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Photo by Mark Zuckerman / NATS INSIDER The Nats will try to end a four-game losing streak tonight. |
The struggles have been particularly pronounced at the plate, where the Nats have scored a total of 11 runs over these last four games, striking out 40 times while drawing only five walks (two intentional).
Jim Riggleman and Co. have insisted all along the hits will start falling, that guys are putting together good at-bats and have just hit a few shots right at people. They also point out they've faced some tough pitching in the last week. I'll let you decide whether you agree or disagree with that line of thinking.
I'll also let you discuss tonight's game among yourselves. I'm taking the rest of the weekend off to spend time with family. Enjoy the game!...
WHITE SOX at NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 4:10 p.m.
TV: Fox
Radio: WFED-1500 AM, WWFD-820 AM
Weather: Sunny, 90 degrees, Wind 9 mph out to CF
STARTING LINEUPS
NATIONALS (31-37)
CF Nyjer Morgan
2B Cristian Guzman
3B Ryan Zimmerman
1B Adam Dunn
LF Josh Willingham
C Ivan Rodriguez
RF Roger Bernadina
SS Ian Desmond
P J.D. Martin
WHITE SOX (32-34)
LF Juan Pierre
3B Omar Vizquel
1B Mark Kotsay
CF Andruw Jones
RF Carlos Quentin
C A.J. Pierzynski
SS Alexei Ramirez
2B Gordon Beckham
P Jake Peavy
41 comments:
I think we'll find out over the next few weeks if Riggs is right. I also think that if Nyjer continues to under-perform over the next few weeks he should be removed from the number 1 spot and/or removed from the lineup.
If my team has lost 4 in a row and 6 of the last 7, I think I would be switching the order up a little bit to find out what works. Oh wait, that would be logical. I wouldnt want to undermind our great "Manager".
I agree about Nyjer. I used to be a big fan of his, but over the last 6 weeks his head has not been in the game and he has not been reaching base. We really need someone at the top of the lineup who can get on base and set the plate for the big three.
Nats are 0-2 when the Former Senator from Illinois is in the house. He's having the same affect on us and the rest of the country. Lets Hope for Change and that he keep his disasterous ways away from NatsTown. And Zuck, do your blog a favor and no more pictures of this guy in an enemy cap please.
Did anyone comment on that picture in the Post this morning -- the one with Dunn closing his eyes while tying to make that catch of Zimm's throw in the 11th last night? I was in the park and it looked catchable from where I sat. Zimm's stop and rollling up to make the throw was something from another world. Startling.
Another peabrain who thinks he's on Fox News. Please, take your dimwitted self away from here: this is a baseball site.
Immediately after the All Star Break, Nyjer Morgan will be benched and that will be that. No way this kid will figure out how to turn it around in the next 22 days. He had his shot. Hopefully he'll be digging splinters out of rear end July 31: "Nyjer Morgan Bobblehead Day."
Dear "Mark L" - relax.
Well no Nats in Fl. today. No radio streams, no gameday and no Nats on mlb extra-innings.
Please send lots of updates.
Thanks
@dj in FL. here's an update: Nyger and Guzman led off with base hits. Two on, none out, heart of the order coming up. You can guess the result. :-(
When they say the game is on Fox, do they only mean on Fox locally in DC? Cuz I live in NYC and on Fox right now is the Red Sox- Dodgers- Manny-palooza game. Maybe its only on Fox in DC?
Or can the world just not take two days in a row of the Nats being on National TV?
-Ben
I gotta say, Martin's throwing some nasty pitches today. He looks great.
Thanks for the updates.
Glad Martin is having a great game. It is just a heck of a note that our pitchers must pitch a shutout to earn a no decision.
Dj - yeah the offense continues to slumber.
Hopefully soon they'll wake up.
Up to the Bullpen now.
D'oh. I just came over to check Mark's opinion of that THIRD Zimmerman strikeout. But since he's taking they day of I guess ill offer mine. That third strike was clearly outside... but the ump has been calling it fairly regularly and he's gotta swing the bat there.
Damn. My spelling sucked on that last post. But I'm updating from my phone and didn't proofread.
As much fun as it is to watch a nicely pitched game by our staff, the bats are alseep and I think I'll join 'em.
Wake me at the break....
SpotsyNats, take your political commentary to the Amercican Spectator or National Review website, where you can foam at the mouth with all the other right-wingers. This, as Mark L pointed out, is a site to talk about baseball
Disappointing. I say for tomorrow, put the 25 names in a hat and have Dibbs draw the lineup at random.
I saw Zimmerman laughing after fanning for the 4th time with the tying run on second. He is a team leader????????
At this point it sure couldn't hurt.
Maybe a lineup that goes something like this. Berny, Kennedy, Gonzalez, Morse, Harris, Morgan, Desmond/Guzman, Nieves, pitcher.
@Dick - No it was a smile of "why didn't I swing at that?". That may not make much sense, but you'll often see hitters grin, nod and/or shake their head after striking out. Even in the dugout at times.
Hopefully I don't need to point that out.
Arlington Big Fish: Master of the Obvious. Thank you, ABF, but Mark L. had already said plenty to SpotsyNats so kindly STFU.
Said it in March and every month going forward. They needed to sign a power bat for RF and Hudson at 2B and a solid backup catcher for Pudge.....all is still true today......this winter will bet the same story......the Lerners priority of profit first and winning last will make sure this team will suck for a very long time. Hudson was not signed because they did not want to pay market rate for him. How is the cheap option working out for you Ted? Sad part is Ted would say great. Profits are way up this year!
