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Photo by Mark Zuckerman / NATS INSIDER Livan Hernandez faces Daniel Hudson tonight at Nationals Park. |
With Werth out of the lineup, Laynce Nix slides over to right field, with Jonny Gomes starting in left field. The rest of the lineup looks familiar for a Nats squad that has been going with mostly the status quo for a while now.
Livan Hernandez gets the start against fellow right-hander Daniel Hudson. Hudson's name, you'll recall, came up last summer when Mike Rizzo was talking with the White Sox about a deal for Adam Dunn. Hudson wound up going to Arizona in the Edwin Jackson deal, and he's proceeded to post a solid season for the NL West-leading Diamondbacks (12-9, 3.83 ERA).
Updates to come...
DIAMONDBACKS at NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 7:05 p.m.
TV: MASN
Radio: WJFK (106.7 FM), WFED (1500 AM), XM 189
Weather: Partly cloudy, 84 degrees, Wind 11 mph out to LF
STARTING LINEUPS6:00 p.m. -- It's official: Stephen Strasburg will start Saturday for Class AAA Syracuse. That means he'll also bat for the first time during his rehab assignment, which means he took a round of BP this afternoon. Read about how that went, and more details about the plan moving forward, in my full story.
NATIONALS (62-65)
SS Ian Desmond
CF Rick Ankiel
3B Ryan Zimmerman
1B Michael Morse
2B Danny Espinosa
RF Laynce Nix
LF Jonny Gomes
C Wilson Ramos
P Livan Hernandez
DIAMONDBACKS (70-59)
3B Ryan Roberts
LF Gerardo Parra
RF Justin Upton
C Miguel Montero
CF Chris Young
1B Lyle Overbay
2B Aaron Hill
SS John McDonald
P Daniel Hudson
6:05 p.m. -- Meanwhile, the update on Jayson Werth: Davey Johnson said he would play tonight "if we were in a pennant race. But there's no sense. He'd have to wrap it. We're just going to take it one day at a time." Johnson did say Werth could pinch-hit tonight, but would have to be subbed out by a pinch-runner if he reached base. Werth declined to comment when approached by reporters before the game.
6:08 p.m. -- Finally, an Ivan Rodriguez update: He's planning to take batting practice on the field tomorrow. If he progresses well, he'd go on a minor-league rehab assignment and serve as DH for a few days. Still, Johnson said Pudge won't be allowed to do that until he establishes he can swing a bat without experiencing any "grabbing" sensation in his strained oblique muscle. Even at the fastest possible rate, Rodriguez would not be ready to come off the DL before rosters expand on Sept. 1.
7:07 p.m. -- And we're underway with a strike from Livan Hernandez to Ryan Roberts. Very sparse crowd here tonight.
7:15 p.m. -- A strange (and frankly, very slow) top of the first ends on a high note for the Nats. After Livo put the game's first two batters on via singles (one of them a bunt in front of the plate that Wilson Ramos fielded and threw low to first, with Michael Morse pulling his foot off the bag) the big guy came up big. He struck out Justin Upton on a nasty, 78 mph pitch (a changeup? a slider? a screwball?), then got Miguel Montero to rap a grounder to first. Morse then started a nifty, 3-6-1 double play to end the inning. Nicely done.
7:27 p.m. -- A much more efficient top of the second for Livo, who got a pair of groundballs and then struck out Aaron Hill on a trademark Bugs Bunny curveball. The Nats tried to mount a rally in the bottom of the first when Ian Desmond led off with a single. But he was cut down trying to steal second as Ryan Zimmerman struck out to end the inning. Still scoreless here going to the bottom of the second.
7:36 p.m. -- Wow, we just witnessed history here at Nationals Park! Two infield flies in the same inning! That ties an MLB record (which has probably been set thousands of times previously). But still, what an honor to have been here for such a momentous event! Oh, it's still scoreless after two.
7:48 p.m. -- Well, at least Desmond is starting to hit again. He's 2-for-2 tonight and has now raised his season average to .236, the highest it's been since June 18. Unfortunately, the Nats haven't been able to advance him so far tonight. Still scoreless after three.
