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US Presswire file photo AT&T Park hosts the Nationals for the next three days. |
Gio Gonzalez is no stranger to AT&T Park, though, having made one start there each of the last two seasons while pitching for the Athletics. (He's 0-1 with a 3.75 ERA in those games.) He'll be joined by a familiar batterymate in Kurt Suzuki, who gets his second opportunity to catch his former Oakland teammate since joining the Nationals last week.
Ryan Vogelsong, whose 2.27 ERA leads the NL (one spot ahead of Jordan Zimmermann), gets the start for San Francisco. He'll go up against the Nationals' standard lineup against right-handers, including Bryce Harper in center field, Jayson Werth in right field and Steve Lombardozzi leading off.
Unfortunately, I'm not in San Francisco for this series, but please enjoy the game and the late-night conversation...
WASHINGTON NATIONALS at SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
Where: AT&T Park
Gametime: 10:15 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: WJFK (106.7 FM), WFED (1500 AM), XM 183
Weather: Clear, 65 degrees, Wind 8 mph out to RF
NATIONALS (71-44)
2B Steve Lombardozzi
CF Bryce Harper
3B Ryan Zimmerman
1B Adam LaRoche
RF Michael Morse
SS Danny Espinosa
RF Jayson WerthLF Roger Bernadina
C Kurt Suzuki
LHP Gio Gonzalez
GIANTS (63-52)
CF Angel Pagan
3B Marco Scutaro
LF Melky Cabrera
C Buster Posey
RF Hunter Pence
2B Ryan Theriot
1B Brandon Belt
SS Joaquin Arias
RHP Ryan Vogelsong
UMPIRES
HP Dan Bellino
1B Jerry Layne
2B Mike Estabrook
3B Larry Vanover (cc)
10:00 p.m. -- Lineup change for the Nats: Jayson Werth has been scratched with right ankle soreness. Roger Bernadina will take his spot in the lineup and start in left field, with Michael Morse moving to right field.
219 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 1 – 200 of 219 Newer› Newest»That park is so beautiful (and so treacherous). Sorry you couldn't make the trip, Mark. I've never been to SF, and was looking forward to living vicariously through you!
Go Gio! Go Nats!
This is one of my favorite parks in all of MLB.. It even got my Dad's stamp of approval (and he hated everything but Wrigley)
GYFNG! GO Gio... GO Bats.. I would really like to put a whoopin on the Giants. I think Danny busts out tonight.
Raining in the ATL.
Rain delay in Atlanta with more rain predicted for tomorrow. With some luck could force a doubleheader on them...
Since there are 3 hours until game time, I'm going to reprint my lengthy comment from the last thread. I'd be interested in how others feel about working Lannan quickly into a 6 man rotation come Sept. 1, vs. waiting until after Strasburg has his last start around Sept. 7 or Sept. 12.
prAA makes a really good point. It's not messing with a pitcher's routine to give him an extra day's rest. That happens all the time because of an off day, and is usually welcome. So if Lannan is going to be our backup starter in the playoffs, if needed because of an injury or other unexpected development, it might make sense to go with a six man rotation once he comes up until Stras is shut down. That gives JZnn more rest, and fewer starts, it delays Stras's shutdown until mid-September (for what that's worth), and it gets Lannan into a routine for the final weeks. I suppose a downside is one fewer start for Gio and E-Jax, but they could probably use a little more rest at this stage of the season too.
I took the liberty of playing with Ghost's rotation proposal -- adding in the off days, the start of the playoffs, and a few key dates and working Lannan into the rotation between Stras and E-Jax initially. I also used the off day we have after the Giants series to re-switch JZnn and Gio, moving JZnn back to the front of the rotation.
This schedule lines up Gio and Stras to pitch against the Braves (good thing to have a leftie face them if we can, right?), and Gio, Stras (if Rizzo is willing to take him to 169 1/3 innings) and Lannan for the September Braves series. It lines up JZnn to pitch the wild card game on Oct. 5 with 4 days rest, or the first playoff game on Oct. 6 with an extra day. He could be followed by Gio, with E-Jax ready to slot into in the third NLDS game (or the second if we have to play a Wild Card game) on regular rest.
Feel free to pass this on to Davey. Hi Davey! :-)
SFG Gio
SFG Jzim
SFG Stras 139.33
Off Day
NYM Ejax
NYM Det
NYM Jzim
ATL Gio
ATL Stras 145.33
ATL Ejax
Off Day
PHI Det
PHI JZim
PHI Gio
Off Day
MIA Stras 151.33
MIA Ejax
STL Det
STL JZim
9/1 STL Gio
STL Stras 157.33
CHC Lannan
CHC E-Jax
CHC Det
CHC Jzim
MIA Gio
MIA Stras 163.33
MIA Lannan
NYM EJax
NYM Det
NYM JZnn
Off Day
ATL Gio
9/14 ATL Stras 169.33
ATL Lannan
Off Day
LAD Ejax
LAD Det
LAD JZnn
MIL Gio
MIL Lannan
MIL E-Jax
MIL Det
PHI JZnn
PHI Gio
PHI Lannan
STL E-Jax
STL Det
STL JZnn
10/1 PHI Gio
PHI Lannan
PHI E-Jax
Off Day
10/5 Wild Card Day
10/6 NLDS Game 1 or Off Day
10/7 NLDS Game 1 or 2
10/8 Off Day or NLDS Game 2
Anyone watching the Pirates-Dodgers game? Scoring is unbelievable. Because no one touched it, an easy flyball goes for a double.
Sorry, 222. I'm with JamesFan--opting out on this topic. Keep the list and let us know how it compares with what Davey does when September is done. :)
I'm with NatsLady on that one. Hypotheticals just don't grab me anymore.
BTW, today is National Left-Handers day. Go Gio! :) :)
On the topic of Stras' shutdown: what will he do with himself when he gets shutdown? What will he work on? Will he take batting practice? Is Parcheesi in the offing?
