tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post6593595797849388061..comments2024-02-15T05:42:18.307-05:00Comments on Nats Insider: Sweep exposes Nats' lineup woesMark Zuckermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13525315258889435961noreply@blogger.comBlogger89125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-78451634946330699292012-06-18T20:20:42.754-04:002012-06-18T20:20:42.754-04:00THe things that bothers me, people jump on people ...THe things that bothers me, people jump on people who jump on Zim, when he is batting worse thn jayson Werth did last year, and people were unmerciful to him. Can't have it both ways.Manassas Nats' Fanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06531153181575176550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-86633748817121653752012-06-18T20:03:35.990-04:002012-06-18T20:03:35.990-04:00Hopefully we went to school over this.
Eck and Da...Hopefully we went to school over this.<br /><br />Eck and Davey need to sit the batters down andgo over the film.<br /><br />See how many times the Nats swung at the first and got solid contact, seemed most were weak grounders weak flies or a swing and a miss. then check how many times the Yankees got solid contact on first pitch. see how many 3-2 counts we got, how many they got. How many fouls after 2 strikes each team had. How man wings at pitches that were balls each team had.<br /><br />If we learn from these losses great, if we make the same mistakes again, then not so great.Manassas Nats' Fanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06531153181575176550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-10012748432669490002012-06-18T12:22:25.101-04:002012-06-18T12:22:25.101-04:00I was at the Friday night game and bummed when we ...I was at the Friday night game and bummed when we lost. Miserable after loss #2, but started to feel good after loss #3. Because now we know where we are -- a shade behind the Yankees, with some specific gaps to fill, and with that knowledge we can improve. Like -- Bam Bam (yes four strikeouts in one game gets the nickname back) needs to fill the hole in the bucket that comes with sliders and change-ups. Zim needs to get it together (or acknowledge that he's not fully healed). Better strategic at-bats. Shape up the bullpen (sorry 'bout that, Lidge). Stick to the plan. Look again at the AL East and see that the Yanks are only a few games ahead -- maybe it's a tougher division that we that.<br /><br />Would rather have won some, but this can be a good news story. Go NATS!bobfromalexandriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12370141521239751082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-4852344871172164642012-06-18T11:23:09.347-04:002012-06-18T11:23:09.347-04:00Thanks to MicheleS (as always), erocks, sjm308, Wi...Thanks to MicheleS (as always), erocks, sjm308, Will, natsfan1a, swami and ghost for focusing on the meaningful stuff and for the moment, quieting the more ridiculous and hysterical comments. I have no appetite, ever, for doing anything other than ignoring silly rabbit, who never makes a useful contribution here that I can see, but I appreciate you all's doing so.<br /><br />Beyond the many good comments, some though not all of which reflect my views, the one thing I didn't see directly was that the Yanks came in with a strategic plan <i>for this series</i>. It's no accident that notwithstanding their MLB-leading homer total that has powered them most of the year, they really didn't win any of the games based on homers. Yeah, I know, two solos yesterday was more runs than we scored, but that was more on our lack of our own <b>concerted</b> offense than their overwhelming us with offense -- they only outhit us 28-24 for the series, and much of the key damage was against Lidge.<br /><br />They came in knowing we had a great pitching staff and that they would not win planning on the 3 run homer, so they would wear them down and <i>take what was given</i>, including walks and high pitch counts to get the starters out. Most of their key damage was on dinky singles and doubles down the line. I know some of these points have been made but the big picture is that they came in with a plan to depart from what they had won on and we came in with same old "aggressive hitting" as we did for anyone else, which means hitting the pitchers' pitches to get out rather than fouling them off until you get a pitch you can drive. <br /><br />In other words, their series plan accepted that we would mostly shut down their power but determined that they could get their runs with small ball, and our approach did nothing to counteract that with the recognition that three or fewer runs -- which was enough for 11 of our wins this year -- was not going to do it. The Yanks' pitching as a whole is only decent -- how many times have we won this year by waiting out other teams' starters and getting one or two against their BP? -- but was not going to melt down like the Sox's and Jays'staffs, so a Davey admonition not to swing from the heels might have been part of a plan to the contrary, but there was no Yankee-specific plan that any of us could see. So they planned for our weaknesses and exposed them.Steady Eddiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11342496530868597550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-36327939321517808492012-06-18T11:19:05.466-04:002012-06-18T11:19:05.466-04:00sjm308---in your dreams.