8:01 p.m. -- That wasn't very pretty. With two outs and a man on first, Livan Hernandez served up a double to Chris Young down the left-field line. Upton was going to hold at third base, but Jonny Gomes butchered the carom off the wall, and that error allowed the run to score. Moments later, Lyle Overbay sneaked a base hit past a diving Morse at first base, bringing another run home. All of a sudden, it's 2-0 D'backs in the fourth. On the bright side, Livo has been very efficient. He's thrown 38 of 49 pitches for strikes so far.
8:14 p.m. -- Let's see, we've played 4 1/2 innings tonight, and the Nats haven't scored. They were shut out last night over nine innings. And they didn't score in any of the last four innings of Monday night's win. So by my count, that's 17 consecutive scoreless innings for the Nationals' lineup. That's not good.
8:18 p.m. -- Make that 18 consecutive scoreless innings after a 1-2-3 fifth.
8:27 p.m. -- Livo continues to deal and pound the strike zone. Through six innings, he's thrown an impressive 56 of 76 pitches for strikes. Of course, he and the Nats still trail 2-0.
8:34 p.m. -- Make that 19 consecutive scoreless innings. Hudson has retired 11 batters in a row. Still 2-0 after six.
8:48 p.m. -- 20.
8:55 p.m. -- Brace yourselves, folks. Henry Rodriguez is entering the game with the bases loaded and one out after Livo is pulled in the top of the eighth.
8:59 p.m. -- That didn't take long. Two pitches in, and Rodriguez serves up a two-run single to Montero. It's now 4-0, and there are still runners on the corners with one out.
9:15 p.m. -- Hey, the Nats have finally scored! It's about time. Wait, what? They didn't just score in the bottom of the eighth? Even after putting runners on second and third with one out? Wow. Rick Ankiel smokes a line drive right at Overbay. Zimmerman then sent a hard grounder up the middle that looked like a sure 2-run single ... only to watch as John McDonald ranged way to his left to get the ball and fire to first to end the inning. The streak is at 21 innings. The score remains 4-0. And the Nats are down to their final three outs.
9:29 p.m. -- The streak is over! Laynce Nix launches a solo homer to right with two outs in the ninth. And before I can post this update, Jonny Gomes goes deep to left. All of a sudden, it's 4-2, and Hudson is being pulled. It'll be J.J. Putz to face Wilson Ramos with one out still to go.
9:33 p.m. -- Now that game is over. Give the Nats credit for battling right down to the end, but they still lose, 4-2. Plenty of things to look back on this one, from Henry Rodriguez allowing two inherited runners to score in the eighth to the Nats' inability to drive those two runners in from scoring position in the bottom of the eighth.
119 comments:
I like Gomes and did like what I saw out of Nix until he got hurt.
Both these guys fall in the "big bats sitting next to me on the bench" types that Davey likes.
They both (but especially Nix) need to step up and show us some consistency at the plate.
Right now, Gomes is a type "B" and Nix is unrated as to their status.
Like to make a shout out for Mark's Twitter feed.. I love the humor... Loverro - a San Fran Sky scraper!
Ehay2k - can we make a slight change in plans? I can't go to the game, so rather than trying to park and meet you at the ticket services window, can you come to the NE corner of the stadium block (corner of 1st and N) and meet by that ticket window? I'll be idling at the curb in a blue hatchback, same time (6:45) is fine, or if you want to adjust the time let me know.
If you get this, please respond and that will be the plan. If not, I'll be at the STH window at 6:45.
gonatsgo said...
Was just reading about bjupton being on waivers. I vote no ( not that I get a vote). Do we really need another light hitting outfielder?(.205, by the way).
August 24, 2011 3:45 PM
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A 1 year rental that is banged up with a bad shoulder now. He supposedly passed a MRI. If this team is going to move forward, BJ Upton is a bench player and we already have Roger Bernadina. This team needs a serious upgrade at CF who can leadoff.
Now Upton this year in 2 games is no sample size to look at with his .143 BA and in cleanup and 3 hole is where he excels. He's not an upgrade there over Morse/Zim or Zim/Morse.
