While the Nats fire up, young Florida arms flame out

FIVE UP

	Nationals? Celebrating? In black and white? Yeah, looks like we've definitely entered the Twilight Zone. AP
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I. The Nats: You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension -- a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You're moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You've just crossed over into ... the Twilight Zone.

Do not adjust your computer monitor, you are reading the lead "Up" correctly. The upstart Washington franchise -- which has recently served as whipping boy for baseball columnists far and wide (including myself) -- is currently the hottest team in the bigs. After just nine wins over their first 34 games, the Nationals have taken six of seven, including three of four from the mighty Braves. So what gives? How has baseball's laughing stock suddenly become a force?

Well, the biggest reason for the Nats' recent success has been a lights-out bullpen. During this seven-game stretch, the 'pen has allowed a measly three runs over 28.1 innings (including one run over the past 23.2 innings). The key cog in this arms stable has most definitely been Jon Rauch. (As the tallest player in MLB history, Rauch exponentially furthers the Twilight Zone vibe surrounding this team.) He has converted all three of his save opportunities since taking over for Chad Cordero, who went on bereavement leave to spend time with his now-deceased grandmother.

As hot as they are, the Nats still hold down the NL East cellar. But Washington fans can take solace in one common theme conducted throughout Rod Serling's strangely intriguing body of work: In the Twilight Zone, nothing ever ends in a predictable fashion. Fourth-place Marlins, be forewarned.

II. El Caballo: In February 2006, the Ireland-based group Coolmore Stud spent a record-setting $16 million to purchase a horse (which the group later named "The Green Monkey"). Just nine months later, the Houston-based Astros easily one-upped Coolmore, shelling out $100 million on their own thoroughbred, Carlos "El Caballo" Lee.

Since then, it has become abundantly clear why the Astros' horse cost more than six times as much as Coolmore's. More than a year after Coolmore's record-breaking purchase, The Green Monkey has yet to run a race due to nagging injury. On the other hand, El Caballo has quickly become the most potent hitter in Houston's lineup. Through his first 40 games, Lee leads the team in batting average (.325), slugging percentage (.554), home runs (nine), RBIs (32) and is tied for the lead in runs (23) with Craig Biggio. This month, Lee's hitting a sizzling .443 with a gargantuan 1.184 OPS.

III. Fausto Carmona: Last year rookie Fausto Carmona was my guilty pleasure. It was just so freakin' captivating to regularly watch a young pitcher who threw a bevy of spectacular pitches ... and had no clue in hell where they were going. He was Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn, pre-glasses, in Major League. But my fun came at Fausto's expense, as he posted an absurd 1-10 record with a 5.42 ERA, while working mostly out of the bullpen.

With a year under his belt, though, Fausto's getting the last laugh. Although he didn't make the team out of spring training, he has been getting starts because of injuries to Cliff Lee and Jake Westbrook. And Fausto has made the most of his opportunity. Not including his shaky season debut (in which he allowed six earned runs in 4.1 innings), he is 5-0 with a 1.60 ERA in six starts. On Thursday, he extended his scoreless innings streak to 15 by tossing a complete game, four-hit shutout against Minnesota -- outdueling Johan Santana.

The key to Fausto's comeuppance has been his newfound control. His 95 mph sinker (which dives down and in to right-handed hitters) evokes memories of Kevin Brown circa 1998.

IV. Eight-year-old Jesse Litsch: Litsch, who is filling in for injured Toronto ace Roy Halladay, enjoyed quite the major league debut on Tuesday. The former 24th round pick threw 8 2/3 innings of one-run ball to beat the Orioles. (On his dad's 57th birthday, to boot!) The 22-year-old's dominant performance came as a surprise to everyone ... everyone except his old counterparts in the Pinellas Park (Fla.) Pony League. As an 8-year-old in 1993, Litsch made headlines for his perfect season, in which he pitched 14 no-hit innings and went 46-for-46 at the plate.

V. Rafael Furcal: Furcal broke a season-long slump in style during a three-game span that ended Tuesday. The Dodgers shortstop joined Mike Benjamin, Brett Butler, Tim Salmon and Marcus Giles as the only players in the last 55 years to have four hits in three consecutive games. Furcal, who had an abysmal .218 average on May 12, went 15-for-22 in his next five contests to improve to a respectable .295 clip.