Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Can Nats survive without Storen?



Contrary to popular belief, there have been actual, recorded cases of big-league pitchers traveling to Birmingham, Ala., to have their arms examined by Dr. James Andrews and not ending up on the operating table.

But it doesn't happen very often, and typically a trip to see the noted orthopedist results in some kind of surgical procedure.

So Drew Storen should be fully prepared to go under the knife in the next day or two after Andrews takes a look at his right elbow, which began acting up again following a simulated game at the Nationals' extended spring training complex in Viera, Fla.

"Hopefully it's nothing serious, but it doesn't sound good to me," manager Davey Johnson told reporters at Citi Field prior to Monday night's 4-3 loss to the Mets.

If there is a silver lining to this saga, it doesn't appear Storen is in any danger of needing Tommy John surgery. The enhanced MRI the Nationals took of the young closer's elbow last month revealed no damage whatsoever to his ulnar collateral ligament.

That MRI did, however, reveal the presence of at least one "loose body" in Storen's elbow. In other words: a bone chip. That's what would need to be removed via arthroscopic surgery.

It's a far less invasive procedure than the UCL ligament replacement surgery that now bears Tommy John's name, but neither is it a stroll in the park. Recovery time for surgery to remove bone chips is typically measured in months, not weeks.

Two years ago, Jason Marquis had chips removed from his right elbow. He was back pitching in a big-league game in just under three months.

Go ahead and do the math: The Nationals are looking at spending the entire first half of the season without Storen and hoping to get him back around the All-Star break.

Can the Nats survive that long without the man who last year saved 43 games and firmly established himself as one of baseball's elite young closers? Honestly, yes, they can. They're better equipped to deal with an injury to Storen than probably anyone else of consequence on the roster.

The Nationals already had one of the sport's best bullpens last season, and general manager Mike Rizzo only bolstered it further over the winter, signing veteran right-hander Brad Lidge for $1 million. The former Phillies closer was brought it not only for his mentoring abilities, but also because team officials believed he could still pitch quite effectively in the big leagues.

Lidge's performance this spring and in Thursday's season-opening win over the Cubs only confirmed that belief. He may not boast the 95 mph fastball that made him a two-time All-Star last decade, but he can still dial it up to 91-92 mph and complement that heater with a devastating slider.

Johnson should feel perfectly comfortable handing the ball to Lidge in the ninth inning with his team leading by a run or two. As for Henry Rodriguez ... well, the jury's still out.

As electric as Rodriguez can be -- and he was downright filthy protecting a three-run lead Saturday in Chicago -- he's still an unfinished product. Last night's game against the Mets was a perfect example. He faced four batters in the eighth and ninth innings. He didn't throw a first-pitch strike to any of them.

The bottom of the ninth was an unmitigated disaster. Rodriguez walked Mike Baxter on five pitches. Then he made an unnecessarily rushed throw to first on Ruben Tejada's sac bunt attempt. That put runners on second and third with nobody out and set the stage for Daniel Murphy to lace the game-winning single to right on 1-0 pitch.

Johnson has stated his intention to use both Lidge and Rodriguez in Storen's place, alternating between the two right-handers depending on whose arm is fresher. Truth be told, the manager might be better off making Lidge his primary closer for now and then picking a few lower-pressure situations to give Rodriguez a shot (such as Saturday's three-run lead).

If he picks his spots well, continues to rely on Tyler Clippard to pitch out of tight jams in the seventh and eighth innings, and works Ryan Mattheus, Sean Burnett and Tim Gorzelanny into more pressure situations, Johnson can make do without Storen for three months.

And then, assuming all goes well, the Nationals could have themselves a healthy and fresh Storen ready to join the mix sometime in July, affording Johnson the opportunity to give those other guys more breathers and ensure everyone still has bullets left come September (or perhaps even October).

Would life be a whole lot easier had Storen avoided this injury altogether? Of course.

But it's too late for that. This is the hand the Nationals have been dealt. Fortunately, they came into the season well prepared to overcome such a hurdle.

101 comments:

Anonymous said...

As a Nats fan, any injury makes me sad, but Mark is right, folks - they have the depth to deal with this just fine. Repeat after me: OMMMMMMMMMMMM......

