Saturday, July 21, 2012

Instant analysis: Nats 5, Braves 2

Associated Press photo
Bryce Harper and the Nationals were able to celebrate a much-needed win.
Game in a nutshell: Mired in a three-game losing streak and in danger of seeing their lead over the Braves shrink to 1/2-game, the Nationals faced something of a must-win situation tonight. And they delivered with a gutsy performance, overcoming an early 2-0 deficit to push across solo runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings. John Lannan, called up from Syracuse for the day, battled back from an ugly first inning to shut Atlanta out over his next six and put himself in line to earn the win. His teammates did the rest, with Roger Bernadina producing the big RBI hit: a two-out single to right in the bottom of the seventh to score Sandy Leon and break a 2-2 tie. Bryce Harper, battling a sore ankle, then came off the bench in the eighth to ignite another rally and score a key insurance run. Tyler Clippard then bounced back from his shaky week to record the save and give the Nats a much-needed victory at the end of a long day of baseball.

Hitting highlight: When Harper went down with a left ankle injury early in Game 1, the onus fell on Roger Bernadina to pick up the slack. And did he ever. Bernadina wound up going 5-for-7 in the doubleheader, producing the biggest hit of the entire day: His two-out, RBI single to right that scored the go-ahead run in the bottom of the seventh. Bernadina has always been a streaky hitter, and he's on a legitimate hot streak right now. Whether he can sustain it, who knows? But the Nationals might as well enjoy it while they can.

Pitching highlight: The way his evening began, Lannan looked to be in a heap of trouble. He gave up two runs in the top of the first and let five of the first six batters he faced reach safely. But then the lefty settled into a groove, and he kept getting better and better with each passing inning. By night's end, Lannan had retired 13 of the last 14 batters he faced, only three of those outs coming on flyballs to the outfield. In what was probably the biggest start of his career, Lannan came up big. And the Nats couldn't be happier about it.

Key stat: After a shaky start to his night, Lannan threw 47 of his last 63 pitches for strikes.

Up next: The series concludes at 1:35 p.m. Sunday, with Ross Detwiler facing off against Jair Jurrjens.

89 comments:

Holden Baroque said...

John Lannan, ladies and gentlemen.

Anything else is just churlish.

Nats Fan in Brazil said...

Where are all the crazy people from last night? wanting to fire rizzo,davey! saying harper and stras are busts! This is a great team, and is not a bad loss that will take then out of the competition!

Drew said...

Very nice bounce-back win for the Nats, Lannan and Clippard.

I'm glad I was wrong about Lannan's outing tonight.

Rizzo was right when he said Lannan would contribute to the Nats or another major league team this year.

ehay2k said...

Woooo hoooo!
TM MicheleS

After losing a two run lead today, I bet the Barves implode, right Mick?

Holden Baroque said...

It did feel like they got their mojo back, there.

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

I should be gloating or saying I told you so but I won't. Very happy for Lannan and Bernadina.

Dryw Loves the Nats said...

Key Stat: The Nats will conclude this series in first place. Period.

Oh, and WOOOOO HOOOOOO :-)

UnkyD said...

The Barves HATE LannEn...

Smatt1001 said...

Section 3, My PFB Hitterish Sofa said...

John Lannan, ladies and gentlemen.

Exactly!

Joe Seamhead said...

I also think Davey Johnson had a pretty nice comeback himself tonight. His moves all worked out perfectly. I am so happy for Lannan, Bernadina, and DeRosa.

sjm308 said...

I will not wait until Monday! This was just a great win!!!

I will not read game posts win or lose but I can only imagine the last few days. I just hope Peric was able to handle LannEn doing a decent job. It wasn't great but it was definitely solid and after the first inning it was Major League. I think Rizzo looks pretty good for keeping him in AAA and while we must have had trolls firing Rizzo, Davey, and most of our boys, I think we can still compete.