NatsLady, are you watching MLB.tv for the Pirates game? i saw that it was the free game of the day, but I can't get the vidoe to come up.
From an article about a six-man rotation:
Say it again: The five-man rotation is working. ... But rotations can be capricious things: Starting pitchers are conditioned to take a turn every five days, not six. One more day mightn’t seem a big deal to us laypeople, but you shudder at the thought of a starting five that struggled to gain traction losing its grip because somebody got too cute.
Interesting, right? Relevant, right?
Here is the part I left out.
The Braves have the National League’s best ERA since the All-Star break. Not coincidentally, they also have baseball’s best record since July 5.
Sorry, couldn't resist. :) Back to my previously announced opt-out policy.
MicheleS, I have it on my Ipod Touch.
Section 222, great reference tool and can understand with Media overload why some don't want to partake. Thanks for putting together!
ehay2k said...
On the topic of Stras' shutdown: what will he do with himself when he gets shutdown? What will he work on? Will he take batting practice? Is Parcheesi in the offing?
He will be busy in rehab trying to get the feeling back in his broken hand. During his free time he will visit Rizzo in the ICU.
I haven't seen a game in San Francisco. The Giants were out of town when we visted a few years back. My wife and I enjoyed a stroll through the yard.
That is one beautiful ballpark -- from the 'Say Hey' statue out front to the big mitt out in left, from the impossibly lush green, to the recreational armada in the gloriously named McCovey Cove.
I agree with the arguments against about a six day rotation for the whole season, although the more important reason not to do it is that you don't want to replace starts by your 1, 2, and 3 starters with starts by your No. 6 starter. But we know that it's simply false to say that a major league starter should never be given an extra day's rest since it happens routinely due to off days and rainouts, and teams rarely rearrange their rotations to avoid it. Doing it for the last 30 days of the season seems to present some advantages as I discuss above.
So I say, interesting. But not relevant. (And not really true, given off days and rainouts.) As for the thought of subtracting one or two JZnn starts in the regular season to allow him to make them in the post-season without pushing his total innings over 230 -- I don't shudder at that. In fact, I kind of like it, and think it might be a good idea.
GO PADRES!!!!
Thanks Gonat. I'm not concerned that some don't want to partake. Just throwing out a possible discussion topic which is a little different than "should Stras be shut down?" for the lull before game time. I'm always intrigued by pitching staff management questions. And Davey is brilliant at it, so I'm not going to be insulted if he doesn't take my suggestion.
What the Sam Hill happened to my (brilliant and hilarious if I do say so) post? I will attempt to replicate it, but no doubt this will pale in comparison to the original. I truly feel for those of you who did not have the opportunity to read it. Okay, here goes (clears throat).
Not to pile on, but me, too, on the hypotheticals.
Of the parks I've visited, I also enjoy AT&T (and Wrigley and PNC, if we're keeping track).
Last but not least, thanks to NL for drawing attention to left-handers day. I will open my humble and heartfelt thank you speech with a brief but humurous anecdote and - what? It's only for pitchers? Oh, never mind.
In that case, I'll say this: Go, Lefty Gio!! Go, NATS (lefty and righty). (Buster: you should feel no obligation to go for the next few days, nor should the Giants. kaythxbai.)
222, I just thought it was amusing. Supposedly the Braves are only doing a 6-man for a couple of weeks, I forget why...
The Braves have the National League’s best ERA since the All-Star break. Not coincidentally, they also have baseball’s best record since July 5.
Could it be that the reason that there is a difference between the two dates is that the Nats were 1-2 between july 5 and the All Star break, and without those 3 games, they have a better record than the Braves? Or do the Nats have a better ERA since July 5? Hmm. Beware cherry picked start dates for stats.
Here is the article on the 6-man rotation in Atlanta.
six-men-in-the-rotation-the-braves-say-yes-i-say-i-wouldnt
http://blogs.ajc.com/mark-bradley-blog/2012/08/13/six-men-in-the-rotation-the-braves-say-yes-i-say-i-wouldnt/?cxntfid=blogs_mark_bradley_blog
Last September with the callups and Stras getting starts and Peacock and Milone and Detwiler and Wang and Lannan and days off gave many extra days of rest and some of the pitchers did really well with it.
My only problem with abnormal extra rest days is evaluating pitchers in big league circumstances.
It worked well for Rizzo as he was able to showcase Milone and Peacock and they became a central part of the Gio trade.
Now then, from Sept 11 to Sept 23, Strasburg pitched every 6th day and had good results. 1 earned run on the 17th and 2 earned runs on the 23rd.
I a, watching the Pirates game on my TV and Garrett Jones lost the ball in the gray sky. That kind of play unless touched by a fielder is always called a hit.
Also was watching Braves, and Pradi robbed Carlos Quinton of a hit and RBI,
Saw the Yanks give up 1 in bothe first and second.
Love seeing all the games on my 55 inch TV.
I think Harper needs some time off. He looks down and out and virtually lost at the plate. Perhaps no one swings the bat harder than Harper, only he's making poor contact: lot of sliced foul balls (it would be nice if he could pull something once in a while) and poor choice of pitches to hit.
The boy needs to learn to make better contact - I hope he breaks out of it. Tonight would be nice.
JZim's only bad start in recent history was after extra rest. Some pitchers get too strong and it messes them up. I think everyone should stop trying to reinvent the wheel. I read a nice tweet - I think from Kilgore- and I will paraphrase. If all you are fixated on is Strasburg and the shutdown then you are missing an incredible story. I think one of the things I resent about all the SS media buzz is that they are ignoring the other guys on the team who are so awesome. They might not mind for themselves, but I mind.I am so proud of them. It's like they think he is pitching every day and hitting in all nine spots in the line up.
Yeah I thought so. As of today (not sure when the item NL quoted was written), the Braves are 20-9 since the ASG. The Nats are 22-10.
Those are two really hot teams that are going to meet here in DC in a week.
Section 222: Just read -- no, just scanned your lengthy opening essay.