Hey all -- me and Mrs Wonk (hmm, what was her name again -- it wasn't Wonkette, it was something else we coined here, and I can't remember), and a coupla kids/teenagers are going to the game tonight.
Anybody else going? Anybody want to meet up just to say "hey"!
(And I'm really praying for good-Livo tonight! Please please please!)
(Now I remember -- it was when we were going nuts over the letter "H", and I thought I could call my wife "Whonkette")
Random thought.........I've seen instances in the past where a MI is converted into a CF such as Robin Yount for example. In fact when I was in college our baseball coach did just that several times in my four years of school. So my question is, could Lombardozzi be converted at this point to a CF or is he too far along in his career as a second baseman to successfully make the change?
Navy Nats Fan said...
Ehay2k - can we make a slight change in plans? I can't go to the game, so rather than trying to park and meet you at the ticket services window, can you come to the NE corner of the stadium block (corner of 1st and N) and meet by that ticket window? I'll be idling at the curb in a blue hatchback,
We insiders dont need no stinking STUBHUB!
GYFNG!
Go (good), Livo!! Go, NATS!!
Won't be there tonight but have fun, DC Wonk!
(sjm, was it you who posted a few threads ago about collecting baseball cards? I've been known to pick up a few myself - just for fun, nothing that valuable. Anyhoo, a recent TWIB episode featured Dmitri Young and his collection, which he hopes will end up the the Hall of Fame collection one day. He was sporting a "Meat Hook" t-shirt, too. :-))
Waiver postings this time are year are mostly just GM's sending up trial balloons. Usually they are hoping that they can make a trade with the claiming team, and usually that does not happen.
sjm308 said...
off to the stadium!!
OK -- so if I drift over to Sec 308 -- how do I find him?!
natsfan1a said...
Go (good), Livo!! Go, NATS!!
Won't be there tonight but have fun, DC Wonk!
Thanks, 1A! I almost always have fun, but, admittedly, more fun if they win ;-) Also, fun when we bring my teenage kids, just watching them have fun.
Weather seems like it'll be perfect. Looking forward to that (unhealthy) sausage-dog with the works. (Hey, I only have them when I go to games!)
Knoxville Nat said...
Random thought.........I've seen instances in the past where a MI is converted into a CF such as Robin Yount for example. In fact when I was in college our baseball coach did just that several times in my four years of school. So my question is, could Lombardozzi be converted at this point to a CF or is he too far along in his career as a second baseman to successfully make the change?
I've heard Lombardozzi's arm is not that strong, so I don't think that would be a good idea.
Yount was a rarity. A bad shoulder prevented him from making that tough throw in the hole so he was switched to center-field. As the face of the franchise, it was imperative to keep him on the squad in some way. He proved a very good center-fielder but generally no longer an All-Star.
Neither Desmond nor Lombardozzi is likely to be switched to center. Desmond will make it as a shortstop or utilityman while Lombardozzi will make it at second.
Weird stat of the day.
I'm not picking on Dunn -- but I, like Joe Posnanksi, am simply astounded as his incredible consistency this year.
You already know that Adam Dunn is hitting .161 this year. Well, I want to show you something amazing. At least to me.
Here is Adam Dunn's batting average split up every 10 games:
First 10 games: .162
Games 11 to 20: .147
Games 21 to 30: .250
Games 31 to 40: .205
(This included a four-hit game)
Games 41 to 50: .114
Games 51 to 60: .133
Games 61 to 70: .061
Games 71 to 80: .103
Games 71 to 90: .212
Games 91 to 99: .129
...I was thinking how unlikely it is for an every day big league hitter -- especially a previously good hitter like Uggla or Dunn -- to hit THAT low for a season. It has to take almost inconceivable consistency. You can't ever get hot. Ever. And by "hot" I mean even a 10-game stretch of hitting .290 or something.
Dunn has been known throughout his career for consistency -- after all, he he hit exactly 40 home runs four years in a row and followed that up with back-to-back 38-homer seasons. But this kind of awful consistency … well, hey, it's history folks. And it might never happen again.
Where'd everybody go...? It's almost "Playball!!" time...
