Saturday, July 16, 2011

Game 94: Nats at Braves

Photo by Mark Zuckerman / NATS INSIDER
The Nationals (and The B-52s) play tonight at Turner Field.
ATLANTA -- It's another surprisingly pleasant day here in Atlanta, with mild temperatures and a nice breeze to boot. Not that the Nationals enjoyed the fine weather last night during one of their ugliest losses of the season.

They'll try to get back on track tonight, with John Lannan on the mound for the first time since taking a line drive off his face July 8 against the Rockies. What looked at the time like a potentially devastating injury instead turned out to be incredibly mild. The lefty suffered only a nasal contusion, and if you look at him now, you'd never know anything happened.

In talking to Lannan yesterday, he insisted he won't take the mound tonight worried about the same thing happening again. He does, however, plan to make a slight mechanical tweak, reverting to a form he used to use. On his follow-through, Lannan wants to tuck his head down and to the right a little more. He said he'd fallen into a bad habit of leaving his head up, which may have left him more susceptible to comebackers like the one last week.

Meanwhile, the Braves have painted a giant "10,000" into their outfield, in commemoration of the franchise's 10,000 all-time win last night. It sounds impressive, but they've also lost 9,992 games in their history. In fact, of the 16 original MLB franchise, the Braves' .5002 winning percentage ranks 12th (behind, among others, the Indians, Pirates and Cubs).

And finally, you'll notice in the above photo a big stage taking over the infield. The B-52s will be performing after tonight's game. So I'll be writing my game story with "Love Shack" blaring in the background. Can't wait...

NATIONALS at BRAVES
Where: Turner Field
Gametime: 7:10 p.m.
TV: MASN
Radio: WJFK (106.7 FM), WFED (1500 AM), XM 184
Weather: Partly cloudy, 77 degrees, Wind 11 mph RF to LF
STARTING LINEUPS
NATIONALS (46-47)
LF Roger Bernadina
2B Danny Espinosa
3B Ryan Zimmerman
1B Michael Morse
RF Jayson Werth
CF Rick Ankiel
C Wilson Ramos
SS Ian Desmond
P John Lannan

BRAVES (55-38)
CF Jordan Schafer
3B Martin Prado
C Brian McCann
1B Freddie Freeman
2B Dan Uggla
RF Jason Heyward
SS Alex Gonzalez
LF Wilkin Ramirez
P Tommy Hanson
6:00 p.m. -- Couple of injury updates for you: Chien-Ming Wang will make his next rehab start for Class AAA Syracuse on Tuesday. Looking ahead, figure he makes one more start for the Chiefs on either July 24 or 25 at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. His 30-day rehab stint must end on July 27, so it would stand to reason he's in line to make his Nationals debut sometime during the weekend of July 29-31 against the Mets. ... Ivan Rodriguez hit in the batting cage earlier today and continues to heal quickly from his strained oblique muscle. He's eligible to come off the DL July 22, and it's possible he could do that without going on a rehab assignment, according to manager Davey Johnson. ... Laynce Nix is not in the lineup tonight even though the Braves are starting a right-hander. Johnson is being especially careful with Nix, who has been dealing with a strained Achilles' tendon all season. It should be noted that Nix hasn't been producing at the plate lately like he was earlier in the season: He's batting just .224 with a .270 OBP over his last 19 games. ... Some of you were curious about Ross Detwiler, who limped off the mound during last night's game. Detwiler twisted his right ankle a couple of times landing on the mound hole created by Tim Hudson, but it's nothing serious and the lefty was walking around fine after the game and again today.

7:11 p.m. -- And we're underway with a strike from Tommy Hanson to Roger Bernadina. There was a brief, 60-second cloudburst about 10 minutes ago as the Braves were holding their 10,000th franchise win ceremony. A real pity. I'm sorry, but they've just gone overboard with this whole thing. Not that it's not impressive to win 10,000 games in your history. But they're acting here like this makes them the most successful franchise in baseball history. Really, all it means is they've existed for a very long time, longer than all but one other MLB franchise.