Earlier this week Zuck's article that the Nationals are an average team. I said they were below average starting pitching and defense. I forgot to add offense. They stink. If they don't get 100 loses, they'll be in the mid nineties. Book it...
Guys, guys, guys. Let's put down the Maalox, pick up the bourbon and take it easy. True, they've had a horses--t month., But help is on the way, clearly. We've got the most dominating pitcher in the game hurling every fifth day, Desmond is a real find at short, Bernie coming out in RF and soon may be on his way to solving the center field problem and this team may begin to soon hit again. Detwiler should be a shot in the arm for the rotation, who knows may Rizzo will pull the trigger on Oswalt and Zimm'nn should be OK for '11.
As I said, double up on the bourbon, and this team still is heading in the right direction.
Jeeeeese JayB?
Yea huh? You were saying that? Dude Riggleman would have put Guzman out there in front of whoever they signed. They signed Kennedy didn't they? Where is he? O-dog. C'mon are you not even watching? The guy lost his job to Ronnie Belliard who used to play 2nd base for the Nats. Do you really believe that Riggleman would play that guy over Guzman? And honestly I think Guzman is a better player than O-dog but not better than Belliard.
None of your ideas would have worked except for catcher. They do still need to address that and as the season progresses doubtless Mike Rizzo will.
What is wrong with Zimmerman?? Is he playing hurt or has he lost his mind? He strikes out four times today out of 4 at bats, then he laughs all the way back to the dugout. He makes another throwing error last night that loses the game and he laughs. I don't think his performance is humorous, it's actually quite pathetic.
Hudson has an .369 OPS what is Kennedy? Guzman?
Defense....not even close...Hudson is still better than them both.
Leadership.....Hudson would make a big difference there too.
RF is going to be a problem until then spend big....nothing in the farm system is even close for the next 3 years.
Catcher same as above.
Bottom line is they needed to spend, they need to spend now and this winter it will be more of the same. Nothing is the farm will fix these holes.
I do agree that Roger should be starting in CF now and for the next 3 years. Prediction is he will the day after Riggs gets fired.
Hudson has an .369 OPS what is Kennedy? Guzman?
And Morse is hitting .400 but is he playing? JMax was hitting .140 and Riggleman started him instead. Willie Harris is hitting .157 and Riggleman started him in right field initially AND had him lead off.
We really don't know what Kennedy can do because he isn't playing regularly.
O-dog lost his job with the Dodgers to Ronnie Belliard? What about that don't you grok? He is worst than what they had originally? Leadership? What happened on the Dodgers? You live in a fantasy world if you believe he would come here and Riggleman would play him over Guzman. Because with the edict that Desmond play short from Rizzo that is where Guzman had to go.
Right field. Right field. They need defense not home run power from some lousy fielder. They have that in Dunn. Is it helping? sheesh.
Riggs is the manager because he didn't cost much. Same goes for McCatty and Eckstein. The Lerners won't spend any money or in the off chance they do, they'll blow it on a dud. The Lerners and Kasten only care about the bottom line. After six years, they are still sucking wind.
And here come the fair weather fans...enjoy :(
CWJ There can't be any fair weather fans because there has never been any fair weather---only six seasons of misery.
I consider this season rather promising. Steady improvement. We finally have an ace pitcher. Bullpen is solid as well. This season is different from the past few.
A fair weather fan isn't just someone who follows the team when they're winning. IMO
Anon@9:30
I don't think how much Riggleman cost had anything to do with him getting the job. The team's record last year under Acta was 26-61 whereas the record under Riggleman was 33-42. Don't get me wrong, I'm not high on Riggleman (particularly given some of the recent lineups that he has trotted out, most notably those against Cleveland), but under the circumstances the choice of Riggleman made sense. Realistically, the Nats are not going to be a serious contender until at least 2012, and I think Riggleman is essentially holding down the fort until that happens.
We've all heard the saying that great players do big things at big times. The same, well, truism is true of great teams--they do big things at big times.
Yesterday and today were examples of why the Nats aren't a great or good or even average team. 40,000 people in the house, their star on the mound and they do...nothing.
Today, 36,000 people in the stands and a national TV audience and they do even less than nothing.
Watching this team is as boring as watching the World Cup.
I'm not really a fair weather fan. I'm just fan seeking fair weather - and a couple of hits from the big guns once in a while. What's the over and under on hits today - I make it four.
The definition of a fan is NOT someone who is happy win or lose. I think this board is full of fans of the Nats. Some are happy no matter what and some demand more. Some are spend their time finding some scrape of hope in every game and some see problems in every win. It is all baseball people and we are all fans.
JB speaketh the truth. We're all fans of the Nats, even if we manifest that fandom in different ways.
I'm heading out to the ballpark again today. Let's knock those brooms out of the hands of the White Sox faithful (metaphorically speaking, of course ;-)).
Don't forget the tie drive if you're also heading out there. My husband culled several handsome candidates from his closet this a.m.
You're right Jay and Natsfan1a. However, I myself tend to be more optimistic than some. But as you said we are all fans.
cwj, you may not be familiar with my posts, but I also tend to be an optimistic type. imo, whichever end of the spectrum we're on (or if we're somewhere in between), one thing we all have in common is that we wish the best for the Nats, imo.
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