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US Presswire photo Rick Ankiel and Ross Detwiler each came up big during tonight's win over Miami. |
Tonight, the Nationals reversed the trend, beating Miami 2-0 in a taut game before 24,640.
It was hardly easy. The Nationals got just four hits, three by Rick Ankiel, who made some outstanding plays: at bat, on the bases and in the field.
"He was basically our offense and our defense," Johnson said.
Read Rich Dubroff's full story on CSNwashington.com.
Stay healthy, Rick. He should be hitting in the 6-slot behind Werth, and ahead of Nady or DeRosa.
ReplyDeleteIt was great to be at the park, though Clippard and HRod gave us some anxious moments.
ReplyDeleteNATINUM - side effects may include dizziness, sweaty palms, irregular heartbeat. Ask your doctor if baseball is right for you.
Great win!!! Werth, who looks like an old man at the plate and swings like an old lady was 0-3 and now batting .309?? When Miami leaves he'll be under .280. That's why it's a TEAM game. GO NATIONALS!!!
ReplyDeleteAgain with the Werth hate? Seriously??
ReplyDeleteDude's already had like a 10-game hitting streak and multiple clutch hits and walks this year... pathetic.
And in case you didn't notice, everybody on the club save Ankiel took an oh'fer last night.
ReplyDeleteWHAT? Stammen had only one strikeout last night. wassup with that? that's unacceptable.
ReplyDeleteBTW do remember that Werth has had a tough time against both Anibal and JJ in past so I will understand if he struggles a little bit this series.
Once again, a different hero every night. I love it that way. Makes for a real team effort.
ReplyDeleteThe Arm 2.0, now with bat. Awesome. :-)
ReplyDeleteRabbit is right about his swing. It always looks bad, especially when he misses but I think I read somewhere that he swings like that to try and keep the sweet spot in a better place to contact the ball. A simple explanation is that he looks like he doesn't break his wrists as early as others. I didn't read the hate into that as much as the "Great Win" and "its a team". But I am always a glass half full kind of guy (unless its beer and then its usually on its way to being empty).
ReplyDeleteGreat Pitching Matchups the last two games but can they get any better than what we saw yesterday. Does Zambrano always have that silly grin when he pitches?
Go Nats!!
Hey, sjm. Will you be at the game tomorrow (assuming that it's not rained out)? I'll be there with a baseball buddy, a couple of sections away from yours. Maybe I could bring you a hyperlink code cheat sheet. :-)
ReplyDelete"Werth, who looks like an old man at the plate and swings like an old lady was 0-3 and now batting .309?? When Miami leaves he'll be under .280."
ReplyDeleteNo hate there sjm? You really are an optimist, good on ya...
Saw this on the Dodgers site. When did we get on this list?????????!!!!
ReplyDeleteLet the Dodgers actually play a decent club, before anointing them an NL Pennant. Beating the whizz out of the Padres, Pirates, & Astros, does not a World Championship team make. ...When you hit cities like StL, Phily[sic], D.C. & ATL, things will be far different.
Does Zambrano always have that silly grin when he pitches?
ReplyDeleteNew meds?
NatsLady, that is very cool. Love how the other's consider DC!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, Atlanta is HOTLanta and nipping on the Nats heals. Their bats are bashing.
Any weather predictors out there? Looks like the forecast is improved. No rain until after 4pm?
ReplyDeleteSome guy named Strasburg pitching today. See you all there!
That's awesome, NatsLady. :-)
ReplyDeleteDon't know, HHover. I don't recall seeing a perpetual grin in the past, but Carpenter said that he had. Maybe I just watched Zambrano on frownish days, although he was having a good game the time I saw him at Wrigley. Then again, I was in the upper deck and couldn't see his face all that well. :-)
That's also what I saw on the NBC site, Andrew. Greatest chance for rain between 4 and ll pm. Hope they can get the game in. I'm recording it because I have a volunteer commitment for this afternoon.
ReplyDeleteer, make that 11 pm. Heh.
ReplyDeleteOne day we get clobbered 11-4. The nextday we win to raise our record to 11-4.
