Friday, June 21, 2013

Instant analysis: Nats 2, Rockies 1

Associated Press
Stephen Strasburg allowed one run and struck out nine over seven innings.
Game in a nutshell: For five innings, this looked like so many other games we've seen this season. Stephen Strasburg pitched great but made one small mistake that proved costly. The Nationals lineup, meanwhile, was completely shut down by little-known right-hander Tyler Chatwood. Another frustrating night at the ballpark? Well, no. For that, you can thank Ryan Zimmerman (who doubled with two outs in the sixth to drive in the game-tying run) and Ian Desmond (who once again homered to put the Nats ahead late). Drew Storen then came up huge in the eighth, striking out Carlos Gonzalez and Michael Cuddyer in succession to strand the tying run in scoring position. Rafael Soriano closed it out in the ninth — with help from Adam LaRoche, who made a spectacular play at first base to end it — and that secured the Nationals' first three-game winning streak since May 8-10. They're also back over the .500 mark at 37-36.

Hitting highlight: Zimmerman's game-tying double was nice, sure. But how can we not spotlight Desmond, who for the third straight night ignited this offense with a home run. This one was particularly impressive for a couple of reasons: 1) Desmond actually took two balls from Manuel Corpas to begin the at-bat, showing rare patience, and 2) He drove the ball to right-center instead of pulling it to left like he usually does. Those are a couple of great signs of a batter who is locked-in right now.

Pitching highlight: If you want to nitpick, Strasburg did make one mistake in the game. He grazed Josh Rutledge with a pitch to lead off the top of the third, a just-barely hit-by-pitch that set the stage for the Rockies to score their only run off him on D.J. LeMahieu's single to left. Otherwise, Strasburg was fantastic. He didn't walk a batter. He struck out nine. He displayed both a sharp curveball and changeup. And he was fairly efficient (by his standards) with only 95 pitches through seven innings. How come he didn't come back out for the eighth? Assistant trainer Steve Gober did come out to talk to him for a couple of seconds in the seventh inning, so perhaps there's something wrong with him. For the Nationals' sake, hopefully Davey Johnson just decided it was the right time to turn to his bullpen.

Key stat: Anthony Rendon now has 27 hits in 22 games with the Nationals, two more than Danny Espinosa had in 44 games before his demotion to Class AAA.

Up next: Game 3 of this four-game series features Dan Haren, still trying to get himself on track with the Nationals, facing Rockies right-hander Jhoulys Chacin in a rematch of their June 11 encounter at Coors Field, won by Chacin. Note tomorrow's rare 12:05 p.m. first pitch.

91 comments:

Joe Seamhead said...

Nice play for an old, haa been, ALR!

Joe Seamhead said...

*has been*

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

3 in a row and that is the start of a Winning streak!

David Proctor said...

Could Haren be due for a good game tomorrow?

From twitter:

Danny ‏@recordsANDradio 9s
JZimm, Gio & Stras are hitting their stride, Rendon is batting .333, Desi is on a tear, Harper is back soon & the #Nats have won 3 straight.

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

2-1 isn't a 10 run win but we will take it. Untuck! #EatFace

Unknown said...

Joe, so right, sure am glad ALR was there in the 9th...very few 1B make that play.

Unknown said...

#GYFNG

Unknown said...

#GYFNG

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

Brewers up 2-0 and Os lost in a walk-off. Section135 disappeared and the trolls went away.

natsfan1a said...

Last out, shirts out. Yup, I untucked.

(And who stole my Mr. Kool-Aid for the race? Maaan...)

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

Another GW HR for Desi!

MrsB loves the Nats said...

3 game winning streak..... Will Haren help us get to 4...

*sigh*.

Joe Seamhead said...

BTW, you all need to relax.Why? Because we got this.You'll see.

David Proctor said...

Even if Haren loses tomorrow, we have Detwiler going Sunday. I'll gladly take 3/4. If we win tomorrow, that's even better.

MrsB loves the Nats said...

A win is a win.... We got this.... On our way to 16-10 for the month of June...

Things are heading into the right direction for us...

Kiterp said...

3

Kevin Rusch said...

And I think strasburg was pulled because Davey wanted a shot at some offense in the bottom of the 7th. That plus 95 pitches is usually enough to call it a night.

MrsB loves the Nats said...

Uhm.... I'm being greedy.. I want to get my broom out...

Does anyone remember the last time we swept a team and who it was?

Was it the Tigers?

Unknown said...

what about bob...baby steps...must watch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3JPa2mvSQ4

MrsB loves the Nats said...

That's right.... That was 2 games.... That doesn't count...

Was it the Fish?

Another_Sam said...