My question is, what happens with LannEn now? I honestly don't have a clue. You can't keep him up, there really is no room for a #6 starter. I am guessing he goes back to Syracuse and I think we have another double header in the next week or so and we can do the same thing. Do you trade him? I will await all answers, even Peric who does know the game.

I almost want to go back and read some of the hate from our two tough losses but will instead wait to read comments to this post. Did Mick jump off a bridge? Did MichelleS answer every negatron with something positive? Hope everyone has had fun as this race will continue for the next few months.

Go Nats!!

Gonat said...

peric said...
If you are out there JayB you want to know why Davey tried to stick with guys and not change out Friday night? Here's your answer ... watch John Lannan ...

July 21, 2012 7:28 PM
______________________________

Comments like this are just from the same type of people that don't know the game. Ready to pounce after the 1st inning which started with an ambush drag bunt and 1 bad pitch and 1 good hit on a good pitch.

Peric was trying to stir it up thinking he could say "I told you so"

Gonat said...

NatsJack in Florida said...
And the famous MASN rally killing text shows up in time to induce the Morse k and the LaRoche DP.

July 21, 2012 8:17 PM
____________________________

My phone wasn't working until now in the stadium. Luckily I didn't get any of their dumb a$$ Angelos texts with his advertising scrolled on the bottom.

rogieshan said...

The Keep-Lannan-On-The-Roster campaign is sure to be up and running again. I suppose it's a nice dilemma for Rizzo and the team to be in. If he were flexible and could be used out of the bullpen, maybe there's a place for another southpaw. Henry Rodriguez has clearly become a liability and is wasting a spot on the staff.

Gonat said...

sjm308 said...
I will not wait until Monday! This was just a great win!!!

I will not read game posts win or lose but I can only imagine the last few days. I just hope Peric was able to handle LannEn doing a decent job.
__________________________

Read above, he couldn't wait to have premature e-gloatation. I was thinking of Peric the whole game computing his WHIP, his xFIP, and B9.

It must of killed him to see Lannan out-pitch his teammates in Gio and Stras this week.

peric said...

Peric was trying to stir it up thinking he could say "I told you so"

Did you see who happy and relieved Davey was. Believe me Gonat he was thinking what I was typing. And its why he was being stingy with his pitchers on Friday. As it is let's hope Det can go deep into the game on Sunday.

This was Lannan's best start in July. His others were nothing short of miserable. And two HB's, 2 walks + five hits early is asking for trouble. Fortunately, he was able to get his pitches down, get some ground outs plus a couple of pretty darned good plays behind and in front of him.

Seven innings against the Braves in around 100 pitches allowing 2 runs is an excellent quality start. Let's see how he does when he returns to Syracuse.

peric said...

The Keep-Lannan-On-The-Roster campaign is sure to be up and running again.

He's not a reliever. But if he pitches like this in Syracuse until August then its likely he could be the swap for Stras.

So, is this one game by Lannan enough to convince you he could replace the ace of the rotation when he gets shutdown? Because that is what you are asking for. I'm not ready for that.

Gonat said...

rogieshan said...
The Keep-Lannan-On-The-Roster campaign is sure to be up and running again. I suppose it's a nice dilemma for Rizzo and the team to be in. If he were flexible and could be used out of the bullpen, maybe there's a place for another southpaw. Henry Rodriguez has clearly become a liability and is wasting a spot on the staff.

July 21, 2012 10:19 PM
_______________________________

Even guys like Ghost probably won't even sign on to that. We will see John for the next doubleheader or in 40 days when rosters expand.

Detwiler is doing his job. EJax just needs to be consistent. Gio has to get back to what we saw last week, not this week. Stras just can't be pushed. JZim was handled better last year in my opinion. Stras is hitting that 5 inning wall.

My only fear is John pitching too much in Syracuse. I hope they keep his innings down.

pk24 said...

