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US Presswire file photo Ross Detwiler looks to pitch the Nats to another win at Miller Park tonight. |
Ross Detwiler will be the man on the mound for the Nats, looking to continue his recent upswing. In five starts since rejoining the rotation, the left-hander has a 2.35 ERA (the Nats have won four of those starts). Rookie Sandy Leon is behind the plate for the fifth time in the last seven games as Davey Johnson tries to give Jesus Flores more time off.
In other roster news today, the Nationals have officially released Rick Ankiel. a procedural move that comes eight days after the veteran outfielder was designated for assignment.
As you know, I'm not in Milwaukee this weekend. Enjoy the game and the ongoing conversation here...
WASHINGTON NATIONALS at MILWAUKEE BREWERS
Where: Miller Park
Gametime: 8:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: WJFK (106.7 FM), WFED (1500 AM), XM 188
Weather: Clear, 72 degrees, Wind 12 mph LF to RF
NATIONALS (59-39)
2B Steve Lombardozzi
RF Bryce Harper
3B Ryan Zimmerman
1B Adam LaRoche
LF Michael Morse
SS Danny Espinosa
CF Roger Bernadina
C Sandy Leon
LHP Ross Detwiler
BREWERS (44-54)
RF Norichika Aoki
CF Carlos Gomez
LF Ryan Braun
3B Aramis Ramirez
1B Corey Hart
2B Rickie Weeks
C Jonatan Lucroy
SS Cody Ransom
RHP Mike Fiers
UMPIRES
HP Paul Schrieber
1B Laz Diaz
2B Mike Estabrook
3B Tim Welke (cc)
219 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 1 – 200 of 219 Newer› Newest»The Brewers are starting Morgan against a LHP? Really?
Go, Det! Go, NATS!!
Good luck to Ankiel. Maybe he'll catch on somewhere else.
I like gloating. If the Nats win tonight, we can gloat. If the Phils beat the Braves, we can gloat. If the Braves beat the Phils we can gloat.
I am fully prepared for an orgy of gloating. And if we win and move to 21 over .500, with a 6-game lead on the Braves, I may succumb to a fatal attack of gloating
John C. said...
The Brewers are starting Morgan against a LHP? Really?
Hmm, the Brewers' official Twitter account listed Morgan in center field, but several Milwaukee reporters now show Gomez in the lineup. Looks like it is indeed the latter.
Just a reminder, although it's hard to imagine after seven straight great outings by our starters, the Nats *will* lose another game this season. Maybe even two.
Okay people, we had a day of gloating. It's game time. No counting the chickens just yet.
I want COOKIES FOR DET! Continue to dominate. I feel like I am adopting him. Someone needs to fatten him up. (will be checking on the Storen to see if he is on the Craig Stammen Big Booty plan)
GYFNG!!! Let's step on the throats of the brew crew.. We owe them.
This season is so much fun, after all the futility of the past. I'm happiest for RZim, who has been through the bad times and now san enjoy winning. Go Nats!
SO who do we root for tonight? Atl or PHL? On the one hand, if ATL falls apart, we have a chance to open up good lead. If the PHL falls apart, well that's just a bonus for us over their fans (i hope they deal pence, I like him and hate the fact that he is a Philly)
swami--here is the link to the Stammen interview:
Stammen
http://washington.cbslocal.com/audio/1608-holden-kushner-and-danny-rouhier/seg-13-craig-stammen-of-your-washington-nationals-joins-holden-and-danny/
Michele, I don't dislike Hunter Pence, but I sure am glad he's not our rift fielder. The guy makes Morse,and Lombo, look like gold gloves.
JoeS.. I just love the goof ball. My Friends in Houston loved him. Plus if they trade him, the average age of the Phillies gets A LOT older.
I think Bryce and Lombo are both looking too thin right now, too, Michele. A major league season can really be a grind and they could probably use some home cooking and some cookies for dessert.
The easy answer is the Philthies, they are done, the Braves on the other hand are well within striking distance and surely will make a deadline deal to improve their chances, it is hard to root for phillies but this weekend it is a no brainer.