GYFNGOGOGO!!!!!!!
Some offense tonight, please?
Unkyd -- glad somebody is on duty -- I was wondering if everyone went to the game!
Tonight, HBP-free.
GYFNG
sunderland - if livo hits you it's ok - his pitches are so slow you can barely feel them.
Buster Olney "Major factor in AL playoffs: A scarcity of shutdown LH relievers among NYY,BOS,DET,TEX. Schlereth has best numbers: LH hitters bat .162".
__________________________
Seems the Nats need to make good LH relievers a priority in 2012 where they can actually get out Lefties.
Interesting to see John McDonald (aka Johnny Mac) playing for Gibson/Trammel now. Did the same back in 05' (Tigers) with the roles reversed, Tram was Manager/Gibby a coach.
At what point will Ramos start to go the other way with outside pitches?
joemktg, did you watch how the 9th inning ended last night?
anon8: fast asleep. talk to me: went the other way on an outside pitch?
It would be so nice if we had some offense. Really - the pitchers should not be expected to be perfect. My rant for yesterday and tonight - I have heard a lot of talk about Jordan Zimmermann's "flaws" - for goodness sake, have you seen his era? The team never scores runs for him. Same with Livo - Arizona is a good team, they are going to score runs. Get over blaming the pitcher, who can't possibly pitch a shut out every night, and hit the goshdarn, friggin ball!! Oh, and maybe field your position, too.
This teams hitting is pathetic!
A new losing streak. Sad they just can't put anything together. Another losing season here in DC.
Oh and Gomes Losers gotta Lose!
Maybe one day not so far into the future the Nats will score a run. It's okay to score runs isn't it?
Too many stiffs
To quote FP -- "see ball, hit ball"
In the realm of real problems, police have confirmed that a body has been found on a farm belonging to Oriole great Mike Flanagan. No word yet on identity. I sure hope it's not him.
18 consecutive scoreless inning. blech. Can someone on our team maybe accidentally run into one and hit it out? Can someone on the other team make a mistake? Surely the law of averages says we will eventually score a run.
I'm not sure this team can hit off the tee.
This is what I'm most afraid of next season going forward. We can have 5 Strasburgs and still be a .500 team.
Losers gonna Lose
I have a problem with Zimm taking that pitch. Nats hitters look like wimps tonight. Don't know if it is Eckstein or not, but he sucks
I am done with Nix and Nats should unload him,
Well - looks like it's going to be a pretty fast game.
Livo has been great, defense so-so, hitting pathetic. Time to rally boys!
so Flynnie - what's up first bourbon or maalox?
why is Bob C sugar coating the Nats sorry hitting?
Nineteen straight scoreless innings. Shame to waster decent pitching.
waste
I will say this. The current pitching staff on the twenty-five man roster might be better than we know. Scoring runs takes pressure off the pitchers and the era might be even lower if this team hit say in the middle of the pack of the ML. It's really been an unfair season for the Nats pitching staff.
So Nix makes me look bad after 30 AB?
Mick said...
So Nix makes me look bad after 30 AB?
LOL.
Hit the GDAMN BALL you STIFFS!!!!
Gomes looks worthless, only losers take third strike fast balls
Hudson is making these guys look stupid.
Old guy -- now 20. The pitchers on our staff have eras that are falling as fast as the batting averages.
your a genius Davey, are you saving your bull pen for game 4 tomorrow because you know this game is done?
Hudson is good, but our at bats have been tentative to say the least.
Hudson is doing a great job. Livo would be scoreless but for bad defense tonight. Good pitching is good pitching.
Now for a double play.
I give up with Davey, Henry will walk the next run in or get whacked, just watch.
What about my a genius?
Told ya!
I think the Nats position players get together and conspire against the pitchers. "Yeah, you nothin' without us." "We aint scoring no freakin' runs." "In your face pitchers." LOL.
Wow. This is looking pretty rough. I was hoping I saw the "cold-bat" game of this series last night, but I guess not. And Henry's throwing the gas (onto the fire).
Ouch, this is painful. Could this possibly be a let-down after the big weekend? Big crowds and 2 walk-offs -- followed by -- well, this? O,Henry.