Let's see how he does when he returns to Syracuse.
_______________

Who cares how he does in Syracuse. What will be important is how he does after Stras is shut down in September.

fresh2death1997 said...

how about a 6th man rotation?

hmm... said...

sjm -
usual stuff. sofa was right 1000 times, ehay kept us giggling. and people are starting to acknowledge the elephant in the room to call out mick for being obnoxious, insulting of team, ownership, owners and fans, uninformed, wrong, and just a general pain. to which he of course replied that he's going to go drink.
pretty much business as usual, unfortunately.

Gonat said...

Peric, you make it up as you go along. Davey looked more nervous with EJax earlier today. It was vintage Lannan walking or HBPing the Braves. The end result was 2 runs in 7 innings. I will take that every start of the year.

peric said...

Who cares how he does in Syracuse. What will be important is how he does after Stras is shut down in September.

BECAUSE even now they are looking for a swap-in replacement starter for when Stras is shutdown. If they acquire that starter then Lannan stays in Syracuse.

natsfan1a said...

Atta way, John-Boy! So happy for John, as well as for the team, of course. Wasn't Stammen his roomie back in the day? Couldn't quite make out who was on the other side of the Gatorade bucket, but one of them was Stammen.

peric said...

I will take that every start of the year.

It really didn't happen very often especially when the Phillies were involved. Usually you would get one of these and the four or more miserable or mediocre non-quality starts in between. So soon they forget.

Gonat said...

fresh2death1997 said...
how about a 6th man rotation?

July 21, 2012 10:25 PM
_____________________________

Davey has said no before. I have thought its a bad idea -but- I'm starting to think with the Stras situation and the fact you are almost to September, you will get better outings out of Detwiler and Gio and Stras that way. I wonder if Rizzo/Davey reconsider. I would say they won't but the Lannan start may get them to rethink.

sjm308 said...

Gonat - I am sure it was brutal for you guys but I am really trying to keep my excitement about this group and needed to stay away. It's my weakness that I let others negativity bother me and I admit to that. It is just much more fun for me to root for our guys, watch the game and then post after. I have loved this game and teams from Washington for a long long time and that will never change. I might not add much but I do have thoughts.

1. No trade for a pitcher unless you get him for next to nothing.

2. No trade for a bat. Werth will be a decent addition.

3. Maybe a trade for a catcher but again, I do not want to give up prospects that project to help us.

Glad to see Rendon is starting back up and can't wait to see him progess through the system.

Go Nats!!

sjm308 said...

hmmm: excellent recap - maybe as good as Mark's instant analysis. thanks and Go Nats!!

peric said...

I wonder if Rizzo/Davey reconsider.

Davey feels this sort of arrangement would cause an injury to Stras or to one of the other pitchers who are following this routine/regimen/protocol.

Plus in the playoffs (given there are playoffs) that would be higher pressure pitching and the kind of innings that would likely be equivalent to 3 innings in the regular season. Again, looking at Zimmermann's performance this year it sure seems like it works. And remember, they have other key assets with this injury ... they are still determining the right protocols to use and right now they are going to err on the side of caution which makes sense.

JaneB said...

I hope this ends all discussion of we need to buy a pitcher.

So glad for John and Clip, too. And the whole team. And my imaginary friends. Nice night.see you at the stadium tomorrow! Meanwhile, sleep Nats! Sleep hard and come win tomorrow.

peric said...

I hope this ends all discussion of we need to buy a pitcher.

Lannan and the entire Syracuse rotation need to pitch better then. Because injuries are possible between now and the end of August. They all have to assume they are making major league starts because you never know what might happen.

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

Peric at 10:28, are you writing propaganda and lies thinking nobody will check your garbage?

Lannan had 5 games in 2011 where he had earned runs of 4-6.

Lannan had 28 starts giving up 3 or less. Against the Phillies on June 1st he shut them out.

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

Clippards problem was he changed his pitch selection and approach after the Valdespan HR and let everyone know he would throw more fastballs. Today he was back to vintage Klip.

Gonat said...

sjm, I stopped commenting on it too a while ago as I was getting sucked in. If I comment, its based on non-gameday comments. I had no cell coverage tonight at the gamee so after the game dived in to see what I expected "Peric Gloating".

