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In the midst of a disappointing season, perhaps things are starting to look up for the Washington Nationals. With their new ownership group nearly in place, the Nationals look for their second straight win over the Chicago Cubs as the teams meet in the middle game of a three-game set on Saturday at RFK Stadium. The Nationals (41-56) are in last place in the NL East, 17 1/2 games behind the division-leading New York Mets , but hope the completion of their sale to real estate developer Ted Lerner will mark the start of a turnaround. They won Friday's series opener 7-6 on Alex Escobar 's two-run single in the eighth inning. Meanwhile, Lerner was completing the paperwork for the $450 million purchase of the team from Major League Baseball. ''With that good news and the win, it's a very significant day for this organization, this franchise and the team itself,'' Nationals manager Frank Robinson said. ''The uncertainty has been cleared away.'' Uncertainty has surrounded the Nationals for the past three seasons as they moved from Montreal to Washington. There is also a question of roster stability, as several players are reportedly the subject of trade rumors leading into the July 31 trade deadline. One of those players is starting pitcher Livan Hernandez (6-8, 5.87 ERA), who will toe the rubber on Saturday. He is in search of his 10th career win over the Cubs to tie his personal best, which he has achieved against the Florida Marlins , New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies . The right-hander is 9-6 with a 3.99 ERA in 18 career starts against the Cubs. He gave up four runs - two earned - in seven innings of a 4-0 loss at Wrigley Field on May 16. Hernandez is only two losses shy of his 2005 total and his ERA is the highest of his career. He allowed three runs and seven hits in six innings of the Nationals' 11-inning, 8-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday. The Cubs (37-58] are also enduring a rough season, having settled into fifth place in the NL Central, eight games behind fourth-place Houston. Chicago is 3-4 since the All-Star break, having alternated wins and losses in the seven games. Rookie Sean Marshall (5-8, 5.00) hopes to replicate his success from the first time he pitched against the Nationals. The 23-year-old left-hander pitched six innings of the Cubs' 5-0 win on May 17, limiting Washington to one hit while striking out six. Marshall hit his first career home run and allowed two runs through his first five innings on Sunday against the Mets before the outing turned sour. He surrendered five runs - three earned - in the sixth inning before being pulled. The Mets went on to score a franchise-record 11 runs in the frame en route to a 13-7 loss for Chicago. ''It was a tough-luck inning for us,'' Marshall said. ''They had scattered some bloop hits. It was tough to watch, but that stuff happens in baseball and you'll see it happen everyday. Whoever minimizes the bad inning usually is victorious in the game.''
Well, Ramirez owns RFK.