ReplyDeleteIt's baseball.
I do think getting a win after an embarassing loss is one of the key marks of a winner. Also winning the first games of series, our specialty so far this year.
Anon 7:50, Desmond hit a single in the 8th. So he and Ankiel had the only hits.
ReplyDeleteAll-Star ballots now available on MLB.com. You can vote up to 25 times per day. Not too early to get started voting for Nats.
NCNatsie, I disagree with you. Bouncing back decisively like the Nats did IS what winning teams do.
ReplyDelete4 hits against that Marlins order!
Some of you may remember my fondness for Adam Dunn and so happy for him that he is having a good season so far. He had a monster night last night. 3 for 4 with 2 HRs and a double. 2 for 2 w/ RISP. OPS is .940 for the season.
ReplyDeleteWeatherbug with 89% chance of precip. and has it starting around 2 p.m.
ReplyDeleteTomorrow afternoon, 96% chance of rain. So I guess we just swept the Fish... :)
In fact, the rain is now scheduled to make an appearance closer to 7:00 p.m. Given Harper's slow progress at Syracuse, an Ankiel who can hit .260 will be a great bonus. If he approaches what he's done so far in seven games -- saved one game w/ his arm, won one w/ his bat -- will be interesting when the number-heads try to explain his abysmal "advanced metrics" in a couple of months.
ReplyDeleteWeatherbug better be wrong! Say it ain't so!
ReplyDeleteGonat, it sounds to me as though you and NCNatsie are in agreement there, and I'm also happy for Dunn.
ReplyDeletenatsfan1a said...
ReplyDeleteGonat, it sounds to me as though you and NCNatsie are in agreement there, and I'm also happy for Dunn.
April 21, 2012 9:13 AM
________________________________
What the heck was I reading. Apologies to NCNatsie. Smart person!
http://www.weather.com/weather/hourbyhour/20003
I'm still seeing only 20% chance of rain until 4 pm in zip 20003, plus the leading edge of the storm line on the weather map is at Pittsburgh, which makes a very late afternoon-early evening arrival more likely.
ReplyDeleteI hope so -- I'm heading to the Park with my 11 year old right after her softball pitching clinic.
I guess we'll know when we know, but here is Acuweather, saying 40% precip at noon, 90% by 3 pm. Stras is a fast worker, he can DO this!
ReplyDeleteAcuweather 20003
http://www.bing.com/weather/overview/search?q=weather+map+20003&go=&qs=ds&form=DTPWER
1a - I do have tomorrows game & that is really gracious BUT , I am looking at the weather and have my mind set that I am not sitting through a 50 degree rain delay. With the great exchange policy for STH I can get another game later in the year, add a ticket with red carpet and use the stars & stripes coupon & actually get the spousal equivalent to a game. Let's definitely try and meet up this season. I will actually bring my MacBook pro so you can show me the power of links.
ReplyDeleteBike ride and then baseball, what a great Sat. No wonder my glass is always 1/2 full.
Sounds like a plan, sjm. Will figure on catching you and your MacBook (and your spousal equivalent as well if the stars align) at some future game. :-)
ReplyDeleteActually Anon, Rabbit is dead on. When you sign a 127 million contract, the minimum stats you should have is 30 hr, and at least 107 rbi. Anything less than that is a failure. I said from the jump the Werth signing was dumb!It's more than obvious now he was protected throughout his years in Philly. He's not a stand alone player, and for the money he is making (and it IS about the money), that makes it a dumb signing!
ReplyDeleteYou never said anything of the sort. That was somebody else.
ReplyDeleteChad Tracy starting at 1st base. Nady in LF again.
ReplyDeleteLast night, I landed at Dulles after most of the week away, and in my car the first thing I hear is that we beat the Fish! That's a nice welcome home.
ReplyDeleteI saw replays this AM and it looked like mpHRod struggled, and to a lesser extent, Clip did too. That's some PFB pitching when your bullpen struggles and you still give up zero runs!
I hope we can all agree to disagree on Werth. (In my book, no human being is worth that much money. It's an obscenity. But MLB owners/manager/agents/players and (some) fans see it differently.)