Actually, Henry did pretty well (for Henry). That was a pretty good pitch he gave up for the single, and he pitched well after that. Leadoff single in the bottom of the 8th, GYFNG!!!!
OMG, a hit! maybe next, a run!!
At least the plot differs night to night.
This time he left Livo in too long and brought in !@#$%^&* to soil the bed.
We need Captain Hook.
We get Dr. Hook.
I'm not sure who was more pissed about Henry coming in, me or Livo. I was plenty pissed, it just seems downright foolish. No chance he could do better there than Livo. Montero already had 1 GBDP. I don't know how DJ thinks.
So - does anybody know what our record is for consecutive scoreless innings?
DESI!!!!
@9:10, I think that's 21 consecutive goose eggs.
Wait till next yr
Lombardoz
Desmondi reddick zimm morse. Werth Laroche espi Ramos.
Strasburg zimm Wang lannon peacock
Will have to give up Flores and pitching prospect for reddick but he's worth it
It's not like there weren't any hits at all. With 7 hits you would think you could score at least one. sheesh.
I've never seen an MLB team that could not hit a sac fly
FP for hitting coach
well, Nix and Gomes are trying to make it interesting! hudson gone after back-to-back jacks
Anonymous said...
so Flynnie - what's up first bourbon or maalox?
August 24, 2011 8:42 PM
Hello, Anonymous - I was awakened at midnight by my grandson (5) who wanted to watch the replay of tne Nats' 2-0 shutout. It's baseball, and he loves it. When he re-enacts baseball, he runs all around the house. When he reenacts football, he runs a short distance and then lays on the ground. Sorry I haven't been present until now. I'm worried about Flannie. I was dumbfounded as the youngsters gathered around Jonny Gomes, who, with Nix, are the only two Nats to face Daniel Hudson, only to hear Gomes say, "He's got more stuff than the guy who shut you out last night." I love Jonny, but when the Voice of Experience tells the kids they can't hit, they're not going to hit. Don't make negative predictions - they come true. Nix and Gomes have just displayed their hairy chests, but this feels like a game where, once again, the team let Livo down. It ought to be 2-2 and free baseball right now. But how 'bout a 2 out,9th inning rally?
HEY MICK, hurry, say something nasty about Jayson Werth!!!
But first, that bum Wilson Ramos...
rats. too slow.
captcha
bling st
I hope D.C. Wonk enjoyed the game. I would have been happy to meet him and the fam had I been at NatsPark. I'm looking forward to his analysis of what a difference Werth would've made. Nix in right missed the cutoff man that helped produce two runs. Gomes' error in left cost a run. Livo was great. Werth's been heating up, and his fielding is excellent, if wall-shy. We'll gem em tomorrow. There had to be a let-down after Philly.
Is it just me, or are we hearing "...past a diving Morse!" more often lately? I'm not criticizing, I'm just asking.
After Justin Upton was intentionally walked, the Nats win chance was 8.1%. After Henry's work, the Nats win chance was 3.9%.
Basically, Davey took a low probability of a Nats win to give Henry the opportunity to pitch with runners on base, which heaven knows, Henry needs to learn. Also, Davey is looking at Hudson pitching a complete game shutout...
Granted, after the two homers you want to murder Davey, but if the Nats could ever get any runs before the 9th inning--!
Whoever it was said it's painful to watch Davey teaching the pitchers is right on the money.
Davy preparing the team for tomorrow by giving up today
@sunderland: Davey thinks Livo already knows how to pitch. He wants Henry to learn how. That's Davey's thinking. As I said a while ago, Davey decides (based on percentages) which games are already lost, and he uses those games for teaching. The other games he tries to win. That is all.
Well - the good news is that the scoreless streak is over and Livo can still pitch. The bad news is , well, the whole waiting until the 9th inning with 2 outs routine is kind of getting old.Zim's streak of reaching base is broken, too... and we lost, again. And we kind of can't hit, either. Other than that.....
Tyler and Drew will be fresh as daisies tomorrow!