We all love the game, but Dude, you gotta step away and get some air -- go fishing -- anything.
But haha -- that was obsessive hilarious.
And No, a 6 man rotation is ridiculous as any pitcher and pitching coach would tell you.
Great post swami...Shutdown-Gate and Harper's slump may get most of the attention from the outside...Too bad it's only those of us who watch every day who are noticing all the good stuff...
It sounds to me like its entirely up to Rizzo.
You know everyone liked to make fun of and deride "the plan" when Stan was still here. He an JimBo ... what plan oh THAT plan ... who's on first then?
Now, YOU actually have somebody who is a real stickler about making plans and hey THEY ACTUALLY WORK!? He does his due diligence comes up with a plan implements it and it works! As far as Stras he didn't pull this plan out of JimBo's Joy riding leather pants. He actually did research consulted with medical professionals and came up with a plan for his original most prized prospect .. no not Strasburg ... JZimmnn the guy he had to fight tooth and nail to get drafted even though he, Mike Rizzo, was in charge of the draft. That was he prized prospect. And you know what his plan for that prospect worked. Look at JZimmnn this year?
No there isn't a large body of research on this topic and most of the larger sample sizes have to do with teen aged boys because there's more of them playing baseball than there are professionals. So, you have to go with how the medical professionals who actually graft these ligament replacements feel about what is best practice for their patients. Not what Bozo's doing clown shows on Sportscenter think. Its the same deal with many forms of recent advances in cancer treatment. There are absolutely no long-term studies on the long-term effects of chemotherapy. Just because that's the case do you think its wise for someone who just finished chemo to run a marathon? Do you think that's wise?
Peric.. have you listened to Bowden on MLB radio? He would make your head explode (mine does and it takes all my will power not to call in and yell at him), because he says Stras should pitch and then he waits for crazy people to call in and tell him what a great job he did building the Nats into the contenders they are today.
Just as an fyi.. all for the shutdown, Want Stras for 15 years (at a minimum) not just for a few weeks this year. Saw what happened with Prior. don't want a repeat
Swami, I agree that the media should focus more on the rest of the team. But their Stras shutdown obsession does mean they are talking about the Nats and their chances in the postseason, which is a good thing, right?
As for JZnn's starts on extra rest. Here are the games so far this year when he's had more than 4 days rest. I was surprised there had been so many, early in the season.
Apr. 25 vs. SD (6 days rest), 6 inn, 6 hits, 1 ER, 0 BBs, 6 Ks
May 1 vs. AZ (5 days rest), 6.1 inn, 8 hits, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 Ks
May 12 vs. CIN (5 days rest), 7 inn, 5 hits, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 Ks
May 28 vs. MIA (5 days rest), 6 inn, 8 hits, 4 ER, 0 BB, 4 Ks
Jun 5 vs. NYM, (7 days rest), 6 inn, 5 hits, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 Ks
Jun 16 vs. NYY (5 days rest), 6 inn, 5 hits, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 Ks
June 22 vs. BAL (5 days rest), 7 inn, 8 hits, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 Ks
Aug 4 vs. MIA (6 days rest), 5 inn, 7 hits, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 Ks
So he had 7 days rest once and pitched well after that. He had 6 days rest twice and had one very good start and his worst of the season, and he's pitched with 5 days rest 5 times and had three very good, one ok, and one not so good (for him) start. All in all, pretty tough to say that extra rest is a terrible idea for him.
My proposal would give him 5 days rest twice and 7 days rest once when Stras is still pitching, and then return him to 4 days rest leading up to the playoffs. I can't imagine, though, that Davey won't give him some extra rest by starting Perry or Maya if we clinch the division title before the last week.
Prediction for Tonight's Game
Nationals 8 Giants 2
Gio 7 ip 6 hits 3 walks 2 earned runs
Just Read that Tommy John himself has commented that Strasburg SHOULD NOT be shut down. Tommy says that he needed every single start in order to build up his arm strength; and that he rarely ever missed a start -- even pitching into his 40;s.
Tommy John says: Pitch him!! Interesting.
Haha, Michele I actually like Bowden on the radio..but your observations are 100% accurate...I have no doubt most of his "opinions" are just designed to generate arguments...and yes, he likes to take credit...but since there's no Nats (or baseball) talk on any local radio, I've come to like the MLB Radio guys...
Sect222, In a 6 man rotation, it would be 5 days rest but will go up if there is a day off.
I can tell you on those JZim starts that August 4th had nothing to do with rest, it had to do with the lousy fielding and all the extra pitches he had to throw.
2 earned against the Yankees? That's excellent.
May 28th was his worse start of the year. I just don't think any of that has to do with extra rest. What's interesting he probably had some of his best starts on the starts after extra rest.
Swift,
for the most part I like MLB Radio, i just can't take listening to Bowden. Everytime he talks about the Nats, I want to call in and scream Smiley Gonzalez, Elijah Dukes, Willy Mo Pena, (i could go on, but then the expletives would start flying).
sec 222 - the one thing you can't include in your 6 man rotation plan is whether Stras will continue to be effective as the season wears on. If Jordan Z is any indicator (Mark Z has already posted a pre and post-ASG comparison of Zimnn and Stras in their first year ofter TJ, and I believe that ERA climbing to over is what happened to Jordan), the rest of this year will not be kind to Stras. He is still learning to use his "new" arm. If his ERA climbs to 4.x, is the 6 man rotation worth it? Would he still be our playoff ace? I think the answer is no.
Just my 2 cents, but in cybercash, so real value is probably less.
Seems I remember a few posters here who were constantly blaming Riggleman for Kerry Woods arm issues. Yet, I believe some of the same folks want Davey to risk the long term health of Strass. Ain't going to happen. That is not what he is going to be remembered for.
222, some info to consider in your plan
Amanda Comak@acomak
Davey said the #nats might consider altering their rotation with this offday so that he doesn't have his two lefties back-to-back anymore.