But I am genuinely puzzl...sjm308---in your dreams.<br /><br />But I am genuinely puzzled why Madden left Price in after the first single in the 6th. Davey would not have done that. Price is young, but he's not a rookie, he's a proven Ace, two-time All-Star, etc., and he was going for his fiftieth, yes <i>fiftieth</i> win. Take the guy out, it's not his day.NatsLadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06814911056080758503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-14724606825464583962012-06-18T11:14:10.317-04:002012-06-18T11:14:10.317-04:00last I checked Dunn was hitting at a lower average...last I checked Dunn was hitting at a lower average than Zimm....so glad he is gone. Interesting item by a previous poster about the big bat, makes sense what with the long useless power stroke. See that's why I like this site.320R2S15https://www.blogger.com/profile/10072406797380875600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-21121184544510068252012-06-18T11:14:01.521-04:002012-06-18T11:14:01.521-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.NatsLadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06814911056080758503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-37401876705451554992012-06-18T11:10:31.772-04:002012-06-18T11:10:31.772-04:00NatsLady, let it goNatsLady, let it gosjm308https://www.blogger.com/profile/01236550495879254916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-59747810465911324812012-06-18T11:08:54.279-04:002012-06-18T11:08:54.279-04:00New Post..New Post..MicheleShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04972863154063796569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-19699584364263987052012-06-18T11:05:46.064-04:002012-06-18T11:05:46.064-04:00Honestly, would Davey have done better here? He m...Honestly, would Davey have done better here? He might (repeat <i>might</i>) have let Price start the 6th, because Davey makes these "OK, one hitter" deals, but he certainly would have taken him out after the first single. <br /><br />Of course, they weren't winning anyway, but you can only control what you can control, and I'm clueless why Madden left Price in. Madden let a 3-0 game get to 7-0... Maybe the best manager in baseball conceded the game at the end of the fifth inning? Nawwwwwwww, couldn't happen.NatsLadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06814911056080758503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-17945285647779993992012-06-18T11:04:32.464-04:002012-06-18T11:04:32.464-04:00sjm, speaking of the "Jeter" chant, I wa...sjm, speaking of the "Jeter" chant, I was keeping that in my back pocket for most of the game. Later in the game, I chanted it loud and clear when he made an out with runners on. :-)<br /><br />MicheleS and sjm, yeah, I don't usually comment in game threads, and if I read the comments later, it tends to be after wins but not losses.natsfan1ahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14540238101124316529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-84509348200050078162012-06-18T10:58:27.446-04:002012-06-18T10:58:27.446-04:00sjm308 said...