Two words: 1. Ian 2. Desmond

Another_Sam said...

Go Brewers.

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

Phoolies drop to 4 games under .500 losing to the Mets 4-3. Game ends on a Ryan Howard strikeout.

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

Doubleplay by Peralta!

David Proctor said...

Phillies lost.

Ghost Of Steve M. said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
MrsB loves the Nats said...

Whelp - I'm going to the game tomorrow... I got to 1 game every home series... Seems like I always go on nights Haren pitches....

David Proctor said...

Dan Kolko ‏@masnKolko 39s
Strasburg says he's fine despite trainer checking on him. McCatty saw him stretch his side & got worried. Strasburg: "I'm not a kid anymore"


Someone is unhappy...

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

NatsJack, I love virtual drinks! I did a split screen on the MLB Ticket on DirecTV.

That was awesome watching the Phoolies fans booing!

David Proctor said...

Amanda Comak ‏@acomak 19s
Strasburg fine. McCatty worried "like mother hen he is," Davey said, when stretched. Strasburg: "I should be allowed to stretch out there."

Strasburg has a point.

Eric said...

"BTW, you all need to relax.Why? Because we got this.You'll see."

I smiled

Drew said...

I hope Stammen is warming.

Surprise us Lt. Dan.

Show us your magic legs.

Eric said...

"the Phoolies fans booing!"

Its like a freaking addiction. Sheesh.

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

Ruben Amaro's phone is ringing off the hook for team's that will be bidding on Cliff Lee. Hamels now 2-11.

On to the bottom of the 8th in Milwaukee. 2-0 Brewers!

David Proctor said...

Brewers are 3 outs away.

Drew said...

In other very good news, Brian Goodwin may be turning the corner.

He's 12 for his last 22 at Harrisburg.

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

Segura was the main chip in the Greinke trade to the Angels as a short-term rental. That's amazing how he turned out. All Star starter possibly.

Eric said...

Looks like the Braves are down to three outs... Heart of the order coming up after the bottom of the 8th.

Joe Seamhead said...

Ghost, the top of 9th is going to be tough. Would be nice if Brewers could get another run, or two.
What was Hamel's new contract? $ and years?

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

Drew, its consistency for Goodwin. The Nats cupboards are near empty on position player top prospects with Goodwin and Kobernus as the best players the Nats have for outfield/infield.

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

Hamels was 7 years at $153,000,000

Eric said...

OK, it's do or die for the Braves...

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

Joe, plus an 8th year option. Ever since Rizzo dressed him down as "fake tough" last year he hasn't been the same ;)

Sunshine_Bobby_Carpenter_Is_Too_Pessimistic_For_Me said...

Yeah, that's a real shame about Colbert. Feel so sorry for him.

Talk about a guy who could "eat face" before the term was coined...

Drew said...

Ghost, the ranks of top-flight position players look thin after Goodwin.

Tony Renda may be worth a second look. The second baseman is having a nice year at Hagerstown.

Eric said...

It's down to BJ Upton hitting as the tying run...

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

Little trivia on Hamels, his agent is John Boggs who went to High School and played baseball at St. Johns in DC.

MrsB loves the Nats said...

Henderson is all over the place...

Eric said...

OK... Walking BJ Upton made a lot of sense. /sarcasm. Uggla hitting as the winning run.

Secret wasian man said...

Great victory tonight. Haren tomorrow. Gonna need a lot of run support.

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

Brewers hold on and with the Braves losing the Nats are now only 5 games back!

What a turnaround!

Joe Seamhead said...

Braves lose!

David Proctor said...

Braves lose! We gain a game.

Jane Elizabeth said...

Braves lose.

Sunshine_Bobby_Carpenter_Is_Too_Pessimistic_For_Me said...

Double-Untuck!!

Barves lose.

MrsB loves the Nats said...

Good day all around... #winningbaseball. #ESF

Lets Go Nats!!!!

Joe Seamhead said...

Uggla strikes out with Uptons on first and second!

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

By the way, that was a combined 2 hitter the Brewers put on the Braves!

Eric said...

Braves lose!

Eric said...

Wow I owe a lot of beers!

Joe Seamhead said...

That was Uggla's 93rd strike out in 229 at bats.

Get Your Re(n)d On said...

With two out in the bottom of the 8th tonight, the Rockies brought in Josh Outman to face Adam LaRoche. He threw one pitch and got one out. Talk about living up to your name.

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

Joe, when Freddie Freeman goes hitless, the Braves are 6-12 as in 6 wins - 12 losses.

Joe Seamhead said...

Over a 40% K rate for Dan Uggla. I'm telling you, the Braves are not that good. The Uptons and Uggla will end up setting some kind of a strike out record for three players on the same team

MrsB loves the Nats said...

