tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post6583695846032424493..comments2024-02-15T05:42:18.307-05:00Comments on Nats Insider: At home in San DiegoMark Zuckermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13525315258889435961noreply@blogger.comBlogger86125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-12696404435806389672013-05-17T17:07:57.276-04:002013-05-17T17:07:57.276-04:00Mule is not hasty to adopt the "But what have...Mule is not hasty to adopt the "But what have you done for me lately" point of view in evaluating players. Given Zimmerman's fielding consistency this season (i.e. he consistently makes one egregious throwing error every 8 games; on a pace for a 32-error season), a continuation of such performance cannot be countenanced through an entire season. Mule thinks to give him until the All-Star Break to rectify his throwing problem before turning him into a PH. Whack-a-Mulehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05001755518088848800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-20784608436722599652013-05-17T15:12:14.408-04:002013-05-17T15:12:14.408-04:00As I posted yesterday, if Stras can give a good pe...As I posted yesterday, if Stras can give a good performance, it would be fair to say that starting pitching has righted itself. Gald the team finally hit. There is no reason the Nats should not win 3 straight.<br />btw: JFK would have been 96 years old today, hard to believe.mickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11829941762393424812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-25688787840745639402013-05-17T14:41:57.260-04:002013-05-17T14:41:57.260-04:00John C, sorry, I guess i wasn't clear when mak...John C, sorry, I guess i wasn't clear when making the statement about Zimm, though I was pretty definitive about not throwing him under the bus. I meant to be referring to his throwing only, if he can in blind, nothing about his hitting. Look, I still like him, warts and all, as our 3rd baseman, all things considered. For the 2nd time in 2 days I will agree with peric, [scary, I know} in that the Nats need Zim's bat hitting solidly for this team to win. <br /><br />Short lunch break for me. Later.Joe Seamheadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17000259234420985114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-44841336869495212792013-05-17T14:41:42.966-04:002013-05-17T14:41:42.966-04:00Actually, NL, EmDash & Bowdenball (and anyone ...Actually, NL, EmDash & Bowdenball (and anyone else still reading this thread) Quentin missed last night's game and may miss tonight's because his wife gave birth to a son. Sometimes playing fantasy baseball is a plus :)Ron In Restonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05400700637986107726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-74962823705733169272013-05-17T13:53:17.850-04:002013-05-17T13:53:17.850-04:00I believe Quenton is injured. It says "person...I believe Quenton is injured. It says "personal" but last night they said something about a strained something or other...<br /><br />5/17 Injury Report: Carlos Quentin Missed Thursday's game against Washington (May 15, personal)NatsLadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06814911056080758503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-89584401119230515162013-05-17T12:48:39.686-04:002013-05-17T12:48:39.686-04:00In the meantime, I'm thinking like Doc that a ...<i>In the meantime, I'm thinking like Doc that a future batting champ is in the wings for when Rizzo decides to upgrade.</i><br /><br />He already walks. Takes what the pitcher gives him to all fields. Hits mistakes out of the park. And is a gold glove fielder? Methinks he's a soon-to-be AllStar in his rookie year. And voted in, not designated like Harper.perichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02669200119049715758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-2962495978444410532013-05-17T12:46:14.444-04:002013-05-17T12:46:14.444-04:00I never really considered that until now. He's...<i>I never really considered that until now. He's either too high or too low but mostly too high now and last year he was often low and LaRoche with the GG just scooped them up.</i><br /><br />Its the shoulder. Again, let him just be competent as long as he keeps hitting, and hitting, and hitting some more. Given the make up of the rest of the infield it shouldn't matter then.perichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02669200119049715758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-48930412100700931272013-05-17T12:36:32.829-04:002013-05-17T12:36:32.829-04:00EmDash said...