Anonymous said...

Forgot to sign that last note, darn it!

Corky

Erik said...

Congrats Tommy Milone!!! Great way to start your career as an Athletic. Pitchers to go 8 shutout innings so far this year: Halladay, Verlander, Zito and Milone. Definitely an old school crafty LH'er. 0 K's and just 3 hits-not a stat line you will see very often.

Cwj said...

Agreed that the Nats can survive without Storen for a few months.
I also like Mark's suggestion of using Lidge as the primary closer, and Rodriguez for lower leverage 3 run leads.

Erik- Yeah Milone pitched great tonight. Good for him. I hope he has a solid career.
0 Ks over 8 innings is a rarity indeed!

Cwj said...

(Re-posted from game thread)

A few positives to take away from the first 4 games.
1)- The pitching has been very good (2.83 ERA).
The starters have an ERA of 3.57, bullpen is 1.46.

2)- LaRoche is crushing the ball.
3)- The NL east is wide open. Doubtful the Mets could possibly keep this up, the Braves look not so great, the Phils will likely continue to struggle without 2 of their key hitters.

Still so early in the season, but things could be much, much worse for the Nats.

baseballswami said...

I was ok with losing Storen for the first month, but I am very iffy about going half the season. Is there any chance this happened because of over-use in his first full season? Silver lining -- he will be fresh in october if we can hang on.

NatsLady said...

Not sure you can blame overuse or Storen's pitching motion. The list of pitchers who have had bone chips removed is long and varied (Santana, Derek Lowe...).


Lateral Elbow Injuries

At the same time the medial elbow is under tension, the lateral side of the elbow is compressed. The compression between the forearm’s bone (the radius) and the upper arm’s bone (the humerus) helps the forearm stop cocking back and start rotating forward. This large crushing force on tiny bone surfaces sometimes results in small bone chips breaking off. These bone chips float in the elbow joint and may result in pain, loss of elbow motion, and diminished pitching performance.

Posterior Elbow Injuries – "Valgus Extension Overload"

From the arm-cocked position, the arm rapidly rotates forward at the shoulder and straightens out at the elbow. The elbow straightens out so fast that it takes less than a tenth of a second (0.1 sec) to go from the 90-degree bent position to the nearly straight position at ball release. The combination of this rapid elbow extension and the large torque generated to rotate the arm forward can cause a grinding injury in the posterior-medial elbow (the "funny bone" area of the elbow). Small bone chips can break off and float in the elbow joint, which may result in pain, loss of motion, and diminished pitching performance.

Pitcher elbow injuries with pictures

http://www.asmi.org/asmiweb/research/usedarticles/elbow_injuries.htm

Cwj said...

Interesting info, thanks NatsLady.

Anonymous said...

This organization is completely in the dark, or completely in denial, when it comes to the established knowledge about the relationship between pitching mechanics and injury. Commentators have been predicting problems for Storen for some time now. Strasburg, Zimmermann, Storen, and yes, even Gio, have been identified as being at high injury risk. When millions are at stake, having one's head buried in the sand is probably not the best way to go forward.

Get Some Players said...

Strasburg scheduled for tomorrow. I am surprised they don't hold him off a day for the home opener.

Theophilus said...

(Bowing in the direction of NatsLady, who has spared us the litany of [anonymous] complaints that normal baseball injuries are the consequence of medical malpractice by Nats medicos and brass):

The disappointment I experience from Storen's injury is that it denies the Nats the flexibility to deal Rodriguez to some other team willing to swallow the myth of his inevitable potential. He goes through streaks when he is lights out, then crumbles like a shortbread cookie just when you need him to concentrate on getting the job done.

Lidge has more experience, and maybe a better temperament to close, but his lifetime BB/9 nos. are scary bad.

Getting through to a time (All-Star break recovery plus several weeks) when Storen can be relied upon is going to take either a lot of luck or Rodriguez/Lidge performing above their apparent limitations -- which may amount to the same things.

Even the pessimist in me believes in the existence of unicorns.

Theophilus said...

