lovehockey Posted May 24, 2017 Posted May 24, 2017 Fastest game of the year: 2:29. 10-1 against the Mariners and the 10 were scored against the starting pitcher (poor guy), in the rain. --- Jayson Werth (Pat) 1
Al Dente Posted July 2, 2017 Posted July 2, 2017 Hellooo? Helllllooooo? The last post in this thread was from 5/23. WTF? We have a contender here! Well, if the bullpen gets their shit together.
TedE Posted July 10, 2017 Posted July 10, 2017 On 5/1/2017 at 11:07 AM, TedE said: With Eaton out the chance is pretty much off the table (and with 170 runs in April, the 10th highest ever, I still contend it's a possibility). A lead off man's OBP is a strong determinant of runs scored over the course of a season. Unless Trea (maybe) or Taylor (unlikely) can pick up the slack. It's a huge loss. I guess now their chance is to have a game like yesterday every other week to pad the stats! On pace for 894 runs at the break. Having lost their lead off man in the first weeks, and now their other lead off option recently, that is pretty impressive. The offensive drop off in the past few weeks is probably indicative of where they will end up in the 875+ range (but they also have 14 games left with Mets/Phillies, and have been feasting on bad pitching, so I expect a few more of those 12-16 run outbursts). Who knows when Werth returns, but his replacement platoon of Raburn/Goodwin have held their own. I bet even when he comes back he'll get more days off for pitching match ups. The relief corps is still dreadful, but has flashed signs of competence recently.
Pat Posted July 15, 2017 Posted July 15, 2017 Joe Ross is having Tommy John surgery Wednesday per Jorge Castillo's twitter. Infinite sadness. Good luck, Joe. 2
DonRocks Posted July 16, 2017 Author Posted July 16, 2017 2 hours ago, Pat said: Joe Ross is having Tommy John surgery Wednesday per Jorge Castillo's twitter. Infinite sadness. Good luck, Joe. Poor guy. 1
TedE Posted July 17, 2017 Posted July 17, 2017 Two arms added to the bullpen over the weekend. These are a move to get relief back to stability, but I don't think this was THE move. They need a more options for a closer, not some guys who *could* fill in the role. I think Doolittle can be more than advertised, though. Offense is clearly not going to be a problem! OI wouldn't want to have been within arm's reach of Scherzer on Saturday, though. He walks off the mound with a 10-0 lead, and in the ninth they had the tying run on deck. If that game had been 2-0 and Dusty came out to pull him I think you would have seen Mad Max go off and demand to stay in the game. Edit: 4-0 with no outs top of 1st just now. Yeah, feasting on mediocre pitching. I think they are now on pace for 919(?) runs after 3.1 games of this series. FOUR batters in the top 11 of all MLB for average (Murphy, Harper, Zimm, Rendon). On Saturday they briefly had the 1-2-3 leading batters in the NL! Buster Posey's weekend nudged him up to #2. 1
TedE Posted July 27, 2017 Posted July 27, 2017 Over the span of the 3rd and 4th innings this afternoon the Nats: - Sent 21 batters to the plate - Went 13-for-18 with 3 walks (2 issued to Scherzer) - Hit 7 HRs including the 5 by the first 6 batters of the 3rd inning (Murphy was the slacker after they started off 4-4 in the inning) - Scored 13 runs They've scored 22 runs over the last 5 innings including last night. Fun baseball is fun! 1
DonRocks Posted July 27, 2017 Author Posted July 27, 2017 2 minutes ago, TedE said: including the 5 by the first 6 batters of the 3rd inning This must at least tie an MLB record.
TedE Posted July 27, 2017 Posted July 27, 2017 3 minutes ago, DonRocks said: This must at least tie an MLB record. I think the 4-in-a-row to start the inning does, unless somebody has done better since 2010
TedE Posted July 27, 2017 Posted July 27, 2017 2 minutes ago, TedE said: I think the 4-in-a-row to start the inning does, unless somebody has done better since 2010 And apparently the 5 total also ties the record for most HRs in an inning! It's funny, I would have thought that number would be higher over the course of baseball history.
DonRocks Posted July 27, 2017 Author Posted July 27, 2017 25 minutes ago, TedE said: And apparently the 5 total also ties the record for most HRs in an inning! It's funny, I would have thought that number would be higher over the course of baseball history. Yes, but not with only one out! (If 4-in-a-row to start the inning ties the record, then 5-out-of-the-first-6 by definition at least ties the record, and maybe breaks it.) I assume Scherzer will pick up the win today? Wait a minute, do they have *8* home runs so far?!
saf Posted July 27, 2017 Posted July 27, 2017 3 hours ago, DonRocks said: Wait a minute, do they have *8* home runs so far?! Yes, that is what they ended up with. A team record, but the MLB record is 9. And Max did not make any outs. 1
DonRocks Posted July 31, 2017 Author Posted July 31, 2017 A couple of important facts: "Ryan Zimmerman Passes Frank Howard for Most Home Runs in Washington History" by Tyler Conway on bleacherreport.com "Nationals Land Twins' Kintzler in Deadline Deal" by Noah Frank on wtop.com In Tom Boswell's chat today, someone asked, "Should the Nationals prioritize a reliever or starter?" I breathed a sigh of relief when Boswell answered, "Closer, closer, closer." The Nationals may have given up more than Kintzler is worth on the open market, but right now, Kintzler is what you need.
dracisk Posted August 1, 2017 Posted August 1, 2017 Gio Gonzales with a no hitter in the bottom of the 8th against Miami. Bryce Harper just made a great catch battling the lights to keep it going. 3 hours ago, dracisk said: Gio Gonzales with a no hitter in the bottom of the 8th against Miami. Bryce Harper just made a great catch battling the lights to keep it going. ... and it's done in the bottom of the ninth. Oh, well. 2
MC Horoscope Posted August 1, 2017 Posted August 1, 2017 That was exciting! And the Miami crowd really responded well to Gio. I was in the crowd at Nationals Park when Randy Johnson got his 300th win, and the reaction from the crowd was similar to what we saw last night. 1
dracisk Posted August 1, 2017 Posted August 1, 2017 42 minutes ago, MC Horoscope said: And the Miami crowd really responded well to Gio. He's from Miami (Hialeah), so it makes sense that the crowd would be particularly interested in his success! 1
lovehockey Posted August 13, 2017 Posted August 13, 2017 Tonight's game, delayed 3 hours, has brought a new addition to the DL (and I personally wouldn't be surprised if it's for the rest of the season) after Harper slipped on 1st base at full speed in the bottom of the 1st. Legs are not supposed to move that way. He couldn't put any weight on left his leg as he left the field. I'm sure there are tears in some of his knee ligaments. 1
DonRocks Posted August 13, 2017 Author Posted August 13, 2017 12 hours ago, lovehockey said: Tonight's game, delayed 3 hours, has brought a new addition to the DL (and I personally wouldn't be surprised if it's for the rest of the season) after Harper slipped on 1st base at full speed in the bottom of the 1st. Legs are not supposed to move that way. He couldn't put any weight on left his leg as he left the field. I'm sure there are tears in some of his knee ligaments. Thank goodness it's just a bone bruise, and not a ligament or tendon tear. Still, bone bruises can *hurt like hell* - I fell on my knee in January (wet kitchen floor), and I was howling for about ten minutes on the ground - I thought *sure* I had cracked my kneecap, but I guess I didn't. The pain died down in about two weeks.