"Players to watch against Gio...EmDash said...<br /><br />"Players to watch against Gio: Carlos Quentin, who in 15 PAs against Gio has a .455/.600/.727 with a home run. They have a lot of players he's never faced."<br /><br />I'm guessing most or all of that damage was done by the Carlos Quentin of the White Sox who got MVP votes in his mid-20s and was a two time all-star. This current version of Carlos Quentin is batting .181/.300/.386.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-27602442302304178642013-05-17T12:32:56.129-04:002013-05-17T12:32:56.129-04:00Zimm used to bury the balls in the dirt to Laroche...<i>Zimm used to bury the balls in the dirt to Laroche and now he throws them high with these overthrows that are errors. Thats what I see as the big difference Laroche has no chance on overthrows but can handle most of the balls on target that are in the dirt. </i><br /><br />I never really considered that until now. He's either too high or too low but mostly too high now and last year he was often low and LaRoche with the GG just scooped them up.<br /><br />Ghost Of Steve M.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05745394350047225996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-53357227042840694862013-05-17T12:30:40.853-04:002013-05-17T12:30:40.853-04:00Great quote from Zuk here:
"'I was going...<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dc-sports-bog/wp/2013/05/17/stephen-strasburg-has-a-career-night/" rel="nofollow">Great quote from Zuk here</a>:<br /><br />"'I was going to go out there,' Suzuki said, after an error in the fifth inning by Ryan Zimmerman threatened to derail Strasburg. 'I was thinking about going out there and talking to [Strasburg]. Once he got the ball back, he looked at Zim and said, 'I got you.' Once he did that, I turned around and went back to home plate. Because I knew he was going to do it.'"Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00678357994045101892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-61893372578439162172013-05-17T12:26:55.487-04:002013-05-17T12:26:55.487-04:00Zimm used to bury the balls in the dirt to Laroche...Zimm used to bury the balls in the dirt to Laroche and now he throws them high with these overthrows that are errors. Thats what I see as the big difference Laroche has no chance on overthrows but can handle most of the balls on target that are in the dirt.Nats 128https://www.blogger.com/profile/08432607182669878624noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-54444275235600378132013-05-17T12:19:55.201-04:002013-05-17T12:19:55.201-04:00I agree he's still in recovery mode, which som...I agree he's still in recovery mode, which somewhat mitigates my concern about his throwing. I'd also be a lot more worried if Davey and RZim haven't long maintained that his shoulder won't be right until June. I think they expected this.<br /><br />Definitely hard to watch, though. I really hate seeing RZim struggle, and not just because I want the Nats to win.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00678357994045101892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-80308477419277637592013-05-17T12:15:36.154-04:002013-05-17T12:15:36.154-04:00Zimm is hitting the ball much harder just not show...Zimm is hitting the ball much harder just not showing HR power which leads me back to still in recovery mode.<br /><br />Its still a difficult pro/con debate on Zimm as to now he is contributing with the bat and OBP however he's on a pace of 1 error to every 10 defensive plays which puts him on a pace of 38 errors based on his 2012 fielding chances which is double his pace of last year. You also have to consider how many errors Laroche will save him on bad throws.<br /><br />He ultimately has to move to 1st base sooner than later as you want his bat and can't tolerate that error frequency from any player.Nats 128https://www.blogger.com/profile/08432607182669878624noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-24568840423252088132013-05-17T11:57:49.324-04:002013-05-17T11:57:49.324-04:00Gotcha, thanks EmDash.Gotcha, thanks EmDash.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00678357994045101892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-11521672825967447762013-05-17T11:56:52.357-04:002013-05-17T11:56:52.357-04:00Range factor is generally considered reliable only...Range factor is generally considered reliable only with a full year's worth of data because it can fluctuate pretty wildly, I think? It's encouraging that Espinosa's off to a good start in that regard, though.EmDashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05244048896547770295noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-36616771559385248352013-05-17T11:55:23.251-04:002013-05-17T11:55:23.251-04:00Yeah, it was awesome, Ghost. Zim has looked positi...Yeah, it was awesome, Ghost. Zim has looked positively ravenous at the plate since his second game back from the DL.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00678357994045101892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-61203839914578520372013-05-17T11:52:30.476-04:002013-05-17T11:52:30.476-04:00Looking ahead to tonight's match-up -
Players...Looking ahead to tonight's match-up -<br /><br />Players to watch against Gio: Carlos Quentin, who in 15 PAs against Gio has a .455/.600/.727 with a home run. They have a lot of players he's never faced.<br /><br />Also look for the Padres to load up on righties to face Gio, as he's been absolute murder on lefties with an 11/1 strikeout to walk ratio and a .457 OPS against.<br /><br />Tonight's pitcher for the Padres is Burch Smith, who made his first major start on the 11th against the Rays and gave up 6 ER and recorded only three outs. Though he has a solid minor league track record with great K/BB numbers, so you don't know if he was just rattled in his first start or something. Either way, hitting rookie kid pitchers without much of a major league record hasn't exactly been a strength of the Nats...EmDashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05244048896547770295noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-87616772696930951022013-05-17T11:51:19.157-04:002013-05-17T11:51:19.157-04:00Eric, good points on pitching to Z and the crazies...Eric, good points on pitching to Z and the craziest part was Volquez was so wild he was trying to paint the outside against RZim and the ball sailed over the middle of the plate and the Z-man made him pay. That's classic Zim as he feasts on hanging breakers and mistake fastballs. When he is hot, he doesn't pitch those pitches.Ghost Of Steve M.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05745394350047225996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-23926298417201179192013-05-17T11:48:17.040-04:002013-05-17T11:48:17.040-04:00Eric said...