God these anonymous orthopods agitate my digestive system. If throwing a baseball was a natural action consistent with the evolution of homo sapiens' skeletal evolution the cavemen would have beaned all of their prey with rocks and never would have bothered with developing arrows.

NatsLady said...

Theo, I agree on the trade implications. Definitely thought Henry would be traded if he could solidly establish himself. Two setbacks yesterday on that plan (Storen and HotRod's 9th inning meltdown.)

If someone had time, it might be nice to look comparatively at teams' histories of pitcher injuries. But you get pitchers and prospects via trade also. Who's to say when Marquis develped his bone chips? The Nats have a couple of pitchers in extended spring training as we speak (A.J. Cole), monitoring their development and gradually building arm strength.

fast eddie said...

From the glass-is-half-full dept.:
After last night's loss, our Magic Number to clinch the division remains at 159.

Rabbit said...

We should be able to hang on without Storen for a while. The big question is can we hang on WITH Werth in the lineup.

Anonymous said...

H-Rod had a rough night. The ump squeezed him on Baxter and Espi's gotta make that catch at First. It was a bad throw but not that bad -- if the ball hits your glove in the air, then you catch it.

I would not claim Nats medical mismanagement of Storen, but man oh man does Mike Rizzo have to be thinking that he should have moved the guy last year when he had the chance. Closers are not moving at a premium now and ones with bad elbows have even less value.

Anonymous said...

So your name is really Theophilus?

Anonymous said...

Who's in favor of switching Werth and Espy in the order? Espy seems more clutch with men on base and hitting in front of Zim may help Werth, who seems to struggle when being pitched around. Plus Werth walks while Espy rarely does.

baseballswami said...

I have to say there have been some pitches that our pitching staff has NOT gotten in these early games that have changed the complexion of games. I think also the "Desi was safe" in the exhibition game and LaRoche being safe last night were signs of some iffy calls. Hopefully things will begin to even out. So far, nailbiters - each and every game. I would love to know what's going on with Morse as it was said that he would not be back until he played a full nine and he was pulled in the 8th - has he even played the field? I think we are being kept in the dark, friends. Hopefully Rick Cann-kiel can keep up his offense - granted , it has been against minor leaguers , but still. I would love to see the Nats wipe the smirk off the faces of the Mets tonight. Hey - we' re currently in second place :) with some uneven play and inconsistent pitching and hitting.

NatsJack in Florida said...

Did anybody else watch Mariano Rivera meltdown last Friday? It happens to everybody, especially guys who are learning their trade as a late inning releif specialist.

Henry is and will be fine.

natsfan1a said...

I feel for Storen but am also inclined to agree with Corky and Cwj (and Mark) that the team has the depth to deal with the situation. Regardless, it's not like there's a choice in the matter at this point.

I've not read the game thread but did anybody else notice when the new sideline gal said that Drew had thrown in a "simulation" (vs. simulated) game? Then she says something like, the good news is that it doesn't seem to be Tommy John. Bob quickly steps in to note that Tommy John is the procedure for UCL reconstruction. heh.

natsfan1a said...

In other news, looks like the 503 issue is back.

Doc said...

I think that you are very right NatsJack.

MPHRod is vastly improved from last year. On any given night the wrong things will happen--that's baseball.

The Great Unwashed said...

Anon 8:09, we've all seen the Werth hits 2nd movie. It has a disappointing ending.

Don't be fooled by the walks Werth draws. They're a by-product of his inability to hit and notvthe other way around. That gets exploited in the long run.

NatsLady said...

Here is the report on

1) Brian Goodwin's injury -- doesn't look serious
2) Ankiel and Morse's hitting
3) Morse played LF for 8 innings.

Hagerstown Suns report

http://m.masn.mobi/byron_kerr/2012/04/hagerstown-center-fielder-goodwin-leaves-game-with-injury-ankiel-homers.html

natsfan1a said...

Just read comments on the game thread, and saw that FS was asking about Livo to the Braves. Here's an Atlanta news blog item I found at the time.

JaneB said...

I was reading through the comments thinking about Mariano, too, when I saw your comment NatsJack. Henry is getting it. We need to keep him in for the 9th both because it could have been a long game (I was predicting that, at least) AND because he has to learn to pitch in hug pressure situations. Better now than. Later in the season.

