Thursday, June 2, 2011

Game 56: Nats at Diamondbacks

Photo by Mark Zuckerman / NATS INSIDER
Chase Field hosts the Nationals and Diamondbacks tonight.
PHOENIX -- Hello from the Valley of the Sun, where it is currently a very comfortable 91 degrees. Relative humidity: 5 percent. With the wind chill factor, it only feels like 87 degrees. Have to say, it's incredibly nice to get away from the stickiness of D.C. for a couple of days.

The Nationals open an 11-game, West Coast trip tonight against the surprising Diamondbacks, who have won 14 of 16 and have taken over first place in the NL West. With left-hander Zach Duke on the mound for Arizona, Jim Riggleman is eschewing his usual righty-heavy lineup and going with Roger Bernadina in left field and Rick Ankiel in center field. The reason: Ankiel is 5-for-8 with a homer in his career against Duke, one of the few lefties he hits.

Jordan Zimmermann is on the mound, hoping to continue his hot streak. Zimmermann has tossed five consecutive quality starts, allowing only two runs in four of those outings.

Plenty of updates to come, so stay up late and check back often...

NATIONALS at DIAMONDBACKS
Where: Chase Field
Gametime: 9:40 p.m.
TV: MASN2
Radio: WJFK (106.7 FM), WFED (1500 AM), XM 183
Weather: Clear, 91 degrees, Wind 11 mph LF to RF
STARTING LINEUPS
NATIONALS (24-31)
LF Roger Bernadina
SS Ian Desmond
RF Jayson Werth
1B Michael Morse
2B Danny Espinosa
C Wilson Ramos
CF Rick Ankiel
3B Jerry Hairston
P Jordan Zimmermann

DIAMONDBACKS (31-25)
3B Ryan Roberts
2B Kelly Johnson
RF Justin Upton
SS Stephen Drew
CF Chris Young
C Miguel Montero
1B Juan Miranda Xavier Nady
LF Gerardo Parra
P Zach Duke
8:10 p.m. -- Lineup change for the D'backs: Juan Miranda has been scratched due to an illness. Xavier Nady will replace him at first base.

8:34 p.m. -- Hitting coach Rick Eckstein was made available to reporters today for the first time in about one month. Check the homepage for the full transcript of his session with us.

9:40 p.m. -- And we're underway with a strike from Zach Duke to Roger Bernadina. Pretty small crowd on hand here. Doesn't appear the locals have caught D'backs fever quite yet.

9:51 p.m. -- It appears the Nationals remembered to bring their bats west with them. They just exploded for three runs in the top of the first. It all started with some nice hustle from Ian Desmond, who came charging out of the box on what looked like a routine pop-up down the first-base line. Kelly Johnson wound up dropping it, and Desmond coasted into second base with a double. Michael Morse smoked an RBI single up the middle to extend his streak to 11 games. Danny Espinosa singled to left. And Wilson Ramos put a definitive stamp on the inning by crushing a 415-foot double off the center-field wall, scoring two. Yes, the Nats are already up 3-0 after a half-inning.

10:10 p.m. -- It's not just Desmond who hustles. Jordan Zimmermann booked it down the line to beat out an infield grounder in the top of the second. That's his third hit in 17 at-bats this season. Roger Bernadina, on the other hand, has already whiffed twice in two innings against Duke. Nats still lead 3-0 heading to the bottom of the second.

10:26 p.m. -- It's truly staggering just how bad Michael Morse looked in April ... and how good he's looked since then. Just smoked another rocket up the middle to improve to 2-for-2 tonight. He's now hitting .418 (28-for-67) since May 1, the highest mark in the majors over that span. Still 3-0 Nats as we go to the bottom of the third.

11:05 p.m. -- Bottom of the fifth now, the Nats now up 4-0 thanks to another hit from Morse (now 3-for-3) in the top of this inning, followed by an Espinosa single and a fielder's choice from Ramos. They've racked up 10 hits in five innings against Duke, a well-balanced attack. Jordan Zimmermann, meanwhile, has cruised so far, allowing just two hits and a walk. He's gotten some nice defense behind him, including on a double play to end the fourth.

11:13 p.m. -- For those who haven't heard yet, Bryce Harper hit a walk-off homer tonight in the bottom of the 10th to lead Hagerstown past Greenville. That capped a 4-for-5 night for Harper, who did get picked off first base earlier in the game on a fake-to-third, throw-to-first move by the opposing pitcher.