I love Mick but he would have the ...sjm308 said...<br /><br />I love Mick but he would have the entire team shipped to Russia along with a new manager and GM, he then takes a deep breath and gets back to rooting for his team.<br /><br />Like the late Clark Griffith once said... "I don't know what I'm going to do, but whatever it is, it won't be rationale"<br /><br />lolmickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11829941762393424812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-43731700953166744792012-06-18T10:57:52.762-04:002012-06-18T10:57:52.762-04:00Ghost of Steve M-
1. I consider PAs with RISP an...Ghost of Steve M-<br /><br />1. I consider PAs with RISP and runs scored to be great ways to evaluate "execution overall," don't you think? What is "execution" after all, if you're not scoring runs when in a position to do so? I only remember two Yankee runs scored on sacrifices all series, which is not that much, and in any event is not the best possible result with a runner on third and less than two outs. Especially when you have a lineup like theirs so capable of putting up crooked numbers at any time.<br /><br />2. Do you have any evidence to support the idea that they hit behind runners effectively? I don't remember thinking that at any point.<br /><br />3. I agree they were good at running up pitch counts, but all three of our starters made it 6 innings without allowing significant damage. That's a perfectly fine result. And they only have one hitter in the top 40 of MLB in pitches per plate appearance. I think they seemed particularly patient in this series in part because of what they did, but also in part because we were so impatient in comparison.<br /><br />My bottom line is that I think it's possible that this analysis and praise for the Yanks is results-driven. They hit a couple more where we are (remember Friday night's epidemic of perfectly placed soft grounders?), and we hit a couple more where they ain't, and I bet the analysis changes a lot.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-13076134697575482382012-06-18T10:55:17.287-04:002012-06-18T10:55:17.287-04:00Watching David Price in his last start vs. the Met...Watching David Price in his last start vs. the Mets (the R.A. Dickey 1-hitter). He was at 80+ pitches by the 5th inning and he started giving up hits. (First inning 20 pitches, 2nd inning 21 pitches). He was still throwing 96 with sink, but it began to miss the zone. Then he put it in the zone and CRACK. He's sweating and breathing hard when he gets a break with a coaching visit. After another sharp single it's now 3-0 NY and he goes 3-2 and strikes out Wright (after just about hitting him twice) and he's at 97 pitches.<br /><br />Madden leaves Price in for the top of the 6th and he promptly gives up two singles (Hairston, Bay), a double (Rottino) a single (Davis) and Madden finally takes him out. The middle reliever (Baddenhop) lets the inherited runners score.<br /><br />So, here is my thought: If Price got tired pitching in his own (air-conditioned) house, can we get to him in our house when will have to hit and it will be a warm (85+) evening?NatsLadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06814911056080758503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-50092917115592825762012-06-18T10:53:11.017-04:002012-06-18T10:53:11.017-04:00Regarding "having a plan" and "work...Regarding "having a plan" and "working the count" and Nats pitchers having to throw so many more pitches:<br /><br /><i>NatsJack in Florida said...<br /><br /> I didn't keep track but it sure seemed like most Nat hitters found themselves in immediate 0-2 counts while most Yankee hitters found themselves in 2-0 counts.And that was consistent through out the series.<br /></i><br />There's your reason. When the Nats pitchers aren't throwing 1st or 2d pitch strikes, of _course_ the Yanks are going to take the pitches, and then work the count.<br /><br />Bowdenball's remark actually applies to at least half the comments here:<br /><br /><i>I think this might be a case of making the analysis fit the game results. </i><br /><br />Fact is, a correct ump call, a batted ball or two just a foot or two over in either direction -- and we'd all be crowing about how the Nats won two out of three.<br /><br />And, although I didn't see them, weren't like half the hits Lidge gave up seeing-eye-infield-grounder singles?<br /><br />And as for RZ . . . as many have previously pointed out: didn't David Wright slump for almost all of last year? (And this year is a top all star)? Stuff like that happens. If there were an easy or obvious fix, Wright would have fixed his own problem last year.<br /><br />RZ doesn't show emotion? That's OK. The season's a marathon -- almost everybody says you can't get too down or too up from one game to the next.<br /><br />If RZ has a pulse, you can be sure he's beating himself up over his performance, and I'm sure that he's trying to overcome that with keeping a positive attitude.