DonRocks Posted August 16, 2017 Author Posted August 16, 2017 Jul 29, 2017 - "Nationals Acquire Howie Kendrick from Phillies" by Daniel Rapaport on si.com Aug 15, 2017 - "Howie Kendrick Hits Two Home Runs for Nationals against Former Team" on csnmidatlantic.com Kendrick has homered in 3 of his last 4 at-bats, including a walk-off, 11th-inning, Grand Slam on Sunday against San Francisco. Gio Gonzalez lowered his ERA to 1.79 tonight - the best ERA in the major leagues. There's something to be said for depth. 1
TedE Posted August 16, 2017 Posted August 16, 2017 14 hours ago, DonRocks said: Gio Gonzalez lowered his ERA to 1.79 tonight - the best ERA in the major leagues With Scherzer's continued dominance, angst around yet more Strasburg time on the DL and the abysmal bullpen, Gio has been having himself a hell of a year in the shadows. I think it suits him well. The dig on him over the past several seasons since his stellar stretch in 2012 has been that he lets the pressure get to him when things go awry in the early innings and tends to unravel. No reason to think that wouldn't apply to being in the constant spotlight, either. When he's just allowed to go out and pitch while the news focuses on seemingly every National not named Gio Gonzalez he's at his best.
TedE Posted August 16, 2017 Posted August 16, 2017 15 hours ago, DonRocks said: There's something to be said for depth. As a friend pointed out the replacements for the entire starting outfield have posted a combined 4+ WAR (the literal "replacements" in Wins Above Replacement are outperforming themselves!). We may not see a projected starter in the outfield until the end of this month, even next month without a division race to worry about (whenever Werth comes back). If healthy (a HUGE "if" this season) a Harper, Werth, Goodwin/Taylor/Kendrick outfield is an incredible luxury.
Al Dente Posted August 16, 2017 Posted August 16, 2017 16 hours ago, DonRocks said: There's something to be said for depth. I've heard it's more about girth.
TedE Posted September 11, 2017 Posted September 11, 2017 Your runaway NL East champions! If you'd said we'd be thinking about catching the Dodgers for top seed just 2 weeks ago I would have laughed. The series this weekend is now going to say a lot about that. Consensus is the Nats don't *want* the best record in the NL and would be better off seeing the Cubs in the NLDS. Diamondbacks are surging with a strong rotation, and the defending champs are not. The next 3 weeks is shaping up to be a doozy for the rest of the NL. Interesting to see all of the replacements out there for the clincher today (Turner was the only regular starter). That's the line up you usually see the day AFTER they clinch, when the regulars get a day off to nurse their hangovers. Robles certainly showed he belongs at this level, but I wonder if we see him on the playoff roster as a direct AA call up. That probably depends on how Harper/Werth are actually doing when the time comes. Rendon - Quietest MVP caliber season I can remember seeing (which is why he won't get the votes ...). Leads the entire NL in most calculations of fWAR. Strasburg - Holy crap! Including today, 34 straight scoreless innings. Since the All Star break and coming off the DL: 0.61 ERA. If Scherzer gets the rest he needs, and Gio continues his come back season, that is a scary starting postseason roster. Roark hasn't exactly been a slouch, either. Aside from Doolittle the 'pen so far has been ... better. 3
Pat Posted September 11, 2017 Posted September 11, 2017 It was fun being there when they clinched yesterday, worth the extra 90 minutes watching the 7th - 11th innings of the Marlins - Braves game on the Jumbotron. (Also VERY odd to be rooting for the Braves. The folks in the stands doing the tomahawk chop really went above and beyond...) There weren't a whole lot of us left when the players came back out on the field wearing their division champion shirts, but we were enthusiastic. It was cool having the players throw swag up to us, even though I'm sure they'd rather have been popping corks instead. I ended up with some curly W beer coozies . Harper looked good out there, seemed to be moving fine. (Or maybe that's just my willful delusion.) Strasburg pitched really well, just those two hits to Franco, but appeared to be cramping again. To his credit, Lively was also very good, even if he wasn't pitching to our top players. It was a pitcher's duel for a good long time and a fast game. The depth of the team is amazing, when they can field mostly 2nd and 3rd stringers and perform so well. All three of the starting outfielders began the season in AA. The future is now, I guess. I cannot believe how fast Robles is. He's got to be faster than Turner, which in itself is astonishing. I looked back in towards the infield after he hit that ball to the outfield, expecting to see him approaching second base and he was already 1/3 of the way to third! Too bad he couldn't stay on the base. Turner's home run landed very near us, the closest I've ever been to a home run ball. That turned out to be the difference in the game, a homer from the only Opening Day starter in the lineup. That factoid alone doesn't come close to representing the game, though. I heard somewhere yesterday (it may have been Bob Carpenter being piped in over the PA) that this was the 6th fastest a team has ever clinched its division. He said something about the '75 Reds, so they must have been the fastest, given that those were the peak years of The Big Red Machine. I hope the Nats enjoy their day off today, after 21 games in 20 days. 1
DonRocks Posted October 8, 2017 Author Posted October 8, 2017 I notice that nobody posted after Game One. "Bryce Harper Wakes Up Nationals' Bats To Even NLDS with Cubs" by Eddie Matz on espn.com
Pat Posted October 8, 2017 Posted October 8, 2017 Last night's was a great game to be at, worth the cost of the tickets. I was pumping my fists the second the ball left Harper's bat. The Zim one was more of a holding-your-breath kind of thing. That came so close to being caught. I still don't have my voice back. Chelsea Janes noted on her Twitter feed that Matt Albers had the most career appearances of any active pitcher before pitching in a postseason game yesterday, and Adam Lind had the most games of any active player before playing in the postseason. They both acquitted themselves well, and Harper couldn't have tied the game without Lind getting it started. He's magic off the bench. 2
MC Horoscope Posted October 9, 2017 Posted October 9, 2017 I was so glad for the crowd! Going home after losing would have been grim!