Adam Kilgore@AdamKilgoreWP
Look for Davey to change up the rotation. He wants to split the lefties (Detwiler and Gio) and line it up for big series, like vs. Braves.
DJ.. Dusty Baker has more of a say in the Prior/Woods issues from 2003. Riggs may have had a say in 98 with Woods, but I take more of an issue with Baker.
Woods recently said that his arm started hurting in that 21K game vs Stros in 98, and never felt the same after that.
Swift Eagle, Nats talk on local radio is increasing with the winning. The Holden & Danny show on 106.7 has daily Nats talk, but of course it is hit or miss as today they started (Danny & Bill) talking about LeBron James and then talked some Nats.
Look back, and you will see that at the beginning of the year, when we had an absolute glut of pitchers, I proposed a nine-man rotation consisting, if i recall correctly, of Sras, Gio, Zimnn, Ejax, Wang, LannEn, Det, Stammen, and Gorzy.
Sadly, no takers, even from me the next day when I read my post. ;-)
Another reason for McCatty to try to lessen the emphasis on strikeouts. Let the pitchers use the infield, we have a good one.
Gonat, as far as I can tell we are in complete agreement. No real downside to giving JZnn a little extra rest. Certainly, the extra rest so far has not hurt him and is not responsible for his "worst" outings. Possibly some upside to a little more rest (not sure if you agree with that).
ehay2k, no way to tell whether Stras will continue to be as effective. He was fine with an extra day's rest last September. But obviously his workload has been very different so far this year and like you and Mark, I would guess he won't be quite as good in his final starts. But the 6 man rotation (first suggested by pRAA by the way, it's not my original idea) isn't designed to let Stras be our playoff ace. He still gets shutdown after Sept. 14. The benefits of the schedule I proposed are:
(1) giving a little more rest to Gio, JZnn, EJax, Stras and Det at the beginning of the month,
(2) working Lannan immediately into the rotation rather than having him sit around or just throw a few innings from the pen in his first 10 days after the September callup while Stras completes his 160+,
(3) having Stras still available to pitch against the Braves in that perhaps crucial mid-September series, and
(4) lining up JZnn and Gio up for the playoffs, fully rested, even if that last Phillies series is meaningful.
That final benefit could be accomplished in a variety of ways I'm sure, but the first three seem worth considering.
MicheleS said...
222, some info to consider in your plan
Amanda Comak@acomak
Davey said the #nats might consider altering their rotation with this offday so that he doesn't have his two lefties back-to-back anymore.
Adam Kilgore@AdamKilgoreWP
Look for Davey to change up the rotation. He wants to split the lefties (Detwiler and Gio) and line it up for big series, like vs. Braves.
August 13, 2012 8:47 PM
________________________________
That's interesting. That was suggested earlier I read in the last post.
Well Gonat..
all we have to say is....
HI DAVEY!!!! Thanks for reading and taking our suggestions.
Michelle -- Score!! Davey must have read my plan (see the upcoming NYM and ATL series, ha!). Nah, I'm sure he came up with it on his own. Good idea Davey!
Ghost Of Steve M. said...
The biggest series will be the head-to-head matchups with the Braves. They are a very LH team. I wouldn't pitch EJax against the Braves if it can be set up that way.
August 13, 2012 3:04 PM
Section 222 said...
That's a very interesting proposal, Ghost. Two things -- Does Davey consider trying to re-reverse JZnn and Gio at some point to break up the lefties (i.e., Gio and Det) and righties (JZnn, Stras, E-Jax), or does Lannan's eventual return make that less necessary? Going R-L-R-L has advantages for lining up the long men in the bullpen.
Ghost Of Steve M. said...
Section222, agreed, the 2 lefties together isn't optimal. It would be nice using an off-day to flip Gio and JZim back again.
Det seems to benefit most with 1 extra day of rest.
August 13, 2012 4:05 PM
___________________________________
MicheleS, here you go! We have some very intelligent people. Definitely Insiders.
I also read their suggestion of fitting Lannan in at an opportune time to further adjust the matchups.
We all know that Stras has a great history vs the Marlins and Lannan against the Braves and JZim against the Mets.
Gonat/Ghost/222..
As i heard Davey in the Picnic in the Park.. He knows there are bloggers & Tweeters out there. LOL!!!!
can i say one more time.. GO PADRES!!!!
Well.. Chipper popped up to end their possible rally.. and Ryan Dempster is a FAIL in the AL. Getting rocked by the Yankees
Peric.. have you listened to Bowden on MLB radio? He would make your head explode (mine does and it takes all my will power not to call in and yell at him), because he says Stras should pitch
I read both serious articles that Steinberg suggested and here's what they missed. Gee, when Giggleman drove Kerry Wood's arm to the point where could no longer pitch effectively after that did he WIN the world series???!! NO. The use Carpenter and our favorite Phil's lefty Cole Hammels who both got lucky ... whooopdeeedoo! Hallelujah pass the Jim Jones KoolAid why dontcha?
Here is how it is. Sure Boz likes to call it Davey's pirate ship. But Davey is a very smart guy and he knows it, smart guys like Davey won't respect you unless you are smart and on top of your game. Davey Likes Rizzo and Ted Lerner is no slouch. Davey might be captain but Rizzo is admiral and it not the stinkin Giggleman's Island Black Pearl pirate ship its the Enterprise. And like Archer, KIrk, and Picard there is always a plan both to accomplish the short-term missions and be prepared for the long-haul. That's how Rizzo wants things to be. So, sorry Stras, but Mike Rizzo plans on placing you in multiple world series and that plus the playoffs is the HIGHEST pressure pitching. Mike Rizzo wants his prized pitchers to be ready for that challenge. So, its time to say "yes sir" and make it so.
Rizzo isn't going to satisfied with a perennial playoff run that peters out like the Braves seem to always do. He is building a pitching staff to get to the playoffs and then shutdown the opposition. The admiral isn't above using Livo like guile to fool Kligons and Romulans like Jim Bowden. And neither is is his seasoned captain. The Nats plan is to get to the world series consistently year-in year-out and make Joe Gibbs accomplishments for the deadskins pale by comparison.
