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Photo by Mark Zuckerman / NATS INSIDER Stephen Strasburg will pitch tonight ... if the game is played. |
I kid, I kid. Stephen Strasburg is scheduled to make his 2011 debut against the Dodgers. But as you know, the weather here is awful. Been raining all day, and it's not supposed to stop until the end of the week. The above photo was taken when the tarp had just been removed, but it's since been re-placed over the infield.
I wish I could tell you right now whether the game will be played, when it will be played and what the Strasburg plan is for each various scenario. But I know nothing right now. None of us do. We're just going to have to wait and see.
I'll be sure to post any updates I can on here, so please check back. For more immediate updates, you can access my Twitter page...
DODGERS at NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 7:05 p.m.
TV: MASN2
Radio: WJFK (106.7 FM), WFED (1500 AM), XM 189
Weather: Rain, 67 degrees, Wind 12 mph in from CF
STARTING LINEUPS5:00 p.m. -- OK, here's the deal: Nothing's been decided yet, but it certainly does look promising for baseball to be played tonight. It looks even less promising for Stephen Strasburg to pitch tonight, because Davey Johnson said he won't send Strasburg out there if there's a reasonable chance at a delay that would prevent him from being able to pitch multiple innings in succession. "I don't care if it's sold out, whatever," Johnson said. "I'm concerned about what's best for the player." If Strasburg doesn't start tonight but there is a game, Brad Peacock will make his big-league debut in his place. (Actually, Peacock will pitch in relief of Strasburg in the other scenario.) If tonight's game is postponed, Johnson said the hope is to play a day-night doubleheader tomorrow, with Strasburg starting the 1 p.m. game and Chien-Ming Wang starting the 7 p.m. game. And what would the manager say to those people who bought tickets for tonight's game and would have to come back out here on a Wednesday afternoon to see Strasburg? "I suggest they all take off work."
NATIONALS (65-74)
SS Ian Desmond
CF Jayson Werth
3B Ryan Zimmerman
LF Michael Morse
RF Jonny Gomes
2B Danny Espinosa
1B Chris Marrero
C Wilson Ramos
P Stephen Strasburg
DODGERS (68-72)
SS Dee Gordon
1B James Loney
CF Matt Kemp
LF Juan Rivera
RF Andre Ethier
3B Aaron Miles
C Rod Barajas
2B Justin Sellers
P Ted Lilly
5:03 p.m. -- Speaking of Peacock, he was one of a bunch of players called up today from Class AAA Syracuse, along with Yunesky Maya, Craig Stammen, Atahualpa Severino, Steve Lombardozzi and Corey Brown. If you add guys previously called up (or activated off the DL) since Sept. 1 -- Strasburg, Tom Milone, Doug Slaten, Roger Bernadina, Ivan Rodriguez -- the Nats will have 36 active and available players tonight and for the rest of the season. (That includes Livan Hernandez and Jordan Zimmermann, who have been shut down.) Two players still need to be removed from the 40-man roster to clear space for the call-ups, and there are only three candidates: Cole Kimball (who will be transferred from the 15-day DL to the 60-day DL) and either Garrett Mock or Adam Carr. We should know soon. Full story on the call-ups coming in a little while.
5:50 p.m. -- So I was a little confused on that roster thing. Turns out they needed to clear three spots on the 40-man. So Kimball has been transferred to the 60-day DL, Carr has been unconditionally released and Mock has been designated for assignment.
6:05 p.m. -- So, the tarp is off the infield right now and it's not raining. But it's going to rain again at some point. My gut feeling: They may somehow play, but it'll be Peacock on the mound, not Strasburg.
6:38 p.m. -- Or maybe not. They just rolled up the tarp, and Strasburg just emerged from the dugout to begin stretching. Barring the rain returning in the next 20 minutes or so, it appears this game is going to begin on-time and he's going to pitch.
6:45 p.m. -- He's playing catch now. Sure looks like he's starting this game.
6:53 p.m. -- Strasburg is in the bullpen and he's beginning to warm up. This thing's happening, and it's happening on-time. The only question now is how much he can go before the rain hits.
7:05 p.m. -- Here he comes, walking out of the bullpen to a big ovation. At least, as big an ovation as you can get from a crowd of maybe 12,000.
7:10 p.m. -- And we are underway with a 96-mph foul ball from Stephen Strasburg to Dee Gordon.
7:15 p.m. -- The top of the first is in the books, and so far, so good. Strasburg surrendered a leadoff double to Gordon (a soft liner to left-center) but then got James Loney to fly out to center, Matt Kemp to ground out to short and Juan Rivera to fly out to right on a 79-mph curveball. I can't remember ever seeing him throw anything in the 70s last year. Eleven total pitches, seven strikes. Fastball at 96-97.
7:34 p.m. -- The good news: The Nats loaded the bases in the bottom of the first, with Jayson Werth drawing a walk, Ryan Zimmerman beating out a slow roller to the hole at short and Jonny Gomes drawing another walk. The bad news: A really long inning, compounded by Ted Lilly's deliberate pace on the mound, could leave Strasburg with less time to pitch before the rain hits. It took Lilly 19 minutes to throw 32 pitches to six batters. Where's Joe West when you need him?
7:40 p.m. -- THAT's the Strasburg we all remember. A 1-2-3 top of the second, featuring a strikeout of Andre Ethier on a 90-mph changeup (the first he's thrown in the majors since his final pitch in Philly last August), a strikeout of Aaron Miles on a 99-mph heater and a flyout to center from Rod Barajas to end the inning. He's at 23 total pitches, 15 strikes through two.
8:00 p.m. -- Chris Marrero and Wilson Ramos gives the Nats and Strasburg an early lead. Back-to-back doubles to right-center to open the bottom of the second, the latter giving Ramos a 10-game hitting streak. Then Strasburg drops a perfect sac bunt down the third-base line and winds up on second base when Lilly throws the ball away. I would imagine a few Nats coaches were holding their breath watching him chug around the bases, but he appears fine. He even managed to score two batters later on Werth's RBI groundout to short. It's now 3-0, and I believe my wife may give birth to our second child before Lilly completes this inning.
8:08 p.m. -- Strasburg still looking sharp as ever. Another 1-2-3 third inning, getting a flyball and two grounders. He's thrown only 35 pitches (24 strikes) and has retired nine in a row since the game-opening double. Changeup hit 91 mph in the third inning.
8:26 p.m. -- The consecutive batters retired streak is over, but that's only because Desmond couldn't quite haul in Juan Rivera's grounder to his left. No matter, because Strasburg blew away MVP candidate Matt Kemp with a 90 mph changeup and Andre Ethier with a 97 mph fastball. Through four innings, he's allowed two hits, no runs, no walks and struck out four. He's thrown only 48 pitches (33 strikes) and there's nobody warming in the bullpen. Looks like he'll be back out for a fifth inning, with a chance to qualify for the win.
8:36 p.m. -- And Strasburg is back out to the mound for the fifth as a light rain begins to fall. There's some stirring in the bullpen, too. Imagine a reliever would finish this inning if he can't, then Brad Peacock will start the sixth. Meanwhile, it's still 3-0 Nats.