At any rate, only after the term of the contract has been substantially completed can you say whether the contract was worth it. The most accurate assessment anyone can give right now is that he did/didn't earn his salary last year.
My two cents.
Gonat-- the "B" lineup, the "B" bullpen. Please let Stras go six shutout, nibble out a run, and let it rain!
ReplyDeleteClip did struggle some, Ankiel helped him out, but the infield didn't. Desi could have got an out, ALR maybe a doubleplay. I like that Clipp got mad himself for that last changeup on Bonifacio and took it out on Henley!
ReplyDeleteSure seems interesting that seemingly intelligent posters feel that there has to be a relationship between salary, home runs and rbi's in order to proclaim success or failure.
ReplyDeleteCertainly glad the knowledgeable management of the Nationals don't share that narrow minded view.
Work (sigh). No a/c in my studio but they gave us all little electric fans... Go Nats!! And c'mon D-Backs, beat Atlanta and give us come breathing room.
ReplyDeleteIn my book, no human being is worth that much money. It's an obscenity.
ReplyDeleteSure. Neither are rock stars, movie stars, CEOs, sultans, kings, or generals who head military governments. Werth isn't getting that money for playing baseball, entirely, so it's not fair to hold it all against him. He's getting Jeff Kemp money, because for that money the Nats were not going to get Kemp to answer his phone, let alone play for them. They had to overpay somebody obscenely, they tried with a few other guys and got shot down, and Werth was the one they could get to agree. In hindsight, did they need to do that? We'll never know, because there's no telling what would have happened in some alternate reality. They got off the nickel, and that was good. Imperfectly (and then some), sure, but it was better than nothing, and nothing was what they had.
Davey has his 2 best hitters in against Anibal Sánchez. Ramos and Ankiel are both slashing .400 BA and .500 OBPs against him.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, Danny Espinosa is 0-10. Davey usually has it all figured out. Lombo has never faced Anibal Sánchez. Espi gets the start. Davey probably thinks he is due.
Sec, who is Jeff Kemp?
ReplyDeletePerhaps many of the people who worry about the money are unhappy in their own circumstance. In my work I have low paid and high paid high-performers and I love them all equally. Werth is a high performer. That does not mean he has to hit HR. He contributes to wins.
ReplyDeleteFormer NFL QB and Congressman from Buffalo.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Sofa.
ReplyDeleteSec, who is Jeff Kemp?
ReplyDeleteD'OH! Well, at least Jeff played in LA. I was sorta close.
And we all knew he meant Matt.
ReplyDelete"When you sign a 127 million contract, the minimum stats you should have is 30 hr, and at least 107 rbi."
ReplyDeleteKinda hard to do by April 21st. The point is that he's clearly off to a better start this year and the hatred should at least be saved until it's warranted. Nobody disputes he was terrible last year, but he's been pretty darn good so far this year and I'm frankly sick of the negativity some people are determined to spew without regard to actual facts.
Am I glad we signed him to that contract? Hell no, but they did, so deal with it and hope he performs well without regard to how much he's making - nothing's gonna change that, certainly not unwarranted negativity on this blog.
Jeff Kemp, the real Jeff Kemp.
ReplyDeleteGreat to see Clip strike out Hanley after that epic Bonifacio at bat. 14 pitches? Wow. Have to give Boni some credit there. He did his job -- to get on base for the big bopper, but Clip took care of business like the All Star that he is.
ReplyDeleteAnd great game for Ankiel -- at bat, in the field, and perhaps most importantly, on the bases. That slide to avoid Reyes' tag at second was very impressive. The condensed game replay has great slo-mo of the play starting at 7:00.
I'll be at the game this afternoon (in section 314), hoping the rain holds off and Strasburg works quickly.
Wow, a lot of people posted while I was typing, must be slow on the keyboard today... I avoided the necessity to overpay on the first big contract because the haters aren't going to let facts get in the way and rain on their hate parade...