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

I am nervous about Rizzo trading because I personally don't believe he is good at it. The trade I hope he makes is to ship HenRod to an AL team.

Gonat said...

Astros traded Brett Myers to the White Sox. Looks like a few more trades may happen before the weekend is over.

baseballswami said...

John Lannan-- stopper! When I watched he and Bernie tonight I just felt warm and fuzzy for them. So sweet. I am entirely comfortable with Lannan stepping in after Strassie is done. The way he has looked lately he may not make it til September.

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

Baseballswami, Stras is being pushed too much which is why he has looked bad in his latter innings.

Lannan got tired arm himself in August. I really hope he isn't pushed hard until has last start in August.

Drew said...

Meanwhile, down on the farm, today's headline is Nate Karns' six hitless innings in Potomac. But the realignment of the centerfielders looks like it will be an intriguing developing story.

At Syracuse tonight Eury Perez went 2 for 5. He's off to a good start. I imagine we'll see Corey Brown in Washington Sept. 1, if not before.

Brian Goodwin had a double at Harrisburg and knocked in two.

At Potomac, cf Miichael Taylor has played like a man possessed since he was passed over for Goodwin. Tonight Taylor went 5 for 5 with another double and another home run.

In Hagerstown, fleet Billy Burns now owns the cf job. Tonight he went 3 for 5, improved his batting average to .310 and pushed his on base percentage over .430.

And in very encouraging news, Anthony Rendon has 3 RBIs in his first 8 at bats in the Gulf Coast League. (Stay healthy, young man!)

sjm308 said...

So, in my opinion, there is no way we send Clippard out again tomorrow. If there is a save situation will we see Mattheus? I am going to suggest that M. Gonzalez has experience as a closer and maybe Davey can mix and match depending on who is at bat. Stammen and Gorzo should be ok tommorow as well but lets hope Detwiler makes all of this moot.

Go Nats!!

sjm308 said...

Drew - all of that sounds to me like we won't be looking at Bourne as a FA next year. I think Harper can handle CF for at least one more year and by then one of those young men you highlighted tonight just might be ready. I think all of them have great speed and I know that Goodwin excited lots of people before the draft. Thanks for the info

Unknown said...

Of all the goodness generated by the 2012 season, what has happened to John Lannan this year is still very difficult to deal with.

He was our best pitcher during our worst times and when he finally has the opportunity to be a winner, he gets demoted and sent to Triple-A Syracuse.

John Kruk said this evening on Baseball Tonight that the favorite in the NL East will be whoever gets the better pitcher in a trade, be in the Nats or the Braves. He doesn't think Lannan is the answer and he doesn't think Ben Sheets is the answer for Atlanta.

I think we should get a top-notch pitcher even if it means depleting the minor-league system. Right now, the team has their long-term solutions in place for every position (assumes LaRoche as a re-sign or Moore at first, Morse, Harper and Werth in the OF)and three of their five starters are locked in long-term.

They don't need those kids. Trade them and get either a short-term solution like Dempster or a long-term answer in Greinke assuming he's willing to sign a multi-year deal before the trade is finished.

Assuming Greinke would cost what Gio did, I'd trade Lombardozzi, Meyer or Rendon, Marrero (or someone like him) and a mid-range prospect if he'd sign for 4+ years.

With a starting rotation of Strasburg, Gio, Zimmermann, Detwiler and Greinke this offense would still get this team to 90-95 wins for the next half-decade.

I have a feeling--though I'm not certain--that the Nationals' ownership and front office management has "go fever;" I don't think money or a few lost prospects are going to stop them.

Today, unlike 2-3 years ago, the front-line free agents will look to DC as one of the top destinations in baseball. Prospects--at least right now--are less important than wins.

And yes, that Friday night loss tore my heart out. That loss to the Cubs a couple of years ago when we were up 8-0 still does to this day.

Farid @ Idaho

baseballswami said...

Harper and lombo both looking more and more comfy in the outfield. Morse has to stay there for his bat if ALR stays. Werth returning. Crowded outfield with Corey brown in Syracuse.