8:43 p.m. -- Well that was as quick as it gets. Eight pitches to retire the side in the fifth. The crowd gives him a standing ovation as he walks off the mound, with a final line that should read: 5 ip, 2 h, 0 r, 0 bb, 4 k, 56 pitches (40 strikes). That's an average of only 11.2 pitches per inning, fewer than he needed in any of his 12 starts last season!
8:50 p.m. -- And it'll actually be Doug Slaten to pitch the sixth as Brad Peacock continues to warm up in the bullpen.
9:01 p.m. -- Davey Johnson said this afternoon he wouldn't bring in Peacock in the middle of an inning. So naturally he's now bringing the rookie in with two out, one out and MVP candidate Kemp at the plate representing the tying run. Yikes.
9:12 p.m. -- This game is tied, and Strasburg cannot get the win as Peacock blows the save. Hard to blame the kid. He's a highly touted starting prospect. Why was he making his major-league debut in a situation like this?
9:18 p.m. -- Well, Peacock got out of it with the game still tied, 3-3, thanks to a 6-4-3 double play. Still, that was not the situation anyone wanted to see.
9:38 p.m. -- Uh-oh, here comes the rain and here comes the tarp. This is not good. It's a tie game in the top of the seventh. Either we resume later after a delay, or this is a suspended game that must be finished from this point tomorrow.
9:45 p.m. -- By the way: Ten bucks says Rob Dibble goes on the radio tomorrow and raves about how great it was to see Stephen Strasburg back on the mound.
9:50 p.m. -- Ooh, the tarp is being pulled back. We should have baseball again soon. Not that there will be anyone in the park to see it.
10:08 p.m. -- And we're back with Atahualpa Severino making his major-league debut in front of a crowd that would be considered small in the South Atlantic League.
10:17 p.m. -- Tonight's official paid attendance: 29,092. I doubt there were more than 15,000 actually here at any singular point. There really aren't anywhere close that many here now.
10:37 p.m. -- Hey, what do you know? Henry Rodriguez has given up two runs in the top of the eighth. The Nats now trail 5-3 and the few people still here are not happy.
10:44 p.m. -- Steve Lombardozzi makes his big-league debut and draws a 5-pitch walk. Nicely done. For those keeping track, he's the third different Nationals player to make his MLB debut in this game. And Corey Brown is still waiting on the bench for his chance!
10:51 p.m. -- Oh good, Yunesky Maya is in the game.
11:00 p.m. -- Maya surrenders a bases-loaded double to make it 7-3 as we go to the bottom of the ninth.
11:16 p.m. -- That's your ballgame. Corey Brown (the fourth Nat to make his MLB debut tonight) flies out to left with the bases loaded to end the game. Nats lose 7-3. Once upon a time, Stephen Strasburg dominated on the mound.
202 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 1 – 200 of 202 Newer› Newest»Strasmas, Schmasmas, the Z-Man's back on the beat and NatsTown is abuzz. :-)
We might hear something a little after 4:00.
Welcome back Mark. Good timing for your return! You can tell Brian that a nearly sold-out house greeted you when you came back to work after his birth.
So what time will Strasburg start warming up for the game? I'm guessing that the Nats will cancel the game early in order to avoid him warming up and then having to pull him because of a rain delay. So if he starts to warm up, that could be a pretty good indication that they think they have a shot at starting sometime close to 7 pm. I think I'm right that it's totally the Nats call whether to cancel the game until it actually starts, at which point the power passes to the umpires.
There hasn't been this much excitement since The Life of Brian debuted locally...
Mark, we could hardly grouse over you being on paternity leave, but it sure is nice having you back!
Second that, Traveler.
(But would it kill you to post a Brian pic for us once in a while? ;-))
Rizzo coming up on MLB channel.
from Twitter:
Mike Rizzo just told MLB Network that a decision on tonight's game wouldn't be made until scheduled 7:05 p.m. gametime.
In other games this year, I think the Nats did a reasonbly good job of making the go/no-go call fairly early, so people didn't have to travel downtown only to face a rainout. It doesn't seem right that they would wait all the way to game time. Maybe that's just Rizzo's way of saying, "I don't know either."
So according to Rizzo, they will have everyone wait outside the gates until 7:05 and Rizzo sticks his hand out the rain-detection porthole in his office. They he will appear on the balcony like the Kate and Wills or Mr. Burns and make the announcement?
This delay is very bad for fan relations.. Yeh,so schlep down in the rain, wrapped in plastic... there is no way they are putting the franchise out on a tricky field. Nationals need to be a lot more decent about this. Pure b.s.
No MC 703 - they will welcome everyone into the park to drink $8 beers and eat $6 hotdogs while waiting to hear what is going on. I will be at Justin's Cafe drinking $3 craft beers and enjoying myself.
go nats
I don't know what you would have him do. I'm looking at the radar and it looks like there's a hole in the rain. The hole could get big enough to play or it could close up and rain could fall steadily.
If the picture was one of total green and yellow, I'm sure they'd call the game. But there is a chance to get it played, so they're going to try. If it were June, they'd probably call it. I wish it were June-- ah, but it's not.
Good to have you back MarkMeister!
Good thing that Rachel didn't have triplets, or we wouldn't have seen you for the rest of the season!
Mark - I have heard that MLB is involved in the decision on this particular game. Can you verify or discount that?
@SJM308 - Good call! It's the kinda place that I don't want too many people to know about but I want the proprietors to kick a$$. A sort of local business catch22. The pizzas are pretty darn good too.
@NatsLady - I understand what you're saying but the decision will definitely be made before 7PM. What time does a pitcher start warming up for a 7:05 start? I bet they've already poked Balester.
Kelli Johnson just tweeted -
kjohnsoncsn Kelli Johnson
Doesn't Mother Nature know it's Strasmus?!Davey Johnson just said groundscrew told him the radar doesn't show much of a window 2 get game in
Warmup: I think it depends on the pitcher. Wang warms up for a very long time. So does Livo. I'm not sure about the other starters.
Natslady you are a welcome voice of sanity. Not even the great Stras himself can predict the rain with pinpoint accuracy!
MC703 - What time did Kelli Johnson tweet that? My friend (Gonat) tweeted the same opening line a while ago.
There seemed to be only one small hole in the rain (around 8 pm) on this radar map...
http://www.weather.com/weather/map/interactive/
I would be very surprised if the game will be played and, if it is, whether they would like Strasburg play on a treacherous field.
But, unless I hear different, I will be heading out for the game....
Thank you for a dose of perspective, NatsLady.
They're doing exactly what they should do. What is passing through this area is mostly on but partially off rain showers. They can play a game in this if they get lucky, or they may have to postpone it.
Gince it's a California team that is leaving town Thursday evening and there's rain forecast tomorrow and Thursday as well, they HAVE to do everything they can to get this game in. It's not ideal for fans, but rain delays never are. Just because this potential delay affects 10-15,000 more fans than normal doesn't mean they should change the approach. Some of us hang on these decisions even when Strasburg isn't pitching.
Chris Needham just said the correct words in a tweet. "Interesting seeing how many are complaining Nats aren't calling a game, when they got mocked for calling one earlier and it didn't rain"
KJ tweeted at 4:12PM
kjohnsoncsn Kelli Johnson
New callup Brad Peacock will pitch if there are weather delays..don't want Strasburg warming & sitting..Or starting gme & having long delays
Mark, conagrats! and welcome back.