<br /><br />Good day for a day off, then lets beat up on some Rays.A DC Wonkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09732615221598098540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-67457295455643211842012-06-18T10:51:38.569-04:002012-06-18T10:51:38.569-04:00MichelleS - I learned early in the year to skip th...MichelleS - I learned early in the year to skip the "in game" posts. I love Mick but he would have the entire team shipped to Russia along with a new manager and GM, he then takes a deep breath and gets back to rooting for his team. Its much saner after the game but there are still people making snap judgements on a game that is played and played hard for 6 months of the year! This year we will have a team playing for a 7th month and I can't wait!!<br /><br />Go Nats!!sjm308https://www.blogger.com/profile/01236550495879254916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-87783919739036230332012-06-18T10:51:19.039-04:002012-06-18T10:51:19.039-04:00hickory dickory dock.... bada bing, lolhickory dickory dock.... bada bing, lolmickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11829941762393424812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-87712882483148740872012-06-18T10:48:25.099-04:002012-06-18T10:48:25.099-04:00I also wanted to thank erocks for providing what m...I also wanted to thank erocks for providing what my son and I were questioning after both Friday and Saturday. I thought it would actually be higher concerning the number of pitches thrown. We have 3 notable first pitch swingers so I am guessing we will never drive the pitch count up but it was crazy to watch the Yankee hitters get 2 strikes and then foul off 3 or 4 pitches and it was not just one or two players. They all must really work at this in spring training, or they are constantly reminded during the season. This is not a knock on Eck, I have not seen any other team do this and they have done it for years and years. It also did not help that we were not throwing first pitch strikes. In the game Saturday where I kept score, JZimmnn threw first pitch strikes to just NINE batters in his 6 innings. In that long 4th inning where we gave them 5 outs he threw just one first pitch strike to the 6 batters he faced. <br /><br />Key to me is first pitch strikes and first batter out in each inning.<br /><br />Go Nats!!sjm308https://www.blogger.com/profile/01236550495879254916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-65751335894575038442012-06-18T10:48:24.952-04:002012-06-18T10:48:24.952-04:00Yankee fans are funny, and half the fun was razzin...Yankee fans are funny, and half the fun was razzing them and hearing them raz back. Its like attending half baseball game half Dice Clay stand up with Yankee fans. <br /><br />As I said before Phillie fans are miserble a-holes.mickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11829941762393424812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-31092622768602238492012-06-18T10:46:52.514-04:002012-06-18T10:46:52.514-04:00Will. just got to learn who to scroll past...and ...Will. just got to learn who to scroll past...and don't read the in game threads... I learned the hard way yesterday. There are a few who post the dribble just to pick a fight and show what they think is their superior attitude (i think they are o's fans)MicheleShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04972863154063796569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-39101214700487739672012-06-18T10:45:59.672-04:002012-06-18T10:45:59.672-04:00Moving on to less hyperbolic histrionics, and to s...Moving on to less hyperbolic histrionics, and to stats, it's really hard to pick out what it is that's to blame for Zimm's lack of production.<br /><br />All the basics are very much in line with his career averages. He's walking the same and striking out the same (9.0% 2012 BB% vs 9.2% career and 17.0% 2012 K% vs 16.9% career).<br /><br />He has been quite unlucky. His BABIP is only .267, while his career stands at .316. With some regression to the mean, you could expect his batting average to rise. However, that doesn't solve the problem, because he's been hitting for significantly less power. His ISO (slugging % - batting avg) is wayyy below average. It's .095 right now, compared to .185 career. Even if more hits begin falling, they're not going to fall into the Red Porch, as his HR to flyball rate is about 2-2.5 times lower than his career average. Curiously, though his groundball, linedrive and flyball rates are nearly identical to his career norms.<br /><br />It's all a bit bizarre. The only glaring weakness does seem to be his ability to hit fastballs. He used to be one of the best in baseball. He was about 20 runs better than average at hitting fastballs from 2009-2010, but this year he's been below average. That's one of the few things that seem way out of whack this year.<br /><br />Maybe Zimm needs to take some more time in the batting cage to better spot those fastballs... Otherwise, I don't really have any ideas...Willhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01902355704452340677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-48335508727594742142012-06-18T10:45:21.685-04:002012-06-18T10:45:21.685-04:00bowdenball @ 9:54 said: "I think this might ...bowdenball @ 9:54 said: "I think this might be a case of making the analysis fit the game results. If the ump makes the right call on Moore's play at the plate on Saturday, and Espinosa's hard-hit ball in the 4th inning on Sunday was down the line for a double instead of right at Cano for a DP, all the talk today would be about the Yanks coming up empty in big spots and how the Nats were able to hold that incredible lineup at bay."