Saturday, April 7, 2012

Instant analysis: Nats 7, Cubs 4

US Presswire photo
Gio Gonzalez struggled, but his teammates (and the Cubs bullpen) bailed him out.
Game in a nutshell: Stymied once again by a Cubs starter (Matt Garza this time) the Nationals waited until the Chicago bullpen entered to inflict their damage. Kerry Wood and Carlos Marmol gave up five runs in a wild eighth inning as the Nats stormed back to improve to 2-0.

Hitting highlight: Trailing by two runs with two outs in the top of the eighth, eight consecutive Nationals batters reached safely. Danny Espinosa ignited the rally with an opposite-field homer, and Chad Tracy delivered once again with a two-run single that put the Nats ahead for good.

Pitching lowlight: Making his highly anticipated Nationals debut, Gio Gonzalez labored from the moment he took the mound and couldn't make it out of the fourth inning. The left-hander allowed four runs on seven hits and three walks and also uncorked a wild pitch.

Key stat: In 13 2/3 innings against Cubs starting pitchers, the Nationals have scored two runs. In 4 1/3 innings against Cubs relievers, they've scored seven runs.

Up next: Jordan Zimmermann faces Jeff Samardzija in tomorrow's series finale. First pitch at Wrigley Field is at 2:20 p.m. EDT.

63 comments:

Bzl. said...

That's got to be world-record time for posting a game recap! Mark obviously hit the Send button as the umpires arm went up. 162-0, here we come!

Kirbs said...

MpHrod!!!!!! And a oppo for Danny.

Mick said...

we may be "NASTY"

Jim Kurtzke said...

JZim for the sweep'

Drew said...

Well done, boys!

Rizzo and Davey have some tough calls when Ankiel and Morse come back. Tracy is off to a great start. Lombo and Bernie had big hits tonight. (It's almost 11 p.m. in France.) Davey also seems to like Carroll and Nady.

Other than Lombo, the minor league options are scarce, but sending Lombo down would leave a hole in the thin infield.

I think they'll send out one outfielder and a pitcher. Don't be surprised if Gorzy is one of the odd men out. GYFNG!!!

Rabbit said...

Tough decision about who to send down when Ankiel and Morse return. The perfect solution is WERTH. But he will continue to ride along on the backs of everyone else. Great game today. We are looking better and better.

Anonymous said...

I think they'll send out one outfielder and a pitcher. Don't be surprised if Gorzy is one of the odd men out.

That's brilliant. And who else is left-handed in the bullpen besides Burnett? And how reliable was he last year? Not too swift Nats fans not sure why everyone is on Gorzo when last year he pitched better than Lannan yet everyone thinks Lannan got shafted ... shakes head ruefully ... how can you follow a sport and be so ignorant?

Cwj said...

One thing we don't have to worry about tomorrow is that J.Zimmermann has pinpoint control.
Much like against Strasburg, hitters have to scratch and slap their way to a couple runs in 6-7 innings.
I always feel confident when those 2 are on the mound.

But Gio wasn't quite as bad as Mark and the Box Score would have us believe.
He'll be fine, and was probably just nervous making his Nats debut.

Go Nats!!!!

Anonymous said...

that picture above"of gio gonzales" is an example of the inverted w,pitchers with good mechanics like glavine,halladay,lee,ryan,clemens ect. have their throwing arm up and vertical,with their throwing hand by thier ear

Anonymous said...

But Gio wasn't quite as bad as Mark and the Box Score would have us believe.

Its the three walks, not the hits ... constantly getting behind the hitters. It wasn't good. Clearly, Davey wanted this bullpen (and he got it) so that he could pull a fast hook on starters ... with Stammen and Gorzelanny its not a problem. After them it gets even harder.

Cwj said...

Drew and Anon 4:58- Obviously the Nats need 7 relievers.
So no pitcher will go down until Storen comes back.
Gorzelanny is an effective reliever, as is Stammen and, well, pretty much everyone in the bullpen.
It'll be a very tough cut when Storen returns.

UNTERP said...

Tomorrow, I expect the Nats to play from ahead...

Cwj said...

Anon 5:02- There isn't much evidence to support the theory that all pitchers with "bad" mechanics get injured, or that all pitchers with "good" mechanics don't get injured.

