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Associated Press Bryce Harper tips Tim Hudson's fifth-inning drive over the fence. |
Hitting lowlight: Take your pick in this department, but let's point out the lowest of the lows on a night full of lows: The bottom of the seventh inning. Ian Desmond actually led off with a triple into the right-field corner, perhaps bringing some semblance of life to the Nationals dugout and perhaps putting Hudson on the ropes for the first time all night. And then the Nats stranded him there. Tyler Moore grounded out to third. Chad Tracy struck out swinging. And Wilson Ramos struck out looking. That just about summed up the Nationals' offensive effort in this game.
Pitching lowlight: What to make of Gonzalez's start? Seriously, this had to be one of the stranger outings of his career. At times, the left-hander was completely unhittable, resulting in nine strikeouts in only four innings. But that's only when he missed bats. When Gonzalez found too much of the plate, the Braves ransacked him, producing seven hits in those four innings (every one of them rockets). Then there were Gonzalez's five walks, adding to his misery. Only five nights ago, he absolutely dominated a good Reds lineup, allowing one hit over eight innings. This bore no resemblance to that, leading to even more head-scratching when it comes to the top two starters in the Nationals' rotation.
Key stat: The Braves' BABIP (batting average on balls in play) against Gonzalez tonight was .778 (7-for-9).
Up next: Perhaps Jordan Zimmermann will fare better than his two rotation mates did to begin this series. The right-hander, coming off a spectacular 1-hit shutout of the Reds, will face lefty Paul Maholm at 7:10 p.m. Wednesday.
63 comments:
I'm done with this team. They're the Redskins of baseball. Overhyped, underachieving bums. My season tickets will go on Craigslist tomorrow.
April is over. Time fo both pitchers and hitters to start executing effectively.
Tired of the lack of execution
unknown I never give up. I assume they will win tomorrow.
Why is Espinosa not sent to AAA? Not only doesn't he get sent down - either to possibly get some offense from that position or get him some confidence - he gets raised in the order. And the argument Lombo isn't that good doesn't hold water as for 2 solid years Danny has been horrid at the plate, how much worse could he be.
Not giving up either. I'm hooked.
Looking forward to people calling for Harper to be benched ;)
Is it me or does Zuck sound as irritated as the rest of us. As Paul Simon sang, Slip sliding away, slip sliding away.
Lol, better than the Braves.
4 guys in tonight's lineup not including pitcher hitting under the Mendoza line. How can you win that way?
Maybe we could trade ALR, Werth or Zimmerman for Roy Halliday....
I saw Ray Knight talk about how a team getting in a fight can help kick start a season. A good idea. Unfortunately, this is a "bend over and take it" team. This may be one of the worst teams I have ever seen. And that is saying something given this town's history. I'm turning in my tickets as well. I won't pay for the garbage they are producing. If they change GM's, I will re-think, but I'm not having fun watching this team, and I don't respect them.
I watched from 2005 on I watch win or lose. I guess I prefer to bitch then not watch at all.
Shameful.
The quiters here are shameful.
To any and all who are giving away their tickets or thinking at it is all rizzos fault or who are just giving up; you all have no patience with baseball or with this team. This isn't football. Just because you had high expectations doesn't mean this team sucks.
have faith, it will be better
What should concern all is that this team is NOT COMPETITIVE. We are getting our behinds kicked!
I know this is the classic step back year all young teams go through, I still think this team wins about 85 and misses post season. 2013 is where Rizzo figures out who is here the next 5-7 years and who needs to go
Against the team we need to beat 9 IP 12 runs. ERA 12.00
The other 4 games. 23 IP 7 runs. 2.74 ERA
Come on Gio.
We win tomorrow 7-1
Man, I've been too busy with work and life for a few months to post - what happened to this thread? What's with the crazy negativity so early in the year?
I will give a Yankee analogy from 42 years ago. From 1965-1969 the Yankees sucked, in fact, not one 80 win season. In 1970 they won 92 games but the O's were the team that season winning 100 plus games and WS. Yankee fans finally thought they were back, Bobby Murcer hada great year and the 2 wife swipers won 18-19 games each (Fritz Petersen and Mike Kekich) man I'm an old mofo. Any way, Joe Pepitone had an All star year as well and all was looking good in Yankee land. However, the Yankee management over rated the 1970 season and the team fell apart from 1971-73, until the team signed Catfish Hunter and their young players like Thurman Munson matured and the rest was history.
The Nats are in a better spot than those Yankee teams, but, like the Yankee teams then, they have some players who played their best baseball in 2012 and simply are not good any more. Fortunately, Rizzo's job will be easier than Steinbrenners was.
Didn't the Redskins make the playoffs last year after their fickle fans gave up on them? Not to mention the Caps...
On a bright note Good Henry showed up in the same game bad Gio did.