@Sofa-- Morse is not a great 1st baseman. He's just a lot better than Adam Dunn. He's tall and can stretch out to dig throws out of the dirt. He doesn't make many errors, his head is in the game. But he's no Adam LaRoche.
You're only down two runs. Play one game at a time. Never give up never give in.
Mike Flanagan was found dead at his home. The body was his.
NatsLady said...
@sunderland: Davey thinks Livo already knows how to pitch. He wants Henry to learn how. That's Davey's thinking. As I said a while ago, Davey decides (based on percentages) which games are already lost, and he uses those games for teaching. The other games he tries to win. That is all.
*************
NatsLady, respectfully of course, I ain't buying this. It's a 2 - 0 game and Davey's not thinking about trying to find high stress chances for Henry. Bringing HRod in with bases loaded was senseless, and it certainly was not primarily a teaching moment (pardon any intensity in the rambling).
flynnie, yep, the earlier reports that there was a suspicious death at his home which didn't sound like it was Mike. I would watch an occasional MASN O's game so I saw Mike on there a few times.
NatsLady, another point. It's not right to let one pitcher "learn to pitch" with another guys runners on base. And Davey knows this.
If Henry put those guys on, and Davey left Henry in, then sure, he's giving a guy a chance to clean up his own mess. But to have Henry come in with 3 of Livo's guys on the bags, no, Davey is not thinking this would be a good teaching moment.
8:55 p.m. -- Brace yourselves, folks. Henry Rodriguez is entering the game with the bases loaded and one out after Livo is pulled in the top of the eighth.
______________________
That is what told me that Davey either:
1)lost his mind
2)would be a genius if Henry got 2 quick outs
3)padding those great (LOL) Inherited Run stats
4)saving the bullpen as this was mop-up
You can choose what Davey was tonight.
It's all well and good to give Henry a teachable moment but Livo deserved to win and needs to perform to get a job next year. Just like Davy saying Pudge doesn't need to prove himself, yes he does, if he wants a job next year. The guys understand they probably won't be in the playoffs this year, but they still want to win games.
Very tired of not being able to post using my Google account from my new laptop with Internet Explorer 9. I get "Your current account (email address) does not have access to view this page." Has anyone else had this problem? How do you fix it?
I'm tired of Nats "tipping their hats" to the D'back's pitchers. I want to tip my hat to Livo, who wins this game with a normal amount of leather and lumber. I remember Frank Robinson being asked about the Angels pitching in 2005 - "They can be hit. Cy Young could be hit!"
@sunderland: sorry, don't buy it. Nothing stopped Davey from putting Mattheus in. Nothing stopped Davey from putting Coffey in. Nothing stopped Davey from leaving Livo in. (Balester had already warmed, Davey could have put him in.)
Davey knew if he put Henry in it was a virtual certainty that it wouldn't be 2-0 when Henry was done. Davey has gradually been putting Henry in in the more high-leverage situations. My money says he'll keep doing it.
@Dawn: Livo and Pudge are known quantities. They have nothing to prove, and not much to learn. Whether they get jobs next year will depend on what other players do, not on what they do.
anon 9:55 -- have you tried another browser? I don't have the problem with Chrome, but I do have the problem on my iPhone. When posting from my phone I have to use the name/URL option, and it's a REAL pain.
At Syracuse Tom Milone lowers his ERA to 3.33 and ups his record to 11-6. He now has 149 strikeouts and 14 waks.
At Hagerstown, Cole gets hammered, but Keyes hits his 15th homer.
@Anonymous 9:57 I feel your pain. This site is congenial but cumbersome. Maybe use Opera or Firefox as a browser for this site, but that's really asking a lot.
At least we weren't shut out. I think Livo should have been allowed to get his own last two outs, after loading the bases with the walk. But I'm not the manager and never will be.
SteveM, if you are out there, giving Coco Crisp some love helped. He is 4-4 with 2 HRs against CC Sabathia and the Yankees tonight. WOW
NatsLady; Respectfully disagree. Players whether it is their first or twenty-first season have to prove they can still perform.