Gonat said...

Drew, thanks for that great update! The only reason Eury was in AA was because Corey was in AAA. Corey will absolutely be in Washington in September. With Ankiel and Nady finally gone, there's still no room as they have to bring up Chad Tracy and Werth. They will have to make a move with a reliever then you have to wonder if DeRosa can survive or will it be TyMo getting optioned?

By my estimation, Rizzo will either have to move a 15 day DL player to the 60 Day or DFA a player to get Werth back.

Does that mean HenRod gets traded or DFA'd or does DeRosa get DFA'd?

happy 2 pylon said...

"as I was getting sucked in."
easy to do, since it really sucks.
pa dum pum

but in all seriousness, i look at this in two ways.
one - it's possible that for someone as abrasive as mick, who drinks as much as he says he does (and they always drink more than they admit), this may be the most human contact he gets. sad, but...

two - no matter what, even if we are a group of anonymous "imaginary friends," we deserve better and owe each other more respect. honest, informed disagreements are one thing. butwe aren't here to entertain someone's childish hostilities, and shouldn't do anything to condone it.

can't hit a bottom if people keep propping you up.

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

Gonat, could be Wang gets DFA'd. Also, Dempster finally melted down. Cubs price just went down.

Faraz Shaikh said...

Farid, true about that Cubs loss. Slugfests aren't our specialty. We tend to lose those more often than win. On the other hand, low scoring close games are a different matter.

ehay2k said...

In Davey's post-game, he called Lannan's outing "a masterpiece." When a guy with less-than-spectacular stuff, the weakest on the rotation by far, comes out and shows everyone else how they are supposed to pitch, that is a very good thing. He smoked the Barves for the last 5 innings. In his final inning, he was a strikeout king. Dominant any way you look at it. Tomorrow Detwiler can go out and try to duplicate that, with much better stuff.

There were quite a few poster here saying Lannan's AAA stats didn't mean much because with a good defense behind him, and a good field under him, he can induce grounders which become outs in MLB but not in MiLB. I think tonight proved that. It also showed that keeping the defense involved keeps them sharp.

As for when Straw gets shut down, I do not agre that bringing Lannan in is replacing and Ace with him. He is not replacing Strasburg, Zimnn, or maybe Gio, will have that role. Everyone on the staff will move up. Lannan will face the number 5 on the other staff, the number 4 at worst. And I'm OK with that. I think a lot of other people, like Davey, are as well.

Gonat said...

Jordan Zimmermann is now 5th in the Majors in ERA and 6th in the NL in WHIP.

Steady Eddie said...

happy @11:13-- thanks for good comments. Agree completely about not entertaining "childish hostilities" (some are adolescent but no less annoying), but the problem with "shouldn't do anything to condone it" is that as Mark can't block them and they babble endlessly, the right answer -- ignore them -- largely means the sjm route of ignore game threads they dominate, at least for home games (where many NlI regulars are at the game with its lousy wifi reception).

Frankly if you want to track Mark's in-game nuggets they're mostly on Twitter.

Faraz Shaikh said...

Very happy for Lannen. I really hope he is the one who replaces Strasburg. Wish him the best.

So glad to see usual innings from Burnett and Clippard. Bernie has proved me wrong again and again. I still don't like some of his defensive plays but he has really come through lately. Very glad.

Haven't forgotten Friday's loss just yet. Not until RD wins tomorrow's game. Last time up against Braves he was pretty good for six innings.

NatsLady said...

This is one of the strangest box scores I've ever seen. BTW, just checking, is the season over, is it still 2005 redux, Davey should be fired, Clip can't close, etc.?

Cards vs. Cubs

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2012_07_21_chnmlb_slnmlb_1&mode=box

NatsLady said...

The A's just hung another loss on the Yanks. So I guess that's the end of the Yankees' season, right?

Gonat said...

See, now I think there is too much Kool-Aid for Lannan here. I have always been a supporter that he is a #4 with #3 potential. That's what he will be and at some point he will probably frustrate us also.