Rizzo probaly knows he is 1-2 player away of this team really being good. we need one more starting pitcher and one more reliever. I believe the offense is already here, some is in Potomac now. The question is... when does Mike Rizzo make the Jim Rice and Fred Lynn move that the Red Sox did in 1975. In other words, say bye bye to ALR and play Tyler Moore full time, say bye bye to Espi and go with Lombo full time.
Davey needs to stop being a nice grandpa and needs to start kicking some ass. Cat needs to get up in Gio and Stras grill!!!
Rizzo and Davey look like liars, telling the world that this is a World Series capable team. If that's so, then the Wizards will win the NBA championship next year. One winning year does not a champion make and this year, the Nats look decidedly middle of the pack.
So here's to being busts, Davey!
I also think that if Nats do win 85 and miss playoffs that Davey would come back in 2014 to finish this correctly. If he does not, Rizzo's next manager is the most important move of his career and the teams future. maybe a Showalter type or a Leland type would be a great fit
Almazar80
give Davey credit, he was right....lol
Relax! We got this. You'll see.
Danny Espinosa has got to be on thin ice. Davey Johnson sticks up for his young players trying to build their and keep their confidence up. Danny is killing us wherever you put him.A change is definitely past due. Like NatsJack, I don't see his issues at the plate to be a physical issue. His approach at the plate is gawk awful. Kobernus? Maybe. Hell, at this point, Cutter Dykstra might be an improvement. LOL.. Adam? I'm not giving up on him, but give Moore some starts against LHP.
Davey says new line up tomorrow.
My suggestion
Span CF
Harper LF
Desmond SS
Werth RF
Moore 1B
Rendon 3B
Lombo 2B
Sukuki C
Zimmermann P
Manassas Nats' Fan
I like it! I hope Davey goes with it, although I would rather see Ramos
Joe Seamhead... all I will say is
Say its so Joe!
I hope you are right
I love hearing about Fritz and Joe and Roy and the bumbling early 70's Yankees, who fell so far that they were playing at Shea Stadium one year....
I'm with you manassas . I'm going down with the ship. I watched the senators way back when dnd ill watch again tomorrow. When the grill is going ill have the radio and a cigar going. Yes, Henry back to 100 again , that is good. We desperately need zim back
Is it possible that this team just isn't that good? Strasburg isn't that good. Gio, well, he's not that good. Haren? Not that good. Zimmerman? Very good. Detweiller? Okay.
So that's only a 40 percent chance of winning every five games, so to speak. And that's assuming they can score.
Woooooooooooo hooooooooooo!
April is over
Time for pitchers and fathers and the rest of the team to report
I've been very critical of the sloppy play, the lazy inattention to detail, the overly-psychologized player analysis, the unforgivable inattention to fundamentals and cardinal rules, and the stupid, repeated comment from the Nats PR team that "it's still early."
Still, I think May 1st is going to bring a turn. There has GOT to be a rage building among the players who led us to the NL East championship. When they express this anger, and anger is the right response for the BS-way this team has played, I think the ship will right.
Archive.org has an old Senator's game with Walter Johnson doing the play by play from the 1940's. Johnson had a really interesting voice.
Any Eddie Yost fans out there?
William O. Douglas Loeffler
thanks! I will check the site out, Eddie was a little before my time.
This team has a very good starting staff. I think its relievers are about average, at best. I mean, Tom Seaver used to go 16-13 with some of those weak Mets teams. Strasburg is getting very little support now, as is Detwiler. Dave McNally used to often win more games for the O's than did Palmer or Cuellar. It didn't make him better than they were.
Catchers
"On a bright note Good Henry showed up in the same game bad Gio did."
Also, Ray Knight was almost coherent the whole time!
Archive.org also has the broadcast of the last Washington Senators home game from 1971. It is fascinating because it is against the Yankees, but also for the libertine conditions of the final game. They would put everyone in jail if people behaved like this now, but such on-field disturbances were fairly commonplace in the 70's and somehow society survived without court hearings and prison sentences (mostly).
Some are better fans than me.
But yeah, I gave up somewhere in the middle of the 4th. I mean for me to watch, I want to see something for my team to be doing on the field.
There was nothing going on. Like Toronto, LAA, and few others, we've over-rated these guys.
Davey's last best hope.
Werth
Span
Harper
Zim
Moore
Espinosa
Desmond
Suzuki/Ramos
Moore either can either more economically, youthfully, injury free replace Morse's bat or he can't. Its time to find out because the $35,000,000 worth of sage veterans can't and never will.
BUT Werth may still be capable of clutch hits and walks from the lead-off spot as he proved last year. As well as the apparent ability to start long hitting jags by the Nats behind him.
"When they express this anger, and anger is the right response for the BS-way this team has played, I think the ship will right."
Whatever it takes to get them out of their own heads.
I was wondering earlier this evening what might constitute rock bottom for a team like the 2012 Nats. Dipping below 500 again the same night Harper catches whatever ails this team certainly seems like a candidate...