I will miss Drew being on the mound. But we've lost JZim and Stras for much longer and we can wait for Drew too. Thankfully, not for as long.

Of course, the best thing would be for the starting rotation to be lights out, and our other guys to score some runs early, so the 9th isn't high pressure. I bet no one else thought of that, right? :-))

JaneB said...

PS....Thanks for the bone spur info. NatsLady! So glad to have it!

natsfan1a said...

Was just looking at Tweeter pages and found this from AK (atta way, Henry):

If you care about this: Credit to Henry Rodriguez. He'd never given an extended group interview in English, but did tonight. Stand-up.

natsfan1a said...

Now, where did I put my quotation marks? I just had them a minute ago. Just to be clear, the "atta way, Henry" is mine. The quote following it is from Kilgore.

Anonymous said...

1a, the "new sideline gal" obviously ain't there for her baseball knowledge or medical degree... I like eye-candy as much as the next guy, but I really do hate the sideline reporter concept - they rarely (if ever) add anything of value and more often than not they just cause me to cringe with the moronic questions they ask; get rid of them all, save Tony Siragusa.

NatsJack in Florida said...

I'm not going to be happy until this "lights out" starting staff begins pushing into the 7th and 8th innings with a lead. I know alot of that falls back on the hitting but they go hand in hand.

And I'm not real happy about Edwin Jacksons lack of rythym on the mound. There's way too much hesitation between pitches with little commitment to pounding the strike zone.

natsfan1a said...

Yeah, I'm not big on sideline reporters, either, no matter what their appearance (I'm looking at you, Rosenthal, and your bow tie ;-)). I'd rather watch the play on the field.

NatsLady said...

Bone chips that I found online:

Johann Santana and J.J. Putz (Mets) 2009
Manny Corpas (Rockies reliever) 2009
Jason Marquis (Nationals) 2010
Jeff Nelson (Mariners) 2002 - he tried to sell his chips on E-Bay, but they have a policy against offering body parts for sale.
Albert Pujols (Cardinals) 2009 - Oh, he's not a pitcher.
Derek Lowe (Braves) 2010 - said he's had it a long time and will pitch through it.

Got tired of looking...

Knoxville Nat said...

NatsLady, you made reference to the Nats having A.J. Cole in extended spring training....but he was traded to Oakland as part of the Gio trade. Are you possibly referring to Sammy Solis or another pitcher?

NatsLady said...

Knoxville, you are right, sorry. Had old info, and a quote that Nats were taking it slow with Cole. I believe Solis had TJ surgery.

Anonymous said...

It AINT the pitching, it was, is, and will continue to be the hitting...Nats still cant hit in clutch situations, and Nats still cant do fundamental things like execute a simple sac bunt. When your leadoff hitter cant execute a sac bunt "Johnny, we have a problem!"

Lipty,

upperdeck4 said...

Re Storen: What does the team expect when they bring a guy in 73 times in one season? Anyone remember Bobby Thigpen>

FS said...

3,691 pitchers (starter or reliever) have managed what Milone did yesterday.

3630 were starters out of all those pitchers.

Anyways, I saw highlights and he seemed a little lucky last night. However, wish him the best and many more. Norris is slugging over .900 and Peacock is doing good as well.

NatsLady said...

Brycie report (From Nationals Prospects):

CF Bryce Harper [was charged with an error} after colliding with Xavier Paul in RF, a ball that was Paul’s. Harper got some measure of redemption by throwing out Scranton backstop trying for two after driving in a run (who got on base by doubling over Harper’s head) in the 9th inning.

Also:
Anthony Rendon has not been officially placed on the DL just yet, as multiple online reports are stating that team officials are waiting for the swelling to subside in order to further evaluate the extent of the ligament damage. Thus far, the only “known” is that the ankle is not fractured.

SCNatsFan said...

This team looks poised to take the jump to the next level... but early on the look like the same old Nats. I'm not jumpimg ship but some of the players need to turn their engines on and not sit around waiting for Morse to save us.

Cwj said...