The research is still only just beginning.

Funkyalligator said...

Gio's start certainly wasn't as bad as the stats suggest. He couldnt get the at the knees strike call even though he put it in the same place time after time that led to him having to go a lot longer in some of the counts.

NatsJack in Florida said...

One more game without JayB's angst about the bench and CF. Is there anyway we can win 160 more?

JaneB said...

I'm with funky. If Gio had gotten those calls, the walks would have been outs.

But MAN what a tough call when Morse and Ankiel come back! I think Bernie deserves to stay up, and Tracy is the new Laynce Nix.

NatsJack in Florida said...

Easy call. Bye bye Lombardozzi. Hello Espinosa at short from time to time and DaRosa, here's 2b.

Mick said...

My guess is when all is healthy, we have a lineup of Ankiel in CF, Morse goes to LF, DeRosa and Bernidina on bench platooning

Theophilus said...

Agree w/ N-Jack

Mick said...

If LaRouche hits, he starts, if goes into slump, Morse at 1b and then Roger or DeRosa in outfield. Of course, once big boy comes up, all bets are off

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
that picture above"of gio gonzales" is an example of the inverted w

Why do people call it an inverted W. Why not just call it an M?

The Fox said...

NatsJack in Florida said...

Bye bye Lombardozzi.

I think your right, If Bernie is playing well they will delay Ankiel as long as they can, they might even see if they sneak him through wavers although I doubt he makes it.

So Lombo first Bernie second. Morse going to NY is a little worrisome. If the Nats say hes fine I'll really worry.

LoveDaNats said...

These boys will be very fun to watch this year. Davey says they feel like they can win every game and they are starting to make me believe it. Pretty frickin bueno.

Joe Seamhead said...

Ok, two down. ALR sure looked great today. Espy had a great at bat, hope it's just the start of a streak. I still think Werth will come around. Gio will be fine, he really got squeezed today.Bernie, Desi, and Zimm are all making solid contact.What can you say about the pen? Or Tracy? Davey's management is a treat to watch. The only thing that I'm really worried about is what happens to who when Morse and Ankiel, and then Storen and Wang are ready to come back. That's a series of executive decisions that I wouldn't want to have to make. Right now all I know is we are 2-0, in first place and our bench has been very productive. Like many of you, even realizing that it's only two games, I'm just gushing over our start!

sjm308 said...

NatsJack has this right - Just like Lannan, its all about the options. As long as Tracy/Carroll/Bernadina are producing you keep them up. You could possibly try to get Tracy or Carrol through waivers and it might work but there is no reason with Lombo having options and its still a win/win since he will get valuable at bats in AAA.

Hindsight is lovely but the vitrol spewed early about LaRoche/Werth/Rizzo etc is amazing when we are not ahead early. Is it that you people really don't know baseball or do you just want to hate? It is 162 games people. We are not going to win them all. If you are a fan, relax, nothing you spew here is going to make a difference (except it makes you look really stupid when we turn it around and win). Rizzo is a baseball man as is Davey and they know what they need. Werth will stay a starter, LaRoche is here for the year, Desmond will continue to leadoff, and Davey will go to the bullpen when he needs them because he built it the way he wanted. Lidge and HRod will alternate and Storen really better get well soon if he wants his spot.

Mick, LaRoche does so much more then hit. Morse is not 50% of what LaRoche is in the field. I love Morse but LaRoche is our firstbaseman, get used to it.

SayNoToClint said...

Gee, MASN HD is back in time for the Orioles game to start at 7

NatsBrat said...

@ Anon. 5:02

You're correct about the pitching motion. Too much stress on shoulder and elboe. Some teams won't draft/sign pitchers with the inverted W/M motion.

Not sure that anyone connected to the Nats, from the FO down to pitching coaches in their minor leage system really cares.

Joe Seamhead said...

Great post,sjm 308. One of my favorites out of the 800 some odd ones in past few days.

NatsBrat said...

ALR is probably better than The Beast at picking up the thrown ball at the bag. Having played there his whole career, his experience counts big time.

I do think that Morse might be slightly better than ALR at fielding off the bag.