Tommy John says: Pitch him!! Interesting.
Tommy John was something like 30 when he had the surgery. Strasburg was 22 or 23. So Tommy John had at least five years with a lot of innings before he got hurt. Strasburg had zero. Tommy John was pitching his way back to a place he'd already been. Strasburg is pitching into totally new territory. Big big difference.
Tommy John NEVER threw a fastball for 103 mph. The only guy who might have is former Nat Walther Johnson. He lasted for a good many years and was effective throughout his career. That **IS** what Rizzo would like to see with all his most prized assets: the power pitchers in his starting rotation.
Peric.. Rizzo is going to beat Kokayashi Maru.
MicheleS, there is such a risk when trading players that they under-perform with their new team. It seems to be happening at alarming rates now.
Hope Maholm follows the other failures!
Gonat.. need to call the New Orleans branch of the family.. I can have a Maholm Voo Doo Doll made up lickety split... Stick needles in that arm of his. (Sad b/c the entire family is Cubs Fans)
MicheleS, no way, that's my neck of the woods. I grew up across the river and up a couple 100 miles but still close enough to drive to see some Saints games!
I'm in Tecate Mexico and people keep asking about shutting down Strasburg.
One of the people here worked with Matt Cain in the off season to improve his mechanics. As you can imagine I am grilling him.
Internet access is tough but texts from
MASN get through easy. I hope Gio is lights out tonight.
GYFNG!
Serioulsy JaneB..
Can you pack me in your luggage?? Tecate Mexico!!! I need a vacation!!!
Hahahahaha! Look at the lowly Padres putting a whoopin' on those overrated Barves! 4-1 in the eighth.
Could be a 5-1/2 game lead in soul possession by 3 a.m. Eastern time Tuesday.
I'm off tonight and tomorrow as well. Ah, the joys of being underemployed!
Gonat.. Cousin in the Garden District with spousal equivalent from Baton Rouge... I can bet there is a Mari Lavau relationship some where in back in the day.
But Rizzo still needs (once again back to the power point slides) to convince Ted Lerner that its safe to bet on top International talent. Unfortunately, Ted is likely skittish after one of many of Bowden's debacles in Smiley gate. So, they decided to go cheap and rolled the dice on Maya and Rafael Martin ... two more losses. Instead of throwing out the highest number for lefty Aroldis Chapman the purported left-handed Strasburg. It might be me but given the success the Nats have been having in player development of late I suspect they might have succeeded where Bowden's favorite team, the Reds, failed and that is converting Chapman into a major league starter.
One need only look at raw prospect Alex Meyer ... he is still learning, adapting and needs to get more ground balls but he is shutting down the Carolina League in Potomac as a starter. He looks Harrisburg bound and perhaps the AFL. Chapman was less raw given his Cuban experience.
The Lerners need to get past Smileygate. The International prospects are what they need to invest in now that Bud Selig has cut them off from their really excellent draft strategy that Rizzo and Clark sold them on.
MicheleS, lived in Meridian which is North and to the East in Miss then in Pascagoula which was an hour and 1/2 drive (fast). Baseball team growing up was the team to the West in SE Tex!
Glad to be a Nats fan.
Peric.. didn't the Nats offer about $20 M ish for Chapman? I thought they were the next highest bidder. They did try on him. So don't fault them for that.
It's Oh-VAH! Padres 4, Barves 1.
Hahahahahhahahahahahahahahaha!
Braves won't catch us for one simple reason:
Nats are the better team.
Daaaa padres!!!
Braves fans were counting that as an easy win. Now the Nats need to get 'er done!
You all have to watch the MASN Pre-game show. They have the 3 Aces - Stras, Gio, and JZim seated together and Mattheus sneaks up and sits on JZim's lap.
Classic to see Stras laughing. Nice to see!
why was Danny batting before Werth?
CUBAN SANDWICH!!! I love IT!
Wasn't that great MicheleS!
This interview is hilarious!
This is the best interview EVER!!!
The pitcher's HR Club. LMAO
Please tell me MASN is going to put that interview up on their website, that's must see TV right there.
For those of you that aren't watching MASN.. Got to MASNSPORTS.com tomorrow and look for FP's interview with GIO/Stras/JZ.
Everyone on twitter... pester MASN to post it.
OOO Wait.. latest info on the Interview:
Nationals on MASN@masnNationals
We'll have it on http://www.masnsports.com later tonight! RT @SodaPop6548: @masnNationals Please put up that interview. That was great.
The three amigos. Fantastic television. Kudos MASN and FP.
Funny to see Umps with long sleeves and fans with hoodies and jackets...
Gonat, Mattheus on JZmm's lap didn't make it into the broadcast I don't think. Where did you see that?
Adam Kilgore @AdamKilgoreWP
A toothpick at-bat for Bryce Harper -- took three strikes, walked back to the dugout. No need for a bat.
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Swift Eagle may have to school him on his negativity.
Listening to the SF radio broadcast...Vogelsong has gone at least 6 innings in all 21 starts this year, only pitcher in MLB to do that...
Sweet Zimmerman it's 1-0
Haha Gonat...picking on Kilgore would be too easy...
Section 222 said...
Gonat, Mattheus on JZmm's lap didn't make it into the broadcast I don't think. Where did you see that?
August 13, 2012 10:20 PM
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It was in the Promo. Mattheus sat on his lap and Burnett snuck up behind them. Everyone was laughing.
Wouldn't it be nice if MASN did more pre-game, off game, post-game pieces like that.
Zim did a great job of fouling off good pitches, keeping the at bat alive, and waiting for his pitch. Great job.
20+ pitches for Vogelsong, good thing b/c that cutter is FILTHY!!