Interesting fact about Henry, all 4 of his outs so far have been via the strikeout (1.1 IP).
The walks are bad, but there was definitely some bad luck for him in that 9th inning.
He did get a very key (at the time) strikeout in the 8th.
He'll be fine I believe.

Also I think Davey is trying to get a feel for the bullpen. With such a loaded bullpen, it'll take some time to learn when to use whom.
Personally, I was hoping to see Clippard start the bottom of the 9th. In such a high leverage situation, I believe that's when to use your best reliever

Now its about time to for a blowout win against the Mets tonight.
Have a good day everyone!
Go Nats!

Anonymous said...

NatsJack in Florida said...
"Did anybody else watch Mariano Rivera meltdown last Friday? It happens to everybody, especially guys who are learning their trade as a late inning releif specialist.

Henry is and will be fine."

SACRILEGE!
What ever can you be thinking? Don't you know the Nats must never put anybody into a stressful situation to see if they can handle it or to learn to handle it.
In fact, every time a Nats player has a meltdown, the Nats should jettison that player. It'll be okay, because with all the players the Nats should have kept, they'll have 80 players on the 40-man roster.

NatsLady said...

Interesting comment on Davey's bullpen from Charlie and Dave yesterday.

Davey lines up the long man opposite to the starter. So Stammen (RH) matches with Gio (LH) and Gorzy goes with EJax. That way if the opp. teams lineup is stacked (as the Mets was yesterday with lefties), their manager is kind of stuck with those matchups unless he wants to pull players in the middle innings.

Sort of obvious once you think of it, but you have to think of it.

NatsLady said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
NatsLady said...

Anon @9:10 LOL. Lessee, from yesterday, the Nats "should-have-kept" Milone and Justin Maxwell. Gomes, not so much.

Mick said...

As I said over a month ago, this is the typical DC sports luck that I feared would happen. having said that, it is not the end of the world and if H Rod can get his head out of ass, make Clip the closer , H Rod and Lidge your 7th and 8th inning guys. Hell, I would rather see Drew have the Tommmy John surgery now and be done with it. We also have to STOP STRANDING RUNNERS, which has nothing to do with Storen

Mick said...

DeRosa has to go, Morse cant get back fast enough

UnkyD said...

Waddythink.... 7 scoreless from Det, tonight? More to the point.... Can we put 3 up, early, to let him cruise?

Radical concept, I know.....;-)

Anonymous said...

Four games into the season, and it is (possible? likely? extremely likely?) that Milone has won the contest for best pitched ML game of the season between Milone, Peacock, and Gonzalez. Anyone else here foresee Gio going 8 IP, 0R, with only 6 baserunners?

Also, I agree in general about the disdain for sideline reporters, but that wasnt just a bag of starburst last night, that was like taking all the bags of Halloween candy from one square block and melting them down to one tasty gram of acapulco gold.

Mick said...

The umpire at HP and 2nd base last night SUCKED!!!! The 2nd base ump looked about 90 years old and MLB needs to get younger more competent umpires!

Anonymous said...

From the RF & LF, like 1 for 30.

natsfan1a said...

Agree that there were some, um, interesting calls last night but the HP ump was new to the bigs so I'm thinking he's younger.

Mark'd said...

NatsJack in Florida

Did anybody else watch Mariano Rivera meltdown last Friday? It happens to everybody, especially guys who are learning their trade as a late inning releif specialist.

Henry is and will be fine. April 10 2012 08:15 AM

Have you lost your mind comparing Henry to the greatest reliever/closer of all time? Henry isn't close to anything to Mariano.

Is this more about what we saw last year where Henry can't come out for a 2nd inning?

Grandstander said...

That's one hell of a case of strep throat!

NatsLady said...

Grandstander, yeah. I'm eating crow here too. When sjm was taking inventory and Storen was nowhere to be seen, I laughed it off.

Mark'd, I don't think NJ was comparing Henry to Mo. Just, not to panic. Several closers blew saves this weekend.

Sunderland said...

Theophilus at 08:00 with the caveman post. What a great commentary. Enjoyed immensely.

NatsLady said...

Marlins have a big screen TV set up outside the park so people can hear Ozzie's apology, scheduled for 10:30 am.

NatsJack in Florida said...