Watching Baseball Tonight on ESPN, A's beat the Yankees in the 10th inning on Coco Crisp's 3 run HR. He had 5 of the 6 RBIs. He hit HRs from both sides of the plate and was 4 for 4 with 1 walk. Guess that OBP is back over .330 again.
Dawn said...
NatsLady; Respectfully disagree. Players whether it is their first or twenty-first season have to prove they can still perform.
August 24, 2011 10:25 PM
____________________________
While I agree with you with respect to players at or near the end of their career (Pudge, Livan, etc), we all know elite players in their prime are on cruise control.
Terrible news -- Mike Flanagan found dead on his Baltimore County property.
He was 59 with a wife and three daughters.
Rays just beat Detroit, so Manny's team didn't lose any ground. They play a horn there too, seems like.
NatsLady, the Indians are below .500 for the first time in a long time. Tigers are losing to good teams, the Indians have just been choking.
Well, Pudge can't do anything right now as far as proving he can still perform. Livo performed just fine tonight. Whether Livo will be on the team, in the bullpen, or in the rotation will depend on what Wang, Detwiler, Peacock, etc., do in September, whether someone gets injured, whether there is a FA signing, and a bunch of other factors.
With Livo you know you are getting a .500 pitcher who is a workhorse and won't get injured. I am greatly in favor of Livo returning to the team--at the very least he can be in long-relief, put down bunts as a pinch-hitter and coach the young 'ens. If there is an injury, he can do a spot start or slip into the rotation.
A8-- yeah, I know. Had hopes for them, but they were playing above their talent level. Hopes are fading fast.
I just learned something I didn't know. 2 teams can put in a waiver claim on a player and the team can negotiate with both however the claim is awarded to the team with the worse record if they decide to the trade.
MASN is doing a nice tribute to Flanny. Rick Dempsey is showing great courage as he salutes his friend with eyes full of tears.
Davey Johnson has forgotten more baseball than the collective
Intelligence of this group, which is considerable,
(except for the anon trolls), will ever know. Be patient.
With some additional talent - especially in cf and lf
And some reliable long relief 2012-14 is going to be lots of fun
For Nats fans!
This is shocking. From WBAL on Mike Flanagan:
Police did not immediately identify the cause of death, but sources confirmed that Flanagan took his own life "despondent over what he considered a false perception from a community he loved of his role in the Oriole's prolonged failure," Sandusky said.
Read more: http://www.wbaltv.com/sports/28967968/detail.html#ixzz1W0VHahkP
WBAL TV says Flanny took his own life.
I don't see how anyone can know that Flanny took his own life because he was "despondent" over the Orioles' continued failure. All you can know is that he was in tremendous pain, couldn't see that it would end, and ended it himself. Would this have changed if the O's were leading the league under new management? I don't see how anyone can know this.
@Steve said...
Davey Johnson has forgotten more baseball than the collective
Intelligence of this group, which is considerable,
(except for the anon trolls), will ever know. Be patient.
With some additional talent - especially in cf and lf
And some reliable long relief 2012-14 is going to be lots of fun
For Nats fans!
August 24, 2011 11:13 PM
I'm a Anon Troll and thanks for that. Could it be Davey's time like Joe Gibbs has passed him by?
His bizarre moves seem to turn into losses and this call for 2 long relievers isn't a top priority when you have no setup man who is reliable that can come in before Clippard.
We still dont know his reasoning for many of his moves and we all posters here try to say there is a reason only Davey won't tell us and people give him the benefit of the doubt like you are in respect. How long are we going to buy off on this BS?
There is no accountability. He took over a team that was above .500 and did it predominantly without its biggest star Ryan Zimmerman and a bench that was anchored by Matt Stairs and some relievers that are AAA.
I'm not panicking because I believe this team will overcome. You brought it up so I wanted to comment like a troll.
Hey Group:
just back (actually had some other emails to respond to 1st) and saw that DC Wonk was looking for me. We stayed right until the bitter end. You guys don't need my analysis but I did honestly think about LaRoche as that ball went under Morse's glove. Flynnie I did not pick up on Nix's throw but Gomes gaff was obvious.