7:26 p.m. -- 1-2-3, nothing across for both teams in the first inning. John Lannan was particularly sharp in striking out Jordan Schafer and then getting a popup and a flyout to end the inning on 13 pitches.

7:41 p.m. -- Wow, where to begin? Let's start with both Michael Morse and Wilson Ramos roping doubles in the top of the second. Let's add Hanson walking both Rick Ankiel (who, amazingly, is now hitting .385 with a .467 OBP since coming off the DL) and Ian Desmond. The highlight, of course, was John Lannan stepping to the plate with the bases loaded, having gone hitless in 32 at-bats this season. And delivering a two-run single up the middle. Yes, that's right. If you're keeping track of such things, Lannan now has as many RBI this season (2) as Matt Stairs, despite having half as many plate appearances. The Nats take a 3-0 lead.

7:52 p.m. -- And Lannan immediately gives two runs back in the bottom of the second. After issuing a one-out walk to Dan Uggla (owner of a .256 OBP), he served up a 2-run homer to Alex Gonzalez. It's 3-2 Nats after two.

8:13 p.m. -- The ball sure seemed to find Desmond there in the bottom of the third, didn't it? First, Schafer lofted a blooper into no-man's land in shallow left-center, with Desmond, Bernadina and Ankiel all missing it. No worries, because Desmond more than made up for that one with a pair of nifty plays. He made an astute move to throw Schafer out at third on a subsequent bouncer to short. Then he went up the middle to snag Freddie Freeman's grounder, flipped the ball out of his glove and into his right hand and then made a solid throw to first to end the inning. Nats still lead 3-2 after three.

8:40 p.m. -- The Nats caught a huge break in the top of the fifth when Danny Espinosa slid hard into second base trying to break up a double play and umpire Doug Eddings ruled Alex Gonzalez's foot came off the bag before he received a high throw from Dan Uggla. Everybody was safe, though replays showed Gonzalez's foot clearly on the base with the ball in hand. Terrible call by Eddings. Not that the Nats took advantage of the gift. Morse popped out to second, and Werth crushed a ball to the warning track in right field, only to watch as Jason Heyward caught it. It hasn't resulted in much positive, but for what it's worth, Werth has hit several balls hard the last two nights. Perhaps a small sign of a breakout forthcoming. Still 3-2 Nats.

8:56 p.m. -- Speaking of hitting the ball hard ... Wilson Ramos is just crushing it tonight. Had the ground-rule double to right-center earlier, and now he belts a two-run homer to left-center to put the Nationals ahead 5-2 in the sixth. Ramos' ninth home run of the season, and he's now got 33 RBI. ... And now Lannan delivers his second base hit of the night up the middle, knocking Hanson out of the game. How about that?

9:15 p.m. -- The Braves started getting to Lannan in the sixth, with a pair of singles and then a line drive shot by Heyward that fortunately was hit right at Werth. Not wanting to take any chances, Davey Johnson decided to pull his starter after 5 2/3 innings. So in came Ryan Mattheus in perhaps the biggest spot of his young career: two on, two out, Alex Gonzalez at the plate representing the tying run. Gonzalez came within about a foot from a two-run double down the left-field line, but Mattheus fired right back and induced a groundball to end the sixth with the Nats still leading 5-2. Nicely done.

9:33 p.m. -- Another clean inning from Mattheus, who retired the side in the seventh. You know who the unsung heroes of the Nats' bullpen have been? How about Mattheus and Todd Coffey. Combined, they've allowed only 7 of 38 inherited runners to score this season. That's getting the job done.

9:51 p.m. -- Wow, a large man wearing a wedding dress just jumped out of the center field bleachers and onto the field here. A cop then tackled him Ray Lewis-style, drawing a roar from the crowd.

9:53 p.m. -- Meanwhile, All-Star Tyler Clippard picks up right where he left off. Retires the side in the eighth. We go to the ninth, the Nats still holding a 5-2 lead.

10:12 p.m. -- That's your ballgame. The Nats win 5-2 and hand the Braves the 9,993rd loss in their storied franchise history. Lannan (6-6) gets the win, not to mention two RBI. Storen gets his 24th save.