What do you mean, have I lost my mind? I'm a Nats fan. Of course I've lost my mind.

PAY TO PLAY said...

NatsLady, Henry is sort of new to the role. I am talking about the role of consistency.

Last night's Henry + Pressure = *%&^#* is about right. He is still unproven and to the point that Spring Training doesn't mean all that much.

He got a clean inning and walked the leadoff man. It was deja vu all over again.

The truth around here is that too many (including Rizzo) are in love with guys that throw 95+. There was nothing wrong with Lannan, Milone, and other soft tossers with stuff.

Just sayin'

Mark'd said...

NatsJack, thanks. Temporary insanity is fine. I just hope he isn't a Benitez clone with all that inconsistency.

NatsLady said...

P2P-- not sure if there is disagreement on Henry, IMO. He needs to come through. He had a clean inning in the 9th, and then a couple of bad calls/breaks and didn't maintain composure. On the good side, he did give an interview to the press and "took responsibility" which is also part of being a high-profile closer.

Don't agree on Lannan, never liked him, never will. EJax much superior, you'll see. Enjoyed watching Milone last night (caught the last three innings he pitched) and wish we could have kept him, but Rizzo made the Gio choice and we'll have to see. One game doesn't prove anything for either of them.

Will be glad when CMW comes back, need him in the mix.

Anonymous said...

Mick said...
"The umpire at HP and 2nd base last night SUCKED!!!! The 2nd base ump looked about 90 years old and MLB needs to get younger more competent umpires!"

That evens out over the season. Heck, the Nats already got a home plate ump advantage in one of the Cubs games.

natsfan1a said...

Hope they have tape delay as well, just in case. :-)

NatsLady said...

Marlins have a big screen TV set up outside the park so people can hear Ozzie's apology, scheduled for 10:30 am.
April 10, 2012 9:53 AM

NatsLady said...

Marlins suspended Ozzie 5 games.

NatsLady said...

1A, excellent point on the tape delay for Ozzie. Language, y'know, and it ain't Spanglish that's the problem.

NatsLady said...

For those of you with cable (me, me!) you can watch Ozzie live on ESPN SportsCenter.

NatsLady said...

Hahahahahahaha, Cindy Boren reports this also. So Loria got the manager he deserved.

Among other matters, Guillen no doubt will be asked about a Men’s Journal interview in 2008 in which he said similar things about Castro.

NatsLady said...

Guillen now blaming the Spanish to English translation. Nothing wrong with Ozzie's English that I can hear. Might have to go back and read the Men's Journal article.

Anonymous said...

...if the NATS would stop trying to nickel and dime the corners and throw the ball over the plate we would be 3-1. Our pitchers have good-to-great stuff, NO NEED to be corner pinchers.

Lipty,

NatsLady said...

Nats we didn't keep--Nyjer loses the ball in the lights at Wrigley and Soto goes for a triple.

Nyjer and the ball nowhere near each other at Wrigley

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=20495299&partnerId=aw-7466154374385336167-996

Theophilus said...

NatsLady and I part co. on E. Jackson. He's gonna be the you-know-what in the punch bowl. A Lannan with a live arm who can't command the strike zone. With a walk to the 7-hitter and a first career HR to an 8th hitter who looks suspiciously like a career minor leaguer, Jackson got exactly what he deserved. Did the Lannan thing and wimped out in five innings leaving the night to the bullpen. A few more outings like that and Wang will be replacing him in the rotation, not Detwiler.

Some major league general managers, Rizzo included, are like people who browse consignment shops, thinking somebody else's shiny bauble will turn out to be gold, not dross. After five teams moved Jackson on it should have been obvious he is what he is.

NatsLady said...

I don't think EJax will be great, Theo. Just figuring (last night notwithstanding) that he will eat a bunch of innings and go over .500. He's not an ace, he's Livo's (expensive) replacement.

NatsLady said...

This is what Ozzie said in 2008:

And I asked him this: “Who’s the toughest man you know?’’

His response, which took me by surprise: “Fidel Castro.’’

Why?