I am wondering if Livan knew he was coming out when told to intentionally walk Hudson. That has to sting. I actually thought bringing in HROD was the right choice. He is certainly someone who can get a strikeout, which is what you need at that point. Obviously, it did not work. Was impressed with Hudson and how quick he works. Was impressed with Zimmerman on several plays and their SS killed us with his play up the middle when we had runners on 2nd and 3rd. Thats all I got and yes Natsfan1a, I have been collecting since my son was born in 1980 and have a decent collection. My first collection, like so many others was thrown out by my mom when I went to college. Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Stan Musial, Roberto Clemente (the card actually read Bob) All the beautiful 1955 & 56 Topps cards were gone as well as others of course but those were my favorites. I still get upset at my 87 year old mom and never let her forget (actually we laugh about it but that sounds pretty good huh).
My favorite player was Eddie Yost and I have managed to find every one of his cards from a 48 Bowman up to his last year with the Detroit Tigers in 1963. I have now bored 99% of the blog. My apologies.
word to post was ankil (close but no cigar)
Gonat/Flynnie, the Flanny thing gets more bizarre. Today was Cal's 51st birthday. It was also well known how depressed Flanny was off the air about the demise of the Orioles.
Not sure why you kill yourself over the stain Angelo$ has brought on the region. He took over a winning team, winning manager, best TV man, and then a sold-out ballpark at OPACY and single-handedly turned it into a perpetual loser that became a locale for visiting teams to be showcased for the visiting fans.
I am sure many of us were stuck with the O's as our only regional choice. Flanagan also lamented how the Nats were improving. That had to tick him off too when he bled orange & black. Angelos should be ashamed of himself.
wow anon8 - you are going pretty deep blaming Angelos for another mans depression. I am sure Angelos is upset for the Flanagan family and hopefully not ashamed of what happened tonight. yes, he will not get any votes for owner of the year but where you went with this is not my cup of tea. I worked for 15 years after coaching with emotionally disturbed youth and it was always tough to see the parents trying to take the blame for their kids troubles when it usually was the kid who needed to figure things out. Using your logic, if the O's were playoff contenders and doing well, Flanagan would still be around and I don't think that makes sense. Most people with problems will find enough reasons or make them up if need be. Its just sad enough to have this loss without piling on someone who had nothing to do with it.
sjm309 - glad you had a nice night at the park, stayed all 9 innings, and you nailed another reason for the Nats loss: that heart-breaking Ozzie Smith-like spin-o-rama rally-ending play by the D'Back shortstop with Nats on 2d and 3rd. I hope you get to see MASN's tribute to Flanny - very well-done, but hard - raw affection shows us at our best - Rick Dempsey and Jim Hunter breaking down - even iron-butt Showalter losing his composure. There is a sweetness in Dempsey, who dwelt on the 1983 World Series Championship O's. "How sad it has to end."
I don't like Peter Angelos, but it would be fitting to remember that he gave Flanny the front office and unstinting financial support. We would have had to watch replacement players during the MLB strike if it weren't for Peter Angelos, and the strike would have lasted longer. He should get his due for being the one owner who respected labor. He owned the team when Cal saved baseball, brought in Davey to manage some great teams, and Pat Gillick as GM. Unfortunately, he ran them all off, and Jon Miller, too. Why was Flanny so hopeless? No one knows that, which is one of the mysteries of depression
I don't know if I could bear to watch the MASN thing on Flanagan, so I'm glad to have your description, flynnie. I'm not sure why this is bothering me so much ...
sjm308, I enjoyed all of your lengthy post. Thanks. You might like this: one of the (zillions of) memorabilia shops in Cooperstown has a sign reading "We have the baseball cards your mother threw away."
Just saw the news about Flanagan. Never followed the O's so am not familiar with his background. I can say that I enjoyed his self-deprecating sense of humor during the Nats-O's dual-team broadcasts that I watched.
Went to bed right after the Nats/D'backs game and missed the middle innings, so I can't comment on pitching moves or plays in that part of the game. Was glad we weren't shut out, although I'd have preferred a win, of course. Seemed to me that Gomes gave Hudson a look before rounding the bases. Hudson looked pretty bummed when he was pulled.
And I enjoyed the post, too, sjm.
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