11:16 p.m. -- Chance for the D'backs to score off Zimmermann in the bottom of the fifth after Gerardo Parra and pinch-hitter Sean Burroughs singled with two outs. But Zimmermann got Ryan Roberts to line out to right to end the inning. He also saw Espinosa make a spectacular, diving stop of Miguel Montero's smash to open the inning, with Espinosa gunning a throw to first to complete the Web Gem. Still 4-0 Nats after five.

11:29 p.m. -- Six innings in the books, and Zimmermann still hasn't allowed a run. He did take a glancing blow off a comebacker from Justin Upton, bringing Jim Riggleman and trainer Lee Kuntz running out of the dugout to check him out. Now, I'm no lip reader, but I believe Jordan's response was: "Dude, I pitched in college with my jaw wired shut. Leave me a alone."

11:46 p.m. -- The Diamondbacks finally scored a run off Zimmermann in the seventh. More concerning was the fact there were four really hard-hit balls off him in the inning -- a double to left-center, a fly out to the wall in right field and a pair of smoked grounders to first that Morse made nifty plays on. Zimmermann's at 97 pitches, gotta figure he's done for the night. It's 4-1 heading to the eighth.

11:56 p.m. -- Zimmermann is indeed done for the night as Todd Coffey sprints in for the bottom of the eighth. He winds up allowing one run on six hits over seven sparkling innings. That's his sixth consecutive quality start. And he's now allowed two earned runs or fewer in eight of his 11 starts this season. This guy's legit, folks.

12:00 a.m. -- And Coffey's done after one pitch (resulting in a Ryan Roberts single). He burned more calories sprinting in from the bullpen than he did doing his actual job. Sean Burnett now in to face Kelly Johnson, up 4-1 with a man on first.

12:08 a.m. -- And now Burnett is pulled after striking out Johnson and Stephen Drew (sandwiched around a plunking of Upton). Drew Storen in, as is Brian Bixler on a double-switch, to face Chris Young with two on, two out and the Nats still up three runs.

12:11 a.m. -- Storen gets the job done, though Young did connect pretty solidly on a line drive to right to end the inning. We go to the ninth.

12:25 a.m. -- Some insurance, provided by Bernadina, who roped a triple to right-center to score Bixler and make it 5-1. And then, after Aaron Heilman drilled Werth in the left elbow, Morse caps off his brilliant night with an RBI single to center. That's the second four-hit game of Morse's career, and it puts the Nationals up 6-1 in the ninth.

12:39 a.m. -- That'll do it. Storen finishes out the ninth, and the Nats beat the D'backs, 6-1, for their third straight victory. Jordan Zimmermann gets a well-deserved win, improving to 3-6. Michael Morse gets a four-hit game. Storen gets credit for his 11th save.

106 comments:

Anonymous said...

Interesting factoid I ran across on ESPN Insider ...

Apparently, FanGraphs has developed a new stat to measure base running called the UBR or ultimate base running.

The Diamondbacks rank 3rd behind the Rangers and Reds. The Nats have appreciably improved and are now tied for 8th with the Mets.

In 2010 the Nats had a negative number and ranked 23rd. The Diamondbacks had a negative number and ranked 26th.

Anonymous said...

So, as per usual, Riggleman takes out one of his hottest hitters against one of the hottest teams in baseball ... they are actually playing "smart ball" better than his guys as well as all the other things? Ankiel's numbers against Duke is the excuse? After the game Nix had?

Well at least he doesn't have Ankiel leading off ... that was ridiculous.

"Riggleman" the antonym for "winning".

Anonymous said...

Ankiel led off that game with a hit, if you'll remember.

Anonymous said...

Is Laynce Nix hurt? I don't get this otherwise.

Anonymous said...

Ankiel led off that game with a hit, if you'll remember.

How is that possible @anon6:43 when he was a late inning replacement in the ninth inning from a double switch and Nix left the game? What team are you watching again dude?

Mark'd said...

Anon @6:34, glad you aren't managing this team. Nix becomes the bench bat vs. The righty reliever. I thought we would see Bixler in LF tonight so This is a new lineup with Roger & Rick!

Anonymous said...

What's that old saying about talking to yourself? Oh, yeah. It's not a problem until you start arguing with yourself. Uh-oh.

Anonymous said...

Geez Annoymous 6:34 - are you gainfully employed or is it your job to go on EVERY Nats-related message board to flame Jim Riggleman?

