Just when you think that what the Nationals really need is pitching, along comes a guy like John Lannan, who sets down sixteen in a row while striking out 11. Lannan’s fastball — inside and tight — was a pitch-to-behold, clocking in at something just overe 91 mph. He seemed, at times, almost overpowering and, when not overpowering, confident and in control. And suddenly, the complete funk the team is in seems less a result of poor pitching than poor hitting: plus the adventure of seeing Christian Guzman fielding ground balls.

After last night’s version of how-to-lose, I race for this year’s version of Baseball Prospectus to reread the last sentence of their narrative account of what the future of our team looks like: “Stay tuned,” the editors intone, “because the next four years should be all sorts of fun.” And when, praytell, would that “fun” begin? “Patience,” Stan Kasten says. Okay, fair enough. But while we’re being patient, we hope that Kasten-Bowden-Acta and company are searching around for the future — some more-than-warm bodies that can carry the club up the middle while Lannan and O’Connor and Clippard and Balester — but especially Balester mature.

There are players here: Zimmerman and Johnson and Milledge and Flores (oh for God’s sake: just get him back from Columbus and put him behind the plate) and even Kearns, but the weakness up-the-middle is glaring and fatal. Last night it was Ronnie Belliard’s turn: Belliard Buckner’d Ryan Church’s slow roller with two out in the bottom of the eighth, cracking the door for the Mets and eventually sending the game into the 14th, when reliever Joel Hanrahan (only Chad Cordero was left in the pen) wild-pitched the Mets to victory. Anybody can boot a ball and one booted ball does not a season make, but Ronnie (“adequacy in cleats”) is not the club’s future — and Jim Bowden knows it.With the dirth of two-baggers in the minors, the Nats might look around for a young second baseman, a quick bat and good glove backed up in a system replete with infielders or stuck in park at some woebegone place like Iowa or Portland. There are a few — Triple A or majors bench types — most particularly with teams who might salivate over putting someone like John Rauch or Luis Ayala or Saul Rivera in their bullpen, which is all the Nats have to deal. So much as I love the Nats relief corps, Rauch and Ayala and Rivera are not about to pitch us to .500 and how many long relievers are there in the Hall of Fame anyway? So if we’re going to make a swap, then Jim should (just this once) go hunting for a second baseman — and look elsewhere than in the Cincinnati farm system. Here are some nominees.

Eric Patterson

Patterson is stuck on the bench in Cubbieland, subbing for Mark De Rosa and seeing time in Left and even Centerfield. But he’s a natural at second and a better hitter than his brother Corey — but nearly everyone is. Mike Fontenot is still Lou’s fair-haired favorite and the Slugs have been looking to unload Patterson in a deal for the Orioles Brian Roberts. The Cubs bullpen, meanwhile, is in free-fall: Bob Howry can’t hit the strike zone, Michael Wertz is a mess and Scott Eyre is injured. The Prospectus (my recent Bible) says the Cubs should “either hand him the second-base job or deal him to a team that will.” I have a nominee.

Danny Richar

The former Arizona Asshole has had a so-so minor league career, but he hits the ball with authority and at 24 he is all up-side. He needs to work on laying off high fastballs — but who doesn’t and his glove and range are more than serviceable. If the White Sox won’t give him a shot (and they seem, oddly, in love with Juan Uribe — who’s just plain lazy), then the Nats should give Richar his chance. Then too, the asking price would likely be modest in comparison with Patterson, particularly if Bobby Jenks continues to make the 9th inning an adventure.

Kevin Melillo

Oakland Athletics Melillo is stuck at Triple-A, and is likely to be there for awhile. Billy Beane is in love with Mark Ellis (as well he should be), though Melillo hits for average and average power and is all of 25. Untried and untested, the rap on this recommendation is that there is no guarantee that Melillo will ever go anywhere. But the response is my default position: I would rather have a 25-year-old with some potential booting a ball than a 32-year-old. And if you’re going to lose ten in a row, well then at least do it with a kid who can learn something by it. Of course, trading a top-flight reliever to Oakland violates one of my rules: never make a deal with Billy Beane.

Matt Antonelli

San Diego Padres Antonelli might still be a year away, but so too are a host of second basemen — a lot of whom are in the majors. Case in point? The Friars are playing Tadahito Iguchi at second and while Iguchi is serviceable (a “fuilityman” in my book) he is hitting a torrid .235 and went 0-7 in the latest 22-inning epic. Meanwhile, the Pads are keeping Antonelli down in Portland, ostensibly because he needs to straighten out his swing. So does Iguchi, but nevermind. So bring Antonelli to that new-park-by-the-Anacostia and tell him to straighten out his swing in the majors. The problem? Antonelli will be expensive — and the Padres certainly know Iguchi’s weaknesses as well as anyone. Listen, if you don’t think these are good ideas and you think that Ronnie Belliard are better than any of these, you have a point. We know Belliard can hit, and I’m sure that he feels as badly about what happened in the eighth at Shea as anyone. Even so — in the midst of a spiraling losing streak, the least we could do is lose with kids.