannan (0–2) 32,532 3–9 13 April 13 Braves 5–4 Redding (2–1) Glavine (0–1) Rauch (2) 29,151 4–9 14 April 15 @ Mets 6–0 Pelfrey (2–0) Pérez (0–3) 46,567 4–10 15 April 16 @ Mets 5–2 Maine (1–1) Chico (0–3) Wagner (2) 46,106 4–11 16 April 17 @ Mets 3–2 (14) Sosa (2–1) Hanrahan (0–1) 47,785 4–12 17 April 18 @ Marlins 6–4 Redding (3–1) J. Miller (1–1) Rauch (3) 13,279 5–12 18 April 19 @ Marlins 6–5 Gregg (2–0) Rivera (1–1) 18,944 5–13 19 April 20 @ Marlins 6–1 Olsen (3–0) Ayala (0–1) 11,635 5–14 20 April 21 @ Braves 7–3 Hudson (3–1) Chico (0–4) 16,706 5–15 21 April 22 @ Braves 6–0 Lannan (1–2) Smoltz (3–1) 23,482 6–15 22 April 23 Mets 7–2 Santana (3–2) Redding (3–2) 32,780 6–16 23 April 24 Mets 10–5 O'Connor (1–0) Pérez (2–1) 29,750 7–16 24 April 25 Cubs 5–3 Rauch (2–0) Howry (0–1) 35,154 8–16 25 April 26 Cubs 7–0 Zambrano (4–1) Chico (0–5) 35,188 8–17 26 April 27 Cubs 2–0 Lannan (2–2) Lilly (1–4) Rauch (4) 33,795 9–17 27 April 29 Braves 6–3 Rivera (2–1) Boyer (0–3) Rauch (5) 25,285 10–17 28 April 30 Braves 3–2 (12) Rivera (3–1) Acosta (0–1) 29,473 11–17
May (13–16) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 29 May 1 Pirates 3–2 Ayala (1–1) Grabow (1–1) Rauch (6) 24,723 12–17 30 May 2 Pirates 11–4 Marte (2–0) Lannan (2–3) 26,001 12–18 31 May 3 Pirates 9–8 Colomé (1–1) Maholm (2–3) Rauch (7) 34,128 13–18 32 May 4 Pirates 5–2 Redding (4–2) Snell (2–2) 30,564 14–18 33 May 6 @ Astros 6–5 Brocail (2–0) Ayala (1–2) Valverde (7) 30,335 14–19 34 May 7 @ Astros 4–3 Valverde (4–1) Hanrahan (0–2) 30,432 14–20 35 May 8 @ Astros 8–3 Lannan (3–3) Backe (2–4) 33,433 15–20 36 May 9 Marlins 7–3 Nolasco (2–3) Redding (4–3) 23,379 15–21 37 May 10 Marlins 11–0 A. Miller (3–2) O'Connor (1–1) 28,663 15–22 38 May 11 Marlins 5–4 Kensing (2–0) Ayala (1–3) Gregg (7) 25,871 15–23 39 May 12 @ Mets 10–4 Pérez (1–3) Figueroa (2–3) 45,321 16–23 40 May 13 @ Mets 6–3 Maine (5–2) Lannan (3–4) Wagner (8) 46,618 16–24 41 May 14 @ Mets 5–3 Redding (5–3) Vargas (0–1) Rauch (8) 48,529 17–24 42 May 15 @ Mets 1–0 Bergmann (1–1) Pelfrey (2–4) Rauch (9) 51,769 18–24 43 May 16 @ Orioles 5–3 Olson (3–0) Hill (0–1) Sherrill (16) 29,266 18–25 44 May 17 @ Orioles 6–5 Burres (4–4) Pérez (1–4) Sherrill (17) 32,662 18–26 45 May 18 @ Orioles 2–1 Lannan (4–4) Guthrie (2–4) Rauch (10) 33,745 19–26 46 May 19 Phillies 4–0 Redding (6–3) Myers (2–5) 25,394 20–26 47 May 20 Phillies 1–0 Gordon (4–2) Rauch (2–1) Lidge (11) 28,105 20–27 48 May 21 Phillies 12–2 Moyer (4–3) Chico (0–6) 28,055 20–28 49 May 23 Brewers 5–1 Sanches (1–0) Suppan (2–4) 28,007 21–28 50 May 24 Brewers 5–2 McClung (2–1) Lannan (4–5) Torres (2) 30,029 21–29 51 May 25 Brewers 7–6 Rauch (3–1) Mota (1–3) 35,567 22–29 52 May 26 Brewers 4–3 (11) Villanueva (3–5) Rivera (3–2) Torres (3) 28,552 22–30 53 May 27 @ Padres 4–2 Bell (1–3) Manning (0–1) Hoffman (10) 18,744 22–31 54 May 28 @ Padres 6–4 Pérez (2–4) Estes (1–1) Rauch (11) 19,201 23–31 55 May 29 @ Padres 5–2 Bell (2–3) Rivera (3–3) Hoffman (11) 25,021 23–32 56 May 30 @ D-backs 7–4 Hanrahan (1–0) Owings (6–3) Rauch (12) 25,391 24–32 57 May 31 @ D-backs 4–0 Webb (10–2) Bergmann (1–2) 38,507 24–33