MicheleS, I'm definitely with you on the Feed the Boys campaign. Let's give them some good home cooking to keep them strong through September (and beyond)!!!!
Swami, I know we had volunteers for Spaghetti and meatballs. I make a mean steak. Plus my Chocolate Chip Cookies are legendary (I am humble about that). What other stuff can we cook up? I am sure we have some BBQ experts out there somewhere.
BTW.. I am going to the STH picnic next week. If you here about crazy female fan, umm, that might be me.
Okay, Ankiel is gone taking the hole in his bat with him. Now, let's get rid of Henry Rodriquez and Chen Ming Wang or whatever his name is. Then, we need to pick up a veteran catcher who provides better defense than Leon and maybe an infielder like Marco Scutaro. We are going for a pennant and it's no time to be cheap.
Unknown said...
Okay, Ankiel is gone taking the hole in his bat with him. Now, let's get rid of Henry Rodriquez and Chen Ming Wang or whatever his name is. Then, we need to pick up a veteran catcher who provides better defense than Leon and maybe an infielder like Marco Scutaro. We are going for a pennant and it's no time to be cheap.
Glad you're not the GM.
You gotta root for the Phil's. Kill the braves then we will take care of the Phil's ourselves.
You gotta root for the Phil's. Kill the braves then we will take care of the Phil's ourselves.
I will never "root" for the Phils... but I can root for the Braves to lose!
Mr Doggett,
Exactly !!
Can they both lose? Can't hope for Colbert to win. Bryce may have forgiven him, but I haven't.
Not sure I have a good feeling about today's game...The Nats are probably facing the best pitcher of the weekend if we don't see Greinke on Sunday. But, good pitchers can be had, look at Verlander yesterday...
GO NATS!!!!!!
MicheleS said...What other stuff can we cook up? I am sure we have some BBQ experts out there somewhere.
I smoke spareribs that will stand up to anything you can find in Texas. Fall-off-the-bone tender, a beautiful pink smoke ring around the edges, and a killer secret rub recipe. Just what growing boys need - lots of protein.
Starting to doubt Grienke is going anywhere
keep thinking of Dennis the Menace with Grienke, remember Mr Grienke? hee hee. I know, I have to much time on my hands, lol
Candide.. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.. sounds good!
Mick... Don't count out ATL/STL/TX/LAA for Grienke.. It will go down to Sunday, but maybe 7/31
Candide
I BBQ all vegetables, tomato, peppers both red and green, shrimp, bass, cat fish, flounder,you name it... not to mention steak and chicken, of which I'm grilling right now
When you're on top, always root for the higher team (for tonight it's the Braves) to lose to the lower team (for tonight it's the Phils)
DC wonk... exactly, Braves are the team to be most careful of... Mets may be finally be done, I'll take everyone else word that Marlins are done and if the Phillies some how catch fire, that would be very impressive
NatsLady said...Can they both lose?
Channeling your inner Henry Kissinger?
Mick, not to run down your skills at the grill, which I'm sure are enormous (have to have a serious foundation to pour all that Corona on, right?) but smoking ain't grilling.
candide, lolololo
I see an Iron Chef type Showdown: Candide vs Mick. We need to tailgate.
All this talk about food is making me hungry. And it was supposed to about the too-skinny young'uns. Is Detweiler really 6 '5"?? I was worried just a tad when I saw the preview of tonight's pitcher, but last night's pitcher had a nice little reputation also.They can all be gotten to if the boys keep their heads, work the count and keep the pressure up. Sometimes even those innings where you don't score but keep walking, singling, taking bases - wear down the pitcher. Focus, patience and determination. Go Nats!!!
By the way - I think Miss Iowa went to the Braves but it starting out in AAA.
Michele... you got it a tailgate before the first playoff game since 1933 at Nats Park, lol
The Phillies are close to done, but not completely. They're 9.5 out of the wild card, and the serious teams they have to vault to get there are the Dodgers and Cards, plus either the Braves or the Pirates. They can still get hot, at least theoretically. Mets and Marlins are actually ahead of them right now, but those teams are trying to die.
MicheleS said...I see an Iron Chef type Showdown: Candide vs Mick. We need to tailgate.