OK, the Nats not calling this game is a joke. Ridiculous.
Do the fans a solid Rizzo and call the game now so we can make plans accordingly. Wiating until 7:05? That's screwing people for a buck, plain and simple. 100% chance of rain: http://www.weather.com/weather/hourbyhour/graph/USDC0001
dfh21
By the way, Mark Zuckerman reports all the new Nats. 36 on the bench including Stammen, Corey Brown and Severino.
When I mentioned last month who I thought was a possibility, someone here said that would be crazy for a non-contending team, I think was his words.....I won't mention any names.
I hang on any weeknight game that I go to because I have to leave work early/run home and feed the dog/fight metro etc.
And now that I know Peacock is pitching, that doesn't change anything. Just don't want to show up to have the game called as I am walking up to the gate.
dfh21, do you really think it is up to the Nats? You really think Rizzo can just declare this a rainout 3 hours before start time? Dodgers get no say? NL gets no say? Just Rizzo to make the call?
What a tough decision.
Under normal circumstances with a prediction of 90% chance of heavy rain the game should be canceled. But with a poor forecast there is a chance that we may never see a Dodger/Nats game for this year.
But for the 40,000 that have bought tickets it's a real hassle. Even though I bought 4 extra tickets on top of my two season tix and two magic reward tix I am calling off this circus because we aren't going to travel from Leesburg to spend $20 each for dogs and beer and come up after the game gets canceled at 10 or 11.
It's like the airlines sticking you on a plane to sit on a runway for hours, no easy solution.
Agree with NatsLady and Bowdenball that they are doing what they should do. Tough to get these LA games in with all the rain in the forecast. If they can get one in tonight, it would ease the situation.
But who knows with rain and that's a risk fans should understand.
It hasn't rained at my office near Nationals Park in about 90 minutes. Given that, I can't be too hard on the Nats for not calling the game.
Unfortunately, I bought pretty expensive uncovered seats for tonight. No offense to Brad Peacock, but I didn't spend all that money in ordert to see him pitch.
sunderland -- yes, I do think that the Nats can call the game. It is the home team's call. This wait and see is all about them making a buck. The game is meaningless as both clubs are out of it; they do not need to stand on their heads and expose people to lightning in order to get it in.
dfh21
I understand it's a hassle for Nats fans (says a person who wasn't going anyway). But LA fans are entitled to have a shot to have their team play. All the adult people have to make their own decision on whether to take a chance, and if the game is delayed at 7:05 but not cancelled, how long to wait to see Peacock pitch.
The children can cry. Here is a nice crying place. ________________________
(It's a light drizzle in Fairfax County right now).
"This wait and see is all about them making a buck. The game is meaningless as both clubs are out of it; they do not need to stand on their heads and expose people to lightning in order to get it in."
That's been going on in baseball since they started paying players.
Dodgers:
Gordon – SS
Loney – 1B
Kemp – CF
Rivera – LF
Ethier – RF
Miles – 3B
Barajas – C
Seller – 2B
Lilly – P
There are two decisions to be made. Play the game or not, and if the game is played does Strasburg start? The decision on whether or not to play the game has to be made first, and with three games needing to be fit into the next 48 hours with a forecast of rain for that entire period, they are going to do everything possible to get tonight's game in tonight. So it all does depend on what the weather is doing at 7:05. If there is any possibility of finding a rain-free window at some time then or later, they will play. (BTW, I'm only a mile from the stadium and right now it's not raining although there is still residual ground wetness. If it's this way from now til 7;05, they could start on time.)
Now, if there's a game will Strasburg start? Only if there's a half hour or more of rain-free window prior to the projected start time. He needs that much time to go through his warmup routine, which includes stretching and long toss in the outfield followed by bullpen throwing. If they think the grass is too wet during the warmup time they may well scratch him just to prevent the odd chance that he might slip and hurt himself during long toss. If he does start the game and the weather gets bad, they'll pull him immediately. If there's a rain delay, he won't be back.
Bottom line, they'll do everything possible to get the game in tonight, but if there's even the least bit of an issue with the rain Strasburg won't pitch.
This child is crying foul.
dfh21-
It's standard MLB practice to get in all 162 games if it's at all possible. Otherwise it throws off everything from attendance numbers to players' statistics- which are vitally important to arbitration, among other things. If you take a look back through the standings each season you'll find very few instances of teams not playing 162 games. I don't see any teams that played less in 2010 and only two (Pittsburgh and Chicago) that missed a single game in 2009. And given the weather forecast and geography and the schedule, these two teams may be looking at a missed game even if they get this one in tonight.
It's true that both teams are out of it but they still need to stand on their heads to get it done. They won't expose anyone to lightning, but they may have to inconvenience a few fans. It's happened many many times before and it will happen many many times again. That's baseball.
MC 703 said...
KJ tweeted at 4:12PM
kjohnsoncsn Kelli Johnson
Doesn't Mother Nature know it's Strasmus?!Davey Johnson just said groundscrew told him the radar doesn't show much of a window 2 get game in
I don't know if you can tell exact times but it says 1 hour on it so certainly posted before the other one. Gonat (Michael) wrote:
"Look at this rainfall chart for #Strasmus #Nats Does Mother Nature know Stephen Strasburg is scheduled to pitch? http://t.co/fHFbT8E "
Certainly similar in the Mother Nature "Strasmus" message.
Geez, who cares who tweeted what first. Get a life loser.
Thought we had been through this before but found this in Wiki-land at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainout_(sports). Cold and raining in Reston right now. If it's Davey's call I'd put the over/under on him cancelling at 6 pm. (and I'll take the under just slightly).
"Before a baseball game commences, unless it is the second game of a doubleheader, the manager of the home team is in charge of deciding whether or not the game should be delayed or canceled due to rain or other inclement weather (see Rule 3.10 of baseball's Official Rules). Once the home team manager hands his lineup card to the umpire shortly before the game is to begin, the umpire-in-chief has sole discretion to decide if a game should be delayed or canceled (see Rule 3.10 and Rule 4.01 of the Official Rules). This also applies to the second game of a doubleheader. Umpires are required by rule to wait at least 30 minutes to see if conditions improve; this is referred to as a rain delay and is not counted as part of the length of the game listed in the box score. In practice, umpires are encouraged to see that games are played if at all possible, and will sometimes wait as long as three hours before declaring a rainout."
As a demonstration of how many people have decided to bail on tonights game, StubHub has *lots* of tickets available for immediate download at prices less than $2. I even saw some in the Upper Infield Gallery for less than $1. One person was selling tickets in Section 416 for $0.39.
http://www.stubhub.com/washington-nationals-tickets/nationals-vs-dodgers-9-6-2011-1007002/
Call it the Wet Peacock Effect.
3.10a also says
EXCEPTION: Any league may
permanently authorize its president to suspend the application of this rule as to that
league during the closing weeks of its championship season in order to assure that
the championship is decided each year on its merits. When the postponement of,
and possible failure to play, a game in the final series of a championship season
between any two teams might affect the final standing of any club in the league, the
president, on appeal from any league club, may assume the authority granted the
home team by this rule.