June (9–18) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 58 June 1 @ D-backs 5–0 Haren (6–4) Hill (0–2) 28,249 24–34 59 June 3 Cardinals 6–1 Lohse (6–2) Pérez (2–5) 26,875 24–35 — June 4 Cardinals Postponed (rain) Rescheduled for June 5 as part of a doubleheader 60 June 5 (1) Cardinals 4–1 Wellemeyer (7–1) Lannan (4–6) Franklin (7) 27,264 24–36 61 June 5 (2) Cardinals 10–9 (10) Sanches (2–0) Franklin (2–2) 32,357 25–36 62 June 6 Giants 10–1 Lincecum (8–1) Bergmann (1–3) 25,987 25–37 63 June 7 Giants 6–0 Sánchez (5–3) Hill (0–3) 30,652 25–38 64 June 8 Giants 6–3 Zito (2–9) Mock (0–1) Wilson (17) 30,224 25–39 65 June 9 Giants 3–2 Cain (3–4) Clippard (0–1) Wilson (18) 26,209 25–40 66 June 10 @ Pirates 7–6 Hanrahan (2–2) Capps (0–1) Rauch (13) 12,957 26–40 67 June 11 @ Pirates 3–1 Snell (3–6) Lannan (4–7) Capps (16) 15,439 26–41 68 June 12 @ Pirates 7–5 Gorzelanny (5–5) Bergmann (1–4) Marte (1) 16,306 26–42 69 June 13 @ Mariners 7–6 Hill (1–3) Dickey (1–2) Rauch (14) 35,941 27–42 70 June 14 @ Mariners 5–2 Clippard (1–1) Batista (3–8) Rauch (15) 32,145 28–42 71 June 15 @ Mariners 6–2 Colomé (2–1) Lowe (1–3) 38,548 29–42 72 June 17 @ Twins 2–1 Hernández (7–4) Lannan (4–8) Nathan (18) 20,920 29–43 73 June 18 @ Twins 11–2 Slowey (4–6) Bergmann (1–5) 23,841 29–44 74 June 19 @ Twins 9–3 Perkins (3–2) Hill (1–4) 24,793 29–45 75 June 20 Rangers 4–3 (14) Hanrahan (3–2) Wright (4–3) 30,359 30–45 76 June 21 Rangers 13–3 Gabbard (2–3) Mock (0–2) Mendoza (1) 32,975 30–46 77 June 22 Rangers 5–3 Padilla (10–3) Ayala (1–4) Wilson (15) 32,690 30–47 78 June 23 Angels 3–2 Lackey (5–1) Rivera (3–4) Rodríguez (31) 24,805 30–48 79 June 24 Angels 8–3 Garland (7–4) Hill (1–5) 28,531 30–49 80 June 25 Angels 5–4 Rauch (4–1) Shields (3–2) 29,180 31–49 81 June 27 Orioles 4–2 Hanrahan (4–2) Cabrera (5–4) Rauch (16) 35,830 32–49 82 June 28 Orioles 9–1 Olson (6–3) Lannan (4–9) Cormier (1) 39,479 32–50 83 June 29 Orioles 3–2 (12) Hanrahan (5–2) Sherrill (2–3) 39,824 33–50 84 June 30 @ Marlins 6–5 (10) Gregg (6–2) Rauch (4–2) 10,888 33–51
July (5–19) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 85 July 1 @ Marlins 9–6 Balester (1–0) Hendrickson (7–7) 12,166 34–51 86 July 2 @ Marlins 4–2 Nolasco (9–4) Manning (0–2) 23,624 34–52 87 July 3 @ Reds 5–3 Cueto (7–8) Colomé (2–2) Cordero (16) 23,259 34–53 88 July 4 @ Reds 3–0 Arroyo (6–7) Bergmann (1–6) Cordero (17) 22,626 34–54 89 July 5 @ Reds 3–2 Cordero (4–1) Hanrahan (5–3) 37,121 34–55 90 July 