TedE Posted October 10, 2017 Posted October 10, 2017 Just shoot me now and get it over with ..... There are two lines of thought on tonight's potential rain out: 1) The Nats *want* to face Arietta. Supposedly still dealing with a hamstring problem, several weeks off, not the ace he used to be and in sub-optimal pitching conditions. Nats counter with Roark who has been heroic in these situations before. 2) Nats hope for a full rain out today and play tomorrow where they can start Strasburg again on almost full rest. But then we likely get Hendricks again. Of course none of this matter if they continue to not hit the damn ball. Or If Dusty keeps leaving our revamped bullpen on the bench with, I dunno, the whole season on the line. I've grown tired of screaming at the TV.
Al Dente Posted October 10, 2017 Posted October 10, 2017 I'm going to be an optimist and buy a ticket for Thursday's game. Update: Got a ticket from StubHub in the gallery 307, the first row for $160. Not a bad deal. Now I just hope there's reason to attend! 1
Pat Posted October 10, 2017 Posted October 10, 2017 5 hours ago, TedE said: Just shoot me now and get it over with ..... There are two lines of thought on tonight's potential rain out: 1) The Nats *want* to face Arietta. Supposedly still dealing with a hamstring problem, several weeks off, not the ace he used to be and in sub-optimal pitching conditions. Nats counter with Roark who has been heroic in these situations before. 2) Nats hope for a full rain out today and play tomorrow where they can start Strasburg again on almost full rest. But then we likely get Hendricks again. Of course none of this matter if they continue to not hit the damn ball. Or If Dusty keeps leaving our revamped bullpen on the bench with, I dunno, the whole season on the line. I've grown tired of screaming at the TV. Dusty is going with the lineup order that has scored the most runs this season for Game 4. It's an odd bit of chemistry, but Werth and Harper back-to-back at #2 and 3 has an extra spark and Rendon seems to do better at #6. [Turner, Werth, Harper, Zimmerman, Murphy, Rendon, Wieters, Taylor, Roark.] That is, if he rain lets up enough so they play today.
TedE Posted October 10, 2017 Posted October 10, 2017 1 hour ago, Pat said: Dusty is going with the lineup order that has scored the most runs this season for Game 4. It's an odd bit of chemistry, but Werth and Harper back-to-back at #2 and 3 has an extra spark and Rendon seems to do better at #6. [Turner, Werth, Harper, Zimmerman, Murphy, Rendon, Wieters, Taylor, Roark.] That is, if he rain lets up enough so they play today. Reshuffling the lineup, or deck chairs on the Titanic? It doesn't matter where they bat, hitters have to hit. Trea has to get on base and be a threat. Their offensive woes of this past week go deeper than ordering calculus. I was one of those people moaning about Werth getting the start over Kendrick yesterday, but at least he did something (a hit and a walk). Our two aces have taken no hitters past the 5th twice, and the Nats have lost both of those games. Those are games you just have to win. It's the 2014 Giants series all over again.
DaveO Posted October 10, 2017 Posted October 10, 2017 1 hour ago, TedE said: Reshuffling the lineup, or deck chairs on the Titanic? It doesn't matter where they bat, hitters have to hit. Trea has to get on base and be a threat. Their offensive woes of this past week go deeper than ordering calculus. I was one of those people moaning about Werth getting the start over Kendrick yesterday, but at least he did something (a hit and a walk). Our two aces have taken no hitters past the 5th twice, and the Nats have lost both of those games. Those are games you just have to win. It's the 2014 Giants series all over again. Oh man. I think post season baseball is a crap shoot. Always has been. Some players rise to the occasion. They are always the exceptions and always noted. But its a pure crap shoot. Everyone is trying, everyone is talented....but how will they perform??? Nobody knows. This series....so tough. Best pitching in the post season so far by the Nats 3 starters...and we are down 1-2. Hitters aren't hitting for the most part as you note above. I think its always magic. As I recall Big Poppy from Boston was dynamite in a bunch of series and crapped out in his last post season. Pray for the baseball gods to shine on Washington.
Lobozooma Posted October 11, 2017 Posted October 11, 2017 Don - Following up on twitter comments on why starting Stras matters more for game 4 since they will need to win game 4 and 5 to move on... They need to get to game 5. That's the entire goal...the ONLY goal. You have to give yourself the best chance to even make game 5. You cannot win without getting to game 5. Game 4 is basically their Game 5 and they have to play like it. This is where the Nats have blown it before. In 2014 the Nats lost the series with the following arms on the bench: Strasburg, Storen, Clippard. What were they waiting for? Who cares if they all had to throw 2-3 innings to win that game 4. If they lose, the team has 4 months to rest. If they win...you go with whatever you can to just move on. This is where Bruce Boche is so great...he gets this better than most managers. You have to manage the playoffs to get ever win...anyway you can. The Astros just did it. They pitched Verlander in game 4 as a reliever. If they lost that game, who knows who the starter would be but their manager went all out. Dusty needs to do the same. Re: lineup - For the last few weeks of the season a large % of the Nats runs came from HRs. It was alarming and it's been basically the same in the postseason. Turner is the key...if he doesn't get on they won't win. I'm hoping for a miracle but don't feel confident.
DonRocks Posted October 11, 2017 Author Posted October 11, 2017 4 minutes ago, Lobozooma said: Don - Following up on twitter comments on why starting Stras matters more for game 4 since they will need to win game 4 and 5 to move on... They need to get to game 5. That's the entire goal...the ONLY goal. You have to give yourself the best chance to even make game 5. You cannot win without getting to game 5. Game 4 is basically their Game 5 and they have to play like it. This is where the Nats have blown it before. In 2014 the Nats lost the series with the following arms on the bench: Strasburg, Storen, Clippard. What were they waiting for? Who cares if they all had to throw 2-3 innings to win that game 4. If they lose, the team has 4 months to rest. If they win...you go with whatever you can to just move on. This is where Bruce Boche is so great...he gets this better than most managers. You have to manage the playoffs to get ever win...anyway you can. The Astros just did it. They pitched Verlander in game 4 as a reliever. If they lost that game, who knows who the starter would be but their manager went all out. Dusty needs to do the same. Re: lineup - For the last few weeks of the season a large % of the Nats runs came from HRs. It was alarming and it's been basically the same in the postseason. Turner is the key...if he doesn't get on they won't win. I'm hoping for a miracle but don't feel confident. Yes, this makes perfect sense - you have to leave it all on the field during game 4, and if you can somehow make it to game 5, you do whatever you need to do in order to shimmy, limp, or crawl to victory, even if it means using your aces twice in a row? I long for the days of yore, when teams would use their 20-game-winners as relief pitchers, and then start them the next day - barring serious injury, you toss all concepts of "conservation" aside ... I like it!
