Nats Grab the Early Lead - The Nationals took a 2-0 lead over the New York Mets in the 2nd inning at Shea. The visitors got out of first inning trouble, when Austin Kearns gunned down Carlos Beltran at the plate -- the first time starting pitcher Shawn Hill did not surrender any runs in the first inning. The Nats responded to this bit of good news by grabbing their earliest lead of the season. Dmitri Young led off the second with a long home run to center field. With one out Ryan Church doubled, advanced to third on a bloop single by Brian Schneider, and scored on a groundout to the right side, by Chris Snelling.

There's a long way to go in this game (the Mets' rallied with a run in the bottom half of the inning), but this is the third straight game in which the Nationals have taken a lead -- and their opponents have been the predicted cream of the National League, Atlanta and New York. Heck, the Nationals even got their first stolen base of the season, when Felipe Lopez snatched second during the third inning.

It may turn out to be a short tease, but the Nots are starting to resemble a major league baseball team. This offers a lot more hope for Nationals' fans, than did the Nots' play during the first week and a half. This suggests the Nats could be competitive on a daily basis, which is almost more than Nationals' fans could dare hope.