6 @ Reds 6–5 Vólquez (11–3) Balester (1–1) Cordero (18) 28,814 34–56 91 July 8 D-backs 2–0 Webb (13–4) Pérez (2–6) Lyon (19) 26,820 34–57 92 July 9 D-backs 5–0 Lannan (5–9) Owings (6–8) 25,862 35–57 93 July 10 D-backs 7–5 (11) Qualls (2–6) Ayala (1–5) 27,330 35–58 94 July 11 Astros 10–0 Redding (7–3) Paronto (0–1) Shell (1) 33,653 36–58 95 July 12 Astros 6–4 Rodríguez (4–3) Balester (1–2) Valverde (24) 30,682 36–59 96 July 13 Astros 5–0 Backe (6–9) Pérez (2–7) 31,463 36–60 All–Star Break (July 14–16) 97 July 18 @ Braves 7–6 Hudson (10–7) Redding (7–4) González (4) 39,861 36–61 98 July 19 @ Braves 8–2 Lannan (6–9) Jurrjens (9–5) 43,285 37–61 99 July 20 @ Braves 15–6 Pérez (3–7) Reyes (3–9) 29,320 38–61 100 July 22 @ Giants 6–3 Zito (5–12) Bergmann (1–7) Wilson (26) 34,813 38–62 101 July 23 @ Giants 6–4 Espineli (1–0) Ayala (1–6) Wilson (27) 35,539 38–63 102 July 24 @ Giants 1–0 Cain (6–8) Redding (7–5) 36,963 38–64 103 July 25 @ Dodgers 3–2 Billingsley (10–9) Lannan (6–10) Broxton (3) 47,313 38–65 104 July 26 @ Dodgers 6–0 Lowe (8–8) Pérez (3–8) 42,122 38–66 105 July 27 @ Dodgers 2–0 Kershaw (1–3) Bergmann (1–8) Broxton (4) 38,660 38–67 106 July 29 Phillies 2–1 Myers (4–9) Balester (1–3) Lidge (25) 34,039 38–68 107 July 30 Phillies 8–5 Moyer (10–6) Redding (7–6) Lidge (26) 31,798 38–69 108 July 31 Phillies 8–4 Kendrick (9–5) Lannan (6–11) 31,658 38–70
August (14–15) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 109 August 1 Reds 5–2 Pérez (4–8) Bailey (0–5) 30,572 39–70 110 August 2 Reds 10–6 Manning (1–2) Lincoln (1–3) 30,970 40–70 111 August 3 Reds 4–2 Balester (2–3) Cueto (7–11) Hanrahan (1) 32,939 41–70 112 August 4 @ Rockies 9–4 Redding (8–6) Cook (14–7) 33,143 42–70 113 August 5 @ Rockies 8–2 Corpas (2–3) Ayala (1–7) 27,483 42–71 — August 6 @ Rockies Postponed (rain) Rescheduled for August 7 as part of a doubleheader 114 August 7 (1) @ Rockies 6–3 Bergmann (2–8) Francis (3–8) Hanrahan (2) 30,448 43–71 115 August 7 (2) @ Rockies 6–3 Pérez (5–8) Jiménez (8–10) Hanrahan (3) 30,448 44–71 116 August 8 @ Brewers 5–0 Sabathia (6–0) Balester (2–4) 43,209 44–72 117 August 9 @ Brewers 6–0 Sheets (11–5) Redding (8–7) 42,974 44–73 118 August 10 @ Brewers 5–4 Mota (3–5) (13) Ayala (1–8) 42,423 44–74 119 August 11 @ Brewers 7–1 Bush (7–9) Mock (0–3) 42,196 44–75 120 August 12 Mets 4–3 Santana (10–7) Rivera (3–5) Feliciano (1) 32,186 44–76 121 August 13 Mets 12–0 Maine (10–7) Bergmann (2–9) Stokes (1) 30,814 44–77 122 August 14 Mets 9–3 Pérez (9–7) Balester (2–5) 31,058 44–78 123 August 15 Rockies 4–3 de la Rosa (6–6) Redding (8–8) Fuentes (23) 27,965 44–79 124 August 16 Rockies 13–6 Hernández (1–1) Lannan (6–12) 28,909 44–80 125 August 17 Rockies 7–2 Cook (15–8) Pérez (5–9) 31,467 44–81 126 August 19 @ Phillies 5 – 4 Madson (3-1) Shell (0-1) Lidge (31) 44,143 44-82 127 August 20 @ Phillies 4 – 0 Myers (6-10) Balester (2-6) 45,166 44-83 128 August 21 @ Phillies 4-3 Rivera (4-5) Madson (3-2) Hanrahan (4) 41,568 45-83 129 August 22 @ Cubs 13-5 Lannan (7-12) Cotts (0-2) 40,513 46-83 130 August 23 @ Cubs 9-2 Dempster (15-5) Odalis Pérez (5-10) 40,708 46-84 131 August 24 @ Cubs 6-1 Harden (9-2) Bergmann (2-10) 40,682 46-85 132 August 26 Dodgers 2-1 Balester (3-6) Derek Lowe Hanrahan (5) 26,110 47-85 133 August 27 Dodgers 5-4 Redding (9-8) Maddux (6-11) Hanrahan (6) 22,907 48-85 134 August 28 Dodgers 11-2 Lannan (8-12) Kershaw (2-5) 26,338 49-85 135 August 29 Braves 7-3 Pérez (6-10) Campillo Hanrahan 22,737 50-85 136 August 30 Braves 9-8 Shell (1-1) V. Núñez (0-2) 30,326 51-85 137 August 31 Braves 8-4 Mock (1-3) Elmer Dessens (0-1) 31,090 52-85
September (7–17) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 138 September 1 Phillies 7–4 Redding (10–8) Kendrick (11–8) 28,393 53–85 139 September 2 Phillies 4–0 Hamels (12–8) Lannan (8–13) 23,150 53–86 140 September 3 Phillies 9–7 Rivera (5–5) C. Durbin (5–4) 23,122 54–86 141 September 4 @ Braves 2-0 Parr (1–0) Martis (0–1) Gonzalez (9) 18,708 54–87 142 September 5 @ Braves 10-5 Jurrjens (12–9) Bergmann (2–11) 25,064 54–88 143 September 6 @ Braves 8-5 (10) Hanrahan (6–3) Gonzalez (0–2) Shell (2) 34,369 55–88 144 September 7 @ Braves 7-4 (14) Shell (2–1) Bennett (2–6) Hanrahan (8) 30,753 56–88 145 September 9 @ Mets 10–8 Smith (4–3) Manning (1–3) Ayala (6) 50,382 56–89 146 September 10 @ Mets 13–10 Smith (5–3) Rivera (5–6) Ayala (7) 52,431 56–90 147 September 12 @ Marlins 2 – 1 Olsen (7-10) Martis (0-2) Lindstrom (3) 12,121 56–91 148 September 13 @ Marlins 4 – 2 Johnson (5-1) Redding (10-9) Lindstrom (4) 16,307 56–92 149 September 14 @ Marlins 8 – 7 A. Miller (6-9) Shell (2-2) Rhodes (2) 12,024 56–93 150 September 15 Mets 7–2 Lannan (9–13) P. Martínez (5–5) 21,759 57–93 151 September 16 Mets 1–0 Pérez (7–10) Pelfrey (13–10) Hanrahan (9) 24,997 58–93 152 September 17 Mets 9–7 Knight (1–0) Martis (0–3) Ayala (8) 25,019 58–94 153 September 18 Mets 7–2 Santana (14–7) Redding (10–10) 25,426 58–95 154 September 19 Padres 11-6(14) Hampson (2-1) Speigner (0-1) 28,600 58-96 155 September 20 Padres 6-1 Young (6-6) Lannan (9-14) 27,474 58-97 156 September 21 Padres 6-2 Baek (6-10) Pérez (7-11) 29,608 58-98 157 September 23 Marlins 9 – 4 Martis (1-3) Olsen (8-11) 20,657 59–98 158 September 24 Marlins 9 – 4 Johnson (7-1) Redding (10-11) 23,299 59–99 -- September 25 Marlins Cancelled (rain) No make-up game was scheduled 159 September 26 @ Phillies 8–4 Blanton (9–12) Balester (3–7) 44,145 59–100 160 September 27 @ Phillies 4–3 Moyer (16–7) Lannan (9–15) Lidge (41) 45,177 59–101 161 September 28 @ Phillies 8–3 Walrond (1–1) Pérez (7–12) 44,945 59–102