From Tom Boswell's, "99 Reasons Why Baseball Is So Much Better Than Football":
53) Football fans tailgate before the big game. No baseball fan would have a picnic in a parking lot.
I just heard this on tv -- "and the Yankees are tied with the Washington Nationals for the best record in Major League Baseball". Something inside me just went - snap! - are they talking about MY Washington Nationals? Just hearing it out loud brought me up short. It's because I know it in my head - I see it in writing, but in my soul I am having so much trouble believing it. I feel like Charlie Brown and Lucy is saying " go ahead, kick the ball" and then she will pull it away. Is there anyone else out there that is pinching himself every day. I mean, it's so cool and it's so much fun, but at times it feels like a mirage.
Candide.. you have never been to Milwaukee then. That is the best tailgaiting before a baseball game - ever -hands down.
Or we do a NatsInsider Party again. and that is when we do Iron Chef. First Away game of the NLDS (game 3).
Best. Post. EvAr!
Just think of it this way. We're not rooting for the Phillies; we're rooting against the Braves.
I miss tailgating at RFK (before baseball games, of course - I'm not into that pointy-ball stuff). That said, I've always liked that Bos piece, as well as the George Carlin bit comparing the games.
Rosenthal/Morosi, tweeting Greinke to LAA... Good it gets him to the AL>
Ken Rosenthal@Ken_Rosenthal
BREAKING: #Angels close to acquiring Zack Greinke from #Brewers, sources tell me and @jonmorosi.
SWEET.. Looks like it is a done deal!!! Greinke to LAA.. AWESOME.. and the Braves lose again!
more details..
Ken Rosenthal@Ken_Rosenthal
#Brewers getting shortstop Jean Segura and two Double A pitchers from #Angels for Greinke. "Finishing touches" being applied. Deal is done.
I am challenged with regard to the Braves/Phillies game. I grew up in Atlanta watching the AAA Crackers (the only instance in which changing to a Native American mascot improved political correctness) so I like the Braves and the model they constructed. Braves fans are very respectful of the Nats.
OTOH, they are the chief rivals.
OTOOH, my in-laws are all from Philly.
Hmmm . . .
OTOH, there's that whole chop thing. Ick.
MicheleS said...Candide.. you have never been to Milwaukee then. That is the best tailgaiting before a baseball game - ever -hands down.
1) Don't argue with me. Argue with Boswell.
2) I have been to Milwaukee, twice. Once on business; it was February, so enough said. The other was flying back to DCA from DFW at Christmas and they had sleet at DFW and our American flight got canceled on us; they re-booked us on a Midwest Express flight. When I reported back to Cunegonde and her mom that we were flying Midwest Express through Milwaukee, her mom said, "Oh, that's one of those little puddle-jumper airlines," and I had to explain to her that Midwest was arguably the best airline in the world. After they served dinner, including wine, to everyone on the plane (this on a flight from Milwaukee to DC), the cabin was suddenly flooded with the aroma of warm chocolate-chip cookies.
Candide.. I argue with Boz all the time ;-)See.. then you understand the Milwaukee food culture! I love grilling or smoking meats in a parking lot.
1A.. I miss RFK lots. Those were the best. (plus it's cheaper to grill that to pay for a burnt dog or brat in the park
Don't like the chop either. Keep the humility; loose the arrogance. It's a hard line to walk. I like the new swagger of the Nats, but keep it in check.
The RFK lots are still great before the United games.
I think last Friday kind of took care of that. Now, no lead is cause to let up.
MicheleS said...I love grilling or smoking meats in a parking lot.
My ribs take six hours to smoke. See the problem?
hope phillies beat braves. i like the idea of them helping us. heh heh
Candide.. Ummm Nope.. Just a really big long NatsInsider Party!!! We have singers and musicians among us.. That's our entertainment.
oh, and BBQing beats grilling. ask any pig.
and BBQ or smoke beats grilling. ask a pig.
(now - we can all argue about something IMPORTANT)
Um, about the team? None of the five starters has a losing record. Has that ever happened before? EJax went even at 6-6 last night. JZim is barely over- that nasty run support thing, you know. Let's keep that one going!