116 comments:

NatsLady said...

Nix sitting this one out? Any reason given?

Anonymous said...

In six games at Harrisburg, Harper is 5 for 21, all singles, with 6 strikeouts, .238 average. (But the team is now calling itself Harpersburg--that figures.) I think reality will set in for this guy and will help him mature. He is nowhere near ready for prime time, and talk of a September callup is probably one year premature. We wish him well, but he doesn't walk on water. Not yet, anyway.

Anonymous said...

Nix has an ongoing problem with his achilles. It makes it hard for him to play the field. If he wasn't one of the key hitters in the lineup he would in all probability be on the DL with Pudge. Its why Pudge is on the DL. He's become almost a purely defensive catcher with little to contribute offensively.

Anonymous said...

Could be the reason why the infield is bad ... look at where they put the stage? And they probably had similar event[s] over the AS break.

Dave said...

I'll be at the game tonight with some other Nats supporters. Hopefully we can get things back on track. The guys were simply not ready to play D last night. On the plus side, it was good to see Werth making more solid contact last night.

I will NOT be sticking around for the B-52s concert.

bigfitzva said...

Just thinking, after last night a concert stage in the middle of the infield is just what that Georgia cow pasture needs.

SonnyG10 said...

Yep, Harper needs more seasoning. Harrisburg should be a good test for him.

Sunderland said...

Wow, a stunning lack of love for the B52's. Sad. They are likely Braves fans though, Georgia born and bred for the most part.
I say GYFNG and then JYB52sJ.

Anonymous said...

Prefer the Allman Brothers from Macon. B52's. Yes sad.

sjm308 said...

I saw the B52's a couple of years ago at Wolf Trap. I did not go with high expectations but it was actually lots of fun. Looking forward to us bouncing back tonight and Emmy Lou Harris next Saturday.

NatsLady, its only one game back but Nix was having a tough time of it in the games leading up to the All-Star break. Rest is probably a good thing.

Go Nats!

Drew8 said...

Anon:

Harper will not come up this year, but if you think his first five games in Harrisburg tell the tale, you're living in your own private Idaho.

We've seen again and again -- in Vegas, in the Arizona Fall League and in Hagerstown -- that it takes Harper a few games to find his groove at the plate. Then look out...

LoveDaNats said...

Why am I nervous over Lannan reverting to a previous pitching form? Just as long as he doesn't revert to his previous (ie last year) pitching results.

Drew8 said...

At least we know what caused all of those infield errors last night.

It wasn't a rock.

It was a rock lobster!

natsfan1a said...

I don't have an official position on the B52s (who evidently dropped a punctuation mark somewhere along the way), but my husband says they are the bomb.

As for LannEn, all I can say is

Go go go, Johnny, go

Johnny B. Good(e)

(Oh, and Nats too.)

(hmmm, captcha is "slannan"?)

NatsRock said...

Desi's gonna have his work cut out for him, catching balls hit behind the rock stage.

natsfan1a said...

Oh, and thanks for representing, Dave.

Waddu eye no said...

Anybody seen
A dog dyed dark green?

Anonymous said...

Yeah, tough for DP's. Could lead to an error or five if they don't take it down before the bottom of the 1st inningYeah, tough for DP's. Could lead to an error or five if they don't take it down before the bottom of the 1st inning.

Steady Eddie said...

Drew8 said "it takes Harper a few games to find his groove at the plate. Then look out..."

Exactly right. And IIRC, same thing in spring training this year -- nothing for a week and a half or so, then started to rake.

However, I also agree with those who see that he needs the seasoning for all aspects of his game, especially if the FO (properly) wants him to be able to succeed at each step. I'd say the earliest we'll see him at Nats Park is early June 2012 after the Super 2 deadline, more likely after the trade deadline or a Sept. call up. But of course it fundamentally depends on how he does at each stage, so speculation by anyone is no more than that.

Steady Eddie said...

Hmmmm, capcha was "tases" -- not sure how to take that one....

Mark'd said...