There's an old saying, don't get too high or too low.

Steady Eddie said...

ehay2k-- agree with all @11:21 -- Lannan's motivation, the significance of his AAA record, and most of all how disingenuous was peric's nonsense that the September replacement of Strascomes in as the ace. All they need is 4-5 starts max in September and maybe a couple at most if that even if they reach the NLCS. With Desi's improvement in defense and kLaRoche to give the whole infield the confidence and competence they've shown, a ground ball pitcher like Lannan can do fine for those starts.

Gonat said...

Wow, did you all see RA Dickey came out of the bullpen and promptly gave up a HR.

Faraz Shaikh said...

Gonat, what ehay2k said. No one is expecting him to produce at JZ's level but he wants to pitch for a winner after sticking with the team in their dark days and I, among others, want to see that and hope for the best. what's wrong with that.

NatsLady said...

Yes, I saw that with RA Dickey. Probably volunteered, the Mets bullpen is in B-A-D shape.

Steady Eddie said...

Gonat, I don't see any koolaid for Lannan-- just some contentment and pleasure for him that in a really crucial moment for both the team and a decent guy, he came through and showed his stuff as a pitcher and a person. His after game comment that "I've never pitched for a first place team before" sort of encapsulated the whole thing.

Well, that and seeing peric have to withdraw his priggish little strut about how Lannan is nothing but a worthless stiff.

Anonymous said...

So happy for Lannan that I almost got a little misty-eyed when they announced him as the player of the game. Great clutch performance from him under an enormous amount of pressure. Lannan has always been a fighter, and I will take a guy like that on my team any day of the week. I gotta believe his presence in that clubhouse was a huge lift...especially after tonight. I know he is well-liked.

ehay2k said...

With the trade deadline on the horizon, I still think Rizzo has a move to make. We are loaded at 1b, and there are few FA 1b available (any?) so that seems like the position we could move with least impact.

We really need help in the OF, I believe moreso than pitcher, so maybe something is in the works along those lines?

At any rate,we are still in first place. Feels good. Also feels normal.':-)

A DC Wonk said...

... And I see Santana went on 15-day DL.

Steady Eddie said...

NatsLady -- that's why HRod will never be DFAd, because you can't control where he goes (in contrast to a trade to an AL team). Rizzo doesn't want another Hanrahan where you face him half a dozen or more times a yer. Just our luck if he ends up with the Mets and becomes PFB again.

peric said...

Well, that and seeing peric have to withdraw his priggish little strut about how Lannan is nothing but a worthless stiff.

The key is consistency. Not only hasn't he pitched for a first place team yet but Lannan has yet to show consistency ... that starts in Syracuse in spite of what you all say. If he doesn't pony up now when he gets back they'll look for someone else.

The Real Feel Wood. Accept no substitutes. said...

Couldn't quite make out who was on the other side of the Gatorade bucket, but one of them was Stammen.

They should have given him a shaving cream pie in the face for old times sake.

Steady Eddie said...

Wonk -- that's good for us as we were scheduled to face him next week.

The Real Feel Wood. Accept no substitutes. said...

John Kruk said this evening on Baseball Tonight that the favorite in the NL East will be whoever gets the better pitcher in a trade, be in the Nats or the Braves. He doesn't think Lannan is the answer and he doesn't think Ben Sheets is the answer for Atlanta.

How many plates of ribs did he put away while he was saying that?

peric said...

Lannan's motivation, the significance of his AAA record, and most of all how disingenuous was peric's nonsense that the September replacement of Strascomes in as the ace.

We'll see. And last I looked EJax was better in the first game of the doubleheader. Consistency is why the teams Lannan was on were not even close to first place and he contributed according to most all stats.

If he pitches this way in Syracuse through July and August that's a horse of the right color.

peric said...

The only reason Eury was in AA was because Corey was in AAA. Corey will absolutely be in Washington in September.

