Nationals Begin to See Their Moves Pay Off WASHINGTON - Except for a few seasons, including several dating to Calvin Coolidge's presidency, baseball has been unkind to Washington. Whether as the Senators, who deserted the city twice, or the Nationals, they have been a fixture at the bottom of the standings. They made it to Broadway in the hit play "Damn Yankees," but in the world of baseball, they have continually been a flop. That may be changing. For the first time since the Expos of Montreal became the Nationals of Washington, in 2005, the team is expected to finish above .500 and even contend for a postseason berth. With a core of young talent, headlined by their ace, Stephen Strasburg, the Nationals are meriting attention in a city otherwise focused on a presidential election. "It has certainly created more of a buzz down here, and there are more people paying attention to the Nats than any time since baseball returned to Washington," said Greg Hauptman, a native Washingtonian and season-ticket holder who saw the Senators play at Griffith Stadium. This is the first time it's not just the fan in me thinking this might be the year. The Nationals, at least for now, are rewarding Hauptman. Entering Monday night's game against Houston, they were 7-3 and perched atop the National League East. But even before the season, the growing passion for the team, which finished one win short of .500 last year, manifested itself in higher ticket sales and a growing list of sponsors. The team just completed its biggest opening weekend since its current ballpark opened in 2008. If the Nationals meet at least some of their enhanced expectations for 2012, the club could reap even more financial benefits. The team is worth $480 million, a 15 percent increase compared with 2011, according to estimates by Forbes magazine, which cited growing revenue and a declining share of debt as a percentage of the team's worth. The club's value could grow further if the Nationals can get more from their television contract, which is being renegotiated. MASN, the regional sports network that carries Nationals and Baltimore Orioles games, must pay the teams a market rate, and if the two sides cannot agree on a rate, a mediator will decide, according to two people with knowledge of the arrangement. A bigger local television contract could boost the Nationals" revenue, give them more money to sign free agents and clearly establish them as the top team in the Baltimore-Washington area. The key to the Nationals" improvement will be their young players. Ryan Zimmerman, the Virginia native who mans third base and who until now has been the anchor of the club, is 27. Strasburg, 23, after a detour caused by arm surgery, seems to be on track to be the electrifying presence he was in 2010, his rookie season. After two starts this year, his earned run average was 0.69; he pitched Monday night against Houston. Outfielder Bryce Harper, who like Strasburg was a first pick in the annual draft, is 19 and already playing at the Class AAA level. According to Baseball America, the Nationals had the top-ranked minor league system before four prospects were traded to Oakland for the left-hander Gio Gonzalez. The team is now ranked 12th, ahead of all four of its division rivals. "This is a team with a ton of talent and good young talent, and they come to the park to play and win," said Brad Lidge, 35, a former Philadelphia closer who signed a one-year deal with the Nationals. Last year, when I was in Philly, the Nationals were kicking our butts. That was a big factor in me coming here. The Nationals are playing with a new swagger that inspired their new slogan, Ignite Your Natitude, a call to fans to fill the stands and drown out the sizable groups who root for the visiting team. Perturbed by the overwhelming number of Phillies fans who attend games in Washington, the Nationals announced a Take Back the Park promotion to give fans from the Washington area first crack at tickets for the teams" weekend series in May. "For years, Phillies fans have been invading our park," said Andy Feffer, the Nationals" chief operating officer, who estimated that Phillies fans made up 80 percent of the crowd for a series last summer. There was an opportunity to ignite a rivalry between an established team and an up-and-coming team. While declining to offer specific figures, Feffer said that season-ticket sales were the highest they had been since Nationals Park opened. He added that the team had added W. B. Mason, United Airlines, Toyota, Under Armour and Cholula Hot Sauce as sponsors in the past year. The stadium, too, has become a magnet for development. Construction cranes hover over the neighborhood, which abuts the Anacostia River and is a short subway ride from downtown. Fans from Alexandria, Va., and Georgetown can take the ferry to the game. "I noticed a shift last July and August, where people were cheering more for the home team, not the visiting team," said Andrea Klee, who attended opening day last Thursday. We have high hopes. Plenty of work remains. With no professional baseball in Washington for more than three decades, an entire generation has grown up without a home team. Washington is also a transient city, which makes building fan loyalty more difficult. And it is notoriously hot in summer, which encourages residents to head elsewhere; when Congress is out of session, the city empties further. But as is the case everywhere, fans love winners. As a losing club, the Nationals have consistently been in the bottom third of attendance despite residing in the eighth-largest market. If they can change that dynamic and challenge the Phillies in the N.L. East, maybe someday, Nationals fans will start invading Philadelphia.