You're right 222, That was one of Ryan's best ABs of the year in my book...he fouled off some tough ones, and the one he hit was not a bad pitch
When Zim's shoulder is feeling good he drives one to right center like in the first inning. Padres my second favorite team tonight.
11 pitches, 9 strikes for Gio in the 1st... Efficient enough??
Love that high fastball for strike 3.
DVR Is set.. keep up the good work folks! I have to get up WAY to early tomorrow.!
Haha..The SF radio guy called that "Zimmerman's Signature side-arm sling to first"...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/nationals-journal/post/ian-desmond-may-return-sooner-than-expected/2012/08/13/0165f524-e5b6-11e1-936a-b801f1abab19_blog.html
Kilgore has good "inside" info on Desmond.
Great AB from ALR...Vogelsong near 50 pitches already...2-0
how many GS we have this season?
Vogelsong has not given up more than 4 runs in a game this year...Already 4 for the Nats with 1 out in the 3rd! Very impressive
Haha Boche tossed!! 3 infield hits in 1 inning...Berni looked out
Oh yeah, let's chase Vogelsong in the 3rd inning. Wild!
YES!!! Capt Kurt makes it 8-0!!!!
Holy cow! All we need is a Gio homer for perfection this inning.
I just rewound to Bruce's ejection. The 1st base ump did not say a word after the ejection. Classic.
And now the NL leader in ERA is...Jordan Zimmermann...
At least Vogelsong was able to get Gio out two times!
He has now.
Wow
Talk about worth staying up for.
We are having fun on Twitter. Beautiful sunset in SanFran
lol Swift.
Best offensive inning of the season! 7 runs off the ERA leader, 2 of the outs made by Gio, and Harper roped the ball to left for the other out...Several great ABs, especially by ALR to walk and load the bases...
Wow, Just, wow.
Awww. These guys are so nice to us. Scoring enough to win before my bedtime.
Think ill sleep just fine
Zzzzzzzz
Gyfng
Gio pitch like it is 2-0 not 8-0
Right into the Avocado Tree...
And they say it's a pitcher's park? Oh, WHICH pitcher? ;-)
Nats swept the Giants at Nats Park with a bunch of HRs to right...Tonight they just hit 'em where they aint...
Haven't heard a "Fire Eck" in a while..
That's pretty huge ... going into SanFran to their park and knocking their top pitcher out in the top of the 3rd inning. Wow!
Dude only recorded 7 outs, and 2 of them were Gio...
Ok, so Bob and FP are yucking it up about Davey says that Ian is unlikely to go on a rehab assignment because he won't benefit from facing hard throwers in Double A who don't have much control. I thought Werth just showed how important (and smart) it is to do a good bit of rehab until you're really sure you're ready. Anyone care to explain the difference between Desmond and Werth? They said "Ian is a timing guy," whatever that means.
Slaughter Rule Time!!! 10-0....
How many infield hits do we have already?!
Three words for all of you naysayers:
Werth bench bat.
Shark Week! And double digits against the 1st place Giants. Wow.
Suzuki is da man tonight!
Sec 222 - they mean that if Ian works on timing minor league pitchers, it's not going to help him play in the show. Werth was also dealing with a very different injury, so maybe flexibility in the writs was important to test/develop. ust a thought.
Bad play by Bernie there, not that it matters since Gio didn't spend much time on the bases.
Who cares about the Stras shutdown?? We can let a slo-pitch softball pitcher go out there if we're going to hit like this...
It's the ultimate Henry-Situation, oh Well
Peric, you are just a broken record regarding Werth and you are wrong,in my opinion. Werth would not have made the boneheaded baserunning mistake that Bernadina just made either.
I saw Danny's hit and Bernie's play. Crappy defense and some serious luck for Nats. Then again leaving a pitch in the middle of the zone isn't gonna help you either, even if it is a struggling hitter.
2) working Lannan immediately into the rotation rather than having him sit around or just throw a few innings from the pen in his first 10 days after the September callup while Stras completes his 160+,
You all need to change your algorithm starting with pRAA who makes fun of that and the ISO. Lannan IS NOT a reliever. He does not pitch from the bullpen. If that is what you are looking for might I suggest another lefty named Tom Gorzelanny who does have experience starting in the heat of a pennant race whereas Mr. Lannan DOES NOT. So, who replaces Gorzelanny? No one ... Stammen just picks up the load with help from Yuneksy Maya.
They said "Ian is a timing guy," whatever that means.
It's a pleasant way of saying he doesn't take a lot of pitches. A guy like Werth needs to reestablish his strike zone. Desmond just needs to be able to get his timing down to jump on fastballs.
Such great hitting. That Eckstein feller must be a real genius.
http://www.masnsports.com/index_medialounge.php?show_id=1112294&p=
Video on the 3 Aces is up
Peric, you are just a broken record regarding Werth and you are wrong,in my opinion. Werth would not have made the boneheaded baserunning mistake that Bernadina just made either.
And honestly I think your dead wrong and don't really know much about baseball Seamhead. Gee, I guess you didn't like Bernadina's spectacular catch? While Werth clearly is now skittish of the wall! And hates to play CF.
I'll take the Shark, Harper, and Corey Brown you can have Werthless.
peric, you don't like Werth. You've made it clear why you don't like Werth. Give it a break,man.You have probably made your opinion known on Werth over a hundred times. It's like every time you get a quater you play the same old song on the jukebox.Everyone else is sick of the song.
peric said...
Three words for all of you naysayers:
Werth bench bat.
August 13, 2012 11:35 PM
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Can you just park your hate for a while. Werth is having a very good year.
Joe, I owe you a Coke. Jinx
Adam Kilgore @AdamKilgoreWP
Hunter Pence is a great ballplayer, but his swing looks like a giraffe trying to mate with a toaster oven.
Gio's made three outs in the last two innings, ending two rallies.
Fire Eck ;-)
Because of Werth's contempt for CF added to Goodwin's initial struggles as a newbie in AA and you have Ladson claiming the Nats are going to sign Bourn. That's just plain horse hockey.