I admit that I drank the Kool-aid. I forgot the rule of regression to the mean, and regression due to age, figuring that maturation among our pitchers and young players would be enough to win at least 100 games.
But for what it is worth, the 1975 Cincinnati Reds had a record of 12-12 on May 2nd, 1975. They ended up 108-64 for the season.
Re: the rock bottom candidate game in my last post: against a division rival that's mocking us, no less.
On Friday, May 16, 1875, the Cincinnati Reds had a record of 18-19. They would end the year 108-64.
The 1975 Reds did not take possession of 1st place until June 4th of that year with a record of 30-22. The ended the year 108-64.
Of course, the Reds starting eight were about ten times better than the Nats are....
I too am frustrated by the play of the team so far, but after reading this board, this feeling was instantly replaced by disappointment with some of the comments here about quitting on the team. I guess this is when you know who is a bandwagon fan and who is not. You can express frustration in your teams play without quitting on them.
Classic. It's the last day of April. Season tix on craigslist? Yeah right. You are either a day trader for a living or I'm calling your bluff...
Classic. It's the last day of April. Season tix on craigslist? Yeah right. You are either a day trader for a living or I'm calling your bluff...
I totally expect to get bashed for this post. But I saw Davey do this last year. He doesn't play to win every game.
Davey looked at the lineup without Werth and RZimm, with ALR slumping and Hudson up for his 200th win. He decided to do a little housecleaning during one of the 60 losses.
(1) Ramos and Gio. No "personal catchers" but Gio will get Suzuki on the next round. Ramos gets his start and his at-bats in a "non-essential" game.
(2) Align the bullpen. He's got that now. He can use Clip and Storen for the 8th on different nights.
(3) Use Henry after that disaster. Davet got lucky because Duke pitched 3 innings, so he ia more or less "stretched out" and could start if Stras has to miss. That is good because you don't have to put Stras on the DL and bring up Young. I am not totally convinced Stras will make his next start. Aside--Stras using muscle stimulating machine--is that weird or what? Some things I'd rather not know.
(4) Get Tracy and Moore some at-bats to keep them sharp. Rendon might start tomorrow against the lefty, if Davey has confidence in his D.
I don't have a problem with losing this game at all. (If Gio had toughed out the first two innings, it would be a different story--but he didn't.) Basically, a day off for the boys in the midst of a long stretch.
Davey doesn't care it was Atlanta. In the regular season all wins and all losses count the same.
Now get back to it tomorrow.
I agree with just about all of that NatsLady. Hudson is rough on the Nats usually and Gio has a hard time against the Braves and with two big boppers out, not a bad day for housekeeping.
Davey said post game there would be lineup changes tomorrow. Good! I have to think he will sit Espinosa, who is embarrassing himself at the plate. Three of his four outs were strikeouts on about 11 pitches. Not sure if he will sit LaRoche too but he might.
There's a point when patience ceases to be a virtue.
tayo, thank you for that thought. \\I understand some people come here to "vent" their frustration with the team... but these are our boys, through thick and thin.
You are quitting on the season because it wasn't handed to you on a golden platter??? I feel sorry for you--and I'm certainly glad I'm not related to you.
Great post @11:28 NatsLady. I definitely Davey thinks long term like that.
Morse with another dinger...thanks Rizzo for ruining this team...should have kept him. 8 HR with a broken finger.
Alphabet Soup - I agree with you 100%. The loss of Morse was huge to the Nats offense. Also, his big bat provided lots of protection for others. That is totally gone now. And he was a great clubhouse presence, a crucial part of the chemistry that last year's team enjoyed. When Rizzo decided to acquire Span and re-sign ALR, thus leaving Morse with no where to play, he made a huge mistake and the team is now paying for it in many more ways than just the loss of his home run hitting.
Good post NatsLady. If I may add something to it:
I once read that Earl Weaver - someone who Davey learned a little bit from - had an amazingly good won-lost record in the second games of doubleheaders (remember them?) He figured teams would try to stack their lineups with their best hitters for the first game and rest them for the second. He essentially played a little lineup jiu-jitsu, resting one or two of his regulars in the first game, and, since he had a good team anyway, did fairly okay in the first game. Then in the second game, he'd have his powerhouse lineup play, against either a tired lineup from the other team's first game, or a depleted lineup. Result was that the Orioles won a disproportionate number of second games. It was somewhere in one of Bill James's annual digests.
And your point is??? Of course the injury slowed him temporarily. But he's now on the mend and hitting HRs again.
Hmmmm. How many HRs does ALR have????
Peric, including Espinosa in your lineup??? -5 demerit points.
U will now be known as "little Davey"
Go in peace my son.
And tonight, HR #9 for Mike Morse! Clearly recovered from the finger injury. The Nats could surely use that big bat now, couldn't they? Too bad Rizzo made it so Mike had no place to play! No one currently on the team can replace the power he has.
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