Anyway, we're fortunate to have both when they are producing up to their expectations.

NatsJack in Florida said...

It's obvious that NatsBat had never pitched or caught maybe ever but certainly not since Little League.

GoTeddy said...

Anonymous said...

Why do people call it an inverted W. Why not just call it an M?
------
well .. my 3 year old calls the McDonalds sign an upside down curly W -- must be more exposure to the Nats than to fast food!

MicheleS said...

PFB!!!!! 2-0

Tough decisions ahead. Glad Davey and Rizzo are doing it and not us.

SonnyG10 said...

Two and oh to start the season. That is just fantastic. Too bad MASN went down during the best part. I did enjoy Charlie and Dave on the radio though. I wonder if MASN can air the complete game later, or is just totally lost.

Joe Seamhead said...

Ankiel hit another dinger today.

Wally said...

NJ - did you see Derosa at 2B in ST? If he can handle it, it makes sense to send down Lombo. If not, probably have to keep him.

To me, Ankiel and Bernie offer the same thing. And with the recent talk about Werth to CF against LH, I think Carroll may go when Morse is back.

Theophilus said...

If LaRoche has a few more days like this $8MM for 2013 will look pretty good.

Anonymous said...

It'll be a very tough cut when Storen returns.

Nope, it'll be Stammen because he still has options. But as Natsjack pointed out (and now having more than enough rope) the FO will string out Storen's recovery in Florida. Seems like the cold weather could bring about an injury but its been a mild year so ...

My guess is Bernadina over Chad Tracy. Tracy hits a clutch single and the Shark takes a bigger bite with a clutch double. They may be able to get Tracy through waivers ... that won't happen with Bernadina ... or Gorzelanny for that matter. Far too many teams need a guy who could be the #3 on many teams in Gorzelanny.

People need to stop with the ridiculous and embarrassingly stupid attitude toward Gorzlanny and start acting like the Cubs fans who appear to be far more baseball savvy. Haven't heard one bad word about Gorzo from them because they understood what Jim Tracy did in abusing the guy (took him 2+ years to recover) and that he was still trying to come back to the pitcher he once was ...

Bueno Bryce said...

Dang ALR and our bench really do suck.

The Fox said...

GoTeddy said
well .. my 3 year old calls the McDonalds sign an upside down curly W

There's a child that's being raised correctly;-)

Anonymous said...

Easy call. Bye bye Lombardozzi. Hello Espinosa at short from time to time and DaRosa, here's 2b.

Have to say this makes the most sense ... Lombardozzi and Carroll for Ankiel and Morse. Syracuse has a real dearth of middle infielders ...
Seth Bynum at short today. Hoffpauir at second. Terrible ... makes Maya's day against the Yankee's farm affiliate even more amazing 6 innings 4 strikeouts NO WALKS, and just 4 hits on 84 pitches.

Anonymous said...

Make that 76 pitches for Maya ... very efficient.

natsfan1a said...

grrrr

SayNoToClint said...

Gee, MASN HD is back in time for the Orioles game to start at 7
April 07, 2012 5:49 PM

NCNatsie said...

If the Cubs had our bullpen they'd be 2 - 0. What a 2-day performance by the Nats relievers!

5 different pitchers used
7 1/3 innings
0 runs
2 hits
0 inherited runners scored
0.0 era
9 k's
2 bb's

natsfan1a said...

For future reference, some of us switched over to the low-def MASN channel and were able to watch the rest of the game that way.

SonnyG10 said...

Two and oh to start the season. That is just fantastic. Too bad MASN went down during the best part. I did enjoy Charlie and Dave on the radio though. I wonder if MASN can air the complete game later, or is just totally lost.
April 07, 2012 6:20 PM

Anonymous said...

Too bad MASN went down during the best part.

I watched the entire game on MASN HD on Cox Cable in Fairfax. If MASN went down for you, blame your cable system, not MASN.

natsfan1a said...

You know, we're building a fan base here and we have all levels of baseball knowledge represented. Some have played the game, some may have watched it for years, some may be new to watching it. One thing we all have in common (I think), is that we care about and root for this team's success. Otherwise, why would we be reading and commenting here? Might it be possible to accept and allow for the various levels of knowledge of and appreciation for the game without resorting to questioning the intelligence or fandom of other commenters when we disagree with what they post? I know it's the interwebz and all but a gal can dream, right? Right? (cue The Impossible Dream ;-))

Theophilus said...