Cole Hamels gave up 7 earned runs in 4 innings.

Grandstander said...

Ha! Mark just got called out by Carp. Dodging fouls up there in the box, Mark? Stay alive!

NatsJack in Florida said...

Brad Peacock is getting shelled in Syracuse. Two doubles, one walk, 2 home runs, and 5 earned with one out.

sunderland said...

The run that scored on a popup that dropped between Utley and Howard was not quite fully earned.
Carly said MarkZ ducked a foul ball? Say it ain't so Mark.

Mark Zuckerman said...

Grandstander said...
Ha! Mark just got called out by Carp. Dodging fouls up there in the box, Mark? Stay alive!


So I hear. Espinosa's foul ball caught me by surprise. To be honest, I wasn't paying attention. Was too busy counting how many different places they've got the number 10,000 written on the field here. I'm up to at least 4: Across the outfield, behind second base, at the back of the pitcher's mound and inside the tomahawk logo behind the plate. Apparently these folks have never heard of the concept of overkill.

Soul Possession, PFB Sofa said...

Hey, Dave--are you wearing a blue polo and red W cap?

Drew8 said...

Tin Roof .... Rusted!

waddu eye no said...

ok lannan!
gyfng

nationals7 said...

Yay!!

baseballswami said...

Lannan's face looks as pretty as ever and the swing wasn't bad either! I think he was the last of the starters to get a hit. Nice time for it, too.

Dave said...

@Sec3, I'm wearing my own bald head with a couple weeks of #1 buzz stubble on it.

I know, you were talking to that other Dave, who's in the ballpark.

This looks more like a game I'd like to watch on TV. Glad I missed last night. I was watching the Reduced Shakespeare Company at the KenCen, doing The Complete World of Sports (abridged). Very funny. You all ought to see it if you can. (I'm buddies with the RSC.)

Dave said...

Oopsie. Two-run shot moves the Braves fans to make that obnoxious tomahawk-chop chant.

nationals7 said...

Dave- saw RSC on Wed/matinee... half house was hard on the players. Funny though.

nationals7 said...

aarrghh

sunderland said...

So does this mean Lannan is a better hitter with RISP? And what was it that Bo Porter told him before that 2 run single?

LoveDaNats said...

Mark, you're the best. I don't know about overkill but if we finish the season at .500, I am personally going to Nats Park to carve .500 into the outfield grass.

Exposremains said...

I don't think there is anything more annoying than the tomahawk chant. Going back to the Expos days I always hated it.

nationals7 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
dj in Fl. said...

Wow 2 calls at 2nd to us. Only 5,983 now needed to even things up.

Jim Webster said...

natsfan1a: "the B52s ... evidently dropped a punctuation mark . . ."
Where do you put a punctuation mark? B52s is proper use for a plural. If it's possessive, B52 must be singular.
(See "Eats Shoots and Leaves," funniest grammar book of modern age.)

waddu eye no said...

webster
it's b-52s
http://theb52s.com/
btw - love that book
and your dictionary, too

Soul Possession, PFB Sofa said...

@Jim: it goes between the B and the 52:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_B-52s

You're welcome.

NatsLady said...

Nice try, Jayson. Keep hitting them long, and we'll be fine.

Soul Possession, PFB Sofa said...

dang. one Internet to dr. no.

Soul Possession, PFB Sofa said...

and Truss is over-rated, IMO. but what do I know?

nationals7 said...

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.

- Albert Einstein - batting .750

nationals7 said...

Rhino!!!!

Andrew said...

WILSON RAMOS!!!! Add-on runs!!!!

Soul Possession, PFB Sofa said...

DIVE! DIVE!

nationals7 said...

Clutch!!!!!

nationals7 said...

LannEN... all.about the bat :-}

CBinDC said...

John Lannon is the PH we have been looking for all year WHO KNEW

Gonat said...

NatsJack in Florida said...
Brad Peacock is getting shelled in Syracuse. Two doubles, one walk, 2 home runs, and 5 earned with one out.

July 16, 2011 7:20 PM
_____________________________

Isn't he still doing better than Stammen last night?