Perfect timing. Opening ceremonies over and time for Baseball. Go Nats!
Olympics?
Kristina Akra is such an upgrade over Debbie Taylor.
She is un-tradable, Swami! She's just a jewel.
DWS said...Perfect timing. Opening ceremonies over and time for Baseball. Go Nats!
Olympics?
Meh. You get the Olympics every two years. When was the last time a Washington baseball team was in the thick of a pennant race?
Okay, when was the last time the Nats/Senators were 21 games over .500?
my guess either 1933 or 1945 or maybe never
Will Grienke be doing the great good -bye scene during our game tonight?
Are the Opening Ceremonies worth watching on replay? I loved the Beijing Opening Ceremony watched it several times.
Twitter has Livo starting on Sunday in place of Grienke!
I'm glad Greinke is back in the AL. I can't imagine the Halos would give up three good prospects unless they thought they could get an extension.
With Hamels off the boards and Greinke in L.A., EJAX becomes the best-available starter on the free agent market.
I hope he wants to stay, but his price just went up.
If the Nats lose Jackson and Wang and they don't trade for a starter in the off-season, they might be glad to have that John Lannan insurance policy.
Can't imagine Solis, Rosenbaum, Meyer or Karns will be ready in 2013.
Nats Store question here. I bought the Zimm 1924 throwback jersey 3 wks ago from the team store, but it's a size too small. Anyone know if I can return it for a larger size? Still got the tags on & everything... Thanks in advance...
Kilgore tweeting that Livo could start in place of Grienke, just keeps getting better & better!
NL.. I have the ceremonies on the DVR. That way I can watch at my pleasure.
wow, Grienke an Angel, watch out Yankees!
so...where does Dempster end up?
I think Miller Park is very pretty but I hate roofs.
CN, how much is the jersey for?
watching both Nats and the ceromonies, very cool
I like Fiers
rooves?
;-)
They are making contact early. Good sign. Lombo's definitely was hit hard and could have fallen in.
these opening olymp cer is stunning, excellent!
agree swami... matter of time
Shaikh, jersey goes for $125, looks nice. Wish it didn't have "Zimmerman" on the back, so that only "11" shows on the back. Having 11 on the front too would have been a nice touch. I got the 1936 throwback from last yr too.
love it 2 outs, only 5 pitches
Re Olympics. Stunning except for Sir Pauls sound issues.
DWS... agreed
Danny plays a mean SS. Very different style than Desi, but works just as well.
Natslady.. Danny is solid at either, I am impressed with Lombo at 2b
6 pitches, 3 outs.... Nice!
DET!!!!
queen - great entrance
Fiers is nasty
Danny also has a howitzer for an arm. Lombo plays a nice second. How lucky are we that they can just step right in and cover for Desi?
swami, either you're the fastest typist in the world or you were totally psychic on that last DP.
Mary Poppins.... toppings, toppings, feed the birds, lol
So.. some good love from NBC4.
Vance's View
Are the Red Sox selling yet? Don't they have a catcher we could use?
Update on Sunday's starter.
Amanda Comak@acomak
2004 first-rounder Mark Rogers (4.72 ERA in Triple-A this year) will be recalled in the wake of the Greinke trade. Likely to start Sunday
thanks Michele.
I am fine with are catchers natslady
Chili..no updates.. Scoreless thru 2. Det gave up a couple of hits.
vance was great. 'the skins promise, but the nats...'
So Great! MR BEANE DOING CHARIOTS OF FIRE! Now back to your Nationals Broadcast!
Wasn't Det drafted in '06 just behind Rogers?
look at Mr Bean is too much, lol
CN, $125 is kinda out of my budget. Otherwise I would be very much interested in a throwback jersey. No idea whether you can swap it for a larger size at the store.
Thanks, Michele, but I have access tonight.
I was trying to hide from the Olympics. Guess I'll just keep C&D in the b/g as I work.
Nevermind, 2006 was the yr Marrero was the 1st pick
Everybody should paste that NBC4 video on their Facebook page. I just did.
what's today? get no-hit by a rookie day?
waddu==> picked up on that exact line! Good, about time. This Fiers pretty good, so far, just two walks, no one can get anything, hope they can adjust.