Ghost, relief regarding ALR's pe...<i>Eric said... <br />Ghost, relief regarding ALR's performance is quickly being replaced by excitement. It's fun watching him wake up! <br /><br />May 17, 2013 11:31 AM </i><br /><br />ALR is the "hot hand" right now and there's no denying it Peric that his season stats still aren't good as it is hard to erase 30 games of hitting .140.<br /><br />Like somebody said, once Harp is feeling 100% and Werth is back healthy and back in the 2, the Nats will have a potent 1-6 where Davey can possibly work on giving Lombo and Espi games based more on matchups.<br /><br />In the meantime, I'm thinking like Doc that a future batting champ is in the wings for when Rizzo decides to upgrade.Ghost Of Steve M.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05745394350047225996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-15799311855989064912013-05-17T11:48:00.790-04:002013-05-17T11:48:00.790-04:00I've definitely noticed that about Zim with RI...I've definitely noticed that about Zim with RISP, peric. And, last night, after ALR's bomb, just before RZim's two run RBI, I said, "I bet they pitch to Zim now."<br /><br />And, I'm sure you and I aren't the only one's noticing. It's just that ALR's start was so bleak that his recent activity is standing out in sharp relief.<br /><br />The synergy of this line up is beautiful when it's working!Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00678357994045101892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-66157631289752091362013-05-17T11:44:48.254-04:002013-05-17T11:44:48.254-04:00Joe Seamhead said...
If Ryan Zimmerman was a walk...<i>Joe Seamhead said... <br />If Ryan Zimmerman was a walk on to a major college team and tried out with the way he's throwing the ball right now, there's a good chance he wouldn't make the team.</i><br /><br />Um, in the <i>major leagues</i> Ryan Zimmerman is currently hitting .274/.375/.389, with an OPS+ of 113 (well above league average). Over the last two weeks he is hitting .368/.489/.474. And you don't think he'd make a major college team? That's kinda funny when you think about it.<br /><br />The heck with a college team, the <i>Nats</i> are a better team with Zimmerman on the field, even with the fielding struggles. With Werth out, Harper banged up and Espinosa and the entire Goon Squad struggling the Nats need Zim's bat and can live with his glove.John C.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00177992237175546115noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-90440732805434887252013-05-17T11:42:57.200-04:002013-05-17T11:42:57.200-04:00Correctomundo Ghost!
If Davey wants/needs a hitte...Correctomundo Ghost!<br /><br />If Davey wants/needs a hitter, ARen has his bags packed. That's how Harps arrived and that's how Rendon will arrive. The Lerners are already warming their Lear jet for the quick trip.<br /><br />The Nats' offense is one of the worst in MLB. And a future NL batting champ is smacking the ball in AA, with 5 HR's and a bunch of 2B's on his spread sheet!Dochttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17614998804163989623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-77679589778830670432013-05-17T11:42:53.692-04:002013-05-17T11:42:53.692-04:00"Espinosa probably is one of the best if not ..."Espinosa probably is one of the best if not the best fielding second baseman in the majors right now. "<br /><br />I decided to look into this. While I have no real sense of how he ranks against other 2Bs, I do feel he really is exceptional in his own right.<br /><br />Looks like he's <a href="http://espn.go.com/mlb/stats/fielding/_/position/2b/order/true" rel="nofollow">10th for fielding pct. and 2nd for "Range Factor"</a>.<br /><br />Is Range Factor very meaningful as a stat?<br /><br />Anyway, he appears to be in the middle at worst for all stats, and way at the top or #1 for a fair number of them. If the stats are worth anything, he's certainly appears to be top tier if not actually A-1.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00678357994045101892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-12994689963721745072013-05-17T11:39:34.387-04:002013-05-17T11:39:34.387-04:00Ghost, relief regarding ALR's performance is q...<i>Ghost, relief regarding ALR's performance is quickly being replaced by excitement. It's fun watching him wake up!</i><br /><br />2 home runs in two nights is an excellent beginning to go with the career longest hitting streak. But he is making up for what was a truly dismal start.<br /><br />His ISO is still lower than Espinosa's. He leads the team in K's. His OPS is still under .700. He has a looooong way to go. BUT, the team needed that 2-run shot and it seemed to wake up the #3 and #4 hole. <br /><br />IN all of this everyone is missing the key thing that is beginning to happen. Zim is once again becoming Mr. Clutch with men on base. Pitchers are starting to pitch around him again. THAT bodes well for young Bryce because it means he will begin to see pitches to hit again.<br />perichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02669200119049715758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-65838592629030390862013-05-17T11:35:36.776-04:002013-05-17T11:35:36.776-04:00Strasburg is so good that once again he didn't...Strasburg is so good that once again he didn't need his A game to be effective. Another start where he limited the damage with the 3 walks and 1 HBP as the defense was great and only allowed 3 hits. The defenders were perfectly positioned all night.<br /><br />Strasburg is now 16th in the Majors with a 2.83 ERA.Ghost Of Steve M.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05745394350047225996noreply@blogger.com