Grandstander said...

Did anyone else hear the Klaxon in their head on that shot?

nationals7 said...

GoNat. Yes.

nationals7 said...

Cmon Sharkadina

CBinDC said...

I am now hearing sirens, horns and bells at other parks on HR's and wins....some sort of trend the Nats were ahead on or just following the Commissioners dictates ??

Gonat said...

7 earned for Peacock to finish his horrible night.

nationals7 said...

.....just tomahawk chop my ears off.

Grandstander said...

Heyward must be kicking himself. That pitch came giftwrapped with a bow. Glad Davey is going to get John here. Still a long way to go in this one with some vintage Cardiac Nats Baseball.

Anonymous said...

Oh my goodness, *knocks on wood* it's not a one-run game!

Gonat said...

Kardiac Kids...Mattheus makes my heart skip some beat.

Well done boxscore by Lannan after the hit to his face in his last start. Very impressive.

Ramos ram'd 'em hard and far tonite.

Steady Eddie said...

Mattheus is a keeper, big time -- not giving any of Ramos' runs back, there!

And LannEn has looked determined to keep his rotation spot in his last 6-8 starts -- the real deal.

nationals7 said...

Mako Morse. Overdue.

NatsLady said...

Boy, that first baseman did the splits on that one to get Morse.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, that looked painful. Great job by Morse on making it close and forcing him to do that.

Anonymous said...

I hate that chant.

nationals7 said...

Let's go Nationals...!!

Anonymous said...

The P-Nats gave away fly-swatters??! Huh? Ok...

NatsLady said...

OK, their turn for goofy plays!

Don Hammack said...

Will The B-52s be using tribute lyrics in the postgame concert?

Ramos if you want to
Ramos around the bases
Ramos if you want to
Without anything but the love we feel

NatsLady said...

My man, Clipp!!! Got my tee, Fear the Goggles!

Anonymous said...

Ummm... what the heck?! Dude in a dress runs onto the field... I feel sorry for the players....

Dave said...

So, an idiot runs out on the field. But Tyler goes 1, 2, 3 anyway.

NatsLady said...

Nice going, Clip. Keep the focus no matter what craziness is going on around you.

NatsLady said...

Braves had no chance. Winner of the All Star Game, y'know.

Anonymous said...

Haha, maybe he was a bit too excited for the Love Shack...

sjm308 said...

Can't handle the TV broadcast, went upstairs to hear Dave & Charlie for the last 6 outs. Guess someone really laid the guy out when he went on the field. How good is Clippard??

Come on Drew - 3 outs!!!

NatsLady said...

Wow, nice play by Des (and Morse).

Got Charlie&Dave with the mute on the TV.

NatsLady said...

THE NATS ARE BACK!!!!!!!!!!!

Nats Outsider said...

Huge win. It comes after yesterday's embarrassment, and it ensures that the Nats won't be swept. Cool!

Dave said...

Somebody tweeted a photo of the wedding-dress guy being tackled. Five security guards took him down.

Nats win! Back to .500! Atlanta's field decorations remain completely accurate.

dj in Fl. said...

Well I can say that I did not see this coming after last night.
Way to go guys.

Dave said...

My wife just commented on what a hoot it would be if the Braves dropped the next seven games. That would bring them to 10,000 losses. Would they paint that on their field, too?

Soul Possession, PFB Sofa said...

sjm, FP said the football fans would have called that an "OOOH!" hit.

Soul Possession, PFB Sofa said...

Dave, your wife has excellent sensibilities, I think.

Gonat said...

Nice Web Gem by Ian Desmond on Jason Heyward. Bullpen was great tonight.

Grandstander said...

Three things that immediately come to mind:

1. Desmond bounced back defensively. As long as he's this sharp defensively, I can live with minimal offensive production.

2. Werth is finding his swing. Not an overly impressive line, but even on his K, he looked like he knew where he was and what he was doing. A marked improvement.