Lobozooma Posted October 11, 2017 Posted October 11, 2017 1 hour ago, DonRocks said: Yes, this makes perfect sense - you have to leave it all on the field during game 4, and if you can somehow make it to game 5, you do whatever you need to do in order to shimmy, limp, or crawl to victory, even if it means using your aces twice in a row? I long for the days of yore, when teams would use their 20-game-winners as relief pitchers, and then start them the next day - barring serious injury, you toss all concepts of "conservation" aside ... I like it! At least for one night, we are doing better than the USMNT...too soon?
TedE Posted October 11, 2017 Posted October 11, 2017 10 minutes before first pitch Baker and Rizzo will stand in front of Strasburg and Roark and make them play rock, paper, scissors for the start. If they don't score 4+ runs it probably won't matter. What a bizarre 24 hours it's been. 1
Pat Posted October 11, 2017 Posted October 11, 2017 2 hours ago, TedE said: 10 minutes before first pitch Baker and Rizzo will stand in front of Strasburg and Roark and make them play rock, paper, scissors for the start. If they don't score 4+ runs it probably won't matter. What a bizarre 24 hours it's been. This whole drama has been ridiculous. They could have simply said yesterday at the press conference upon postponement that they didn't know who was pitching today. That wouldn't have been so hard. Instead, Dusty tripped all over himself trying to fake people out, and it was an embarrassing mess for the team. Then all the different "sources" were talking to the reporters and giving different angles and it got worse and worse. I was saying to people yesterday that having Roark start Game 4 would make it very clear to the position players that they had to score a handful of runs to be in the game. He's a solid pitcher but has been off and on this season. He usually pitches well at Wrigley. I was fine with him starting Game 4, perfectly confident, especially given that the only other game we've won was started by Gio. Psychologically, especially when they're struggling, thinking one run can win it is counterproductive, and when you go into a game with Strasburg or Scherzer pitching, that's always a possibility. This was an avoidable mess.
DonRocks Posted October 11, 2017 Author Posted October 11, 2017 22 hours ago, Lobozooma said: Don - Following up on twitter comments on why starting Stras matters more for game 4 since they will need to win game 4 and 5 to move on... They need to get to game 5. That's the entire goal...the ONLY goal. 21 hours ago, Lobozooma said: At least for one night, we are doing better than the USMNT...too soon? 6 hours ago, TedE said: 10 minutes before first pitch Baker and Rizzo will stand in front of Strasburg and Roark and make them play rock, paper, scissors for the start. If they don't score 4+ runs it probably won't matter. What a bizarre 24 hours it's been. 4 hours ago, Pat said: This whole drama has been ridiculous. Well, after six innings, Strasburg has been mowing them down - I didn't realize Arrieta was slated to pitch today. The Cubs started the 2015 NL Cy Young Award winner, and their reliever was the 2016 NL Cy Young Award runner-up (to Max Scherzer). Okay, well, I guess it's pretty obvious why you have to throw the heavy artillery into this game - because even if you don't, the opposing team will. I wonder if this whole thing was a ruse to get the Cubs thinking that they wouldn't have to see Strasburg today - he hasn't "pitched sick," but seeing him in the top of the 8th, sitting in his windbreaker, he looks pretty haggard. And what a *perfect* bunt Strasburg laid down the first-base line - that was a thing of beauty. --- ETA - Okay, it's the bottom of the 7th, and it's rainy and windy - they need to call this game. --- ETA - 12 strikeouts after 7 innings?!
DonRocks Posted October 12, 2017 Author Posted October 12, 2017 Going to the bottom of the 9th, up 5-0, I have a fascinating question: Assuming the game ends at 5-0, who is the Nationals' Player of the Game: Strasburg, or Michael Taylor? I have to go with Strasburg for his sustained excellence in the worst of conditions. --- I also want to mention that Sean Doolittle is *not* a hipster. 1
MC Horoscope Posted October 12, 2017 Posted October 12, 2017 Strasburg. After years of being called soft by fans who don't know better I think he can look back at this one proudly! He just got a lot of cred in his clubhouse!
Pat Posted October 12, 2017 Posted October 12, 2017 27 minutes ago, MC Horoscope said: Strasburg. After years of being called soft by fans who don't know better I think he can look back at this one proudly! He just got a lot of cred in his clubhouse! I just hope he didn't catch pneumonia pitching this game. He went well above and beyond. It's nuts they played in that driving rain and cold. I'm happy with the result, though. 1
Pat Posted October 12, 2017 Posted October 12, 2017 On October 10, 2017 at 9:42 AM, Al Dente said: I'm going to be an optimist and buy a ticket for Thursday's game. Update: Got a ticket from StubHub in the gallery 307, the first row for $160. Not a bad deal. Now I just hope there's reason to attend! Good call on buying that ticket. You'll get to see Michael Morse throw out the first pitch. Such a good guy with such hard luck.
TedE Posted October 12, 2017 Posted October 12, 2017 12 hours ago, DonRocks said: I have to go with Strasburg for his sustained excellence in the worst of conditions. Not just excellence, complete domination. If you haven't yet, read Boswell's run down this morning of what he has done in the back half of the season. I also loved his come back to a reporter's question about the madness surrounding the lead up to that game (I'm paraphrasing): "What drama? You guys created the drama." 1
Al Dente Posted October 12, 2017 Posted October 12, 2017 Last night, my 7-year old daughter had pajama night and a book fair at her school. Teachers were reading stories to the kids in several classrooms, so I "encouraged" her to attend as many of these as possible over the next hour so that I could sit in the back and track the game on the MLB app. When the following popped up on my phone, I pumped my fist but remained quiet. "Michael A. Taylor hits a grand slam to right center field. Daniel Murphy scores. Anthony Rendon scores. Matt Wieters scores." I could see some other parents look at me and smile as they realized something good was happening with the Nats. See ya at the game! Al
DonRocks Posted October 12, 2017 Author Posted October 12, 2017 1 hour ago, TedE said: Not just excellence, complete domination. If you haven't yet, read Boswell's run down this morning of what he has done in the back half of the season. “He throws that fastball, and it rises,” said the Cubs’ Rizzo, “and the change-up falls off the planet.” You know who had those *exact* same two pitches, and not much else? Sandy Koufax (note the third post in that thread ). I saw Strasburg throwing a pitch last night that was something like a screwball (reverse curve-ball), except that the release came, not from rotating his wrist counter-curve-wise, but from letting his elbow dip down a bit, letting his hand drop to a 45-degree angle, and then throwing it almost just like his rising fastball (which became a rising screwball-with-velocity because of the angle of release) - instead of rising straight up, it curved up-and-in on right-handed hitters. 1
DonRocks Posted October 13, 2017 Author Posted October 13, 2017 On 10/11/2017 at 8:03 PM, DonRocks said: Going to the bottom of the 9th, up 5-0, I have a fascinating question: Assuming the game ends at 5-0, who is the Nationals' Player of the Game: Strasburg, or Michael Taylor? I have to go with Strasburg for his sustained excellence in the worst of conditions. On 10/11/2017 at 8:18 PM, MC Horoscope said: Strasburg. After years of being called soft by fans who don't know better I think he can look back at this one proudly! He just got a lot of cred in his clubhouse! 11 hours ago, TedE said: Not just excellence, complete domination. If you haven't yet, read Boswell's run down this morning of what he has done in the back half of the season. Well, given that Taylor just jacked a three-run Gherkin, how about MVP of the series if the Nats pull this out tonight?