(FYI - Championship season is what you and I call regular season)
Pardon my ignorance but who is Kelli Johnson?
Bowdenball -- Thanks for the rational thinking interjection. I think what blew me away earlier today, and my notions of logical thinking on them calling the game -- I should know better, was the selling of a Stras start tonight as late as 1:15 pm today by the club when the chances that he'd actually start on a rain-soaked field in a delayed or start and go game were very, very thin.
dfh21
"Before a baseball game commences, unless it is the second game of a doubleheader, the manager of the home team is in charge of deciding whether or not the game should be delayed or canceled due to rain or other inclement weather (see Rule 3.10 of baseball's Official Rules)."
Too bad the person who put that on wiki didn't actually read Rule 3.10 - it says "home team." "Manager" is nowhere in that rule.
3.10
(a) The home team shall be the sole judge as to whether a game shall not be started because of unsuitable weather conditions or the unfit condition of the playing field, except for the second game of a doubleheader. EXCEPTION: Any league may permanently authorize its president to suspend the application of this rule as to that league during the closing weeks of its championship season in order to assure that the championship is decided each year on its merits. When the postponement of, and possible failure to play, a game in the final series of a championship season between any two teams might affect the final standing of any club in the league, the president, on appeal from any league club, may assume the authority granted the home team by this rule.
(b) The umpire-in-chief of the first game shall be the sole judge as to whether the second game of a doubleheader shall not be started because of unsuitable weather conditions or the unfit condition of the playing field.
Wow, okay so I guess I'll be aggravating and ponder the
regular appearance of Jayson Werth in CF. Folks are still
worried about the top of the batting order. This may signal
that Nats mgmt may not be anymore. The Nats do now have
the guy with the highest OBP in college. He was also the best
pure hitter in over a decade not to mention gold glove potential.
Have to wonder if Nats mgmt isn't seeing something down
FLA that may be eye popping? And Harper is there as well.
Mr. Rendon will likely start the offseason as badeball's top
can't miss prospect. Is he closer to MLB ready than Harper?
What I am seeing suggests as much and Davey is a different
manager in that he would be more than willing to use him.
Nonetheless the young apprentice Byce is also close ...
Say hello to your néw CF Jayson Werth. Say hello to your
new #1 / #2 hitter A. Rendon. Hopefully as good at getting
on base as Nick The Stick. But less fragile with more power
a higher ceiling and the flexibility to play more than first base
at gold glove levels.
Could the Baby Nats win featuring Werth and Rendon at the top?
Followed by the still young Z-man, Harper, Morse, Espinosa.
LaRoche is now on the 60-day and would have to knock a player
off to get on the 40 again.
Oh yeah Stras. Everyone keep in mind that like JZimm he will
be limited next season so your defacto baby Nat ace is JZimm
They are going to need one bonafide veteran ace next year if
they plan on making Phillie Phans squirm in their busses. T'would
have been nice had Rizz found a way to purloin Jimmy Shields
from the Rays.
Leading to the notion of BJ Upton coming to DC may be old news.
Looking to me like Rendon followed by Harper instead.
The Nats forfeited the final game at RFK so they only played 161 games.
jd said...
Steve M.
As I I've said before I don't put too much stock in in short term stats but what I do see from Ian Desmond is a new approach and that is encouraging. I heard Davey discuss this on a post game show once. He said he has been trying to convince both Desmond and Espinosa to maintain their aggressiveness without giving away at bats.
You can tell that Davey's advise has not fallen on deaf ears at least as far as Desmond is concerned. I don't think he'll ever be a proto typical leadoff hitter and I don't think he'll ever walk enough to have a good OBP but he brings enough to the table (especially the range) where if he can maintain a .310 OBP with a little pop he'd be OK.
September 6, 2011 4:07 PM
Agreed. Short-term trends can be nothing more than a hot streak. August & September combined would be a nice window to the future.
I honestly didn't believe the Nats could solve this "leadoff issue" internally for another 2 years at the earliest unless they went with Jayson Werth again.
To hope, is to believe, to believe in a person's ability to succeed will always encompass life's ups and downs. Here's to hope!
NatsLady said...
The Nats forfeited the final game at RFK so they only played 161 games.
September 6, 2011 4:58 PM
The Nats as in the Senators?
dfh21, when I got an email from the Nats at 12:45 today trying to get me to buy tickets to tonights game to see Strasburg, it just seemed so slimy.
I'm also curious about Werth in CF and curious about the OF plan.
Also, #2 in leadoff spot should, by the stats, be your best hitter (I assume "best" means OBP). Interesting that Davey views Werth in that role rather than in the #5 spot.
Must be fun for Peacock to know it's ok if he slips but not Strasburg.
FeelWood has it exactly right. Davey said as much in remarks to reporters that have been reported via Twitter. The bottom line is that the Nats will probably wait quite a while before deciding whether the game is cancelled, but Strasburg seems very unlikely to pitch tonight if they do play because of the likelihood of delays and poor field conditions. If they play tonight, commencing whenever they see a window, Peacock will probably get the start. If they don't play, then Strasburg will start the makeup game at 1 pm tomorrow. Although this hasn't been reported, it seems possible that if they do play tonight, Strasburg could start tomorrow night.
Then again, it might rain all day tomorrow too, in which case the chances of permanent cancellation are significant since they can't play a doubleheader on Thursday. Whew!
NatsLady said...
"The Nats forfeited the final game at RFK so they only played 161 games."
No, that game was a loss. The stats counted. They had 3 other rainouts that were not played, finishing 63-96.
Anon @ 4:57. All interesting thoughts that have been "pondered" and regurgitated before. First, Rendon hasn't played 1 AB of Major League ball. He won't be thrown into leadoff to start his MLB career. Could he be there eventually? Possibly.
I was answering JD above before I saw your post. It is possible Desi works out great there or they could find a stop-gap like Crisp or go with one of the many lineups I have kicked around.
Brian Goodwin may be the leadoff of the future. Maybe it will be Werth and maybe it will be Rendon or "none of the above".
If the team stayed with today's lineup plus LaRoche where Werth is the CF, it then allows for what I have thought the place for Rendon eventually in LF when they move Morse to 1B and that is still a lot of guessing for the future.
Like I said in the post before, Rendon is sort of a man without a position right now.
All three rainouts were road games - 2 in Baltimore and 1 in Minnesota.
The Nats forfeited the final game at RFK so they only played 161 games.
Are you talking about the last game of the 1971 Senators? That game was played, and would have been won by the Seanators except that fans swarmed the field right before the end and the umpires awarded the Yankees a win by forfeit. The game still counted in the standings.
The last game for the Nationals in RFK was played in 2007. I was there, along with 40,918 others. The Nationals won, beating the Phillies 5-3.
You may be thinking of the 2008 season, when a late September postponement of a game vs the Marlins was not made up, leaving the Nats to finish 59-102 (as opposed to the 59-103 they finished a year later by playing the full 162).
Stras at 1 pm tommorow is looking like the call.
dfh21
nationals7 said...
This delay is very bad for fan relations..