<br />===========================<br />You're partially right, and I'm not despondent over this series because the Nats could have -- as you suggest -- taken any of the games, particularly the last two. Baseball can be incredibly random and sometimes a blown call, a ball hit a few inches further right or left (over which the hitter has no control), or a defender positioning himself well and making an inspired play could have made a huge difference. But we also have to remember that, throughout the year, the Nats have benefited from some of those same sort of random breaks. Other teams' fans could make similar shoulda, woulda, coulda arguments. Such breaks may not always 'even out' for you, but they do go both ways many times over the course of a long season.<br /><br />My concern, highlighted in the numbers I posted without much comment at the beginning of this thread, remains the Nats inability to score the NL average number of runs per game. And that's an inherent problem with this team's offense. Whether you put the blame on individual players, the hitting coach, the manager, or the GM -- and you can make a case against each -- the bottom line is that if you can't score at or above the league average you're always going to have rely on pitching, defense, and a bit of randomness (aka luck) to win. And thus you start at a huge disadvantage, because sometimes one or two of those is going to fail you. If you have the above-league-average scoring to go with the pitching and defense -- as do the Yankees, the Rangers, and even the Dodgers -- you're still going to lose games, but you're in much better shape to weather the occasional pitching or defensive meltdown (or the blown call or tough break). Balance is what you need, and balance is what the Nats still lack.Eugene in Oregonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00321559588541830539noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-42487341787453406712012-06-18T10:40:57.139-04:002012-06-18T10:40:57.139-04:00Can we please just stop with the Zimmerman bashing...Can we please just stop with the Zimmerman bashing. Yes, he is in a slump, it might last all year and he might break out, but he is going nowhere (Rabbit is in a dream world if he thinks the face of the franchise would be shipped to Syracuse). Look at David Wright last year and also Dunn (although not a complete player like Wright). The Mets stayed with Wright and he is having his typical All-Star year again this year. I trust in Davey and Zimm to figure this out and I love that we can get swept and still have that same 4 game lead. How many of you thought we would be in first place for the majority of the beginning of this year? I have to admit, I did not and I am loving it.<br /><br />I should probably put a 2nd post up on this topic but we need a unified cheer at home games. Not just booing out "lets go Yankees", or "Derick Jeter". We need something creative to drown out Yankee, Philly or whoever is trying to get their team going. Stephen Strasburg is that neat 4 syllable mantra but that is only once every 5 games. I guess the 3 syllable "Lets Go Nats" would work but it has to be the whole park and not just a section or two. Help me out here, I am looking for Sofa or natsfan1a to lead the way.<br />We do have an old guy up high above 308 that cheers his heart out every single game. We are disappointed when he is not in attendance.<br /><br />Go Nats!!!sjm308https://www.blogger.com/profile/01236550495879254916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-61842303467458979872012-06-18T10:34:35.140-04:002012-06-18T10:34:35.140-04:00Who thought Nats fans were more melodramatic than ...Who thought Nats fans were more melodramatic than Yankees fans! We lose 3 games in a row (after sweeping 2 very good teams), and people demand the head of the best player on the team.<br /><br />I'm disgusted with the posts here and general attitude of the fanbase.<br /><br />I can't imagine the uproar if you all were Angels fans and had to put up with Pujols' first 45 games.<br /><br />Stuff like this happens. Zimm will break out sooner or later. Sometimes slumps last for a week, sometimes they go a whole year (Adam Dunn seems to have recovered well from his historically bad 2011). But how dare anyone call for Zimmerman to get demoted. That's despicable.Willhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01902355704452340677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3442809928829881676.post-30750083166514389542012-06-18T10:33:45.959-04:002012-06-18T10:33:45.959-04:00Bowdenball, thanks for quoting me but please do.t ...Bowdenball, thanks for quoting me but please do.t change my message. I didn't discuss RISP.<br /><br />1. Execution overall worked against excellent pitching<br />2. Hitting behind runners instead of in front of runners <br />3. Running up pitch countsGhost Of Steve M.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05745394350047225996noreply@blogger.com