Speaking of no-hit, Comak's retweeting that Maya's perfect thru 6. Werth is 0-3 with 2 k's and a walk, think Werth is 0-12 at 'Cuse. Tracy is 2-3.
CN.... I wonder if the wrist is not ready to bat
Well at least I don't have to Jinx a no no
ANd Maya's perfecto is over as well... gave up a HR.
That Vance's View thing from NBC4 was awesome!!!!! And back on the field, we got us a good old fashioned pitcher's duel, my friends. And it's between a small market, older rookie and our current number 5 starter. Go Nats!!!
I'll drink to that swami, lol
I love how the starters suddenly became efficient since the double-header. Thanks for EJax & Lannan for starting the chain.
OK, we need to figure this guy out, because ATL has laid 5 on Colbert.
did you all see the queen dancing to that rapper kid?
Ladies and Gentlemen - I present you with Sir John Lannan - official stopper of the Washington Nationals. I really did type that with a straight face. Who saw that coming? Seriously, watching him deal his soft stuff and get out after out must have made an impression.
YUK
Come on, Det, it's only two runs, don't lose your cool.
Ross blinked first. Now get that pitch count up so we can get the bullpen.
ML scout says you have pitch Hart up and in
Come on, Ross, settle down. McCatty - paging McCatty.
Det has to get back too attacking and not trying to fool the batter
Det losing it. Time for a McCatty visit.
Where have I seen this movie before...the wheels always fall off with Detwiler sooner or later. You just can't rely on him for more than spot starts.
Det at 62 pitches
McCatty said, look you got two out. You can do this.
Boy, thank you, Brewers!
Well at least we got out of that mess..
F and I - give the kid a break. Of course he isn't consistent yet. Even Lincecum, Halladay and Verlander have tough times. Things like this are going to happen - it's part of the process of learning to be a big league pitcher.
Quick to start dumpin on Det so quickly. What not say anything the last 3 weeks. One bad inning in 4 starts and cue the haters.
It's two runs, exhale, please.
I don't get that. They must not have read the scouting reports. Det does NOT handle adversity well... Can't believe they did that.
Love that ALR was the first one to figure out Fiers. OK, now, step up the offense guys.
like I said, we are fine with our catchers
F & I, The amount of ignorance on You is too high!
I am not neg on Det (or no more than usual). Just the facts, he lets stuff get to him. Part of the maturity process.
In all the panic over Detweiler freaking out, did we fail to notice that one of our catcher's actually caught someone stealing???
all Det has to do is stay aggressive, he has a tendency to stop being aggressive if a few things go wrong, Davey has said that a few times
Not dumping on Detwiler...he just becomes a completely different pitcher after he gives up a couple of hits.
Look, the Brewers did a stupid thing and Leon made good play. Doesn't mean Det didn't freak out, just means the Brewers are stupid and Leon made a good play.
I would say I agree with F&I about 1% of the time, but this is the 1%. JZ was like that last year. Det needs to get past it.
May not matter, though, because this Fiers is as advertised.
"Where have I seen this movie before."
we already talked about movies today.
I'm sorry, I like Leon and Solano, but we cannot go into the playoffs with these guys and Flores hurting. Rizzo needs to get moving.
LOL, we can use Henry again.
Fiers is good
not sure why Ryan took that pitch
IT happens!!! Will get them tommoro. we are 6 straight wins. they had about 6 straight losses. It was bound to happen.
Fiers has a 1.79 ERA for a reason
for a small market they have a great fan base, they had 35,000 lasst night?
I seems to recall a stretch not too long ago where the sainted Strasburg and the legendary Gio had some bad outings. Did we think we would just play magical baseball for the next 63 games? This isn't a Disney movie. Every day is going to be a battle. The Braves are not going away, they will be dogging us every day. We might even ( gasp) fall into second place for a while. Lots of time left - actually in this game - and in the season. Even if someone thinks they know the outcome of either one, they don't.
This is a game to let Hrod finish up
any word on Dempster?
I hope he ends up in AL like grienke
good news, Fiers is at 100 pitches
Be careful NL I suggested that last week and was hissed out of the thread.