DonRocks Posted October 13, 2017 Author Posted October 13, 2017 21 hours ago, MC Horoscope said: Yes! Series MVP! FWIW, the HBP (where Jon Jay jogged down the first-base line backwards) *clearly* hit Jay's bat first, then caromed off Jay's body. Not only did they miss the call, they didn't even mention this happened on television. Everyone was talking about whether Jay's wrist broke, and whether the pitch may have been a strike, but nobody even noticed that the HBP was actually a *foul ball*. Didn't anyone else besides us see this? This cost the Nats a run, as it came with the bases loaded. If this turns out to be a one run game, this blown call is huge. ETA I saw this play incorrectly - read on for more details. 1
MC Horoscope Posted October 13, 2017 Posted October 13, 2017 Lots of memories with this game! I don't often use the term epic so this one was more like sloppy and remarkable! If i were the second guessing kind I would have gone mad from the first inning on. This one goes down in the annals of DC sports lore as "you got your money's worth." Glad I was not on that last metro train out of there! No joy in Mudville. 1
DonRocks Posted October 13, 2017 Author Posted October 13, 2017 19 hours ago, DonRocks said: FWIW, the HBP (where Jon Jay jogged down the first-base line backwards) *clearly* hit Jay's bat first, then caromed off Jay's body. Not only did they miss the call, they didn't even mention this happened on television. Everyone was talking about whether Jay's wrist broke, and whether the pitch may have been a strike, but nobody even noticed that the HBP was actually a *foul ball*. Didn't anyone else besides us see this? This cost the Nats a run, as it came with the bases loaded. If this turns out to be a one run game, this blown call is huge. Am I the only person on the internet who saw this? The HBP was a foul ball! ETA - I was wrong ... see below.
TedE Posted October 13, 2017 Posted October 13, 2017 2 hours ago, DonRocks said: Am I the only person on the internet who saw this? The HBP was a foul ball! Don, I think you're thinking of the passed ball maybe? The HBP got him squarely in the knee, his bat was nowhere near it. Dusty did come out to argue if his bat had come around and therefore he technically swung at the pitch, but that was not the case either. Also: Quote The next four Cubs hitters reached on 1) an intentional walk, 2) a passed-ball third strike, 3) a catcher's interference and, finally, 4) a hit-by-pitch. Yes, that's as rare as it sounds: "None of the 2.73m half innings in our db have even had all 4 of these events. 22 w/ 3. Only 5 games had all 4." Also: the world sucks, and everything is horrible
DonRocks Posted October 13, 2017 Author Posted October 13, 2017 1 hour ago, TedE said: Don, I think you're thinking of the passed ball maybe? The HBP got him squarely in the knee, his bat was nowhere near it. Dusty did come out to argue if his bat had come around and therefore he technically swung at the pitch, but that was not the case either. No, the HBP. It ricocheted off his bat, and hit him *after* that. If you have the game filmed, rewind and take a look. He ran down the first base line backwards because he was looking to see if the umpire was going to call it. Baker was complaining about the wrong thing - Jay checked his swing, but made contact with the ball in doing so. The fact that literally *nobody* else is screaming bloody murder about this makes me wonder if *we* saw it wrong. It was during the replay, when the announcers were seeing if he checked his swing. As they were saying, 'Yep, he checked it,' we both shouted out, at the exact same moment, "HEY! The ball hit his bat!" Either we both missed something, or everybody else in the world is missing this, which leads me to believe that we missed something, but I have *got* to see that replay again in order to sleep at night. --- EDIT - Our mistake. We thought it hit the bat, but it hit his leg. This is the only thing that could have made sense.
TedE Posted October 13, 2017 Posted October 13, 2017 59 minutes ago, DonRocks said: No, the HBP. It ricocheted off his bat, and hit him *after* that. If you have the game filmed, rewind and take a look. He ran down the first base line backwards because he was looking to see if the umpire was going to call it. Baker was complaining about the wrong thing - Jay checked his swing, but made contact with the ball in doing so. The fact that literally *nobody* else is screaming bloody murder about this makes me wonder if *we* saw it wrong. It was during the replay, when the announcers were seeing if he checked his swing. As they were saying, 'Yep, he checked it,' we both shouted out, at the exact same moment, "HEY! The ball hit his bat!" Either we both missed something, or everybody else in the world is missing this, which leads me to believe that we missed something, but I have *got* to see that replay again in order to sleep at night. --- EDIT - Our mistake. We thought it hit the bat, but it hit his leg. This is the only thing that could have made sense. Yeah, this one: https://www.mlb.com/video/heyward-scores-on-jays-hbp/c-1862904883 In the full speed pull-back shot the redirection on the ball makes it look like it could have caromed off of his bat, but the replay clearly shows he was nowhere near it. On another note: the only time I was screaming at the TV due to a managerial decision was when Dusty pulled Albers after the 4th (actually, that is incorrect. I almost threw something at the TV when Solis entered the game). Max is a generational talent at starting pitcher. He will be a perpetual CY candidate in his prime as long as he's healthy. Do you know what he isn't? An established middle reliever with a 1.62 ERA who hadn't given up a run in the post-season! Max is there if you need him. The Nats did not need him in the 5th. Send Albers out there for the 5th and maybe 6th. He just threw you a 1-2-3 inning on 12 (14?) pitches!! Put him on a short rope, if he shows signs of trouble then you go get Max to bridge to Kintzler/Madson/Doolittle. Dusty did it because Dusty could. I can't get it out of my mind that he went with Max in that situation because he thought "How cool would it be for Max to give us a couple innings of shut down ball after Gio sh*t the bed? After all, he told me he really wanted to". Every other instinct and stat available to him says stick with Albers until he's done. GAHHHHHHHHHH!!!! And it wasn't just the pitching match up, this had downstream effects. Who pinch hit for Albers in the switch? Robles, which made him unavailable for the rest of the game. In a do-or-die close game in the later innings, what do you do? Send your best outfield defense out there. Know who is not our best outfield defender? Werth. Now I know there are a lot of Werth-haters out there, and you have to I've him credit for getting on base 4 times in clutch at bats, but in a one run decision losing a playable ball "in the lights" could literally have meant the game. Watch the slo mo replay. His eyes are tracking the ball as it goes past his glove. He may have lost sight of it temporarily in flight, but that is a catch you have to make. I can't help but think that a plus OF defender (oh, I don't know, maybe someone like Victor Robles?!?) gets to the ball quicker and makes that play. GAHHHHHHHH!!!!! 1
DaveO Posted October 13, 2017 Posted October 13, 2017 The end result sucked. The Scherzer inning was a comedy of errors and unusualness with the most dire results. 1 hour ago, TedE said: Max is a generational talent at starting pitcher. He will be a perpetual CY candidate in his prime as long as he's healthy. Do you know what he isn't? An established middle reliever with a 1.62 ERA who hadn't given up a run in the post-season! Max is there if you need him. The Nats did not need him in the 5th. A friend of mine who studies baseball like Einstein studied relativity stated that there is a long history of starters stinking as relievers in situations such as yesterday. Maybe. I wouldn't know. Terrible results. Most unusual game after the first four. Wait til next year.