This Rangers/Cards game is actually good....

David Proctor said...

d'grviii 8 said...
With two out in the bottom of the 8th tonight, the Rockies brought in Josh Outman to face Adam LaRoche. He threw one pitch and got one out. Talk about living up to your name.

Indeed, but he had some luck involved. LaRoche smoked that ball, but it was hit right to the 2B.

Joe Seamhead said...

BTW, again I say, hats off to Adam LaRoche for the game ending play.
I think between Uggla, Justin and BJ, those three guys have 256 strike outs between them through tonight's game.

Ghost Of Steve M. said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ghost Of Steve M. said...

Something is wrong with Clayton Kershaw. He is missing badly tonight. Already given up 4 earned in 2+ innings

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

Nats are only 4 behind the Barves in the Loss column!

Eric said...

Would be a bummer if Kershaw went down. That dude is something else.

JaneB said...

So glad Drew was his killer self tonight. And that Ian is so locked in. And that Stras is even ON the mound to stretch.

I think Eat Some Face has legs. I do, indeed.

Joe Seamhead said...

Ghost, I like watching Freeman play, but he actually has been charged with one more error than ALR so far this year. Adam has Ryan to cover for. Freddie has to cover for Uggla.

Section 222 said...

Wow, what a game! So much to like. Stras was impressive. Desi's clutch homer, an oppo boppo no less. Zim made a fine play early on, though I winced on the throw. Rendon just keeps hitting, though his play in the field was little suspect. I decided to tuck in after he dropped the popup in the 9th in order to reverse the karma. It worked. Soriano is just a joy to watch. So workmanlike. UNTUCK!

Made a new friend at the park too -- young guy who bought one of my tickets on StubHub. Turns out he was born in Palestine, came here at age 13, spent time in Texas and in Montreal -- the Expos were his first team. But also liked the Astros. Settled on the Nats when his folks moved to Arlington in '08. Very knowledgable about baseball and the team. (Totally agrees with me about the stupidity of saving the closer in extra inning games on the road.) Oh and he's an M.D., did his residency at Georgetown, and is about to move to Cleveland to do a fellowship in neuro-oncology. Now that's impressive.

Finally, in the 2nd inning giveaway, the contestant answered wrong. So the whole row in the section next to hers won a free backpack and T-shirt. Both 308 and I were the beneficiaries of her misfortune! Woo hoo!

Jane Elizabeth said...

When Harper comes back, we need to bat Rendon first, then either Harper or Werth, moving Span back to 7th in the order, or 8th when Ramos is playing again. We simply cannot continue to waste our greatest number of at bats on an unproductive lead-off man. They will probably give Span until the All Star break but so far, Nyger Morgan was a more effective offensive player than Span.

ESPN notes the deleterious effect of the swap of Span for Morse in the line-up:

But Harper's absence isn't this offense's only issue. Scouts covering the Nationals also believe they've missed the power and presence of Michael Morse (traded to Seattle) more than they believed they would.

"They miss his home run potential," said one NL scout. "He's left a big hole. Without him in there, hitting behind [Adam] LaRoche, something's missing. Last year, when they had Werth and Harper hitting 1-2, they were scary. They used to have speed at the top, power in the middle and speed at the bottom. They don't have that anymore."

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/9407876/the-washington-nationals-new-reality

Some of you who watch out of market games more can say, but it is difficult to imagine that there could be a worse offensive lead-off man in all of baseball than a guy on track to hit ZERO homers with an obp of barely .300. The Nationals have no chance of winning the division with this guy leading off. If his glove is truly as important as some think, then fine, but wasting your team's greatest number of at bats on your starters' 2nd worst hitter after Suzuki is simply asinine.

SonnyG10 said...

We gotta win tomorrow. We haven't had a four game winning streak yet this season. I'll be going to the game tomorrow. Haren better come through.

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

Sonny, I thought the Nats had a 5 game winning streak.

Coolhandbane (formally Bob Saget) said...

Hello everyone. I went to the game today. My 2 brothers and I took my dad to the game today. We got club seats.

Before my reaction to the game. I accidentally got my family lost on our way to the parking lot (capital parking lot near the home plate entrance

I accidentally got my family lost on our way to the parking lot (capital parking lot near the home plate enterance). From my phone, google maps happened to take us by georgetown, which happened to be hosting the premiere of "white house down" And we saw Jamie Foxx, in person 10 feet from our car.

The club seats were awesome and the Stars and Stripes club was so worth it the price.

Lombi was save on that steal. Strasburg was amazing (my first time seeing him in person). Desi's HR was awesome in person.

Section 222 said...