Player stats

Batting

Table is sortable.

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; AVG = Batting average; SB = Stolen bases

Pos	Player	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	AVG	SB
LF	Harris, WillieWillie Harris	140	367	28	92	14	4	13	43	.251	13
CF	Milledge, LastingsLastings Milledge	138	523	65	140	24	2	14	61	.268	24
SS	Guzman, ChristianChristian Guzman	138	579	77	183	35	5	9	55	.316	6
3B	Zimmerman, RyanRyan Zimmerman	106	428	51	121	24	1	14	51	.283	1
1B	Boone, AaronAaron Boone	104	232	23	56	13	1	6	28	.241	0
2B	López, FelipeFelipe López	100	325	34	76	20	0	2	25	.234	4
IF	Belliard, RonnieRonnie Belliard	96	296	37	85	22	0	11	46	.287	3
C	Flores, JesusJesus Flores	90	301	23	77	18	1	8	59	.256	0
RF	Kearns, AustinAustin Kearns	86	313	40	68	10	0	7	32	.217	2
RF	Dukes, ElijahElijah Dukes	81	276	48	73	16	2	13	44	.264	13
OF	Langerhans, RyanRyan Langerhans	73	111	17	26	5	2	3	12	.234	2
P	Rivera, SaúlSaúl Rivera	72	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	0
C	Nieves, WilWil Nieves	68	176	15	46	9	1	1	20	.261	0
CI	Casto, KoryKory Casto	66	163	15	35	10	0	2	16	.215	1
P	Hanrahan, JoelJoel Hanrahan	65	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	0
LF	Mo Pena, WilyWily Mo Pena	64	195	10	40	6	0	2	10	.205	0
P	Ayala, LuisLuis Ayala	60	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	0
P	Colomé, JesúsJesús Colomé	58	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	–	0
P	Manning, CharlieCharlie Manning	56	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	–	0
1B	Young, DmitriDmitri Young	50	150	15	42	6	0	4	10	.280	0
UT	Orr, PetePete Orr	49	75	10	19	2	1	0	7	.253	1
UT	Lo Duca, PaulPaul Lo Duca	46	139	13	32	7	0	0	12	.230	1
P	Rauch, JonJon Rauch	44	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	0
2B	Bonifacio, EmilioEmilio Bonifacio	41	157	26	39	5	5	0	12	.248	6
P	Shell, StevenSteven Shell	39	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	0
1B	Johnson, NickNick Johnson	38	109	15	24	8	0	5	20	.220	0
OF	Mackowiak, RobRob Mackowiak	38	53	7	7	1	0	1	4	.132	0
P	Redding, TimTim Redding	34	47	2	8	1	0	0	3	.170	0
P	Perez, OdalisOdalis Perez	30	53	4	8	2	0	0	2	.151	0
P	Lannan, JohnJohn Lannan	29	45	0	1	0	0	0	0	.022	0
P	Bergmann, JasonJason Bergmann	29	40	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	0
2B	Hernandez, AndersonAnderson Hernandez	28	81	11	27	4	0	0	17	.333	0
P	Mock, GarrettGarrett Mock	26	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	0
OF	Bernadina, RogerRoger Bernadina	26	76	10	16	1	1	0	2	.211	4
C	Estrada, JohnnyJohnny Estrada	23	53	0	9	0	0	0	4	.170	0
IF	González, AlbertoAlberto González	17	49	9	17	6	0	1	9	.347	0
P	Balester, CollinCollin Balester	15	15	1	3	0	0	0	1	.200	0
P	Hinckley, MikeMike Hinckley	14	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	–	0