Turtle flippage. Time to hurtle Yertle.
P.S. Goodwin pulls off the interstate. He went 3 for 4 in the continuation of Thursday's game and he's up to .212.
I was hoping Leon would not DP, I wanted to see Corey get his first MLB hit
good time for Drew to get some innings
Nice inning by Drew. Leave it to Johnson to pull a positive out of a 7-0 blowout. Also,kudos to Morse for that catch in foul ground.
Livo's the man, lol
latest on Dempster... interesting rumor...
Dempster, Soriano and LaHair for Allen Webster
all right Henry!
Corey Brown has made three very nice catches tonight. The last one was not easy.
let's get a run, no goose egg
agreed Joe
hey, where is everybody? I feel like the old Rodney Dangerfield joke, my girlfriend called me up and said, hey come over my house, there's nobody home, I went over, there was nobody home? bada bing!
Well, if we're going to lose, might as well get our butts kicked. The good news is that Storen pitched great and so did Henry. Also we got Jordan and Gio coming up to take the series. Brewers traded Greinke to the Angels so we don't have to see him unless its in the WS.
Livo vs Harper rematch goes to Livo I suppose.
I expected Nats bats to have a tough day but not Nats pitching. Oh well, there is always tomorrow. Good to see HRod have a 1-2-3 inning.
Goodwin had another hit in the nightcap.
Since his 1 for 19 start at Harrisburg Brian is 7 for 17. He's now hitting .222 with a .317 on base percentage. Both are rising daily.
The thing that sets him apart from Perez -- aside from his extra-base power -- is that Goodwin draws walks. After 36 at bats, Goodwin has 5 walks.
Eh, not a happy game results email. As sec 222 noted before, you can't win 'em all. Shower it off (oh, I guess they already did that) and get after it again today. I had an idea it might not be a happy results email when I clicked away from The Prisoner, er, This Is Spinal Tap, er, MTV, er, the opening ceremonies in London. Wow. How much did they spend on that again? Whoo-eee. Oh, well. Let the games begin. (Disclaimer: I went to sleep before the end of the ceremony. Maybe it got better. Or not. The parade was nice, anyway. :-))
Well, losing always sucks, but there were a couple of positives from last nights game. Watching the Fiers kid was pretty cool, just wish that it hadn't been against us. The kid looks very good. Ok, positives from last night: Every game Bryce Harper looks more and more like a ML outfielder. That diving attempt where he missed, but still barehanded the ball off the ground, and the subsequent throw was most impressive. Corey Brown made three very nice catches in CF the last one the being the best. Great jump. That would have gone for extra bases with a lot of other outfielders. Michael Morse made a great effort to get to that ball in foul territory, covered a lot of ground, and then made a nice grab. Kudos! Henry? What can you say? 1-2-3 inning with a K. Henry's gotta love him some Davey because most would have sent him packing by now. McCatty, Johnson and Rizzo are determined to bring the inner "Good Henry" out of this guy.And lastly Drew Storen looks stronger and more relaxed every outing. This was perfect game to get the work in for Drew and Henry.
OK,Boys let's get 'em today.
Oh,,yeah. I can't help it, I still was glad that Philly lost. Every day that they are in last place is a good for this Grumpy Old Man of Baseball!
"I can't help it, I still was glad that Philly lost. Every day that they are in last place is a good for this Grumpy Old Man of Baseball!"
And they sent out their $144 mn man to boot. Great investment there, Philly. May he never win another game.
Fiers was impressive, but the Nats seem to have trouble with the soft-tossing, breaking ball types. Shark, Danny and Zim have cooled off. Biggest ABs of the night for the Nats may have been Zim's K with 2 on and one out, when the game was still young enough to make a comeback, followed by ALR's fly out. Detwiler's worst start in weeks.
You can't win them all, and the Phillies still made it a good night for Nats' fans. The Braves picked up a game on the rest of NL East. Good news, if you are worried about the Nats getting complacent. Every cloud has a silver lining (I just made that up).