This is standard operating procedure when it's towards the end of a season, and a team is making it's last visit. Even more so if it's from across the country. You try as hard as you can to get the game in. Period. That's been going on since before we were born.
NatsLady's talking about the 1971 Senators. They were often referred to as the Nats.
The whining about it being canceled is ridiculous. We don't control it. Its the old saying that you cant make everyone happy.
I'm not heading down until the tarp is being removed. Watching Mark on Twitter!
Pay to Play, from what I can tell on Mark's Twitter feed, he has turned to posting further updates here rather than on Twitter.
Steve M.
My feeling is that Rendon will eventually end up at 3rd base; for us or someone else. It's his best position and he's considered an excellent 3rd baseman. The Nats knew this when they drafted him but they took the best player available (and correctly so).
As you said there are many scenarios which could still unfold and about which we are probably not even thinking yet but we can speculate. Can't we?
Pay to Play
AdamKilgoreWP Adam Kilgore
Grounds crew pulling the tarp off the field. The rain has stopped. The radar still looks grim.
I'm going down regardless.
No rain in lot H.
Oh, wait. We're in a garage.
Mark z on wtem in 8 minutes
Or maybe NatsLady is talking about the last home game in 2008 at Nats Park against the Marlins The Nats didn't forfeit that game, they just didn't make it up. That was the year they "earned" the Strasburg draft pick. For those of us who were there hoping they'd get the game in, all eyes were on the scoreboard looking to see how the Mariners were doing. Thankfully Jim Riggleman came through for us, and the Nats finished out the year with three straight losses in Philly. Good times.
How come baseball reference says they played 162 games every year except 2008? I assume a forfeit is a loss, because fans ran on the field. Baseball reference says they finished 59-102.
Fans ran on the field in 1971 -- in 2008 it was a late rain-out that was not made up.
Ah, ok, I didn't remember why they didn't play the last game in 2008, I just remembered something funny happened.
Been an hour without rain in Burke, VA.
Schedule impaired. If SS pitches tomorrow is his next start in ny on Monday?
If not tonite or tomorrow, is it a simulated now and a start here Sunday?
Why are we all not celebrating the DFA of MOCK?? Hallelujah -- it's about time! Carr was released, but I really don't know much about him. Just hope we can finally cut our ties with Mock for good.
Being the wuss I am, I have decided not to drive the hour and a half it would take to get down there (DC traffic - rain + day after Labor day) only to sit in the rain.
This pretty much guarantees that the sun will come out and Stras will pitch a four inning no-no. *sigh*
Mark's feeling is that there'll be another Miss Iowa [Have I got that right?] night? Who was that guy? I've forgotten.
Steve M., I have a question for you. In your opinion, how coachable is Espinosa? In theory, he stands in the line of Long Beach State players like Longoria and Tulowitzki. I saw Tulowitzki play at Tulsa (AA). I don't think Tulowitzki and Espinosa are comparable. Is .250 from Espiniosa more or less than we should hope for?
@Another_Sam: It was Miguel Batista. He said something along the lines of people having come to see Miss Universe (Stras) and instead they saw Miss Iowa (him).
Okay.. so watching the radar.. the line of showers looks like it is going to stay in FFX/Loudoun County.. I will gladly take the rain at my house if it keeps the game on..
OH and for those of you who won't stay to watch Peacock - stay and watch.. He has a shot at being our #3/4 starter next year and looks to be a good shot at being a long term part of the PLAN!
Stop being fair weather fans!!!! ROOT FOR THIS TEAM, not just one guy!
Beautiful night at the park whoever pitches
Tarp coming on the field @ 6:36.
Folks shouldn't forget that the 'Miss Iowa' game turned out to be great entertainment. All of us there were disappointed that Strasbourg didn't pitch, but the game turned into a nice victory for the Nats over the Braves. Maybe the same thing happens tonight?
And coming back off at 640. Players in the field
Gyfng
MLB just showed Stras stretching prior to warming up.
Tarp coming off and someone who looks a lot like Strasburg just went out to right field and started to stretch.
Stras is starting to toss with Robledo.
I would also like to thank Mrs Z and Brian for letting us have Mark back tonight... I really missed his commentary during the game..
And guess who is playing catch in RF?
Insiders? Say hi in sec 137 row v. Until game starts and the ushers send me to 132.
I figured no way this game starts, and no way it starts with Strasburg. Are you kidding me? I just ate four tickets...
I was at the Miss Iowa game. Miguel Batista pitched very well, and it was a lot of fun. It was also a lovely evening weatherwise. Most people weren't paying attention to the game, they were wandering around the concourse.
Miguel Batista was a funny guy (a poet) and they didn't make an anouncement, so when he came on to pitch people thought it was some kind of practical joke. You figured that Stras would come out before he threw a pitch, and then he threw one, and I went out to the TV's to see what was happening.
Check list for those of us at home:
1: Good food - Check (this includes Chocolate)
2: Beverage of choice (Mine is a really good bottle of wine - I don't want the bourbon and maalox tonight) = CHECK
3: Internet access to chat with everyone and wait for Mark's updates. Check
4: Masn2 or Masn (no MLB Network tonight), Check.. Can I mute Debbie?
5: Can't wait to hear FP get all excited about Stras! Check
Mother Nature likes Strasmas as well!
I am glad this year I decided to not chase the Wild Strasburg ......finally it worked out for me LOL .....but good we get the game and he looks good so far
What can baseball do about the pace of the game? The bottom of the first was excruciatingly long. Some of the pitches to Morse must have taken > 1 minute...
That was a sweet strike out!
Anyone else noticing that the strike zone tonight is a bit erratic (code for: is the ump blind?). On the plus side, it looks like Lilly is getting squeezed much more than Stras is, so I guess if there's going to be unfairness it might as well be in the Nats' favor.
We gambled it wouldn't be Stras, and stayed home. Glad our guys got on the board first. Glad he is teaching those guys what's what. Will owe my husband for this, since I made the call. Oooof!
GYFNG!
I love BABY NATS!!!!
Some of these young guys can hit!!! ( and bunt, and run home)
So do you think Bo Porter has told Stras how to tag up???
JaneB.. you need to really make up to the hubby!
"I believe my wife may give birth to our second child before Lilly completes this inning."
Mark - Classic!! We missed you, welcome back!
At some point, doesn't Strasburg have to be a baseball player. It's OK for him to run the bases, you know, like a baseball player.
Mark.. we missed you and your commentary.. Can't beleive that Brian alreay has a little bro/sis.. Ted Lilly - the human rain delay
Danny Espinosa is on a six straight strike out streak since yesterday.
Some guy named Hammack... another frustrated Oriole fan.
I'm a Nats fan. Just get a little frustrated with the incessant pampering of Strasburg. I recognize that he's the most important arm in the franchise, but I'll be glad in a year or so when he's just a pitcher and not a pair of new shoes everybody is afraid to get scuffed.
So - I was determined not to get excited -- it's only a rehab start, right? So then I started watching and forgot that he's just an exciting pitcher to watch and so I gave in to it. Now, it's starting to feel like a normal baseball game and that is all good. Question - if we have 36 players here right now and they are all on the 40-man and Bryce Harper and Rendon and Purke are on the 40 man - who is the one person left on the 40 man who is not here?
Ummm... I am excited!
