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Photo by Mark Zuckerman / NATS INSIDER The Nats try to avoid a disheartening sweep against the Orioles this afternoon. |
If they are to reverse that trend today (and salvage one game from this Battle of the Beltways series) they'll both need Stephen Strasburg to bounce back from his shaky start against the Padres -- here's guessing he avoids all ointments, creams and other topical medications this morning -- and their lineup to produce early against Orioles left-hander Wie-Yin Chen.
Not wanting to tinker too much with the reconfigured lineup he used last night, Davey Johnson is sticking with his second baseman as his leadoff man. That man, however, is not Steve Lombardozzi as it was last night but Danny Espinosa, who returns after getting one night off. Though he hasn't done it yet this year, Espinosa has led off 38 times in his career ... producing a .162 average and .235 on-base percentage.
Plenty of updates to come, so please check back...
BALTIMORE ORIOLES at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 1:35 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MASN2, Ch. 50, MLB.tv
Radio: WJFK (106.7 FM), WWXT (92.7 FM), WWXX (94.3 FM), WTEM (980 AM), WFED (1500 AM), XM 184
Weather: Partly cloudy, 79 degrees, Wind 14 mph in from CF
NATIONALS (23-17)
2B Danny Espinosa
CF Bryce Harper
3B Ryan Zimmerman
1B Adam LaRoche
SS Ian Desmond
RF Xavier Nady
LF Tyler Moore
C Jesus Flores
RHP Stephen Strasburg
ORIOLES (27-14)
LF Xavier Avery
SS J.J. Hardy
RF Nick Markakis
CF Adam Jones
3B Wilson Betemit
1B Chris Davis
2B Robert Andino
C Luis Exposito
LHP Wie-Yin Chen
UMPIRES
HP Rob Drake, 1B Joe West (cc), 2B Sam Holbrook, 3B Andy Fletcher
1:37 p.m. -- We are underway as Stephen Strasburg's frst pitch (a 96 mph fastball) gets a piece of plate ump Rob Drake. Kind of an odd way to start things. Looks like it'll be another overflow crowd here today. They're again selling standing room only tickets.
1:45 p.m. -- Another rough top of the first for Strasburg. The Orioles' first three batters all hit the ball hard. Avery singled to left, then took second on J.J. Hardy's flyout to deep center field, then scored on Nick Markakis' solid single to right. Strasburg did prevent any more damage by breaking Adam Jones' bat on a 5-4-3 double play, but otherwise looked quite shaky out there as the Orioles take an early 1-0 lead.
1:58 p.m. -- Well, this may not come as a surprise to some of you, but Danny Espinosa struck out to open the bottom of the first. On three pitches. Swinging at the last two. Not good. On a more positive note, Ryan Zimmerman beat out a chopper off the mound that went toward third base for an infield single. And Adam LaRoche drew a walk. That set the stage for Ian Desmond, who gave a Chen pitch a ride to deep left-center, only to watch as Avery caught it at the warning track. Gonna be tough to hit one out today with a pretty strong wind blowing straight in. After one, the Nats are trailing 1-0.
2:14 p.m. -- Did the Nationals show up to play today? It certainly doesn't look like it in the very early going. They already trail 3-0 thanks to a pair of unearned runs in the top of the second. It began with Bryce Harper racing way over to left field to call off Tyler Moore on a routine fly ball ... and then dropping it. No reason for Harper to go all the way over there and call off his teammate. Adam LaRoche then was slow to field a roller to him (with his underhand feed to Strasburg a tad late). After walking the No. 8 hitter, Strasburg then threw a fastball that went right off Jesus Flores' glove for a passed ball. That put Chris Davis in position to score on Avery's base hit to left. Quite a fiasco here so far, with Strasburg having already thrown 51 pitches through two laborious innings.
2:45 p.m. -- That's a little more like it, huh? Strasburg finally decided to take matters into his own hands. He retired the side in the top of the third, striking out Jones and Betemit, then led off the bottom of the inning with a single to right. Espinosa (who tried to bunt on the first pitch he saw, then again fell behind 0-2) bounced back and roped a double down the third-base line. That set the stage for Harper, who atoned for his earlier error by drilling a 3-2 curveball to right, just out of the reach of a diving Markakis. The most impressive thing about that hit: Harper managed to make a mid-swing adjustment once he realized Chen's pitch was a 69 mph curveball, staying back enough to make solid contact. So that scored two runs. And then Desmond showed some nice hustle to avoid an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play and instead allow another run to score on the fielder's choice. So just like that, it's now a 3-3 game after three.