I guess that was as good a place as any for Det to get roughed up. Offense didn't score so the number didn't matter. It was only four , by the way. Stammen two. It happens. Fiers is the real deal. Enter the perfect opportunity for Henry and Drew. Both were good! I will take that after a nice win streak. Hope we start a new one. Home state tonight- JZim will probably have lots of people there to see him pitch.
Couldn't finish last night (those 5 am wake up calls finally caught up with me). Glad there were some positives in the game! Happy to hear about Henry. And Corey! Hope he can get a hit soon.
Fiers is tough so no slouch losing to him. Like NatsJack said, we have Jordan on the hill tonight and I like our chances. Plus COLBERT got rocked last night. Always good to see that. Now the Braves need to lose a few.
A note regarding the Phillies: They have played the Braves six games this year. Brian McCann has homered in every game.
Also, they should have traded Colbert. Their system is near bankrupt of upcoming talent. They have two minor leaguers rated in the top 100 prospects and neither of them are in the top 50.i honestly think that we are watching one of the fastest winning franchise's collapse in my lifetime. An incredable case of mismanagement going on up there.
Oh, I did also click over during Livo's appearance. Always fun to see him, although our batters might disagree. Not sure the Brewers uni is the best look for him, even with the pinstripes. :-)
So, Det doesn't understand the early hook? Neither did Gio, so he stewed about it for four days and came back and pitched a gem. Let's hope that's some motivation for Detwiler.
Seamhead, I also could not believe they extended Colbert. Thought for sure he was going to Texas or one of the LA teams. They must think they are going to sell out forever, but in a year or two if they are losing 90+ games the crowds will disappear as will season-ticket renewals and TV ratings. No one better than a Nats' fan to appreciate pitching, but theirs is way older and pricier.
Also can't believe the Twins won't cash in on Willingham. He probably needs to stay in the AL to keep up that incredible production, but his value will never be higher.
It's never a bad day when the Fish and Fillies lose. So did the Mets, and not in a good way. I think we've known for quite a while it's a two-team race. Have to chew up the under .500 teams now...
Once in a while you are going to meet an unknown but good pitcher who is on top of his game. Davey made the best of it, which is all you can ask. I hope RZ is not cooling off, or, at least, not too much.
By accident I listened to a fraction of the June 6 Baseball Today podcast... It was funny to hear them agree that "all five" NL East teams would be relevant in September, with the possible exception of the Mets.
- Marlins, selling off every available asset well before the trade deadline;
- Mets, would sell off assets if they had any;
- Fillies, stuck in the cellar with a 0.4% chance of making the playoffs.
BTW, if they were going to extend Colbert, maybe they should have done it last winter? Here is his quote:
Hamels walked a career-high six batters, throwing more balls (56) than strikes (53) for the first time in his career when he has thrown 100 or more pitches.
"It was a long week," Hamels said. "I don't think I'll ever have to experience it again. It's a long, stressful week. The highs and lows you have as a person or athlete, it was probably the ultimate. To have it during the baseball season was a little different. Guys will go through it during the offseason and obviously don't have to go out the next day and play.
"I'm glad I can finally try to move past it. I think this start is something I'll definitely move past. Getting back to the normal routine and keeping my emotions in check, that would be more characteristic of what I'm used to."
Pending free agent Edwin Jackson must be thrilled that
Matt Cain and Cole Hamels are off the board and that the Halos surely will try to extend Greinke.
Some interesting pitchers could be free agents -- Dan Haren, Tim Hudson, Anibal Sanchez, James Shields -- but with the big names gone, Edwin is going to make a lot of money.
Rizzo will face a really interesting decision on Jackson's rotation spot. Will he try to re-sign EJAX? I don't know that Jackson will be swayed by the notion of pitching for a winner. He didn't re-sign with the Cardinals after they won it all.
Rizzo has Lannan in reserve and he doesn't want to lock Meyer out of a future rotation spot, but I wouldn't be surprised if Trader Mike targets another pitcher this off season.
Did the Cards offer to extend EJax? I thought they didn't, but my recollection could be wrong.