I don't like to tell people this but in your case it's time - Dude, get a life. We know you want Riggleman fired. Nothing new to see here now move along.

Don't know who is worse. You or that Poop guy.

BinM said...

@MarkZ: Enjoy the low humidity of the western slope while you can. This series against the D-backs should be an interesting one from a pitching aspect. Their starting staff is not necessarily built to dominate games, so we'll see how it plays out.

Anonymous said...

Well, checking the numbers, Rick Ankiel is batting .625 (in 8 AB) against Duke and Bernadina is .500 in two AB...so that could be one reason. Nix has never faced Duke.

I'm still not thrilled with the lineup, assuming Nix isn't hurt.

Anonymous said...

Geez Annoymous 6:34 - are you gainfully employed or is it your job to go on EVERY Nats-related message board to flame Jim Riggleman?

Sheesh anon7:10 PM sounds like the pot calling the kettle black as they say? Where do you find the time to police all of these Nats blog sites? That must be far more time consuming. Clearly one of those entitlements people or maybe a trust fund baby? Perhaps you need to take your own advice @anon ...

Grandstander said...

Ankiel is also batting .258 against LHP while Nix is a lowly .167.

I don't love the move, but I totally understand it. And at least he kept Bernadina in there to leadoff. I'd expect Nix to come in once we get into the bullpen and shift Bernadina to center.

I wonder when the line is where they start making some roster moves. Slaten and Stairs have clearly overstayed their welcome, but they seem hesitant to cut the strings. Is it a factor of there being no one they want to bring in? Or are they just giving these guys some leeway to hopefully turn it around?

natsfan1a said...

Can't stay up for the late ones, so will hope for a happy game results email in the morning and look forward to reading Mark's game thread after the fact. Go NATS!!

Enjoy the dry desert air (you had to go there, didn't you? ;-)).

Mark'd said...

For the Anons on Nix. He has never faced the lefty Duke before and having him sit against a lefty won't cool him down as he will start Friday and Sunday most likely and Werth is due a dayoff so we may see Bernie in RF, Ankiel CF and Nix LF this weekend for a game. Maybe see Nix at 1st for Morse for a game.

Anonymous said...

@BinM,

According to another advanced metric from fangraphs (the UBR being one) for overall defense the Diamonds currently rank 4th while the Nats rank 22nd. Last year . The Astro's are currently last. Last year the Pirates finished last. The Diamondbacks were 2nd, and the Nats 14th.

Anonymous said...

Maybe see Nix at 1st for Morse for a game.

I believe Riggleman said he had Ankiel taking grounders there for that purpose. Ankiel said he hadn't played 1st since high school but he didn't think it would be a problem.

Bill B said...

Ankiel's BA in 8 AB's is irrelevant. Small sample size. It's elementary statistics. That said, after beating the Phils 2 out of 3 I'll defer to Riggleman's judgment. In any case, he can't sit anyone for too long unless he's planning on converting him to a pinch-hitter. As disappointed as I've been in Ankiel's offense, he needs some starts. And his defense is very strong.

Anonymous said...

I'd expect Nix to come in once we get into the bullpen and shift Bernadina to center.

You're kidding right? More likely to see Nix double-switched in for Bernadina.

The Baseball Guy said...

lets go nats, lets get 3 out of 4 in this series. Danny will hit another homer tonight

Anonymous said...

As disappointed as I've been in Ankiel's offense, he needs some starts.

Operative word: "some". Not continuous. And Ankiel's offense matches the back of his baseball card as they say? He is exactly as should have been expected.

The Baseball Guy said...

Bryce Harper's left nut could hit better than Ankiel. He's great at defense but I don't think there is room for him..he's taking up valuable playing time

Anonymous8 said...

Grandstander said...
Ankiel is also batting .258 against LHP while Nix is a lowly .167.

____________________________

Not only are there a lot of Trolls here who complain aimlessly but most won't do a lick of research.

Teams pay 100's of thousands of dollars for advanced scouts to be the eyes and ears on top of stats.

Bill B said...
Ankiel's BA in 8 AB's is irrelevant. Small sample size. It's elementary statistics.



Yes, a small sample size but there is still statistical relevance. As far as Ankiel's stats vs. Duke at 5 for 8 while it is a small sample it is better then relying on nothing.

baseballswami said...