2:55 p.m. -- Strasburg is taking back control of this game. He's now retired seven straight, five via strikeout. He's got six total strikeouts through four innings. Still 3-3 as Xavier Nady leads off the bottom of the fourth.
3:05 p.m. -- Talk about taking back control of the game! Stephen Strasburg just homered. Yes, homered. Seconds after Jesus Flores did the same thing. Strasburg belted a curveball from Chen into the left-field bullpen, then took about three minutes to round the bases as the crowd roared. Those fans wouldn't stop roaring until he came back up the dugout steps and took a curtain call. Just an electric moment here, not the least of which because it put the Nats up 5-3 in the fourth.
3:10 p.m. -- Meanwhile, back on the mound, Strasburg has retired 10 in a row, seven on strikeouts. You don't want to get this guy angry.
3:27 p.m. -- Ian Desmond delivers again after Adam LaRoche was walked again (third time today). That makes it 6-3 after five, and Davey decides not to take any chances and pulls Strasburg. His final line: 5 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K, 1 HR (that he hit, not allowed). He threw 90 pitches. Could he have come back out for the sixth? Sure. But considering Davey isn't letting him go much past the 100-pitch mark, he probably would've been pulled if he put one man on base. So instead Tom Gorzelanny will start the sixth inning with a clean slate.
3:42 p.m. -- Pretty quick sixth inning as both Gorzelanny and Darren O'Day cruise. Gorzelanny's back out for the seventh, the Nats still leading 6-3.
3:51 p.m. -- Strasburg and Gorzelanny had combined to retire 15 in a row until Exposito walked in the seventh. Still, nice job shutting down the Orioles lineup after that fast start. We've reached the seventh-inning stretch.
4:10 p.m. -- Tyler Clippard picks up right where Gorzelanny left off, retiring the side in the eighth. The Orioles don't have a hit since Avery's RBI single in the second. Straburg, Gorzelanny and Clippard have combined to retire 19 of the last 20. Still 6-3 in the bottom of the eighth as Henry Rodriguez warms in the pen.
4:15 p.m. -- Espinosa puts the cherry on top of today's sundae. A two-run homer into the Red Porch puts the Nats up 8-3 in the bottom of the eighth. Ryan Mattheus now warming for the non-save situation.
4:35 p.m. -- It's over. The Nats get a much-needed, 9-3 victory over the Orioles to avoid the series sweep. Strasburg improves to 4-1, but who cares about his pitching performance? How 'bout that homer!
190 comments:
I'm not the manager. I'm not the manager. I have to keep telling myself that. Because I really thought we'd see Lombo again.
I just don't get the Espinosa love. He came up from the minors and was on fire. The league adjusted to him and he has yet to make the readjustment. What must Lombardozzi do to get an extended look? Patience and loyalty only go so far and to that point, now is far enough.
Off to Section 313 to watch 'em avoid the sweep and start a new winning streak. My daughter brings the right karma.
I give support to Davey almost to a fault, but I really don't like this move. Maybe he figures that Danny won't srand so many runners from the leadoff spot. At this point I think Espy needs to sit. I can only hope that Johnson proves us wrong.
I meant to say that maybe Danny won't strand so many runners.
Poor Davey, needs to put Espy in positions to fail so that Espy can work himself out of the lineup
I think that Strasie should make a positive out of the ointment debacle.
Both The Babe and Reggie had their candy bars.
SS could have "Preparation S"---works faster than a speeding baseball!
Seems like such a marketing campaign would be up agent Borass's alley--per se.
BTW_ So nice to see Brian Goodwin playing again, and doing well, in Hagerstown. Also Cutter Dykstra in hitting .330 and now playing 2B. Look out, Danny Espinosa!
I'm off to Sec 406, row B . . . wearing a blue Nats shirt.
BTW, while we're criticizing Espi leading off, let's not over look that Moore is going to get a shot today. Looking forward . . . (although I hear this Chen kid is pretty good ;-)
>Also Cutter Dykstra in hitting .330 and now playing 2B
(There sure was a lot of Cutter-hate last year -- I never did understand why)
One game on the bench is not enough for Espi.
I know he's a digger, but I think he needs a break from the daily routine.
I still believe in Espi's potential, but Mini Z is handling 2nd, and doing OK in leadoff.
I like this idea. Having Danny lead off may get him to cut down his swing a little. I understand why so many want to see Lombo, but I still think Espi is the far superior player, patience is a must
If mini-Z keeps it up, I'm sure we'll see a lot more of him. Remember, we still have over 3/4 of the season still to play.
Well, we've lost 3 straight, but as long as we don't lose 4 or more, we'll be fine. Looking for Straus to win us the game today. GYFNG!
I have never seen a manager so afraid to do the right thing with his lineup -- that, or Davey is an uber-dolt.