Ryan Mattheus.
Don - nice to see a new name around in here. Thanks -- pretty crowded in the clubhouse these days. Is Ryan officially on the dl?
Yes, he's on the 15-day DL: http://www.natsinsider.com/2011/09/peacock-lombardozzi-among-call-ups.html
So -- assuming they get through the 5th -- what's the weather outlook for the rest of the game/evening?
So, when are they going to pull this Strasburg bum so we can see the real prospect?
Curious about why they brought in Slaten. And when we see Brad.
I'll bet it's because Peacock isn't used to warming as a reliever. Wanted to keep him in his routine.
Ah! There he is. I wish they'd pull Ted Lilly so this game can end. Brian deserves to be an only child for a while longer.
Meanwhile, I love Jamey Carroll, but that better be their last run of the night.
Ian Desmond is like Roger Dorn, he won't put his pretty face infront of the baseball. Just try the 'ole move and hope for the best.
Pitiful.
I am at a loss to understand why you put in Peacock in this situation since Peacock I thought was a starting pitcher ......really do not understand
The Nationals are about to blow Strasburgs "W".
So we do everything in our power to create the absolutely perfect environment for Stephen Strasburg and then we throw Peacock to the wolves - isn't used to relieving - inherited runners. I thought we didn't want to scar their psyches or something.
Well that was fast. You know SS just can't wait til next year when he can keep his own game under control. Slaten and Peacock had to look like batting practice after SS. Now the offense needs to get to the bullpen guy and pull this game out. Kind of wish the torrents of rain had started just a little bit ago. I feel bad for Peacock - putting him in this situation was not very fair.
I am really angry DAVY ONCE AGAIN LOOSES THIS GAME WITH BAD PITCHING MOVES
Everything that happens in the sixth inning is entirely on Davey Johnson. Doug Slaten was idiotic and then insisting on bringing Peacock in an extremely high-pressure situation was even dumber.
This is why we cannot go into 2012 with Desmond. He is just awful.
This sixth inning is just mind boggling on so many levels.
I am with you...why start Peacock now, especially when Slaten did such damage before hand? At least start the kid in a clean inning. Sheesh. It's like they didn't think about Peacock at all. Now we have another starter warming up, with Maya. I get that Davey wants to see what they have in these guys, but that didn't give Peacock a fair start.
One of the reasons I admire MarkZ. -- he is not afraid to speak the truth. What Davey Johnson just did to Brad Peacock is absolutely shameful.
Dee Gordon doing his best Ian Desmond...
Following Stephen Strasburg with Doug Slaten is like entrusting a Faberge egg to Jethro Bodine.
Davy has lost my count 8 games this year with brain dead pitching management and this one is the brain deadest of them all ......WHAT WAS THE POINT OF ALL THAT you screwed this game up and gave Peacock his worst inning of the year .......congrats DAVY YOU WIN
If Davey is managing for 2012 without concern for 2011, then he and Rizzo ought to let us know so we can quit watching these games, rooting for the home tam, and going to the stadium.
The Future is now. And the future says we need a shortstop. " Terrible effort by Desmond. even worse effort by FP Sant by making excuses for him. "Get in front of the ball SALLY!!!!!
Hey fans come on out the ballpark in the rain and see Davy not give a @#&!
Sorry that Strasburg didn't get the W, but all week the word was Peacock was going to follow Stephen. I thought letting Brad Peacock work his way out of the jam was pretty good baseball. BTW, It's September and we're out of contention. We saw what the kid could do under pressure. I also agree that Ian Desmond needs to keep the ball in front of his self at all costs. He hasn't done that twice tonight, Great job by Stras tonight!
Gosh, was making a decision with my buddies on weather we braved the weather to attend the game, but one phone call made the decision not to come.
My wife hurt her shoulder a couple of weeks ago and was getting the assessment on when surgery was going to be when the doctor said he saw weird stuff in the shoulder. He drew some of the fluid out and just like that I was in an operating room for first pitch.
Guess you don't realize what is important until you spend a couple of hours waiting for a love one. Hopefully the doctor feels that everything will be ok, but gosh, you don't realize how important blogs like the one that Nationals Journal did.
Know you have your issues Mark with the newborn but boy if there ever screamed for a Strasburg blog it was tonight. Hospital had no Masn, of course by Ipad was inside the blackout area so it was Charlie and Mr. Jeagler who along with Dan Steinberg's blog that got me through. Again, you wouldn't believe how great these blogs really are for some that don't have the modern conveniences of TV.
Hopefully everything will be ok and I will be back in my seat for tomorrow's game. It will probably rain.
I demand to know what Davey was thinking! Can someone ask him point blank after the game why he put Peacock in the EXACT OPPOSITE situation he said he would? Two on, one out, is not "starting him clean" (paraphrasing). Two on, one out, and an MvP candidate batting is just sadistic. What an ass.
Nats Jack, I'm ready to see someone else at 2B. Give Lombardozzi a try if we're getting ready for next season with what's left of this season.
Golfersal - I hope that your wife recovers from surgery well, with no complications.
Well, I have said several times that I am a supporter of Davey, and still am, I guess, but that pitching sequence in the sixth just makes no sense to me. It is just puzzling for most of the reasons mentioned. Plus, I don't think Slaten should even be on the team any more, let alone used in a tight situation.
I went back and watched it again, and Peacock didn't actually do so badly, given the circumstances.
Golfersol, hope Mrs.Golfersol heals quick.
Brad Peacock is the hero of the night for surviving this situation. Wow. If Davey hasn't put in Slaten, maybe this game gets called and we win. What was he thinking? Where was he going? I hope he pays the team an apology.
And golfersall...sending good vibes to you and your wife.
If Davey's "Balk" cost the Nationals the game against the Diamondbacks, when he failed to pull Livan, I have three questions about tonight's 6th inning agonistes:
"What was Davey Johnson thinking? What was he watching? Where was he going?"
First off Peacock is a starter not a reliever so this "let's see what he can do" is stupid beyond belief ....you use that logic why not just put any player in as catcher just to see what they can do ....or everybody shift a position each inning just to see what you can do .....see how the "kid" responds ..and they are not children they are professional players of various lengths of and quality of experience ...this again was Davey's stupidest hour
it's not complicated. The Dodgers had 2 left handed hitters scheduled for the 6th.It was logical to use Slaten. When Kemp was up it was logical to bring in Peacock. Don't kill the manager for making reasonable decisions which didn't work out because of poor execution.
Johnson's only goal for the remainder of the season is to figure out what works for 2012. CBinDC; what's the upside of short sighted strategy?
Manager made one questionable (due to the player) but understandble move and then the most brain dead move of the year ....NOTHING ABOUT THAT SITUATION SAID BRING IN PEACOCK .....they have 36 of the 40 man roster up here right now ....you can not find someone else to use YEA?
Boy, that Strasburg buzz got killed in a big hurry, didn't it?
CBinDC,
Peacock was scheduled to pitch today.I am not sure why your so angry. BTW he got Kemp to hit the ball to short stop which could have ended the inning right there.
They'd better get a crooked number.
Voldemort Clampett is lurking by the ce-ment pond.
Did I miss anything? Henry is pitching and the stands are empty?
