We're under way

Remember when I told you Alex Escobar would be in the starting lineup as the DH? Scratch that.

Escobar, who has endured every injury known to man, came up with "tightness in his left quad" and was scratched, replaced by Kory Casto. Escobar is out of options. He is fighting for a spot on the roster. He has been labelled as "injury-prone." His talent is undeniable. But it's just got to hurt his chances when he comes up lame at some point between getting off the bus and taking the field.

Oswalt, as I said, on the mound. Craig Biggio boots an easy grounder from Felipe Lopez. Lopez steals second, and Brad Ausmus throws the ball past two infielders and into center field, allowing Lopez to third.

Casto lofts a shallow fly ball to left, and Lopez holds. Then Oswalt freezes Zimmerman on an offspeed pitch for strike three. It's up to Austin Kearns, who ...

(Note: From my seat in the press box, I cannot see the batter, the third baseman, the shortstop's upper body, the second baseman's upper body, the left fielder or the right fielder. There will be a lot of hearsay involved in today's game accounts, but put that aside.)

... watches a pitch get past Ausmus for a wild pitch, allowing Lopez to score. Kearns strikes out looking. Nationals Baseball! E4, SB, E2, WP! Pledge Your Allegiance!

Going to bottom of the first: Nationals 1, Astros 0