Now, children , let's quit the arguing over whose blog posts are the most annoying. You could stand to talk about something else other than the fact that you want Riggs gone - what did he do to you, sleep with your wife? No wonder you are so anonymous all the time! Even I take a break from insisting that Matt Stairs retire once in a while. Go Nats! ( oh, and Riggs?please don't put stairs in a clutch situation or I might have to start trashing you , too.)

The Baseball Guy said...

If rigs gets fired, Cora should be a player/manager

Anonymous8 said...

baseballswami, there are 2 popular decisions we can all agree on, Slaten and Stairs have to go.

JaneB said...

I think that we can take some solace from the way the DBacks got so go so fast: homegrown talent, smarter base running, better defense. We can do that...more next year than this, but we can do that! Thanks for the fan graphs stats, anon at 6:29. And anon at 7:10 thanks for trying to get the Riggleman hater to get that we know he hates the guy and doesn't need to keep harping on it.
Go NATS!

Ernie said...

Why does that picture of the stadium remind me of the docking bay on the Death Star?

(I'm so confused about the team's identity after this past week that I really don't know what else to say at this point. Who are these guys? I don't usually stay up for west coast games, but tonight I feel a need to watch just to try to figure out exactly what we have on our hands. I think there's some theory in psychology/conditioning saying that that addiction is most strongly fostered by inconsistent rewards. If I'm remembering that right, this team's inconsistency and unpredictability makes it the baseball equivalent of crack.)

BinM said...

As a guide to help sort the various Anonymous posters across the Natosphere, I offer the following guideline, that is applicable to multiple Washington Nationals boards/blogs/commentaries...

-If the poster uses multiple question marks in his commentary, it's probably peric/periculum/aeoliano/some kind of latin derivitive (80% probability).
-If the poster uses worst and worse interchangeably, it's most likely peric/... (95% probability), and expect to get flamed if you call him on it (99% probability).
-If the poster hates on Riggleman, or refers to him as Giggleman, it could be peric/... (80% probability); If he posts made-up lyrics to the "Gilligan's Isle", it rises to 99% probability.
-If the poster hates on Ankiel, it could be peric... (70% probability).
-If the poster tosses out the name of a minor-league player totally unrelated to the line of discussion, it's possibly peric/... (67% probability).

I fully expect his on-line wrath for this, but post this in the hopes that others may learn the tell-tale signs.

Expecting to get flamed by an Anon poster in 8..7..6..

Anonymous8 said...

Michael Morse smokes it with RISP!!!!

Stranded_in_Philly said...

Anyone know why no F.P. today?

dryw said...

I don't know where all this offense comes from, but I like it!

RickH said...

RAMOS!!!

Andrew said...

Wilson Ramos with a bomb!!!! So much for Ankiel on Zach Duke. LOL Just kidding. I laughed when Bob Carpenter says Ankiel has a 5 for 8 with a HR against Duke.

UnkyD said...

BinM: what about the growing Krauthammer fixation? Would this be another Latin affectation?

Les in NC said...

Great way to start a game! J.Z now you have some runs to work with, don't get sloppy. 'Kay?

Mark'd said...

Ramos shook the Wall with that double!

Anonymous8 said...

See, JZim should have received that Strike 3 call.

Andrew said...

Wilson Ramos sporting the new catcher's gear provided by Under Armour!!!

BinM said...

Ernie: You've hit the nail on the head; The Nationals are our addiction. When they score, it's really good, and we're mostly blissful - when they don't, we tend to be cranky, angry, and somewhat paranoid.

JaneB said...

I thought I'd be asleep soon. But to START 3-0? I'm here for the duration. Go Nats! So glad to know you all are watching too.

masnstinks said...

So - is Cora available today? Has there been a report on whether or not he was just sick yesterday or if he has a concussion from his collision with ryan howard? Some nice hustle so far. Late game is killing me,though. Have to pull onto I-95 early.

BinM said...

@Unkyd: Don't read Krauthammer (I'm highly apolitical), so I'm at a loss for a reference there. No need to elaborate, I just stick to what I understand (baseball, making maps, and living).

Anonymous8 said...

Hairston made a heads up play. Nice Veteran play!

FS said...

WOW looks like all Nats fans have gone to bed.

Andrew said...

BRYCE HARPER WITH A WALKOFF HR IN EXTRAS

RickH said...

ATTA BOY, BRYCE!!!

baseballswami said...