Funny how last Saturday morning there was general panic after the evil loss to the Barves. This Saturday morning we got shut out in Milwaukee ( only our third time this year, I think), Det got roughed up, the offense didn't show up at all and yet, everyone is pretty matter-of - fact about it. We are going to lose games. What I like is having 59 wins in the books. No one can take those away. Every win is another win in the bank. We just need to face it that Atlanta is going to be on our heels every single day. This is not going to be a walk in the park.
How much would we have to give the Red Sox for this guy? He's not a free agent until 2013, but you could flip him in the offseason if Ramos' recovery is on target.
shoppach
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/shoppke01.shtml
Also, Kottaras was DFA'd by the Brewers, but if I recall he's not a great defensive catcher.
Another point regarding Hamels. He threw 128 pitches in his last outing before last night. Charlie Manuel has been letting Halladay and Lee stay in for 125, or more, pitches a lot the past couple of years. It's taking its toll on all of them.
"Fastest collapse of a winning franchise in my lifetime."
Joe S - You must be younger than 47. Take a look at the '65 Yankees.
Regarding EJax and the Cards, wasn't there also the issue of how they used him in the playoffs?-
#4 and Joe S
better than that was in 1964, the Philadelphia Phillies was 6 1/2 games AHEAD with only 12 to play. Starting on September 21 the Phillies were about to go on a ten game losing streak and lost the NL title.
Gene Mauch was the manager of that Phillie team who of course was the first manager of the Montreal Expos in 1969
#4 Yankess did go 93-69, in 1970, so only 5 losing seasons before then
Natslady - I mentioned Shoppach a few weeks ago although I brutalized the spelling - I am not sure but Peric just might be right about our guy in AAA though. What we need is someone to handle the pitchers and keep it from being a track meet on the basepaths. Looking forward to JZimmnn being his usual spectacular #1 self. He is the one who will get us into and lead us far in the playoffs.
Go Nats!!
I have heard Shoppach being mentioned a lot. Veteran guy, good with the pitching staff. I think they are mentioning him as a veteran backup to Flores, not the main guy. I think we need some Pudge-like wisdom back there to help the others learn how to catch base-stealers and pick people off. I also think that type of catcher could help the pitchers understand why they are being stolen upon. I am afraid that the word is out and it could become an achilles heel. I think most of our staff is of the philosophy that if no one ever gets on, no one can steal. Surprisingly, that works a good bit of the time.
wild idea... if Petite can come out of retirement for Yankees, could Pudge come out of retirement for the Nats?
just a thought.
I believe that Pudge said "leave the old man alone," as he's enjoying retirement.
Drew -- we obviously won't know for a while, but it's time to restate my view that EJax is not about $ maximization, he wants to settle down with a winning team where he feels welcomed and like a part of the family. Yeah, obviously this is a business but the whole thrust of Rizzo's plan is to get and keep a core group together for years. After moving from team to team and growing up in a military family, EJax wants that and with this group of guys, especially to add himself to that long term three man pitching core. That's why he canned Boras,, who was all about trophy contracts for the highest bidder that also maximize Boras' income.
Obviously the Cards didn't have that kind of feel or approach or Pujols would have stayed for a relatively few $ less. EJax will stay because THIS winning team is where GE wants to be. Just look at him hang in the dugout with the other starters.
Totally willing to admit I'm wrong if I am but I din't think I will be.
Not to change the subject but where is John Lannan? He has not pitched since Saturday and is not scheduled (at Syracuse) today. Is there a trade brewing?
Wouldn't Lannan pitch tomorrow if he were on 4-days rest to pitch the Friday doubleheader?
#4 and mick, believe me I'm way past 40, and yes I remember the Yankees downfall. My point on this year's Phillies is the whole team is collapsing from first to worst in one year, and they have mortgaged their long term future virtually overnight. The Cole Hamel extension makes it even worse. Their present GM didn't build them, but is he really screwing them up. Ha!
Of course, there is still enough talent on their present roster to play spoiler before this season is over.There will be two dogfights in the NL East, one between the Nats and Braves for first place, and the other between the Phillies, Marlins, and Mets for the cellar.
All this talk about downfalls is making me nervous. We need a good post about one of our players or something. In the meantime I have been following the Greinke deal - he is one "unique" dude. This should be interesting to watch from afar. Any word on whether or not we get Livo tomorrow?
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