3. Lannan is for real folks. Gritty performance tonight coming off that comebacker. He looked sharp right until the end.

+1 point - Ryan Mattheus is filling that 7th inning role VERY nicely. What a steal! I'll take him over a half season of Biemel in a losing season.

NatsLady said...

Can we slow down on the "Get rid of Desmond" talk for a while? That was a great win. I would say typical, but, a 3-run laugher?!?

Drew8 said...

Well done, boys. Very nice bounce-back win.

Joe Seamhead said...

Ahhhh! Loving life tonight.

Waddu eye no said...

This ain't no dead beat club

Gonat said...

Another observation was it was the best I have seen LannEn vs. lefties. He got 0'fers on Heyward and Freeman while McCann managed 1 hit up the middle.

If Gorzo can do the same vs. the lefties and the Nats can get a few runs on Jurjens, lets see.

A little disappointed that the Nats didn't seal a win a laugher in the last 3 innings when they had add-on runs sitting out there.

Grandstander said...

Gonat, a 3-run win for the Nats is a laugher.

Gonat said...

NatsLady said...
Can we slow down on the "Get rid of Desmond" talk for a while? That was a great win. I would say typical, but, a 3-run laugher?!?

July 16, 2011 10:17 PM
___________________________

Uh, 7 game hitting streak, + a walk tonight and some stellar defensive plays.

Gonat said...

Grandstander said...
Gonat, a 3-run win for the Nats is a laugher.

July 16, 2011 10:33 PM
__________________________

LMAO, yah, sort of true except I saw add-on runs that they should have had. Now Storen was happy to get a Save.

Gnashnail said...

5+ ... then do the Math, Clip, and Store...

natsfan1a said...

Thanks, Jim, as an editorial type, I am quite familiar with that book as well as with a number of style guides. However, I was referring to the fact that the band was originally known as the "B-52's" and later dropped the apostrophe. (Perhaps they did so after receiving copious missives from pinch-lipped editorial types such as myself, although I doubt that was the case. I never sent any such letter to them, but I'm guessing that they wouldn't give a rat's patoot what I think of their grammar skills anyway. ;-))

Jim Webster said...

natsfan1a: "the B52s ... evidently dropped a punctuation mark . . ."
Where do you put a punctuation mark? B52s is proper use for a plural. If it's possessive, B52 must be singular.
(See "Eats Shoots and Leaves," funniest grammar book of modern age.)
July 16, 2011 8:37 PM

sjm308 said...

just looked at the opp. batting ave. for Mattheus, Clip and Storen. pretty impressive, .150, .160 and .195. We also have HRod, Coffey and hopefully the two leftys will also contribute. have stressed how good our bullpen is for several months and it will continue to keep us in the hunt for a winning season. Nice to see us with 17 hits in the first two games of the season against a very good pitching staff. I realize its just one hit each game but for Werth and Desmond that is enough for me. Now, if they could only be hits that drive in runs, I will take the baby steps.

Go Nats!!

sjm308 said...

Of course I meant first two games since the break.

Gnashnail said...

uhhh, sorry, since we are being grammatical, might as well not mispell: ... do the Matth, Clip, and Store...

natsfan1a said...

On a game note, agree with all of Grandstander's points. I'm particularly happy for LannEn after the scare during his last start. Atta boy, Johnny!

On an overkill win commemoration note, don't forget the 10,000 pennant, Mark. Lucky Braves, they get to keep it the same way for another day and won't have to send anyone out to amend the win totals in the various spots. Hope that they'll still be at 10K after tomorrow's game!

natsfan1a said...

I like that slogan either way, Gnashnail!

Dave 2.0 said...

I'm glad I was able to see the game tonight and not yesterday. Desmond made two great plays to close it out, and Ramos absolutely crushed his bomb.

I agree with Mark that the 10,000 win celebration was serious overkill. The stadium was hopping though, and I saw some other Nats fans, including a cute little girl wearing a Todd Coffey jersey who got Todd's attention in the bullpen, and was thrown an autographed ball.

Turner is a nice place to watch a game, especially when the weather is cooler, as it was tonight. The Braves fans do the wave about 4 times a game, which hurts my soul. Also, the food selection at Nationals Park puts this place to shame.

baseballswami said...