That's our baby boy! Now - since this is not the american league - is he learning to play the field? Our hitters are causing me stress and it's too late for me to be stressed and so I must go to sleep.

Andrew said...

4 for 5 night in the game. Average up to .346. He must have read Natsinsider earlier about Ladson and some of the posters here talking about his Batting Average sliding.

Nats Lifer said...

Nice DP. Dammit, I need to go to bed. The Nat are playing good, clean, compelling ball. I really shouldn't stay up, but I don't want to miss anything!

Eugene in Oregon said...

@FS

Not those of us who live on the west coast...just had to break for dinner with the family...glad to see the score hasn't changed.

JaneB said...

Third hit for Morse! Please do no let this end!

JaneB said...

Okay. Ankiel 0 for 3. Can we have Laynce back now?

Andrew said...

Web Gem Danny Espinosa!!!

Navy Nats Fan said...

What a play by Danny! Espi for ESPY this year!

Anonymous said...

I fully expect his on-line wrath for this, but post this in the hopes that others may learn the tell-tale signs.

Nice prognosis Dr. BinM, But doesn't an MD have better things to do with his time than follow one poster across a dozen or more blogs? You were here when every other word was "Gascanrahan", "fire Acta", etc. and participated full.

I am trying to enjoy watching this game and my "AAAA" (and yes you often accused him of that and of me for liking him now didn't you? Yes, you like to know all and see all like too many MD's) Oh, that was Michael Morse. And, sure I liked JD Martin too.

If there's one thing that's pretty ridiculous its a hypocrite and @BinM that describes you to a "T".

Sunshine_Bobby_Carpenter_Is_Too_Pessimistic_For_Me said...

We're still up, FS. No problem. As JaneB says, we're up all night. GYFNG.

FS said...

I was not seeing much activity earlier. I will try to keep up with you guys as long as I can.

any description of Danny's web gem?

Mark'd said...

That was close there in the 5th. Riggs needs to watch him closely in the 6th.

Sunshine_Bobby_Carpenter_Is_Too_Pessimistic_for_Me said...

@FS: Really nice diving stop going to his right, pops up, strong throw, out by a step. Adam Kennedy wouldn't have gotten within a five-iron of it.

Anonymous8 said...

FS - A smash on the cut of grass and Danny dove for it and got it on the bounce and somehow got up and threw out the runner.

Anonymous8 said...

Sunshine - We were writing at the same time. You described the play much better!

FS said...

thanks guys. still would like to see the play.

I am just following the game on gameday. And it seems like too many line drives are being hit off of Zmann. Is he not pitching well, just lucky or gameday is not describing it right?

Eugene in Oregon said...

Watching the Diamondbacks' broadcast (on MLB.com) and the announcers are being very complimentary toward the Nats. Mark Grace is doing the color commentary and has described Riggleman as his 'favorite' manager, they both giving lots of kudos to Espinosa and Morse, and they're very impressed with Zimmermann. I recognize, of course, that these guys are not exactly hard-nosed journalists, but it's still nice to hear.

Gonat said...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/nationals-journal/post/bryce-harper-hits-a-walk-off-homer-in-hagerstown/2011/06/02/AGpTSdHH_blog.html?wprss=nationals-journal

I see Kilgore posted at 10:52PM. Is he in Hagerstown or in Arizona? If he is in Arizona, I guess he got his information from NatsInsider ;-))

Sunshine_Bobby_Carpenter_Is_Too_Pessimistic_For_Me said...

@FS: Zimm is pitching fine. He's pitching to contact instead of trying to fan everybody. So his pitch count is down. There's been maybe a half-dozen balls hit hard, but he hasn't rattled. He's fine. Hand it over soon to Clip/Burn/Store and we get the W.

Gonat said...

11:13 p.m. -- For those who haven't heard yet, Bryce Harper hit a walk-off homer tonight in the bottom of the 10th to lead Hagerstown past Greenville. That capped a 4-for-5 night for Harper, who did get picked off first base earlier in the game on a fake-to-third, throw-to-first move by the opposing pitcher.

_______________________________

Anon8 posted on the Eckstein piece about Bryce Harper being picked off at 9:27PM and Andrew gave us the Bryce Harper Walkoff news at 10:40 so I wonder if Mark Zuckerman reads the comments given this: For those who haven't heard yet, Bryce Harper hit a walk-off homer tonight in the bottom of the 10th.

Mark'd said...