Sorry Gonat, but the only reason Eury is in AAA is because a better player and prospect had to have surgery: Erik Komatsu. That is why Eury Perez got promoted.

The Real Feel Wood. Accept no substitutes. said...

By my estimation, Rizzo will either have to move a 15 day DL player to the 60 Day or DFA a player to get Werth back.

The X. Nady DFA opened up a spot on the 40-man roster that Werth can slide into.

rogieshan said...

Just noticed along the transaction wire that the Cardinals have released pitcher Brian Broderick, the former Nats and owner of a 7.00+ era in AAA this season.

peric said...

The X. Nady DFA opened up a spot on the 40-man roster that Werth can slide into.

As did Ankiel's. Lannan was already on the 40-man. There are now 2 slots and I expect more might open up.

NatsLady said...

Eddie, did I say Henry would get DFA'd? I don't remember saying it. Maybe I did but I don't remember saying it because I'm a big Henry supporter. I remember agreeing with the poster who said there is probably tension in the BP with guys worrying about their jobs, but I don't remember speculating on who would other than that Mattheus and Stammen are the only ones with options.

However, I need to say this. You can't nix a trade with the fear that a guy will suddenly be good and you'll have to face him. You have to trade based on what you can get for the guy, not who you are trading him to. This business of not trading "in the division" is silly.

The only reason to avoid trading in the division would be a mid-season trade where you fear that you are trading a lot of inside knowledge to a team you are in direct competition with. Somehow, I don't think that applies to Henry...

rogieshan said...

Steady Eddies said, "...that's why HRod will never be DFAd, because you can't control where he goes (in contrast to a trade to an AL team)."

I believe a team has 10 days to decide a) a trade b) outright release, or c) put on waivers.

So, technically, a team can control where a DFA player goes, but it becomes limited if an ideal trading partner isn't found within the time limit.

baseballswami said...

Lannan is a veteran and a competitor. He also has a new appreciation for the majors. He is a ground ball pitcher and tonight he had a major league defense behind him, not a minor league defense. He knows how to pitch and get people out. I said this earlier and I will repeat it. I hope Strasburg and Gio were watching carefully. They have twice the talent that Lannan has but they could stand to use it more like us does. EJax and Lannan both pitched calmly and ate up innings today. Only one got a win. Both did a good job for the team. Did any of you see the news about Hanley Ramirez? Apparently when he punched the fan last Sunday ( mechanical, not human) and got stitches, now he has an infection. What a guy.

Steady Eddie said...

For all the handwringing about how we were about to fall off the cliff with our three straight losses, our record in July stands at 10-7' readily on pace to match our good June record of 15-11. And if June was AL East month, July is equally crucial and challenging NL East month.

And for all the angst about how "the Marlins still have our number" with a 4-5 record against them so far, remember that 7 of those 9 games have come in that cavernous abomination of a Miami ballpark, whose only redeeming feature is that it's air conditioning ensures Stras doesn't have to pitch in his weak zone of 90 degrees+.

Steady Eddie said...

rogie, that's the point. If you DFA someone it takes away your leverage to make a genuinely mutual deal.

peric said...

Henry is not going to get DFA'ed. Not unless he gives up on himself. And he hasn't yet. Its not like Garret Mock and look how long they stuck with Mock? He's not going anywhere. Get used to it people. And you too Phil Wood.

Natslady never said she thought Henry should be DFA'ed. A lot of us wonder if he hasn't taken such a karmic hit to his confidence that he might not be any good unless he changes uniforms. I still firmly believe (as Rizzo did at the time) that was the case with Hanrahan. My gawd the Negative snipers who like to call everyone else negative called him Gascanrahan! Fans really hated the guy. Probably was the best thing for him in the end.

The Real Feel Wood. Accept no substitutes. said...

peric said...

The X. Nady DFA opened up a spot on the 40-man roster that Werth can slide into.

As did Ankiel's. Lannan was already on the 40-man. There are now 2 slots and I expect more might open up.


The Ankiel DFA was to clear a spot for Storen coming off the 60 day DL, doofus. Perhaps if you shut your trap every now and then you might hear about these things when they happen.

peric said...