Nice to see the team turn the page on last night and have a zero in the "E" column. Also nice to have more than a one run lead going into the ninth. Matt, Clip and Store - cool, calm and collected. Love it! Kudos to desi on the outstanding defensive plays tonight, MM for cleaning things up defensively, LannEn for the gritty pitching and awesome hitting. Werth looking slightly better and no Matt Stairs sightings. Ankiel continues to surprise. Sorry, fellow bloggers - I will be following the game tomorrow but anxiously watching the Women's World Cup soccer coverage.

natsfan1a said...

Thanks for the report and for representing, Dave. I thought I sensed some wave activity during the broadcast. :-) Cute story about the little Coffey fan (demitasse?). Maybe she likes to watch him run out to the mound.

Soul Possession, PFB Sofa said...

"However, I was referring to the fact that the band was originally known as the "B-52's" and later dropped the apostrophe."

Three with one shot!
You can't stop her, you can only hope to contain her.

JaneB said...

On ESPN, it sounded like LannEn got hit again. Did I mishear that? I'm at the beach and ( my family is thrilled that) there is no way to see the game on TV here... I'm so glad they won. Thanks to Mark and you all for a sense of how it all went down!

JaneB said...

I LOVE when other teams have fans who do the pasta wave! Just not in our house. And loved reading about the baby Coffey fan. Good call on the demitasse, 1a.

Mark Zuckerman said...

JaneB: There was a sharp bouncer back up the middle that Lannan kind of ducked away from, but nothing like the one last week. And this one didn't hit him.

SonnyG10 said...

Great game tonight. The magic is not over. I believe Desi and Jayson are starting to find their stroke at the plate.

GYFNG!!!!

Drew8 said...

Meanwhile, Solis and Rosenbaum are giving hitters Pfitz at Potomac.

Tonight Solis got his third win in three starts since his promotion. His ERA is 2.84, pairing nicely with Rosenbaum's 2.64.

I hope FEMA can chopper those two out of the swamp.

Anonymous said...

I told BinM Mattheus would turn out to be the real deal in the bullpen. Although Syracuse misses him ... hopefully Zenicola and Severino can pick up the slack ... but neither has managed to do that these past 2-3 years?

Peacock really got shelled. I hope he isn't a pitcher who still needs Tomlin (the guy who ostensibly helped make him into a AA All Star) still with him. Its the one thing I feared when they promoted him. See John Lannan demotion 2010 season.

Anonymous said...

Can we slow down on the "Get rid of Desmond" talk for a while? That was a great win. I would say typical, but, a 3-run laugher?!?

Looks like Davey put the lid on that tonight. And we know his word carries a lot of weight with the FO from Rizzo on down. Then ... as I recall Davey used to play next to a shortstop named Mark "the blade" Belanger who was all about the glove ... very little bat. ;)

Anonymous said...

In six games at Harrisburg, Harper is 5 for 21, all singles, with 6 strikeouts, .238 average. (But the team is now calling itself Harpersburg--that figures.) I think reality will set in for this guy and will help him mature. He is nowhere near ready for prime time, and talk of a September callup is probably one year premature. We wish him well, but he doesn't walk on water. Not yet, anyway.

Another way to look at the promotion (excluding the poor field conditions situation in Woodbridge) is that there might be a lot less pressure for Harper to perform. Unless there is a sudden promotion (and admittedly it could happen) of the entire heart of the lineup to AAA Syracuse, Harrisburg will continue cruising toward the playoffs, hopefully with some help from lefties Solis and Rosenbaum. Tyler Moore raised his average to .260 and hit his 19th home run. Rhinehart, Gilbert, and Rahl are still there. Guess they might miss Lombardozzi and Peacock ... so hopefully Harper's bat will come around and the promotions aforementioned will occur sooner rather than later.

natsfan1a said...

hehe. :-D

Sec 3, My Sofa said...

Three with one shot!
You can't stop her, you can only hope to contain her.
July 16, 2011 11:19 PM

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