Glad to see Riggs playing it cautious. Jordan is on a seasons innings count so save him for later if you know what I mean.

FS said...

Thanks Sunshine. I guess I got too excited.

I think they will opt to use Kimball or HRod than Clip or Burn, before calling on Drew. Clippard was used for last couple of games and Burnett has struggled a bit lately.

Andrew said...

Sunshine - Agreed, give the bullpen a clean inning. Clip threw 2 yesterday so I don't think he is available.

JaneB said...

The DBacks are playing well, too. This is a good game . More hope for the home team (OUR home team, i mean). As long as our BP holds, we win.
I was wondering if DBacks fans complain about Nady like we do about our old guys? Bet they don't have a Mark Z though...

Gonat said...

Jane, you meant BP for bullpen I hope because Coffey just gave Roberts a BP pitch. One pitch and on to Burnett.

Eugene in Oregon said...

Grace just mentioned that Wily Mo Pena was tearing up AAA for the Diamondbacks' team in Reno. A quick check of MiLB stats confirms it. He's hitting .352/.433/.716, with 17 HRs and 49 RBIs. Interestingly, he's got 20 BBs against 34 Ks.

dj in Fl. said...

A very enjoyable game indeed.
Another excellent outing by Zimmermann, and a great bunt fake for a single. Glad he got us to the eighth, you never know, we made need the full bullpen tomorrow.
Standing O to Morse for his fielding tonight.

JaneB said...

Glad Sean got the strikeout but more glad Drew is coming!

Anonymous8 said...

Kimball will be the closer tomorrow.

BallstonNat said...

Well...that ended well, and the 2 allowed base runners actually helped to get through the meat of their order.

dj in Fl. said...

I could really get used to these guys adding an insurance run or two on every night.
Nothing but good dreams tonight.

Latin is dead to me said...

BinM,
You nailed the Peric "anonymous" posts. He's not fooling anyone once again!!!

JaneB said...

G'nite JZimm! G'nite Danny! G'nite Mikey! G'nite Eugene and dryw and FS and dj and gonat and kind Anonomi andMark'd and Sunshine Bobby C, and Mark Z and everyone else! Goooooo Nats!

RickH said...

Great game, Nats!!!

RickH said...

G'nite, JaneB!

Grandstander said...

That looked like a baseball club tonight. That's what you call putting it all together. Keep it rolling!

Andrew said...

Riggleman played his bullpen perfectly. Don't worry about offending Coffey, get the job done. Well played Riggleman!

Eugene in Oregon said...

Go Nats!

For what it's worth, the D-backs' announcers are predicting a brawl before the series is over -- basing it on the HBP on Upton, followed by the retaliatory (in their view) HBP on Werth, as well as Espinosa's stare-down of the Heilman. As Grace noted, over a four-game series the opposing players just 'see too much of each other and get tired of each other.'

Anonymous8 said...

For those who thought Riggleman didn't like Morse, Riggleman just did a post-game interview with Bob Carpenter and was all compliments about Morse.

Grandstander said...

Did anyone else see Riggs struggle to compliment Morse during the MASN post-game? What is this guy's problem? I would pay $100 to punch him in the face. Maybe we could make that a new promotion.

Sunshine_Bobby_Carpenter_Is_Too_Pessimistic_For_Me said...

g'nite JaneB and everybody else who stayed up late to watch this. We got another late one tomorrow night and also Monday and Tuesday from San Fran. Keep the herbal tea brewing those late nights, folks. Way to go, Nats.

Caveat emptor is really a pun said...

BinM,
You nailed the Peric "anonymous" posts. He's not fooling anyone once again!!!


Wow, people here really do need to get real lives ...

What @BinM failed to mention is that he also likes to post anonymously on this site. He's the insufferable haughty spell and grammar corrector who likes to complain about people using "worst" and "worst" interchangeable. He's usually the one with the holier-than-thou arrogance that often parlays into the haughty MD.

What he also fails to mention is that on the MASN site my posts are very clearly identified. I just don't like fighting with half-broken authentication mechanisms that don't work. Because that's what I do for a living and its wearying. I use a browser called Aurora and this site doesn't work. Often my Chrome browser gets mangled. And Safari.

Because its what I do, yes I do sit in front of a lot of computers all the time it seems.

So many people here make up names for themselves and change them on whim because that is the one part of this system that actually works quite well.