ReplyDeleteAnd since I opened the football door anyway, this Onion story fits right in with 10:26's excellent point:
ReplyDeleteEagles fans give McNabb three week deadline to win Superbowl
btw, I've been meaning to talk to you about a raise. Love ya!
ReplyDeleteWhatsanattau said...
Perhaps many of the people who worry about the money are unhappy in their own circumstance. In my work I have low paid and high paid high-performers and I love them all equally. Werth is a high performer. That does not mean he has to hit HR. He contributes to wins.
April 21, 2012 10:22 AM
An oldie but goodie, sec 3.
ReplyDeleteOn a baseball Onion note, this one is kinda funny, and the position name is awesome, imho.
I never complain about Werth being overpaid and not earning his millions; I buy lottery tickets. I never get even 3 numbers, but still. It's not like I'd have earned it if I do win.
ReplyDeleteTheophilus said...Former NFL QB and Congressman from Buffalo.
ReplyDeleteThat's JACK Kemp.
Bringing the umbrella today; not expecting rain during the game, but forecast seems to be saying it could be a wet walk back to HH lot. Glad Cunegonde insisted we pay the extra money for S&S seats.
We have a ton of guys who are performing well who make comparatively low money. I guess those guys make up for the big contracts.
ReplyDeleteInteresting shortstop stats--Tulo--6errors, Reyes and Castro--5errors, Crawford, Barmes, and Gorden--4 errors, Gonzalez and Bartlett 3 errors. And Desi 2 errors, one based on an umpire mistake.
ReplyDeleteOh, and offensively he has better stats than any NL shotstop other than Furcal, Castro, and, argueably, Cozart. He has more total bases than the latter two, however. Ah, section 222, did I just hear you say 'small sample size'. Why did you have to spoil it!
Jack also played for L.A., a little. So you can see how someone might become confused...
ReplyDeleteready for the game now.... I'm jacked up!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteSo this thread is all about jack! Ankiel's jack, the jack they're paying Werth, posters who don't know jack, QB Jacks, and a jacked-up Mick.
ReplyDeletethen there's The Jax.
oh, and the lottery--Jackpot!
ReplyDeleteSo here's to the Nats leaving the Marlins's team bus jacked up, no wheels, and on blocks.
ReplyDeleteFiguratively speaking.
questions to any one and food for thought....
ReplyDeleteAssuming Davey loves Gorzo and he stays up, is it safe to assume barring injuries that Storen replaces Matthues? next question, who goes down then when Wang is ready, then who does Wang replace in starting rotation, does Detweiler go back to long relief with Stammen, does Stammen go to Syracuse?
It would seem that Morse would replace someone like Carroll or Nagy. If and when big boy comes up does he replace a Tracy... I know Davey loves DeRosa for his leadership in club house, but if the man cant hit, is he out?
these are all great problems but the reality is that they are going to become problems
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteNats lady..... a chance for Tracy and Nady to show they should be here long term or not
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMick G, yes. And nice to give ALR a day off. I know Davey wants to give RZ a day off also, but is waiting til the Nats are out of town.
ReplyDeleteMick, Storen will be out long enough that no assumption is safe, especially "no injuries."
ReplyDeleteSufficient unto the day is the roster thereof. Or something like that.
But if and when Morse comes back, Nady is more at risk than DeRosa, I have to think. Carroll is already out, to make room for Ankiel.
ReplyDeleteWe'll never know, because there's no telling what would have happened in some alternate reality. They got off the nickel, and that was good. Imperfectly (and then some), sure, but it was better than nothing, and nothing was what they had.
ReplyDeleteThe Giants have their Zito and as you stated the reasoning behind Werth went above baseball. Although one is left to wonder how much of that was Boras selling Boraxo soap.
The **real** problem with this signing has to do with baseball. Ownership shouldn't tie Rizzo's hands if Werth ends up being better suited to a bench role. Which still seems highly likely at this point. If the prospects are a lot better Werth should sit or chase Teddy around the field.
The Giants did indeed go into the playoffs without Zito, because they had five better starters, and they were right to do so. Let's hope it doesn't come to that.
ReplyDelete