P	King, RayRay King	12	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	–	0
P	Estrada, MarcoMarco Estrada	11	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	–	0
P	Chico, MattMatt Chico	10	13	2	2	0	0	0	0	.154	0
C	Montz, LukeLuke Montz	10	21	2	3	0	0	1	3	.143	0
P	Sanches, BrianBrian Sanches	10	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	–	0
P	Hill, ShawnShawn Hill	9	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	0
P	Speigner, LevaleLevale Speigner	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	–	0
P	Cordero, ChadChad Cordero	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	–	0
P	Martis, ShaironShairon Martis	5	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	0
P	O'Connor, MichaelMichael O'Connor	5	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	0
P	Schroder, ChrisChris Schroder	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	–	0
P	Clippard, TylerTyler Clippard	1	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	1.000	0
	Totals	161	5491	641	1376	269	26	117	608	.251	81

Pitching

Table is sortable.

Note: Pos = Position; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts

Pos	Player	W	L	ERA	G	GS	SV	IP	R	ER	BB	K
SP	Redding, TimTim Redding	10	11	4.95	33	33	0	182.0	110	100	65	120
SP	Lannan, JohnJohn Lannan	9	15	3.91	31	31	0	182.0	89	79	72	117
SP	Perez, OdalisOdalis Perez	7	12	4.34	30	30	0	159.2	87	77	55	119
RP	Hanrahan, JoelJoel Hanrahan	6	3	3.95	69	0	9	84.1	40	37	42	93
RP	Rivera, SaúlSaúl Rivera	5	6	3.96	76	0	0	84.0	41	37	35	65
CL	Rauch, JonJon Rauch	4	2	2.98	48	0	17	48.1	18	16	7	44
SP	Balester, CollinCollin Balester	3	7	5.51	15	15	0	80.0	53	49	28	50
SP	Bergmann, JasonJason Bergmann	2	11	5.09	30	22	0	139.2	94	79	47	96
	Shell, StevenSteven Shell	2	2	2.16	39	0	2	50.0	14	12	20	41
	Sanches, BrianBrian Sanches	2	0	7.36	12	0	0	11.1	10	9	5	10
RP	Colomé, JesúsJesús Colomé	2	2	4.31	61	0	0	71.0	38	34	39	55
	Clippard, TylerTyler Clippard	1	1	4.35	2	2	0	10.1	5	5	7	8
	Manning, CharlieCharlie Manning	1	3	5.14	57	0	0	42.0	25	24	31	37
	Mock, GarrettGarrett Mock	1	3	4.17	26	3	0	41.0	20	19	23	46
	Martis, ShaironShairon Martis	1	3	5.66	5	4	0	20.2	14	13	12	23
	O'Connor, MikeMike O'Connor	1	1	13.00	5	1	0	9.0	13	13	11	4
	Hill, ShawnShawn Hill	1	5	5.83	12	12	0	63.1	47	41	23	39
RP	Ayala, LuisLuis Ayala	1	8	5.77	62	0	0	57.2	41	37	22	36
	Estrada, MarcoMarco Estrada	0	0	7.82	11	0	0	12.2	13	11	5	10
	King, RayRay King	0	0	5.68	12	0	0	6.1	4	4	4	1
	Speigner, LevaleLevale Speigner	0	1	11.25	7	0	0	8.0	10	10	6	1
	Schroder, ChrisChris Schroder	0	0	5.4	4	0	0	5.0	3	3	6	3
	Chico, MattMatt Chico	0	6	6.19	11	8	0	48.0	34	34	17	31
	Cordero, ChadChad Cordero	0	0	2.08	6	0	0	4.1	1	1	3	5
	Hinckley, MikeMike Hinckley	0	0	0.00	14	0	0	13.2	1	0	3	9
	Totals	59	102	4.66	161	161	28	1434.0	825	742	588	1063