So many hypocrites. Oh, well just like our congress critters ... I guess it reflects the city and all of that ...

Anonymous8 said...

Eugene, ridiculous. Upton was in a 1-2 count with the game on the line. Burnett threw a bad pitch.

I can see that hitting Werth could have been on purpose.

Anonymous said...

For those who thought Riggleman didn't like Morse, Riggleman just did a post-game interview with Bob Carpenter and was all compliments about Morse.

@Anon8

Talk to Ladson who posted endless tweets about Morse being in the doghouse. Ladson talks mostly to Riggleman. Then there are all the endless double-switches he liked to do with him such as the time he hit 2 homers in 1 game and was out by the fifth.

And as we've seen he can be a very good fielder with confidence and a chance. Now, to get that home run stroke back.

Anonymous8 said...

Grandstander said...
Did anyone else see Riggs struggle to compliment Morse during the MASN post-game? What is this guy's problem? I would pay $100 to punch him in the face. Maybe we could make that a new promotion.

June 3, 2011 12:51 AM
______________________________

That is Riggleman's personality. Why do you read into it.

Ray Knight suggest early on that Morse could be an All-Star. That was mentioned on here by someone (maybe me) a few days ago and got some jeers. Still way to early on that but very nice what Morse is doing.

Anonymous said...

Riggleman played his bullpen perfectly. Don't worry about offending Coffey, get the job done. Well played Riggleman!

Yes. Although I think he should have just hauled out H-Rod. That would strike some fear into any D-backs considering retaliation ... hmmm perhaps that's why Riggleman didn't. H-Rod doesn't always have the best control on those heaters he throws ... although the slider and change seem to be pretty decent where control is concerned.

Latin is dead to me said...

Peric,
You have mentioned Giggleman's "doghouse" on every site on the Natmosphere.

What do you do for a living since you have so much time to post on every single website?

I mind my own business as a good software engineer should. said...

What do you do for a living since you have so much time to post on every single website?

Not BinM said...

Great win. I am glad the 2-1 epiphany game carried into this series ... now if it can just snowball into a long winning streak!

And besides being the first to notice Morse I also still think people underestimate one Trevor Holder.

All MD's have to learn Latin now don't they BinM? said...

And cave canem is also a pun and an adianoeta.

NotBinM Make Us Well Be MD said...

@Grandstander,

I listened to Riggleman ... he isn't a Morse fan in the field but he did say that he is a hitter. That that is who he is. Yes he praised Werth's and Desmond's play (in spite of the "little slump" as Riggleman characterized it) in the field. Remembering how he preferred Guzman last year, basically what Riggleman is doing is complimenting his two clubhouse "leaders" in Werth and Desmond. That's what I read from it.

That's just Riggleman. Riggleman admires Desmond's leadership qualities and apparently finds them quite value. Clearly Werth is a leader because of his contract and past with the Phillies ... but let's wait and see what happens when Zim gets back.

Latin is dead to me said...

Piero/Peric/Periculum/Atliano/etc,
I love all the creative names you have come up with, thought about comedy?

SonnyG10 said...

Great game! Good night...er, good morning everyone.

natsfan1a said...

Yay, a happy game results email!

N. Cognito said...

Latin is dead to me said...
"Piero/Peric/Periculum/Atliano/etc,
I love all the creative names you have come up with, thought about comedy?"

Have you thought about therapy?
Seriously. You have issues.

masnstinks said...

Just got a chance to check all of the results from last night -- I really wish I could have stayed up last night and bantered about with you night-owl posters. I will start my work day with laughter - not only because of the final score but because I am highly amused by all of your reactions to it!

Richard said...

What a night for Morse. Four hits and in the bottom of the 7th two great fielding plays.

Joe Seamhead said...

When Adam comes off the DL, what to do with Morse? Michael has been hitting great, playing a terrific 1b, and his smile is heartwarming.The guy just exudes joy about the fact that he's playing MLB
Great start to this road trip. Keep it up you Nationals!

other clues said...

- may use plain, bold and italic styled text in same post
- may quote various "pundits" out of context and ascribe great wisdom to them
- may criticize "old" players and tout "young" players

Latin is dead to me said said...

Along with that, Piero/Peric/Periculum/Atliano/etc doesn't cover his or her tracks well by coping and pasting verbatim the same things on various websites. Any sites free of the fool, well don't post here obviously. My guess is this engineer doesn't spend so much time on their craft.

Post a Comment