It's like every time you get a quater you play the same old song on the jukebox.Everyone else is sick of the song.
Then everyone can stop beating the drum for AAAA pitcher John Lannan. Its why someone decided to name themselves pRAA. My god I am sick of hearing about him given the great performance of Ross Detwiler.
Everyone else is sick of the song.
Stick it where the sun don't shine seambrain.
Werth is batting .308 with .400+ OBP. Since his return (granted, small sample) those numbers are .400 & .500
You want _that_ on the bench? when the Nats biggest weakness is hitting?
Haha..making them look silly again..way to go Bryce
WERTHLESS: very small sample size and microscopic ISO which is critical for any middle of the order hitter. Do we need a singles hitter?
Well I'll tell ya what...Lombo is making it a hard decision for Davey when Desi gets back. He is flat out rakin. And watching this Giant defense, it sure makes you appreciate ours. Their 2nd baseman had a "skate save" when he knocked that one into right field.
I think I might have Harper tweak a hammy and go on the 15 day DL. Give him a little break, get rested up for the stretch run. He is getting pitches to hit. He's just a little late. That would also get Shark in the games more. "One down Roger!!"
Alright, save some hits for the next 2 games.
Thursday is an off day, probably a good time for the guys to go get fitted for World Series rings...
Oh come on, if Legion of Doom can predict disaster every time Ryan makes an error, I can go a little crazy when it's 12-0 right???
I'm not too familiar with pennant race baseball but is this what they call a statement game?
So, don't put him in the middle of the order.
Pardon me its 14-0
Well, peric, I know that you know more about baseball then Davey, Rizzo, and the whole Nationals staff, who incidentally in their ignorance,have no apparent intentions to bench Werth as he regains his legs. I like Bernadina, as a fourth outfielder. As has been said, he's good enough to win with as bench player, but also good enough to lose with as a starter. You are always quick with the"you don't know much about baseball" to the other posters and it's something I won't even take a grain of salt with it when you direct it at me. I'm smart enough to know that I'm not smart enough to manage a MLB team.Unlike you though, I admit that I am wrong sometimes.
Time to let Tracy & Izturis have some fun.
If you had the Giants, and 13...YOU LOST
Too bad he's not available - perfect spot for Henry. I bet somewhere, Slaten is watching and wishing he could play. But I don't think I'd risk it if I were davey!
Great heads-up sequence by the Kid.
Danny Espinosa. Holy Cow!
Two touchdowns. Wow.
But will you act like if we score 14 Swift?
Mark Zuckerman said...
So with the likes of Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmermann, Stephen Strasburg, Ryan Vogelsong, Madison Bumgarner and Tim Lincecum scheduled to pitch over the next three days, slugfests don't appear too plausible.
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Hmmmm...You da Man Mark, but I'm happy you were wrong on this one....
Fire Eckstein... he has the boys over hitting now, LOL
And I am tired of Seamless among others criticizing Espinos for too many strike outs! That to me is an endless litany oft broken records. Just shut it.
"Statement" game
Important to get this next run across, it will force the Giants to go for 2 if the get a 2nd touchdown late...
peric, the "stick it.." comment was beneath you. Keep it to baseball, and not personal attacks please.
Swift.... Montana and Clark can't save them now, lol
Seam....don't argue with him, it only encourages him.
And here's the thing....tomorrow we come back with JZim, and then Stra. Its just one ace after another. We might as well sweep these bums and head for home!
I wish we could take 5 of these runs for tomorrow
Gio 0-4...a ray of hope for the Legion of Doom
Wow. Just WOW! I mean, we are gonna be sore from so many swings.
And Swift, I bet even if the Giants score 2 TDs, the miss both of the extra points. It's clearly that kind of night for them. Will have to read the SF beat writers in the AM to see what they say.
Night all, got an early train.
peric, the "stick it.." comment was beneath you. Keep it to baseball, and not personal attacks please.
I didn't start it that a??hat did.
good night ehay...
is Morse OK or is Davey just resting him?
Maybe the easiest K Gio's career...That guy had not interest in hitting!! Funny
Swift... just noticed the pic of you and Davey! very cool!
peric, what's with throwing the Lannan and Bourn barbs at me? I think Larson, and anyone advocating getting Bourn is seriously flawed in their thought process.. My main point to you, young man, is that you have repeatedly made your point regarding how you feel about Jayson Werth, day after day, night after night, since he came here. Give it a break. And grow up with regards to calling people names. It makes you look small.
Been away for a few days, watching tonight's game. Wow, just wow!
Was at the beach with someone who is a Giants' season's tickets holder, wearing his Giants cap. I brought out my Curly W camouflage cap. He's on a flight to Seattle now, will find out the score later, lol.
Surprised no one has pointed out that it is the close play on Bernadina that unleashed the fury--oops, wrong sport. What a giddy night. Hope they have learned from losing that 9-0 lead a few weeks ago, sure looks like it!
Gio kinda looks like the actor who played the serial killer "In Something About Mary"
no 7 minute abs, not 5 minute abs" LOL
See, this is what comes of encouraging the incorrigible; you know who you are. Mark is not cutting him off, unfortunately IMO, but it's his place so it's his call.
It's 14-0 and there's still a floater in the punchbowl, and that's a shame. He can't help but ruin it for everybody, he doesn't know how not to. We scientists know a hopeless case when we...
Find a post where I was griping about Espinosa. Many moons ago I thought it would do the team, and Espy, good to have Lombo give him a night off occasionally against right handers.That was in early June.
BTW, peric, I didn't think Werth looked very good in CF the other night either.
If the MLB Umps make Bryce's strike zone any bigger, he'll need to swing a telephone pole...
That thing was in the right hand batter box, total Joke
Note how all of the Nats are keeping their game faces on, from Espinosa to Suzuki to Rizzo in the stands.
No one wants to show up the Giants.
That's classy and smart.
Drew said...