Batting Espi leadoff is a collosal joke. He leads the bigs in k's, has a micro mini oba. and he is not hitting. He is the quintessential number 8 hitter. What is it that Davey doesnt get? Does Davey make a declaration: "You are my guy" and then won't allow reality to respond: "Ah, but you are wrong, Davey." Is Davey headstrong, ignorant, a great managerial pretender?
More bizarre is this: Lombo is sitting the bench with a .400 plus Oba -- Lombo produces in the leadoff spot yesterday -- does Davey think that by osmosis that Espi should bat 1st as well? Does Davey truly think that since Espi "is better" than lombo that he should give Espi the chance to 'better" Lombo's leadoff performance in order to 1. help Espi 2. justify Davey's declaration that Espi is his guy 3. to help Espi somehow showup Lombo's performance to solidify Davey's opinion of Espi?
I just dont get Johnson. He is not performing well for this team and is beginning to cause them games.
Golly, this has to be frustrating for Lombo. He goes 2 for 5 and battles deep in the count in his fifth at bat, missing a third knock as the other guys make a fine play.
He's getting on base at a .400 clip and he's playing good defense. What more does he have to do?
Well, in the words of that great scout, Anthony Michael Hall, let's hope the weird science works out.
Jack...that makes sense, I think Boston did that with Pedroia back in the day.
If Espi goes to Syc,and Lombo starts, who is the back-up middle infielder?
Espi or Lombo: Who should lead off? Who should play at all?
avg oba slg ops K's per at bat
Lombo .324 .400 .394 .794 1/16.6
espi .207 .291 .307 .598 1/3
Uh Davey ... hello?
I wonder if there is an expiration date in Davey and Mike Rizzo's head for Danny. Perhaps they have committed to such a date to give him a chance. He's such a valuable asset if he gets it together - in terms of performance, money, and trade value. Give up to soon and you squander it.
I'll side with Davey's track record over stats from 40 games...
Do you Stats Guys also think LaRoche is a better 1B than Albert and Prince? The 40 game Stats say he is...
The question should be: How best can the team win today? Not, let's be patient with the underperforming player; he might be good one day.
Lombo gives the team a better chance to win than does Espinosa -- baseball is a game of statistics like no other sport. You have to play the percentages.
Even in the minors, Lombo outhit espinosa in nearly every category -- 20 plus points higher in avg alone.
You have to play the better or hotter player. That's how teams get to the playoffs. I guess Davey learned little from the little genius, Early Weaver, who played the percentages and won like no other --
Good points Jim, but if Earl had a 25 year old 2B who hit 20 HRs as a rookie, he would NEVER bench him!
Nobody loved the long ball as much as Earl
Anthony Michael Hall's Weird Science produced Kelly LeBrock.
I just hope Davey's produces Lou Brock.
Swift: Davey's track record? He has a team on the verge of free-fall and is purposely making moves that are not helping.
Davey couldnt win a pennant with the O's when they had one of the best teams on the planet.
Davey won a world series because a first baseman misjudged a little hop.
And ... Davey did not outmanage Riggleman with last year's Nats.
And .. the reason for our great start was simply pitching. Not Davey's doing at all.
Now that the pitching is returning to earth, it's Davey's job to keep pace -- he 'aint.'
I am not overly impressed with Davey's track record. Riggleman was easily his equal.
Swift: You are so right about Earl -- but even Earl would ask: What have you done for me lately? And Espi can only answer that question with his head hung low. Nope, Earl would have benched him, shipped him out for more seasoning, or fixed his loopy swing. My bet is that Earl would have fixed his swing.
Riggleman is his equal. You're insane. Stop posting on this site if you're gonna say such nonsense. Stop trying to manage from your mom's basement. Either cheer for this team or not. I'm sick of all the negativity. So we lost 2 close games to a good team. The Nats are what they are. Without Morse and Werth, they are a 0.500 team playing above their level based on great pitching.
Fair enough. My opinion is that Espi has all-star potential, and soph slumps likes this are very common. I agree that a trip to AAA wouldn't hurt him at all, but I'd prefer to just ride it out
As for DJ v Riggleman...I think every MLB GM would choose DJ, but everyone's entitled to their opinion
Whatsanat: True, but unless somebody, somewhere, somehow, can fix that extreme loop in Espi's swing -- and get him to be more selective (hard to teach) he is never going to reach any 'potential' that some think that he has. He didnt hit much in the minors -- and he isnt hitting much in the Bigs. He had a great 2 months when pitchers didnt know him. Well, they do now, dont they?