“He’s a bull---- dictator and everybody’s against him, and he still survives, has power. Still has a country behind him,’’ Ozzie replied. “Everywhere he goes, they roll out the red carpet. I don’t admire his philosophy; I admire him.’’[italics in the original}

There is distinction there, I suppose, between endorsing the man’s politics and his singular Darwinian perseverance. But it’s slim.

Did anybody notice any of it?

No.

Why? Because Ozzie was in Chicago.

Mick said...

I love Ozzie, but a smart comment to make, especially to Cuban Americans over the age of 45. I know many Cuban Americans from DC who came over after Castro's revolution. What is fascinating is that regardless of how my Cuban American friends from that era stand politically, those who are liberal and moderate despise Castro as much as any hard right Cuban American. In other words, the hatred for Fidel is the one thing that unified Cuban Americans from all political stripes. What is interesting is that Cuban Americans under 45 do not hold the same contempt for Castro as their folks do.

Mick said...

oops, I meant NOT a smart comment to make, sorry

jd said...

- Jackson is better than Lannan because in a key spot he has 'swing and miss' stuff and Lannan does not. I agree that EJax wasn't great last night but I have faith Mc.Catty can get the most out of him and if in the end it doesn't work out it's just a 1 year deal.

- All the analysis aside; the Nats essentially played 4 one run games and odds are if you play 4 one run games you will come out 2 - 2. The better teams are able to blow away the opposition once in a while and the really bad teams get blown away once in a while. so far we are neither which is not really a big surprise.

- The umpiring thus far has been atrocious and I don't mean one sided; just bad. The play at 2nd base last night was ridiculous. The umpire had a good 10 seconds to get in a good position and in the end he was circling the wagons and blew the call and 2 runs for the Nats.

Anonymous said...

im going to end this now,their are medical journals showing mechanics cause injuries,i can post them,but unless you have been educated in the medical field it might be difficult to understand. first of all the inverted w is not a medical term,so you wont hear the word inverted w from doctors. to summarize the medical journals healthy pitchers do these things at footplant,1.thier throwing arm(forearm) is vertical at footplant 2.thier elbow is slightly below shoulder level at footplant(elbow above shoulder is bad) 3.their hand should not be pronated at footplant(ex. ball facing centerfield is bad,ball facing 3rd base for rhp is good,1st base for lhp is good)
4.thier arm should pronate after release-good
Agian thier are medical journals and other things backing this up if you want too see it,dr glenn fleisig(the team doctor for the rays have wrote some of these as well)

whatsanattau said...

Wait, you can be suspended for stupidity?

whatsanattau said...

I'm screwed.

Feel Wood said...

I think this last anonymous poster really is a doctor. Why? Because his comment is just about as decipherable as the contents of your average prescription pad.

FS said...

I just saw the ALR out at 2nd. How can you miss that? Davey should have argued.

Erik said...

Theophilus and Pay to Play-You guys are right on the money!!! Talent doesn't always equal success in baseball. You can throw 100 MPH with a nasty slider and an 81 MPH change piece, but if you walk people, you will lose more often than you win. Until guys like Gio, Jackson and HRod figure this out, they will be hit or miss every time out there. Not that easy to score runs when you have to string 3 or 4 hits together in an inning to get on the board. Nobody in the National League should be able to do that on a consistent basis if we just pound the strike zone and get ahead of the hitters.

Marge Schott said...

whatsanattau said...
Wait, you can be suspended for stupidity?


Why, yes. Yes you can.

natsfan1a said...

Two quick "plus side" thoughts after watching:

He doesn't seem to have thrown down his glove, so just a triple.

The Wrigley organist seems to be right on top of things again (sounded like "Where Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone?"). :-)

NatsLady said...

Nats we didn't keep--Nyjer loses the ball in the lights at Wrigley and Soto goes for a triple.

Nyjer and the ball nowhere near each other at Wrigley

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=20495299&partnerId=aw-7466154374385336167-996
April 10, 2012 11:00 AM

Lost in Translation said...