TedE Posted October 13, 2017 Posted October 13, 2017 6 minutes ago, DaveO said: A friend of mine who studies baseball like Einstein studied relativity stated that there is a long history of starters stinking as relievers in situations such as yesterday. Madison Bumgarner did this. His success out of the pen in 2014 put this thought in the head of every stud starter and the managers who oversee them. Sometimes it works (Kluber last year), most times it does not. Read this article from last week. Scroll to the chart about 2/3 down the page. Bang head on desk. 1
DaveO Posted October 13, 2017 Posted October 13, 2017 16 minutes ago, TedE said: Madison Bumgarner did this. His success out of the pen in 2014 put this thought in the head of every stud starter and the managers who oversee them. Sometimes it works (Kluber last year), most times it does not. Read this article from last week. Scroll to the chart about 2/3 down the page. Bang head on desk. Cripes. Loss of fastball velocity. Oiiiii. I tend not to critique managers and manager decisions. They are getting paid the big bucks and have big staffs with all that kind of data. I ASSUME. Maybe they see that info, maybe they don't. Maybe they see it and don't pay attention. I'm still not going to criticize the manager. Crappy miserable freaking terrible results and weird game after the first 4. I don't believe in curses. Go get em next year.
dracisk Posted October 13, 2017 Posted October 13, 2017 Growing up a Red Sox fan prepared me well to root for the Nats. 2
Pat Posted October 13, 2017 Posted October 13, 2017 I'm not saying this after the fact because I was screaming it at the TV last night in real time. And I haven't read anything above, so maybe people agree with me. I mean, I was screaming at the tv. Leave Albers in. He has been the most reliable reliever the team has had throughout the season. They brought him up not long after the season started and he had a career year. Last night he pitched one inning and threw up all 0s. Unfortunate he was going to be the first batter, but suck it up. Figure you only have two outs to work with that inning (hey, maybe he walks!) and get the top of the lineup again, with your most reliable reliever in for another inning with a lead. He wouldn't have been my first choice to bring in. That would have been Roark, who was thoroughly rested and ready. He looked very miserable the last few days just sitting there, not being used. But, whatever. DO NOT bring Scherzer in. I thought that was insane. That should have been kept as a last ditch, we're in the 15th inning kind of thing. Just because all of the other teams do it doesn't mean we should. Dusty looked completely helpless while Max was melting down. He knew he couldn't take him out. He should not have been in to begin with. He threw about 100 pitches Monday coming off an injury and, in the unlikely event the Nats actually moved on, he would have been needed to pitch in LA Saturday for, oh, 100 or so pitches. Such a stupid move. I was screaming. Why the other teams do it is irrelevant. It was idiotic in that situation. 2
MC Horoscope Posted October 14, 2017 Posted October 14, 2017 My overall impression is that neither team deserves to go much farther in the playoffs. That was just so mistake-filled and sloppy. The umpiring was terrible. The strategy (challenging on the very first play and losing?) had my sweet even-tempered wife yelling at the TV. That in itself was a bad sign. Up 4-1, then down by 4 and coming back. And it all could have ended with us winning in a walk off. The Cubs were terrible. So many errors! We were just a little bit more, as I see it. Louisiana native here will root for Houston for the rest of the playoffs. Harvey Tough! Not even reading or following social media on the topic. What was it Rogers Hornsby told a reporter when asked what he does over the winter? "Sit looking out my window and waiting for spring!" 1
Pat Posted October 20, 2017 Posted October 20, 2017 Dusty's out. They're not rehiring him. Didn't even negotiate for that new contract they'd been promising right up until late in the season. The contracts of the rest of the coaching staff have expired too. I didn't agree with some of his managing decisions--and he really botched that Strasburg explanation--but I'd have given him another year. The Nats sure do run through managers.
Pat Posted October 20, 2017 Posted October 20, 2017 ...though this does make possible the fulfillment of my ongoing plea (ok, it's a dream), which is that they hire Werth as a player-manager.
TedE Posted October 20, 2017 Posted October 20, 2017 1 hour ago, Pat said: Dusty's out. They're not rehiring him. Didn't even negotiate for that new contract they'd been promising right up until late in the season. The contracts of the rest of the coaching staff have expired too. I didn't agree with some of his managing decisions--and he really botched that Strasburg explanation--but I'd have given him another year. The Nats sure do run through managers. This means they terminated the contract of Mike Maddux as well, who absolutely needs to be brought back as pitching coach, but they need to leave that up to the new manager at least for appearances. Hell, he could be the new manager. Hopefully they've pulled him aside and said as much.
DonRocks Posted October 20, 2017 Author Posted October 20, 2017 1 hour ago, Pat said: Dusty's out. They're not rehiring him. Didn't even negotiate for that new contract they'd been promising right up until late in the season. The contracts of the rest of the coaching staff have expired too. I didn't agree with some of his managing decisions--and he really botched that Strasburg explanation--but I'd have given him another year. The Nats sure do run through managers. I was expecting this, and as much as I hate to say it, he needed to go - if only for psychological reasons.
Pat Posted October 20, 2017 Posted October 20, 2017 3 hours ago, TedE said: This means they terminated the contract of Mike Maddux as well, who absolutely needs to be brought back as pitching coach, but they need to leave that up to the new manager at least for appearances. Hell, he could be the new manager. Hopefully they've pulled him aside and said as much. Per what Chelsea Janes wrote several days ago, all of the coaches' contracts ended because they were due to end. They can certainly bring people back. I'm not going out on a limb to say that Jacque Jones will not be back as assistant hitting coach.