WODL, it's Ny*J*er Please, it's not that hard.

Agree that we can't keep Span up there all year if he doesn't get it going very soon. Weak ground balls to the right side or lazy pop ups to left just aren't good hitting. But I don't think Rendon is a leadoff hitter. Move Werth back to that spot if anyone.

David Proctor said...

The Nats are 3-0 in the #EatFace era.

Section 222 said...

BSNF101, glad everything worked out. Must have been a blast for your Dad.

Coolhandbane (formally Bob Saget) said...

222, he did. The weather was perfect for the game. Since we had 5 people going in our family, we bought 2 sets of tickets in 2 club sections. My parents sat in one section while my brothers and I sat in the other.

sjm308 said...

Dueces: great to see you tonight!
Have not posted for awhile - just got fed up, not with the Nats (well, maybe a tad) but with all the negativity. Felt like I could handle it better but I did not. Still read Mark & Chase but stayed away from comments, even when we won.

Our group was discussing the same issue with Span. If you lead off Rendon and bat Harper 2nd you have your two best hitters getting more at bats during a game which makes great sense. Harper thrived hitting 2nd last year but I think we all know that Davey is slow to change and his idea is Harper is our #3. Reality is, Span is a nice CF'r but has not delivered at the plate like I had hoped.
Rendon
Harper
Zimm
LaRoche
Desmond
Werth
Span
Suzuki (man I hope Ramos heals soon just to give Kurt some rest)

5 games out

Go Nats!!

SonnyG10 said...

Ghost Of Steve M. said...
Sonny, I thought the Nats had a 5 game winning streak.
June 21, 2013 11:41 PM


Ghost, you are correct. My bad. I was repeating what I heard on Nats Extra (pre- or post- game). Either they spoke wrong or I heard wrong.

Section 222 said...

So Rendon has 27 hits in 22 games and Espi had 25 hits in 44 games. Does that make Rendon twice as good a hitter as Espi. Nah, that would be too simplistic. But wait, Rendon's batting average going into tonight's game was .325, and Espi's when he was sent to the DL was .158. Hmmmm.

Plus, he had another multihit game. That's 8 in 22 games. Espi had 4 in 44. Hmmm.

It's important to remember that Rendon's first stint in the bigs was promising, but not fantastic. When he returned to the minors on May 3 after 8 games he had 6 hits and his slashline was .240/.367/.280. Since he returned he has 21 hits in 14 games! His slashline going into tonight was up to 325/.388/.455.

Section 222 said...

BSNF, just curious, did you find your club tix on StubHub? If so, how'd you do on the price?

Coolhandbane (formally Bob Saget) said...

Also, my parents were right next to johnny holliday in the elevator going up to our seats.

And when we were leaving. FP was right next to me in the elevator. FP was talking about zombie and getting zombie masks so everyone can look like Jzimm

Coolhandbane (formally Bob Saget) said...

We got our tickets on ebay. The set of 2 was for 29 each and the set of 3 was for 32 each.

I used seat geek to find the best deal.

Section 222 said...

Great deal. Well done!

Jane Elizabeth said...

.367 for an obp during Rendon's first stint was um... better than anyone on the team but Harper. I didn't notice at the time because he only hit .240 but that was an impressive obp. He only played 3 games at Syracuse and only hit .182. Pretty crummy but only three games and yet, his obp for those 3 games was .357. The kid gets on base. And by the way, that was a ridiculous error call on the dropped pop fly. People raved when Zimmerman made a similar catch on the other side. If a foul pop takes extreme effort to catch, then it is not an error if not caught. The scorer completely botched that call and if he has any self-respect at all, he will change it.

If Denard Span can get back to his career obp which has been in free fall for 4 years, then the Nats will have an excellent lead-off man as is. Unfortunately, things don't work that way usually. The best that we can reasonably hope for is a return to his previous overall average and production during the second half, which would mean .340 or so obp and maybe a couple of homers and a few more doubles. His triples are the only aspect that have been on par more or less. He seems like a good guy. Maybe it will happen, but they can't give him much more rope. The were expecting him on base in scoring position a lot. If he isn't doing that, we can't afford to give him 300 more at bats in place of a much more productive hitter. And Denard is way too far into his career to be fooling around with his swing. That whole notion should give everyone pause. He is 29 1/2 years old with 11 years of pro ball under his belt. The best guess is that the league figured him out after his first two pro seasons and it is doubtful he makes it back to those levels.

Manassas Nats' Fan said...

I to was at the game. Ian Desnond 3 go ahead homers in 3 straight dats.

#EatFace.

Can Lt. dan pitch well tomorrow? He needs to eat some face.

No more losses in June was my cry Tuesday, so I will stick with it.

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