Anonymous said...
"im going to end this now,their are medical journals showing mechanics cause injuries,i can post them,but unless you have been educated in the medical field it might be difficult to understand. first of all the inverted w is not a medical term,so you wont hear the word inverted w from doctors. to summarize the medical journals healthy pitchers do these things at footplant,1.thier throwing arm(forearm) is vertical at footplant 2.thier elbow is slightly below shoulder level at footplant(elbow above shoulder is bad) 3.their hand should not be pronated at footplant(ex. ball facing centerfield is bad,ball facing 3rd base for rhp is good,1st base for lhp is good)
4.thier arm should pronate after release-good
Agian thier are medical journals and other things backing this up if you want too see it,dr glenn fleisig(the team doctor for the rays have wrote some of these as well)"

Just because you can't spell or write doesn't mean you should end it now. Believe it or not, your life does have meaning.

Sunshine_Bobby_Carpenter_Is_Too_Pessimistic_For_Me said...

Wow, this strep throat has really snowballed into something serious.

No matter what the Nats PR/Medical/Baghdad Bob announcement says about Storen coming out of Dr. Andrews' office, this is what I believe:

2013.

UnkyD said...

Anonymous said...
im going to end this now,
------------
HA! Good luck with that.....(best laugh of the morning...)

Cwj said...

Well, lets see here. Gio outdid Milone's performance 3 times last year. And by quite a bit:

5/17- 7 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO
6/28- 8 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 9 SO
9/28- 8 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 11 SO

So yeah, I think he'll do it again this year.
I'm all for rooting for former prospects, but as a Nats fan I want nothing but success for the current team.

Anonymous said...
"Four games into the season, and it is (possible? likely? extremely likely?) that Milone has won the contest for best pitched ML game of the season between Milone, Peacock, and Gonzalez. Anyone else here foresee Gio going 8 IP, 0R, with only 6 baserunners?"

Cwj said...

As I said earlier, I like Milone and hope he has a successful career.
But Milone has a very long way to go before he reaches Gio's accomplishments the past couple of years.

Gio pitched 7+ innings 13 times last season. He gave up 1 or 0 runs in 15 of his 33 starts.
I could go on... :-)

UnkyD said...

cwj.... Thanks....

Anonymous said...

Thanks, CWJ. That was exactly the kind of research I was looking for. So we'll go with "possible" from my original parenthetical, and looking back I should have added a 4th choice - unlikely.

Anonymous said...

Mark you can't suggest and expect a guy (Lidge) coming off of shoulder surgery to carry this team as its closer? Sometimes I wonder about you Mark? Would you suggest the Nats do this with Cole Kimball immediately after he comes back? He also had the talent to be a closer? C'mon Mark!!!

They are going to have to look at Ryan Mattheus as another option. He has the talent and the stuff (95-97 mph stuff) to do the job with some help from Lidge. It's probably better to use HRod alternating with Clipp in the set up role. That's the right approach at this point.

Meanwhile, keep a close eye on MPHassan Pena in AAA Syracuse. He may be ready and might make a solid replacement in case of another injury.

sjm308 said...

Along with MarkD I still believe there is something to letting HRod just pitch one inning. I am not on the field or in the dugout but there has to be something to warming up, coming in, doing what you need to do to stop or hold down a rally and then coming in, all jacked up and sitting. I realize Mariano R. was able to do this and I am sure there are other 2 inning closers but obviously, Henry is not there yet.

Glad to hear Milone was good in his first start but like others, I am now more focused on what the Washington Nationals do. If all you are trying to do is "prove" a trade or signing has gone sour, I think there are more productive ways to lead a life because guess what? there is no time machine to take things back.!!

Only 158 games left in this marathon. I love this game!!

SFNats said...

I love Tommy Milone, but not even his mother thinks he's a better pitcher than Gio.

NatsJack in Florida said...

But his Mother isn't Peric.

sjm308 said...

Is there anyone who loves to prove he is right more than boldanon peric?

UnkyD said...

Has he proved himself right, yet?

Anonymous said...

I'm glad to see somebody else advocate for Clip to close. Even if it's just as the 'B' closer for now.

NatsJack in Florida said...

Like he really thinks Mark makes this stuff up. How many of us expressed any concern after seeing Lidge in ST?

The man consistently hit 92 with command setting up that killer slider.

SonnyG10 said...

Thanks NatsLady @ 7:23 am. I was wondering how pitchers could get bone chips in the elbow of their throwing arm. Very interesting.

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