Pat Posted October 20, 2017 Posted October 20, 2017 3 hours ago, DonRocks said: I was expecting this, and as much as I hate to say it, he needed to go - if only for psychological reasons. Is there a psychological reason they can't have any manager last more than 2 years? It's kind of crazy. Boswell has an article on how they're going to have a hard time finding anybody better. I would think the frontrunner might be John Farrell, whom the Red Sox dumped because he lost two ALDS in a row. (Or Jayson Werth. I will not give up my dream.) 1
will_5198 Posted October 20, 2017 Posted October 20, 2017 Dusty is an older-school players coach, which was a great fit for this current club. I don't blame him for the past two NLDS losses -- Nationals had plenty of chances to win both on the field, and they didn't. That predates Dusty. I also believe managers make the least impact across all the major sports when it comes to tactical decisions. 1
DonRocks Posted October 21, 2017 Author Posted October 21, 2017 1 hour ago, will_5198 said: Dusty is an older-school players coach, which was a great fit for this current club. I don't blame him for the past two NLDS losses -- Nationals had plenty of chances to win both on the field, and they didn't. That predates Dusty. I also believe managers make the least impact across all the major sports when it comes to tactical decisions. It's not fair, and *someone* (by definition) needs to have the lowest percentage of series-clinching wins. 0-10 is Hard Luck City. "Dusty Baker Is October's Heartbreak Kid, and It's Hard To Figure Out Why" by Jason Foster on sportingnews.com Scherzer's implosion turned Dusty into low-hanging fruit. 2
MC Horoscope Posted October 21, 2017 Posted October 21, 2017 17 hours ago, Pat said: Is there a psychological reason they can't have any manager last more than 2 years? It's kind of crazy. Boswell has an article on how they're going to have a hard time finding anybody better. I would think the frontrunner might be John Farrell, whom the Red Sox dumped because he lost two ALDS in a row. (Or Jayson Werth. I will not give up my dream.) Jayson Werth would be an interesting choice but in my experience he is too contemptuous of the press to suit the Lerners. (His contempt might even be part of his popularity among the players). Managers need to deal with the press and be more respectful to fans, even the annoying ones like me who critique everything. Actually I am not the back seat driver or second guesser some fans are online!
DaveO Posted October 25, 2017 Posted October 25, 2017 (I cannot get used to the Astros being in the American League) 4 hours ago, Steve R. said: As to why Houston is in the American League, I think that the decision sucked & that the Nationals should be there instead. When Montreal folded, it was the perfect opportunity to even out the leagues and bolster the East Coast rivalries. That would have been great IMHO. A Nationals/Orioles rivalry would get exciting and heated. (I frankly like both teams.) The owners have to already hate one another as they have been fighting on how to divide up the TV market for years. (two guys that will litigate this thing to death). I'm sure there is still a core resentment in Baltimore towards Washington. Would have been a fiery rivalry. 1
Pat Posted October 27, 2017 Posted October 27, 2017 I'd say that they cannot botch this worse, but I'm afraid of what might happen next. Mike Maddux is going to the Cardinals. They signed him BEFORE they had a manager last time. They are going to have a very hard time replacing him. 1
TedE Posted March 28, 2018 Posted March 28, 2018 Well, here we go! Again. (checks pre-season prognostications; SI predicts a Nats-Yanks Series) Yup, looking good! (checks Boz's Opening Day eve musings) You bet, this has to be the year! Just one last confirmation that everything is going according to plan: (checks in on the Caps, still leading the division and on a hot streak going into the final week of the regular season) Absolutely, things have never been better! This year everything is going to be different, I swear!!! (Hold me ....) 2 1
JimCo Posted March 30, 2018 Posted March 30, 2018 Happy Opening Day! I am excited to watch this team with a full season from Eaton. They're going to be fun to watch hit.
DonRocks Posted April 2, 2018 Author Posted April 2, 2018 I encourage people here to read (and possibly join) TalkNats.com - it's the most detail-oriented Nationals site I've come across. Yes, they published my Brooks Robinson series, but they didn't pay me anything; my mom taught one of the owners in 1st grade (!), we recently connected on Facebook (I haven't seen him in nearly 40 years), and I figured, well, why not. I made sure to publish Entry #7 here first thought.
dracisk Posted April 3, 2018 Posted April 3, 2018 19 minutes ago, Pat said: Well, hello Bryce. Not overrated!!
DonRocks Posted April 3, 2018 Author Posted April 3, 2018 17 hours ago, Pat said: Well, hello Bryce. 17 hours ago, dracisk said: Not overrated!! For those who haven't been following: Bryce Harper had more HRs (3) in just 4 ABs than 7 *teams* have had all season. And the video in this tweet is an absolute riot - do yourself a favor, and click on it with the volume all the way up.
dracisk Posted April 3, 2018 Posted April 3, 2018 18 minutes ago, DonRocks said: And the video in this tweet is an absolute riot That was a clown heckle, bro.
TedE Posted April 4, 2018 Posted April 4, 2018 Every 5th start might be an adventure for the near future. Cole obviously didn't look great out there, and even worse his body language looked defeated well before he was pulled. If the weather threatens any games in the coming week we may not have to work about that for a bit, though (built in rest day after home opener, Thursdays off twice before the end of the month)
TedE Posted April 11, 2018 Posted April 11, 2018 On 4/4/2018 at 10:22 AM, TedE said: Every 5th start might be an adventure for the near future. Cole obviously didn't look great out there, and even worse his body language looked defeated well before he was pulled. If the weather threatens any games in the coming week we may not have to work about that for a bit, though (built in rest day after home opener, Thursdays off twice before the end of the month) Cole slotted in again tonight instead of Gio (pushing the rotation down a day). I'm sure there is some managerial reason for this, combination of the upcoming scheduled off days and when they really think Hellickson will be ready. Maybe he can push his ERA down into the teens .... Eaton back to the DL with an ankle thing
JBag57 Posted April 11, 2018 Posted April 11, 2018 ^^^Day game today--Cole has given up one run through 2 innings.
Al Dente Posted April 11, 2018 Posted April 11, 2018 Saturday is Al Dente Day at Nationals Park. See you there!
ktmoomau Posted April 11, 2018 Posted April 11, 2018 25 minutes ago, Al Dente said: Saturday is Al Dente Day at Nationals Park. See you there! Sounds like a plan, see you there too.
Pat Posted April 17, 2018 Posted April 17, 2018 Too bad the nickname "The Splendid Splinter" is already taken. That Harper broken bat home run was incredible. I wonder how one would estimate how far that would have gone had not so much of the energy gone into the bat and its destruction. I think FP said it went 406 or 408 ft. Wow.
TedE Posted April 17, 2018 Posted April 17, 2018 13 hours ago, Pat said: Too bad the nickname "The Splendid Splinter" is already taken. That Harper broken bat home run was incredible. I wonder how one would estimate how far that would have gone had not so much of the energy gone into the bat and its destruction. I think FP said it went 406 or 408 ft. Wow. While not as dramatic this game reminded me a lot of Dan Uggla's comeback heroics in 2015 that snapped an early season slump and jump-started a streak that saw them take a few series in a row. Let's hope this one has the same effect.