Peacock IS A STARTER >>>>A STARTER ......the game is lost because he used a starter as a reliever in a situation he said he would not use them in .....what can I say ...the results speak for themselves ...if this is Extended spring training then they should charge accordingly and I can get ready for hockey season and some winning for a change
I am officially off the Desmond bandwagon. He loses more games for us then he wins and I don't see it changing. Sad part is I don;t know Espi is the answer there; everyone os so high on him but I see a guy who, although he may be young, has no discipline at the plate.
Another God awful night for our bats. I'm sure Davey will gloat about Stras bunt rather then comment on how we, again, just look like guys guessing for a pitch at the playe. And guessing wrong.
And you know it wouldn't be bad if we tried to steal a base once in awhile.
jd, speaking for me, not CB...I'm mad because they put a baby starting pitcher in a horrible situation. Granted, DJ said Peacock come in as a reliever, so that was fair warning. But he didn't start the KID clean, which would have been the fairest thing to do. Instead, he comes into a sweating bullets situation which he never had seen before and likely never WILL see again. I get that you put in the LOOGY for those batters. But if the LOOGY is gonna be Slaten, you bring in Coffey or anybody else to get the last two outs, with two on. And THEN you bring in the baby. Any reasonable person says you don't bring in Slaten, period...because he gives you what we got tonight.
What a mess this game turned into. It didn't have to be. And yes I totally blame Davey. Totally. This is an ugly game.
What an inexplicable mess.
I might go through every other pitcher in the organization before I would bring Doug Slaten or Henry Rodriguez into a ballgame.
Strassburg is SUPERMAN!
Davey is terrible, why put Peacock in that situation in the first place and how many more games do we have to stomach watching Henry Rod pitch, he is terrible!! Davey will screw this team up next season, i have no doubt, sorry all you Davey llovers. Please explain his moves to em, what am i misssing??
Davey is Jim Zorn now. His moves are just awful
Lombardozzi wearing Nyjer's number.I hope his parents are there.
Devil's advocate view (or Davey apologist view, depending):
Perhaps his use of Peacock in that situation was partly about matchups, but mostly about putting him in a (developmentally) no-lose situation. He gets Kemp, and he has a MAJOR confidence boost. He didn't, but no one really expected him to in that type of situation. Maybe Davey thought the quick unexpected entry would not allow him time to get nervous.
You just know that Davey will publicly blame himself for Peacock's blown save, and I think that he believes that has value for young untested players.
MacD--there's a guy I'm glad isn't on our team any more.
Drew8, exactly!! what is going on with these decisions. WAIT, I got it!!! Davey is a GENIUS, I just figured it out!!! He is trying to get higher draft picks by ensuring we finish with no more wins
Hey maybe Davey can see the club lose 120 next year and we can have the number one pick in 2013? Great strategy Nats
NatsLady, I was thinking the same thing. On the other hand, I love that we have Bo Porter to coach for us.
This is the ultimate in conceding a game. This is NOT spring training and this does NOT show us what we have for next year because this was NOT a realistic scenario for next year. This is just plain impulsive bullcrap. Johnson treats these callups like his toys that he plays with however he feels like when a whim hits him. Not to mention the fact that the Dodgers starting pitcher was terrible and we scored a few and then went to sleep. Waiting for the long balls that sometimes come, sometimes don't. This is too big of a mess to show anyone anything for next year.
I am convinced the game has passed Davey by. He may have been a great manager in his day but now he's just a guy who looks tickled when we win. He actually makes me wish double switch was still at the helm.
gonatsgo: Bingo my friend you said it better than I could have. I only hope Rizzo sees this too or we are in for a really disappointing season in 2012
I don't understand why I have to watch Maya pitch.
On average, how many runners do we strand per game? Anyone know that? Does our hit less coach? Unbelievably bad hitting with RiSP. Down 2, leadoff walk followed by a wild pitch, pitcher in trouble, so we of course get zero runs. Granted, Marrero was robbed, but that was only one out.
If this were the first time, ok. But this has been 2 years of miserable hitting. One common thread there, so let's cut it now. I do not want him back next year.
Can that please, please, please be the end of the Mayan adventure?
Doug Slaten
Henry Rodriguez
Yunesky Maya
Black Flag will never play Nationals Park.
But we saw the white flag tonight.
Well that completes another Davey Johnson production ....Irwin Allen has nothing on him
NstsLady its because we paid him a boatload of money. He and HRod will keep getting chances until someone shows some stones and makes the decision they aren't MLB caliber players. Well, they aren't MLB caliber players on a winning team, and there lies the rub.
CBinDC, lol
except Irwin had Dr Smith, oh the pain the pain William!!!!!
CBinDC, there was actually a Lost in Space episode where Dr Smith was going to be the agent for this android who could hit the ball 1000 feet, lol
I put out my list of eight Nats I will not enjoy seeing in '12:
Please add the director of the brief Maya empire to that list. He makes H-Rod look like Mariano Rivera.
Agree with all that this extended spring training mentality is all Davey's fault. The game has totally passed him by. Every time I look at him, he seems to be looking for Boog Powell to come off the bench.
Mick: wow you really do remember Lost in Space LOL
hmmmm seems to be Davey Johnson state of mind
Oh, lighten up folks.
Charlie and Dave suggested that Peacock was going to start the 6th, but the 5th went by so quickly that Peacock wasn't fully warmed up -- so the best thing to do was to bring in a relief pitcher until Brad was fully warmed up.
Further, as jd said:
When Kemp was up it was logical to bring in Peacock. Don't kill the manager for making reasonable decisions which didn't work out because of poor execution.
Right. And let's not forget that part of the poor execution was Desmond -- that easily could have been a DP instead of a single.
But, easier to blame Davey.
As for "why HRod" -- that's simple, too. He's been playing well lately (**six consecutive appearances without allowing a hit or a run**), and, further, he has the best record on the team for fewest HR/inn, and the Dodgers had their 3-4-5 guys coming up.
But, easier to blame Davey for HRod's performance today, right?
By the end of the 7th inning (21 outs) Nats had struck out 15 times.
But, easier to blame Davey for falling behind.
(contining the theme):
Morse struck out 4 times, leaving seven men on base. Blame Davey.
Espi struck out 3 times, leaving four men on base. Blame Davey.
Hmm, 2 on, no outs, heart of the order coming up, so of course we get NOTHING. I guess that's what the Nats mean by "expect it" - futility, that is.
Can we get our money back for the second half of this season?
and I leave with the words of the immortal robot..... "Davey does not compute"
YES you are RIGHT BLAME DAVEY ....he just keeps the Culture of Losing moving along
In the words of famed scouts Mick and Keith:
I'll lighten up on HROD
when the whip comes down
when the whip comes down
when the whip comes down
Ibid.
Don Hammack said...
At some point, doesn't Strasburg have to be a baseball player. It's OK for him to run the bases, you know, like a baseball player.
Hey -- are you saying that AL pitchers aren't full baseball players?
And -- if you _are_ saying that -- I agree with you!
I'd hate it if the Nats played in the AL.
The NL: where "DH" stands for "double-header"!!
Oh, and, hey: let's give a shout out to Athualpo Severino!