Swift: I celebrated when Riggs "retired.' I hooted and hollered that we had Davey coming on. then I saw an american league type manager who disdained small bunt, didnt like to steal, and was devoid of any imagination. I watched how Riggs w/l record was better than Davey's until the last 10 days, when we faced teams who werent playing all out and resting star players.
I liked how Riggs handled the bull pen. I dont like how Davey handles it. I used to like Rigg's lineup (they made perfect sense). I dont like Davey's and sometimes they make no sense at all.
I really hate to admit it, especially in public, that Riggs is Davey's equal at managing -- a very politically incorrect thing to say -- but I'm saying it and sticking by it.
section 135: We are talking baseball -- not posting insults on an internet chat room.
If you are unable to discuss the ups and downs of the game and OUR team, then maybe you aren't emotionally stable enough to be posting here.
I will continue to post here; I suggest you get a grip on yourself
Lets talk baseball -- not hurl insults.
Warren Morris, anyone?
Espinosa leading off is the precisely the reason why I don't like Davey Johnson as manager of this team.
I'm going to boldly say, I hope this works for Danny and the team. Davey deserves the benefit of the doubt. Today's game is big for the Nats- we don't want to head up to Philly in a tailspin.
Go Nats! Go Stras!
Section 135: reminder: Riggs had this team .500 baseball with Lannan as his #1 pitcher -- Livo #2. Davey has the luxury of a superlative starting rotation, strong 1 through 5.
Yep, Riggs did a phenomenal job and doesnt much credit for it.
Forgive me if someone mentioned this, but it's worth remembering -
Chen is LH, and Davey is playing the match-ups--rather than the LH Lombo, he's going with the switch hitting Espi, who is better as a righty than a lefty--this year, he's batting .240/.367/.280 from the right side.
Excuse the brain fart - of course Lombo is a switch hitter too. But Danny does bat better from the right side than Lombo does, in the small # of chances both have had this season.
I'm gonna start to root for flu-like symptoms for espinosa so we can see Lombo for a few days in there.
Hiram: good point. I guess we'll see if .240/.367/.280 (yikes) is up to Chen. Ought to interesting. I hope Espi tears it up!!
Lombo's 40 game stats are better than Zimm's too, should he be starting at 3rd?
His 40 game numbers are better than Pedroia's, think Boston would do a straight up trade?
He's started maybe 20 games... not quite ready for Cooperstown yet. Stats after 40 games don't mean much
Johnson must have a death wish--having Espinosa in the
lineup and then batting him leadoff. His OBP is barely above the Mendosa line. The more I see of Johnson, the more I question his mental state. Has dementia set in?
Swift: I think the Espi vs. Lombo discussion just boils down to let's play the hottest player. Let's compare apples to apples. We arent comparing Lombo to established stars, we are comparing him to Espi --
These guys are both brand new young players; and thus far, the 40 game sample has Lombo superior. Not rocket science. I dont understand the abject loyalty to a player who is killing the team at the plate.
OK, OK, we get it. You don't like Davey and you think Riggleman was better. Just be aware that puts you in the extreme far side of the debate.
Davey has five decades of success in major league baseball. And I believe is the most successful active manager in baseball. And you're not.
Next.
haha or course not. But we are comparing one rookie to a one year player -- not established vets to rookies.
I think the Lombo fans only want the team to play the hot player (lombo) until HE proves can't do it. Thus far, all we see is an insistence on playing a player who is not getting it done and a bench role for the hot player.
I dont get the blind loyalty to a player who hasnt hit since July of '11. Potential? Sure, espi's got potential, but they all do. Bottom line is that Espi is hurting the team; Lombo is helping the team.
Why should a player 'learn' at the major league level? and Espi needs lots of learn'in.
Jim- It appears DJ and Rizzo have no doubt who the better player is, so I'm choosing to side with those who know the players a lot better than we do. And a small sample size of stats doesn't appear to have changed their mind
Add to that, my untrained eyes tell me that Espi is by far the better player. It's not about loyalty or who's hot, I'll always choose the best player
Hey Whats: Numbers are numbers, dude. I don't make them up.
To fracture a cliche: You are entitled to your own opinion, but not your own stats.
It's as simple as that. When you can explain the insane lineups turned in by Davey
When you can explain why Davey didn't bunt in the eighth inning the other night with no out, one run down -- result? runner stranded at first -- game lost.
When you can explain all the weird things Davey has done, or not done, then I will agree that I hold an extreme view.
I don't think you can.
>>>Add to that, my untrained eyes tell me that Espi is by far the better player.<<<
Perhaps you, like Danny, need an eye exam?
Swift: Interesting -- I see Lombardozzi and see a superior player. I see a Davey Johnson and see a manager well beyond his prime. Haha and I don't resign the field to anyone here as far as knowing the players.
