Swengali: Nats Have No Clear All-Stars

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Express sports columnist Matt Swenson calls 'em as he sees 'em.

AS WE ENTER JUNE, there's one surprise left about these Washington Nationals — and it isn't that they were outscored 15-0 in the first two games of their series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Rather, the shocker is there's no clear all-star on the squad with less than a month to go before the rosters are set.

It was a given that third baseman Ryan Zimmerman would be the Nats' lone representative in the mid-season classic. Last year's real rookie of the year is Washington's cornerstone and the only player who many fans outside D.C. can name.

Yet that .242 average with six homers and 22 RBI isn't anything to write home about.

Eventually, Zimmerman's offense will pick up and he'll take the next step toward becoming a franchise player. Until then, though, the Nationals still need an all-star (it says so in the game's rules).

Brian Schneider is as solid a catcher as they come, but he's batting just .232. Austin Kearns has been a dud so far this season, as well.

These are reasons why the Dodgers' pitchers fared better than the Nats' position players at the plate early this week.

Washington's no-name hurlers are exceeding expectations, yet no starter has a winning record, and this isn't the year to honor closer Chad Cordero.

Odd as it may be, one of two viable candidates may be Dmitri Young, who is playing only because Nick Johnson is — and always will be — injured. A .290 average with 12 doubles and 23 RBI stands out in Washington.

The other, and more likely, choice is Felipe Lopez. He's a former all-star shortstop who's made the transition to second base quite well. Lopez's numbers aren't brilliant, but this isn't exactly a classic team we're dealing with.

Photo by Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post