The A's just hung another loss on the Yanks. So I guess that's the end of the Yankees' season, right?

The A's actually have a shot at the wildcard. They're still in it.

Steady Eddie said...

NatsLady, I didn't write that you said he'd be DFAd. My "that" was about your comment on how lousy the Mets' bullpen has been.

peric said...

The Ankiel DFA was to clear a spot for Storen coming off the 60 day DL, doofus. Perhaps if you shut your trap every now and then you might hear about these things when they happen.

And they say I like to call people names? Okay stop feeling yourself Feel Wood take the stick from up where the sun don't shine dude.

rogieshan said...

Peric, I think with Hanrahan where he ended up really contributed to his turnaround. He basically had two years in to learn behind Capp and, subsequently, Dotel, on a bottom-feeder team. The Nats are contending now and in the foreseeable future, so they can't afford that same luxury of sheltering HRodriquez. We all recognize his potential, but he has to contribute in order to stay.

NatsLady said...

Trying to untangle your syntax, Eddie. You mean Henry won't be DFA'd because there is a chance he would be picked up by the Mets and improve their bullpen?

Well, maybe. But I think if, if, Henry is DFA'd (or traded) it will be based more on our own roster considerations and needs than worrying about if he by some miracle becomes PFB and solves all the Mets' bullpen problems. Let me take the extreme case--Henry's fairy godmother waves her wand and says if you trade him he becomes Kimbrall for the rest of the season. Wouldn't you still trade him to the Mets for Wright? Of course you would.

Now you wittled down from the extreme case, and work back to what you can reasonably get for Henry if you decide to trade him, and whether you can persuade another team the fairy godmother exists.

Anonymous said...

peric, you are insane. They only stuck with Mock so long because they had zero other choices, and they were losing 100 games, so they had the luxury of giving him time to develop. The fact is this team has better options than Henry and this team is in a pennant race and can't afford to waste a roster spot on a project.

Also to suggest that Komatsu is a better prospect than Perez is a joke. Komatsu is a career AAAA player, if that, and is 25+. Perez is 21, can absolutely fly, and profiles as a leadoff hitting center fielder with great speed, if he can improve his approach. That combination is extremely valuable (see Michael Bourn and how important to the Braves offense he is).

Steady Eddie said...

Nats Lady, once I wrote what "that" was referring to, my syntax was hardly complicated. I was simply using your comment as a point of departure for a dose of reality to those (not you) who think we should just dump HRod.

And of course the Nats' roster considerations -- and more important, their views on Henry's potential -- are the first reason they're not ready to give up on him. He clearly has the talent and his problems are largely inside his head, which can be dealt with until and unless they get to the point where he needs a new uniform at almost any cost. All I was saying, which again is not that complicated either in wording or concept, is that even if they get to that point with him, they'd trade him for whatever before they rolled the dice on where he might end up.

NatsNut said...

I've just finished a round of 4 games in three days, one baking in stifling heat, three in the chilly, misty rain. And I'm still beaming, even with 3-1 record. I'm exhausted too. I have no idea how players can do this day-in and day-out.

Man, I LOVE John Lannan and I'm so happy he did so well today. Full seven innings in under 100 pitches was impressive and probably just what Davey ordered. I had forgotten how nice it is to get so many groundouts.

mick said...

sjm is correct that if any trade is made it should only involve Hrod. At this point, even a diamond if the rough type prospect, any thing, cash would be worth trading Hrod. It would also stake the stress off Davey of having to send a player down. I can not believe some in here have mentioned trading Lombo as part of a deal, no way! Lombo is going to be a player like BJ Surhoff, very valuable

Unknown said...

John Lannan has proved his worth at the MLB level (4 seasons with @4 ERA), and led a less than stellar Nats team in Ws in 2011. Asking if he can be relied upon is a clown question bro. Longball is nothing but consistent. Being sent to AAA after 4 years in the bigs would induce a slump in anyone.

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