But that's why we watch this game. It's a tradition to manage and general manage from home. That's what makes this a great game.
I just scratch my head at the fans who get all emotional about it. It's just a game; and we do what fans have been doing for over a 100 years.
Go Nats.
Agree. GYFNG
Swift: one more note. I see Espi and I see a loopy swing that just can't make contact. I see a player who makes poor decisions on pitches.
I do see a Superior defensive player. Love him on defense. But his swing is fatal -- it needs fixing -- if it can be fixed. We'll see.
Avery is a good player!!
Stras is painting the black so far
Davey Johnson:
.561 winning percentage in 2,160 games
Puts him 17th on the ALL TIME list.
If he wants to bunt he can bunt.
Their swinging early ...
Can any pitcher make these guys uncomfortable at the plate? It looks way too easy.
This just in.. the O's are good. By far the best team the Nats have played this year
Whats: I really want to watch the game
But ...
Davey has only managed phenomenal teams. Riggs has only managed Bum teams.
Fact: Riggs as well, if not better, than Johnson with the 2011 Nats.
I will stipulate to the fact that Davey can win with good teams.
Can we move on to today's game now?
Agreed. The O's are flat out good.
You can stop responding at any time, but
Davey's teams were good in part because he managed them. Riggs teams were bad in part because he managed them. Lots of managers manage good teams and don't succeed. Davey has succeeded.
This is beginning to look rather grim. The once invincible starting pitching is heading south, the closer is unreliable and there is no offense. The upcoming road trip could be painful.
1st pitch: taken for a called strike
2nd pitch: swing and miss -- center cut
3rd pitch: Swing and miss: center, up
Espi strikes out yet again.
Harper is still pulling out.
What's wrong with this picture? Espinosa has been in a slump for nearly a year and he still plays over Lombardozzi, who is batting .325. This team deserves to lose. By the way, where is Jim Palmer? His replacement, Mike Bordick, is about as dull as a mashed potato sandwich.
I noticed that Bordick wasnt getting some of F.P's humor yesterday -- I was embarassed for him. Love Palmer -- listening to him is like a 3 hour clinic. He and F.P. would have made a good duo.
Desi's up in a good spot.
Espinosa has options. I'm trying to think of a player who has struggled as long as Espinosa who then subsequently turned it around. More than a year, consistently missing contact, and then pulls out of it? There are quite a few who had longer track records of success before their slump (*Dunn*), but Espinosa feels more like Adam Lind than Adam Dunn.
NatsfanJim as Mark Twain said:
"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics."
Despite the flyout, this is why I like moving Desmond down. For the second time in two games he's come to the plate with two runners on base. He just needs one to fall in or clang off the wall.
Bam-Bam obviously needed a little more eye-black on that one
How one NL East team is handling a slumping young player with lots of potential (from the Miami Herald):
"Gaby Sanchez was an All-Star last year. He’s a minor-leaguer now.
The Marlins demoted the slumping first baseman to Triple A New Orleans on Saturday after an 0-for-3 day at the plate lowered his average to .197.
“We don’t think he’s a .190 hitter,” Marlins general manager Michael Hill said after the move was announced.
“We think he’s better than he’s showing here. We think he’s pressing. We want to take some of the pressure off him, get him down to Triple A, and get him right.”
Where's Strasburg fire and everybody's actually? They look beaten.
rdexpos: haha good one. Only sam clemens knew nothing about baseball ...
Stras is tired of clown baseball.
Left fielder who cant play the outfield
Centerfielder who cant play the outfield
If I were Stras, I'd be a little frustrated too.
Just checking in today - what happened to my Nats team? Has someone replaced them with another team? Getting scored on early a lot lately. I know that half our lineup shouldn't be our lineup, but I was hoping that the bench players would step up given a starting opportunity. These guys need to settle down and focus.This road trip coming up looks to be brutal. The Marlins just put Boni on the dl, though.
tired of cathers who cant catch him ...
Stras is Pissed!!! Look at him!
This getting worst and worst.
I said before -- and I'll reiterate it again.
This team is on the verge of freefall. Stras is not going to like this clown baseball behind him.
Johnson, dont let this turn into a joke.
Yeah, well if Stras was doing a better job himself he would have the right to be pissed at someone else. Maybe he better look in the mirror. Was it wise to put two rookie outfielders out there together, both of whom are inexperienced outfielders? Against a team that actually hits it to the outfield?
NatsJack - saw that, but wanted to get the GM's actual comments on the record. Strikes me as exactly the right approach.