NCNatsie -- Not to mention Johnson has four fully-rested guys in the 'pen for tomorrow.

Wendell said...

MASN is scheduled to rebroadcast the game at 11:30 tonight

Anonymous said...

Send Werth to Hagerstown and never bring him back.

natsfan1a said...

Spoiler alert: there's a delay of game in the 7th. ;-)

Wendell said...

MASN is scheduled to rebroadcast the game at 11:30 tonight
April 07, 2012 6:58 PM

Anonymous said...

Got full HD reception from MASN using mlb.com and the Internet. Talk to your cable provider.

Anonymous said...

Might it be possible to accept and allow for the various levels of knowledge of and appreciation for the game without resorting to questioning the intelligence or fandom of other commenters when we disagree with what they post?

Then there's the point that some here have made and that Sue Dinem/Luke Erickson is very poignant about when he constantly broaches it: Players and their families read these comments. I have no clue why but they do.

From my perspective it seems better have an educated opinion about a player like Tom Gorzelanny, know his history and why the Nats like him instead of using him as a scape goat without any real justification.

There are some cases when fan criticism is appropriate. BUT NOT in the cases of Ryan Mattheus and Tom Gorzleanny who are two parts of what may be the best bullpen in baseball right now.

Anonymous said...

Two homers today for Prince ... he was very excited about becoming a Nat ... its really a shame that couldn't happen ... hopefully the silver lining is Adam LaRoche trying to prove that he isn't irrelevant that he can wield a dangerous left-handed bat.

Slidell said...

Don't envy making the decision as to who to send down. Hope Davey and Mike are on the same page this time. Apparently they weren't with Lannan.

whatsanattau said...

- I had no interruption on DirecTV. Sounds like a Verizon problem not a MASN problem. But who knows.

- I think Nady goes down for Morse. I realize that puts him at risk, but there are four current roster spots to swap out in April if we're lucky. Morse, Ankiel, Storen, and Wang.

Morse - Nady
Ankiel - Bernadina
Storen - Matheus
Wang - Stammen

Assuming no other injuries. Options aside, I don't think they can go without a backup middle infielder and if Lombo leaves, DeRosa has to stay on the bench. Not plausible.

Carrol could go instead of one of the above, but he also appears to be needed as a CF backup.

So what do you do with Bernadina? I think they'll try to trade him, but he might have to accept assignment or release. A shame. But he is replaceable and probably would not survive the Harper call up anyway.

Waddu eye no said...

Masn ok on directv. But still set the tivo to pause and listened to charlie& dave

whatsanattau said...

Oh, and if memory serves, Bernadina has never been that good as a pinch hitter and while he is probably a better defender than Morse, you would not put him in defensively for Ankiel or Werth.

DHamm said...

I have Loudoun Comcast and had no interruption of MASN.

Cwj said...

Anon 7:15- Who was using Gorzelanny as a scape goat? He hasn't even pitched yet :-)
You quoted me, but all I said was that when Storen comes back it'll be a tough decision on who to cut from the bullpen.
I also said Gorzelanny and Stammen were effective relievers.
I must have missed a post about Gorzelanny.

Cwj said...

DHamm- I have Comcast as well (WV) and didn't experience any problems with MASN.
Looks like it was a problem specific to other cable providers perhaps.

lls45 said...

Anon at 6:24 -- Who was the unsung here of the day? Craig Stammen. Who stopped the Cubs' rally and kept them in check for two more innings so we could have a chance to come back? Craig Stammen. So I wouldn't be so quick to say that Stammen will be sent down when Storen returns. Mattheus had a great day too, and yet he also has options remaining.

And great job by ALR! Maybe he won't be a slow starter this year, after all.

lls45 said...

...oops, meant unsung hero

Anonymous said...

Gah! Mick stop putting a U in LaRoche's name it's driving me crazy. It's written correctly EVERYWHERE.

Everyone else, you're = you are.

back to your regularly scheduled program...

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