He makes his MLB debut (in this, his 6th year in the organization), and finishes the night with a career MLB average thus far of 27K's per 9 innings! ;-)
==========
But, serious question -- what do people see in him? His WHIP in AAA this year was an atrocious 1.875.
What makes me mad overall is that I have watched every game this year, the regular guys have battled their butts off every game. Davy seems to be playing like it's Spring Training. I want to finish strong and win, g..dang it! Then he takes away a promising young starting pitcher's MLB debut, he should have had his own day, his own opportunity. He didn't need to be put in that situation. Also, as long as I am whining I want to see Pudge start again cuz he won't be here next year. So there.
>>>it's not complicated. The Dodgers had 2 left handed hitters scheduled for the 6th.It was logical to use Slaten.<<<<
Lefties hit .310 against Doug Slaten. How is it reasonable to use him in that situation. Of course, righties hit .393 against him...
the only reasonable time to use Slaten is against the Venus de Milo.
Here's a sad tale of a Nat named Milo.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Milo_Lockwood
I was there. Amazing. Tough loss. They can Play better. Will they? How bout those that stayed home.
Also poor reporting. Media trend was no strasburg maybe game. Tough job but fail.
I believe we had a DUTY to win this game for Strasburg. Niether the team, nor the manager, felt any such obligation. Espi's main focus seems to be on settng the MLB record for consecutuve K's, and Davey Johnson is focused on setting the record for putting the first-game-pitcher in the WORST possible spot.
Mr Rizzo: If these are exhibition games to your managing/coaching staff, tell us now, and we can watch from home. Tonight, your coaching and pitching staffs CLEARLY did not care if Stras got the win.
At some point the Nats have to send the message to MLB: If Strasburg takes the mound, we are going to win. Instead, tonight, the Nats said to the league: WE WILL ABANDON STRASBURG ANY CHANCE WE GET BASED ON THE MANAGER'S WHIM. There is no principle in Washington baseball. Sad.
I was there. It was not bad weather at all until the rain started falling seriously before the delay. And that one was not long: 31 minutes.
I share everybody's frustration with Davey for putting Peacock into the pressure cooker. I don't know what that shows about him as a starter, and it's not what he said he would do with the kid, but there you have it.
The only good thing I take from it is this: Slaten had somebody else give up his OWN runs on base for a change, so his ERA is now 3.29, instead of sub-2.5, which is what it was when he came in. A few more of those, and his ERA will be a more honest 6.00+ or something, which would show what kind of pitcher he really is.
Sorry the Nats lost, but I'm very glad to have been among the elite who saw St. Stephen's return.
This bears repeating.
Dave is "... very glad to have been among the elite who saw St. Stephen's return"
I'm happy for you Elite Dave, and the other elite who you shared this special day with.
Davey. Johnson. Is. Torture. It was fun to see Strasburg.. watching him lumber around the bases was funny. Also, nice to see some mlb debuts. Yes, nationals struck out a lot... but, old davey gave that game away. Pure and simple, gave it away. (the weather wasn't too bad)
Get well soon, Mrs. golfersal.
Well somebody in this thread almost sees what these games are.... they are glorified Spring Training games. The results officially count but the real results will be on certain individuals and how they react to the "show".
The games against Philly and Atlanta will be treated somewhat differently as will the remaining games with the Marlins and the Mets.... but these games against L.A. and Houston might as well be played in Viera or Kissimmee or (prior to two seasons ago)Vero Beach.
I never never never concern myself with the outcomes of a Spring Training game.
And from last night Peacock passed his test. I applauded that he gave up Slatens runs, even though he coulda' got out of the inning if Desmond wasn't his typical inconsistent self. Slaten should only pitch in these next 5 games, if needed, then jettisoned like Mock and Carr.
And finally, to Don Hammack.... What did Strasburg do on the bases that any other starting pitcher wouldn't do? He got his bunt down and got to second on the error... he got to third on the base hit to left (even Bixler would have been held at third)... and he scored on the grounder to short. He ran like every other starting pitcher in the National League would have run. The only time a pitcher of any sort runs hard is when he's put in the game AS A PINCH RUNNER or the game is on the line....
Didn't see the game until after the rain delay, not even on tv because of work. If I get time I might watch the first innings on replay to see Stras and what Desi did. Agree Davey is treating the Dodgers and Astros games as auditions, and Slaten failed. There are a bunch of left handers out there trying for jobs and Slaten probably ain't getting one and it's good for all to know.
Although Stras is as competitive as the come, he probably doesn't care that much about the no-decision, it was only his efficiency that kept him in there for five innings, and THAT's what he's probably happy about.
It's ok with me that Peacock, a "starting" pitcher, got thrown into a tough mix. Life is full of surprises. He did ok, and he'll have other chances.
Honestly, I don't care if I don't understand or if fans approve of what Davey does for the next twenty games. If I lived in Florida I would go to spring training games.
P.S., I thought I heard boos for Werth at the end of the game, and I thought we had a rule about that... Like he's the only one who struck out.
And for the Record...Spring Training season ticket holder here....
I also attend about 20 of the Fall Instructional League games where I don't give a rat's patooty what the final score is, either.
Worth reading.
http://www.capitolbaseball.com/2011/09/set-up-to-fail.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+CapitolBaseball+%28Capitol+Baseball%29&m=1
Perhaps some of you don't care what the end results are the rest of the year, I do. No wonder Des and Espy don't have their heads in the game, why? Obviously Davy is treating Sept like it's Spring Training and the games don't count. But guys the results do count, the season isn't over, we should be trying to finish strong. Just seems disrespectful to the game and players who have battled all year. If Davy wants to finish last, so be it. The Nats are used to being the joke in the league.
The Livan Hernandez School of Pitchers Bunting and Base Running has much to be proud of!
Suppose Stras took off at the speed of Bixler and tore something. Livo pitched every start in 1,000 years. Priorities, people.
And are you KIDDING me-- don't put Peacock in to save his "fragile" confidence. 41st round draft pick, the guy has worked his butt off and you are going to hold him back to get rained out of his debut?????????
Peacock wasn't ready, so Davey held him back a couple of batters and put him in when he was ready. End of story.
Dawn, absolutely correct.
We interrupt this tizzy about a rookie's potential mental state to bring you this report. According to Byron Kerr, Peacock was unfazed by his fate, and had previously relieved in the AFL. Furthermore, it turns out that both the weather and Peacock's readiness to take the mound affected at what point he was called upon. We now return you to your regularly scheduled gloom and doom. Disclaimer: I did also wonder about the move at the time.
Random musing: There likely would have been second-guessing about different move(s) had Peacock started an inning clean and we'd still gone on to lose because, duh, it's the interwebz.
I am with Dawn on this, too. I paid good money to see a major-league game. I didn't pay to see a spring-training game.
What was the point of bringing Peacock into a situation he is not likely ever to face as a starter--cleaning up someone else's mess? He said he was going to do something different, i.e., bring Peacock in "clean" at the top of an inning. Yet he didn't.
That game didn't have to end the way it did. It was "managed away" from victory, in my opinion.
But as I said, it was sort if nice to see Slaten get hosed for a change, if the lead was going to be coughed up. Turnabout = fair play and all that.
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Dave's
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