Yes Eugene, the Marlins sent Sanchez down for not hitting and his slump has been only this season. Also, the Angels fired their hitting coach after a slow start. The Nats have had hitting problems for two years, yet the clueless Eckstein continues to stand in the dugout looking at his binder. One of the major problems with this franchise is that there has been no accountabily ever since Rizzo became the GM.
Ouch.
Harper better stop chewing out umps for their strikezones. He better stop yelling F#@# so close to the dugout that young fans can hear him -- Harper better start to hit
We can take immaturity if you're winning games .. but Harper is hurting this team.
You mean as opposed to Jim "Mr. Accountable" Bowden??? Lol...
Strasburg deserves better.
How is Andino better than Harper?
Andino catches fly balls.
Good swing, Moore.
time for Jesus to go deep
I guess Ramos and Werth had much bigger impact on this team than we thought. 5-8 with down Werth. 2-5 with down Ramos.
Hey Unknown: But you will admit, this Franchise has Loyalty -- which is a good thing. maybe Loyal to a fault, but loyalty nevertheless.
Oh .. unless your name is Lannan, that is. "Oh, John, by the way, pack your things -- your'e leaving on the next train. Thanks for coming."
Unknown: No accountability under Rizzo?
Messrs Milledge, Morgan, Maya and Lannan beg to differ.
Lots of opinions here, I'm just curious anybody here advocating the status quo?
Count me in! Stay the Course. 2013 is the year to contend. 2012 is still a building year, and the Nats play a lot of games v AL East teams...82 wins is still a great year based on all the injuries and the schedule
Hey Jack, looks like a Viera game today, every ball in the air is an adventure...
NJ.. wieters not catching today.
And I am going to break a promised that I made about not speaking about the previous manager, but under NO cirumstances would i trade Davey for Riggs. There not even in the same class. Just look at the winning % of both managers. And while their might be 1 or 2 of you that want him back, not any other GM or even Arm Chair GM would take him back as a manager.
Oh. and we are back in the game! GYFNG!
Yes, I did. then again, the pitch was 71 mph
to Michele S. haha that was truly funny, YOu go, girl.
NatsJack: there's plenty enough wind in this forum than in all of Fla and D.C.
Nice hit by Espinosa. Way to go Brice!
Here's Desmond again with ducks on the pond. Gotta come through.
to Michele S. What is it about Riggs that you didnt like?
Expos.. I think Wilson and the SP's had developed a comfort level that may be hard to replace. They all stated what a good game he called and how much they loved to have him behind the plate. It may take a little while to get that comfort level with JFlo.
And yes, we are going to miss Werth as well.
No one ever accused Desi of being a smart player.
You mean other than the worst W-L record ever for a guy who managed over 1000 games?...
hmm no one ever accused Desi of being a smart player ....
is there a high school diploma's worth of credits between Desi and Espi combined?
Swift: that's not quite fair to Riggs. How did Riggs do here? answer? very well.
given a semblance of a team, he made the most of it. Seldom did he make a bonehead moe.
If you don't agree, please enlighten me.
Sit down, Davis!!
They always say speed never slumps - hustle never slumps either. It was hustle that got that third run across. Kudos for the guys for not waiting until the sixth. Last few games, that run on third doesn't score.
way to beat out the groundball, andino
ooh, that ball did look a bit foul ...
Also, on the Lombo love (which I have now), FP mentioned something at the top of the broadcast that DJ was going to be letting Espi and Lombo duke it out and the he wouldn't be suprised to see Lombo getting more games over the next week. I didn't see anything from Mark/Amanda, etc on twitter, so I hope it happens.
Nice hustle by Desmond. Way to get down the line and plate the tying run.
P.S. Mike Bordick, who I think is from Maine, has the same New England monotone as the late, lamented Flanny. It makes for rather colorless color commentary.
So you bash Espi based on poor stats from 40 games, but defend Rigs and his poor stats from over 1000 games...
I think Rigs is better than his record, but at best he is a .500 manager
Bordick just broke the rule of the MASN folk:
Dont refer to Zimmerman's throw at a lollipop. OOps.
Warning! If you have dyxlexia you will probably confuse NatsJack in Florida with NatsFanJim - I'm fine and I actually have to look twice to see which one it is.
NatsJack: Try this out for size.
How did Riggsy do worse, much worse than Davey with the Nats?
Not talking about the 80's and 90's now; we're talking about the Nationals of 11 and 12.
I look forward to your analysis.
Sit down, rookie
Wow, I agree with other posters - Bordick is mighty dull, and intensely boring at the color man --
FP is more superior to Bordick than Davey is to Riggs.
Go Jesus!!!
By August 1, all these guys will be asking
Wilson who?????