Team leaders

Qualifying players only.

Batting

Stat	Player	Total
Avg.	Christian Guzman	.316
HR	Lastings Milledge Ryan Zimmerman	14 14
RBI	Lastings Milledge	61
R	Christian Guzman	77
H	Christian Guzman	183
SB	Lastings Milledge	24

Pitching

Stat	Player	Total
W	Tim Redding	10
L	John Lannan	15
ERA	John Lannan	3.91
SO	Tim Redding	120
SV	Jon Rauch	17
IP	John Lannan Tim Redding	182.0 182.0

Awards and honors

All-Stars

• Cristian Guzmán, SS

Washington's Top 20 Prospects

1. Chris Marrero, 1B/OF
2. Ross Detwiler, LHP
3. Collin Balester, RHP
4. Michael Burgess, OF
5. Jack McGeary, LHP
6. Josh Smoker, LHP
7. Jordan Zimmermann, RHP
8. Justin Maxwell, OF
9. Colton Willems, RHP
10. John Lannan, LHP
11. Jake Smolinski, OF
12. Tyler Clippard, RHP
13. Adam Carr, RHP
14. Ian Desmond, SS
15. Garrett Mock, RHP
16. Stephen King, SS
17. Esmailyn Gonzalez, SS
18. Shairon Martis, RHP
19. Brad Peacock, RHP
20. Kory Casto, OF/3B

Farm system

Level	Team	League	Manager
AAA	Columbus Clippers	International League	Tim Foli
AA	Harrisburg Senators	Eastern League	John Stearns
A	Potomac Nationals	Carolina League	Randy Knorr
A	Hagerstown Suns	South Atlantic League	Darnell Coles
A-Short Season	Vermont Lake Monsters	New York–Penn League	Ramón Avilés
Rookie	GCL Nationals	Gulf Coast League	Bob Henley

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Potomac

References

1. baseball-reference.com Trades between Washington Nationals & New York Mets
2. baseball-reference.com Trades between Washington Nationals & Tampa Bay Rays
3. baseball-reference.com Trades between Washington Nationals & New York Yankees
4. Anonymous, "," Washington Nationals press release, March 12, 2008, 8:55 a.m. EDT.
5. baseball-reference.com Trades between Washington Nationals & Arizona Diamondbacks
6. baseball-reference.com 2008 Washington Nationals Picks in the MLB June Amateur Draft
7. baseball-reference.com 2008 Washington Nationals
8. baseball-reference.com 2005 Washington Nationals

• 2008 Washington Nationals season at Baseball Reference