TedE Posted April 19, 2018 Posted April 19, 2018 All's fair in love, war and 8th inning rallies. That was quite the pair of games. We don't really have any other options to beef up the bullpen, though. Once it was clear it was out of hand I think Davey just pulled the 'chute and sent AJ Cole out there as a sacrificial target, once someone (probably Benoit) comes off the DL he is gone. The fact that we need him as an available arm right now is scary. Of the Big 3 only Doolittle has looked the part this year. Hopefully Max and Stras can go long this weekend and give some of these guys an extended rest. Scherzer v Kershaw Friday night. Put on a pot of coffee or set your DVR. 1
Pat Posted April 19, 2018 Posted April 19, 2018 28 minutes ago, TedE said: All's fair in love, war and 8th inning rallies. That was quite the pair of games. We don't really have any other options to beef up the bullpen, though. Once it was clear it was out of hand I think Davey just pulled the 'chute and sent AJ Cole out there as a sacrificial target, once someone (probably Benoit) comes off the DL he is gone. The fact that we need him as an available arm right now is scary. Of the Big 3 only Doolittle has looked the part this year. Hopefully Max and Stras can go long this weekend and give some of these guys an extended rest. Scherzer v Kershaw Friday night. Put on a pot of coffee or set your DVR. I was unhappy Madson was left in so long. At his age (though I know he doesn't feel it) three games in a row and 4 out of 5 is an awful lot, and once they started to get to him, he should have been out of there. It also ticked me off that they sent Gott down, since he's still got an option, when he's been pitching quite well. He deserved to stay. I understand they don't want to lose the people with no options left, but Cole hasn't made e real strong case for staying. They finally cut the cord on Romero and he may do well in Pittsburgh, along with the Nats' former closer formerly known as Felipe Rivero. Maybe Cole would do better in an another system. Maybe Gott will come back later to spell someone and will provide a boost later in the season. 1
TedE Posted April 19, 2018 Posted April 19, 2018 19 minutes ago, Pat said: Maybe Gott will come back later to spell someone and will provide a boost later in the season. I have no doubt we'll see Gott again, maybe sooner rather than later. They were already carrying an extra bullpen arm, and if the workhorses settle down into a routine we may get a bench player back. Koda Glover will be available some time in the back half of the season. If they are in contention at the end of July I don't see how they can't trade for another middle innings eater unless a rookie rises to the occasion. I miss Matt Albers. 1
Pat Posted April 20, 2018 Posted April 20, 2018 I miss Matt Albers too, though it looks like he might be off to a slow start this season (or, small sample size). What I don't get is why they finally DFA'd Cole and brought up someone named Carlos Torres from Syracuse who is 35 years old. Our bullpen skews old to begin with. This baffles me. Pitchers arms age faster now because of how young they start throwing hard and very often. Bryan Harper, BTW, has a 0.00 ERA through 6.1 innings with the Senators. They sent him all the way to AA, presumably because he's still rehabbing from TJ surgery. He looked pretty good in ST, especially for someone who hadn't pitched in games for a year and a half.
TedE Posted April 20, 2018 Posted April 20, 2018 33 minutes ago, Pat said: What I don't get is why they finally DFA'd Cole and brought up someone named Carlos Torres from Syracuse who is 35 years old. I absolutely get why they sent Cole down! I thought they would wait until a more established arm was ready, but when you're replacing cannon fodder at this point the worst you can hope for is .... more cannon fodder. Twitter fact of the day: tonight is only the tenth time ever that two three-time Cy Young winners are facing off against each other.
Pat Posted April 20, 2018 Posted April 20, 2018 20 minutes ago, TedE said: I absolutely get why they sent Cole down! I thought they would wait until a more established arm was ready, but when you're replacing cannon fodder at this point the worst you can hope for is .... more cannon fodder. Twitter fact of the day: tonight is only the tenth time ever that two three-time Cy Young winners are facing off against each other. Oh, I totally understand why they DFA'd Cole. That needed to happen. But bringing up the guy they signed March 30 who is 35 years old, that I'm questioning.
Pat Posted April 21, 2018 Posted April 21, 2018 Interesting view from another side: http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-kershaw-scherzer-plaschke-20180420-story.html
Pat Posted April 21, 2018 Posted April 21, 2018 Someone must have heard my complaining. They called Trevor Gott back up and put Grace on the 10-day DL.
Pat Posted April 24, 2018 Posted April 24, 2018 And Cole has now been traded to the Yankees for "cash considerations." Probably not enough cash to re-sign Bryce but better than nothing.
TedE Posted April 25, 2018 Posted April 25, 2018 14 hours ago, Pat said: And Cole has now been traded to the Yankees for "cash considerations." Probably not enough cash to re-sign Bryce but better than nothing. It was probably an amount that the Yankees found digging around in the couch cushions of their luxury suites. Another dog of a series against a beatable team, hopefully Max can salvage something this afternoon (I mean, after all he is leading the currently active Nats in batting average this year 😂 ). There's not firing on all cylinders, and then there's mis-firing on all cylinders. Nothing seems to be clicking on offense for a squad that should be producing more runs. I hope (HOPE) that once two of Eaton/Rendon/Murphy come back we'll see that.
Al Dente Posted April 25, 2018 Posted April 25, 2018 55 minutes ago, TedE said: Another dog of a series against a beatable team, hopefully Max can salvage something this afternoon (I mean, after all he is leading the currently active Nats in batting average this year 😂 ). For the record, the leading batting average is held by Kendrick (.277), which is pathetic for a team of this caliber. Harper is at .257 Turner .232 Taylor .220 Zimmerman .188
silentbob Posted April 25, 2018 Posted April 25, 2018 21 minutes ago, Al Dente said: For the record, the leading batting average is held by Kendrick (.277), which is pathetic for a team of this caliber. Offense is down all over the league so far, most likely a function of the cold weather. The Nats are 8th out of 15 NL teams in OPS, which correlates better with runs scored than batting average. For reference though, NL teams in the aggregate have a batting average of .238 so it's all relative. My guess is that the Nats will be fine eventually.
TedE Posted April 26, 2018 Posted April 26, 2018 All you need to do is give a couple of starters an extra rest day, get a career day out of one of your young replacements, score almost ALL of your 15 runs with 2 outs and have a 3x CY winner on the mound. DUH! Baseball is such a simple game.
DaveO Posted May 6, 2018 Posted May 6, 2018 Saw this on twitter today and got a kick out of it: Braves lose Phillies lose Mets lose Nats win Productive Day
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