I'm starting to think NatsFanJim is actually Riggleman himself...
Stras goes Yard!!! 0-2!!
Go Stras!!!!
Thats what happens when you follow Jesus!!!!!
Stras Mash!!!
Jesus and Jesus...
Back to back...
Swift: hahaha Nah, I would have done better than riggs hahaa
What is it about Riggs that you didnt like?
This Riggs vs. Davey is a dumb discussion, but here's one thing about Riggs I will never forget or forgive -- Morse doubleswitched after 2 HR.
OMG -- SS just hit a dinger. Awesome!
Nats Jack: kidding about what? Bordick, Stras, Jesus, the weather, the wind the rain, what?
Section: haha You made that up, dude. Never happened.
Dont start making stuff up, people.
Even before the SS clout, I was preparing to opine that I'll bet this club leads the league in solo home runs.
The only bad thing about the Stras homer is that I had Gio in the pool...
I can live with that...
Is Mark out of the box again?
Number 8 and 9 hitters back to back! Quick, somebody do some quick stat work and see when was the last time that happened!! That was very cool to watch.
So Riggs was 140-172 with the Nats. Davey is 63-60. And before you start talking about lack of talent for Riggs, Let's see, No #4 hitter, No Closer to start the season. Your RF broke his wrist, your LF situation has been atrocious, your 2nd closer had a hernia, and 3rd closer is a total head case. Your 2b is a mess as well. I will give you that Davey's Starting Pitchers are better. Riggs at least had the bats of Dunn and Willingham on his team. Davey also has the history of developing players which is what this club is about right now. I also think Davey can manage the clubhouse better.
OK - so Riggs wasn't as bad as you think he was and Davey is not as good as you think he will be. Different situations, apples and oranges in so many ways.
Swami.. so what do you think the bet was among the SP's on the first home run of the year. I thought for sure EJax would have gotten, and would have LOVED to see Gio's reaction if he had gotten it.
Of course FP and Bob are practioners of the old Oriole syndrome from a few years ago: every Nats fly ball just misses the stands. Every Nats ground out requires a spectacular devensive play and the Nats runner almost beat it out. Every Nats slumper is the victim of such bad luck. And so on. You get the idea.
I give you the clubhouse point. But every other point you make can be debated and hashed out for days and days.
Lets just agree to disagree and call it a day.
No about of spinning will change my mind that riggs did well with what he had. and no amount of spin will make Davey a better manager. Maybe he was better in the 90's, but he is an embarassment today.
And on a lighter note (!) -- all of these guys named Xavier are confusing me! I have never even met a Xavier in my life, and that's a long time, and now there are 2 in the game and one in the minors. We have the market cornered on X's and Z's!
And one thing I would like to compliment the O's fans on. The one's sitting in my section yesterday were very friendly, and were good natured (even when they were beating us by 6-0). Comiserated about their bad owner and how he has screwed both teams over. Made up for some of the lunkheads that we saw in the Sunday Night Phillie game.
Hey NatsJack: Espinosa is far from a retread: agreed.
But He is struggling mightily to find some traction!!
Michele S: Interesting comment. Just a thought. Everyone coming to the ballpark this weekend were O's fans a short time ago. So, when you see O's fans, you are looking in a mirror. They are (or were) us.
This is Desmond's third at bat today with two guys on base. This is great for the team, with his XBH power.
Free Wings!!!
Truce? Didnt know there was a war going on??
This is baseball folks, not life. Relax NatsfanJack from Fla. haha
NatsFanJim.. I don't think you can say that with the amount of transplants in the area. Quite a few on this board were White Sox/Cubs/Expos/Mets fans before they were Nats Fans
Section: haha You made that up, dude. Never happened.
Which? The Morse doubleswitch, or the Strasburg HR? :-) Both happened, believe it or not!
Swami, I think I heard them say there is another Xavier in the Nats Minor Leagues as well. Yup we have the X market cornered.
Ok - on another lighter note ( please?) -- try to wrap your mind around Flores and Strasburg hitting back to back home runs! I keep thinking about it and it's truly astonishing!
hahah
So that's what's wrong with this board.
Not you, Michelle.
But other rather rude, namecalling posters: gotta be former Mets, or Phillies, or Sox fans.
LOL
MicheleS - and the Z's! Two Zims, Gorzo, Lombo -- really quite odd.
NatsfanJack. You're starting to worry me, dude. You're starting to obsess. Relax dude. Feel free to let a comment or two of mine go without feeling the need to attack me on it.
Swami. Agree. can't get over the Back to Back's. Especially by the 8/9 hitter. Who knew we had Pop at the end of the order!