Note how all of the Nats are keeping their game faces on, from Espinosa to Suzuki to Rizzo in the stands.
No one wants to show up the Giants.
That's classy and smart.
August 14, 2012 12:20 AM
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Attitude reflects Leadership....Learned that in "Remember the Titans"...
Nattering Nat said...
Surprised no one has pointed out that it is the close play on Bernadina that unleashed the fury--oops, wrong sport. What a giddy night. Hope they have learned from losing that 9-0 lead a few weeks ago, sure looks like it!
August 14, 2012 12:12 AM
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Haha...Yes, this game is a lot closer than the 14-0 score would indicate...
Yeah, I think it's safe to say Gio is liking the Suzuki trade. Alot.
Besides Danny's HR, Bernie's double and Zim's double, there is a ton of BABIP stats going up.
Just remember everyone, pride goeth before a fall. We found that out on July 20. Not that the Giants are going to come back tonight, but they are a quality team with two good pitchers on the mound for the rest of this series. Take them lightly at your peril.
Now, for peric. Hi peric! Long time no talk to, or read for that matter. I see you're still the same kind and friendly soul you were when I started my moratorium. Let me just say, you've made several good calls this year -- Lombo has been a great addition to the team. TMoore, who I thought was overmatched in his first callup, has proven me wrong and you right in his second. He's a solid bench player and will be very valuable in the stretch run. Det has been great, and Wang has been worthless. DeRosa is gone, so is Nady, so is Ankiel. All good decisions in my view.
So why not take pride in the calls you got right and enjoy the fact that some people still engage with you when you comment as if you were worth talking to? Why go after other commenters personally, attack their intelligence and their baseball fan bona fides? You make enemies and fail to influence people wherever you go.
And why, for goodness sakes, continue to beat the drum against Werth and Lannan when it's clear they have earned their stripes this year and aren't going anywhere? I'm no Werth booster, but he's come back from a truly horrible year to play well and inspire the team. And if you think anyone is going to get September starts before Lannan, you're truly off your rocker. He won probably the biggest game of the year on July 21. I think to say he saved our season is an exaggeration, but you have to give him credit for a gutsy performance in a very tough situation. And he pitched well on August 3 too. Davey has said in no uncertain terms that he's the guy who will take Stras's spot in the rotation. So why keep beating the drum for Gorzo, who plays a crucial role in the bullpen as the LH long guy? And Maya? Please. As I said to you back when I was still responding to your comments, he will never start another meaningful game for the Washington Nationals. That ship has sailed long ago.
I'll read one response from you on this one, and that's it. So make it a good one. Cheers!
Section222, you give him far too much credit. He thinks if he says it enough that entitles him to say I told you so when a guy has a bad day.
When Lannan gave up 2 runs in the 1st on July 21st, the boo birds came out and then Lannan settled down and pitched a gem.
You can't change some of these people. Haters.
Another nice catch by the Shark!
Hadn't seen the Air Jaws dugout reaction before! Fantastic! Interesting to see Gorzo warming (now coming in). You'd think Davey would want him just in case JZnn or Stras falters early. But maybe they have him close out the game so as not to use any other relievers tonight.
Darn -- missed the prediction (8:31) by 1/3 of an inning.
Gio 6 2/3 6 hits, 2 ER. and the win
I missed the Nats run totals by at least 6.
222 - Gorzo is the low man on the totem pole in the bullpen. He's strictly for mop up duty.
18 hits -- Gio wins his 15th -- Espn finally ranks Nats #1, Harper gets 2 hits, Espi has 4, extend our lead to 5.5,
Blow out a divisional leader
Blow out the League's top ERA pitcher
Zimmermann takes over as Leagues ERA leader
What a night -- and an inning or so left!
Just tonight Granstander --
Joe Seamhead said...
Another nice catch by the Shark!
on that note... the Nats have an opportunity to create and air an awesome commercial, using the old SNL shark skit with Roger... You could have an actor wearing a Braves baseball cap, sitting in his/her apartment watching TV when suddenly there is a knock at the door and when the door opens its the SHARK
Gonat, peric is nothing if not consistent. He will always promote the guys in the minors, no matter how far from being ready to play in the show, and no matter how much older than real "prospects," they are. He's been wrong, spectacularly wrong, on many players -- for years. Can you say "Matt Antonelli"? How about "Aaron Thompson"? "Danny Rosenbaum"? (Ok, the jury's still out on that one.) But he was right about TyMoore, and I'm happy to admit it. That guy is much better on the bench than DeRosa or Nady, and has a very bright future.
The funny thing is that peric ought to be in seventh heaven now with Davey at the helm. Davey actually appreciates young players. Lombo and TyMoore are getting lots of chances to contribute. Corey Brown has had two callups. Harper is playing every day. Davey likes veterans too, but not if they don't produce. Riggleman kept Stairs around for two months after it was clear to all of us that he was through. Davey game him one series to produce and then got rid of him. Davey is sticking with Tracy, but he was decisive in getting rid of Nady and Ankiel, and neither of them can claim he wasn't given opportunities.
So why can't peric be happy and quit worrying? I guess it's just not in his nature. He's happiest when he's complaining and when he's insulting everyone else on this blog.
Grandstander, I'd put it another way. Gorzo is able to pitch more than one inning, so he gets mop up duty. But it also helps the team. If Gorzo can go the distance tonight, everyone else gets the night off. That's a very good thing after a stretch of close games. He got some big outs on Saturday against the D-backs. Don't understate his value.
lol, mick.
Speaking of laughs, this game has brought more game time smiles to Davey Johnson than any game that I can ever remember. Nice to see!
With this weak S.F Pitching, the Nats ought to have 20 runs.
FIRE ECK
Hell, even Peric or even Wingless Eagle could too.
Moore should have or at least could have gotten dirty on that ball and caught it.
Moore -- observe and model The Shark.
You really have to give the Giants fan credit.
Down by 12 runs in the 8th, the folks still left are cheering their lungs out for this team. Good for them.
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