NatsFanJim. I believe you attacked JaneB yesterday about the Smile question posed by another poster, so if you don't want the attacks, the don't attack others.
Desmond with 2 RBIs from the 5 hole. Outstanding!
To paraphrase what Churchill said about Americans, we can count on the Nats to do the right thing, after they've exhausted every conceivable alternative.
Another Note to Obsessive Natsfanjack
If you "despise" a team, you are waaaaat to emotionally involved in it.
Repeat to yourself 10 times: This is just a game. This is just a game ......
Hopefully, you not one of those sick posters that I have to mute.
Stras done at 90 pitches? If so, a good bounce back start against a good lineup. He overcame poor defense and didn't have FB command early. Felt like a veteran outing today..
Michele S: oh sorry, It felt like a gathering of the pom pom girls. I thought this was a baseball forum.
I guess you're a dumb ass, too.
Where did you say your dumb self was from? Ms. Baseball genius?
Was Nady pulled for a reason? or was it just the pitcher/batter match up? I thought I heard yesterday that Nady had the ususal suspect oblique tweak.
Hey, MicheleS - I don't know? Are we back to talking about baseball politely?
I'm not sure b/c Gameday isnt working, but it may be a double switch?
Thanks NatsJack.. Missed the Moore Move.
Pitcher's spot isleading off this inning, is Ankiel in that spot?
actually 2nd, I'm helpless with out Gameday
Gorzo one two three inning as per twitter.
Swift. Have you tried the CBS Sports site? That one might be better today for the game tracker
Hey NatsFanJim:
Knock it off with the personal insults.
Lighten up, Francis.
Awesome! Thanks MicheleS
NatsJack.. Boston took it to Lee today. He gave up 5 ER. Wow.
But now I have a desire to go to Wendy's...Lol
At some risk of being flamed (is that term?), may I suggest we introduce NatsFanJim and peric for a polite discussion of the relative merits of Jim Riggleman and Davey Johnson? Perhaps Mark Z. could even set them up with their own blog for said discussion?
On any given day, I don't care who the pitcher is, things can just go wrong. We really have to remember that Stras, Det and JZim are all relatively inexperienced, young pitchers. They don't act like it most of the time, but they are. Sometime after the game I might look up the number of professional starts by each. I am sure that the number won't be very high. You can't rush experience. I think these guys are going to be like fine wine - once they age, they will be incredible.
Another 42,000 crowd---good to see the fans finally coming out in big numbers.
Mark just put this out: Also, total attendance for the weekend was over 120K
Mark Zuckerman@MarkZuckerman
#Nats attendance now up 38% from last year at this point, roughly 8,000 per game. Only #MLB teams with higher increase: #Marlins, #Tigers.
Impressive, and not very many home games against high profile opponents...I imagine the Yanks games will bolster those numbers
Espinosa should learn something from LaRoche. The latter spoke about not expanding his zone in response to his mini-slump the last few days and is clearly making that adjustment today. Espinosa talks about it and then just keeps making the same mistakes.
NatsJack -- right on, regarding entertainment of this game; I know what you mean. [I went to Ponce de Leon league games this morning. LOL Now that's entertainment too.]
Looked like Zim turned his ankle on 3rd. No mention by the 3 guys in the booth
Desi may have found a home in the five hole...
So does that make the 2B the everyday lead off man? Who else can do it?
If Desi is in the 5 hole then what we really need Lombardozzi in the lead off spot . Espi is still green and I think he will figure out the hitting. Ankiel - I think what you see is what you get. Bases loaded - none score. Nice to see Zim heating up with the bat, but I also saw him turn his ankle. His base running is quite an adventure.
Derek... great minds think alike.
Is Henry warming up? Or did his inning yesterday take out the possibility of being used today?
YEA Lombo! Yea Danny!!! a 5 run lead should be safe for Henry!
Well, well, well.
A Lombo liner and Espinosa follows his double with a dinger. This is getting interesting.
Lombo might get to shag some more flies in left.
Does the Nats Park Scoreboard even have the ability to put a 10 up there?
I have four things to say LOM -- BAR -- DOZ -- ZI!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love this kid - do you think lombo is pushing him a little? :)
Swammi.. you bet Lombo is pushing Espi. Mark had that piece about a week or so ago that Espi knew that going to AAA was a possibility.
Lombo LF
Harper CF or RF
Zim 3B
LaRoche 1B
Desmond SS
Espinosa 2B
Ankiel, Bernadina or Nady OF
Maldonado C
WOOOOO HOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!! A win!!!
Nice bounce back win. Still the 3rd best record in the NL.
The O' are good...
That was a tad scary. But WOOOHOOO!
That was fun.
Now lets go north and smack the ball all over Philly.
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