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USA Today Sports Images Stephen Strasburg rebounded from a rough first inning to post a quality start. |
Hitting lowlight: It's pretty much all lowlights at the plate right now, but let's focus on the lowest of the lows from this game: The bottom of the seventh. With runners on the corners and one out, Davey Johnson sent pinch-hitter Steve Lombardozzi to the plate. Lombardozzi go ahead in the count, 3-0, then fell back into a 3-2 count. At which point Johnson decided to send Solano from first base on the pitch, hoping to avoid a double play grounder. Unfortunately, all that did was create a different kind of double play: one of the strike-em-out, throw-em-out variety. Johnson has been talking about his players trying too hard to make something happen to snap out of this slump. That might have been a case of the manager doing the same thing.
Pitching highlight: The way his afternoon started, you never would have guessed Strasburg would wind up throwing seven innings and earning a quality start. Unable to get ahead of hitters in the top of the first, he was done in by three hits, a walk and an error, leading to three quick runs. But to his credit, Strasburg settled down and re-took control of this game. He did it by throwing strike one, putting himself in a much better position to retire hitters. Because of that, he was able to make it all the way through the seventh, departing without allowing another run to cross the plate. Strasburg built up his pitch count to 110 and was allowed to hit for himself in the bottom of the sixth, another sign of the extra rope Johnson is giving his young ace.
Key stat: Anthony Rendon has as many errors as hits (two) through his first four big-league games.
Up next: The challenge doesn't get any easier for the Nationals as the homestand continues this weekend against the powerful Reds. Gio Gonzalez goes up against Bronson Arroyo in Thursday's opener at 7:05 p.m.
85 comments:
It burns us, precious!
Blech. That is all.
I was somewhat encouraged the last few games, despite the losses, but this is one of those losses I'm pretty unhappy about. Poor hitting is one thing, but shaky defense and boneheaded plays on the bases are hard to deal with. Getting beat happens, but a team shouldn't ever beat itself.
But for anyone pining for former players - Guys. Morse is also not hitting very well after getting injured. Burnett is injured. Edwin Jackson is not doing very well, with no quality starts as yet. John Lannan got blown up in his last start and is - also - injured. Those guys wouldn't be saviors.
WOW this is low.
Every day I say I am going to stay patient with this team and every day they make it a challenge to keep my word.
C'mon guys. Think positive. It's not over. Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Actually it's over. But I'll keep watching. Cause I got nowhere else to go!!
Follow up comments from my cat: Ack! Thbbft.
Indeed, kit-kat. (He hates cardinals. What can I say? Good kitty. Here's a nice treat for you.)
That said, like Bluto, er, wasian man, I will continue to watch. And hope.
A positive was winning the game after the first inning.
This, too, shall pass.
Mark the first game of the Reds Series is Thursday. It's a 4 game set.
Em dash, well said. imo, no one player can be a savior.
Granted, Lannan is not a world beater, but for $2.5 million, it is hard to see how anyone could possibly think Haren is worth 10.5 million more.
Rizzo could have let ALR go and kept Morse, not had the Span acquisition and we would probably be better off.
If Zimmerman did not disclose just how bad his injuries were last fall, then the blame goes to him. We were not hearing at all last fall that Zimmerman was so incredibly injured that he would not be ready by April. We knew he was getting shots last year, but never was it said that he was injured to the point of no longer being able to throw or hit.
If someone heard this somewhere, please point me to it.
People keep saying just let Ryan get healthy. Ryan shold have let someone know that he was in need of getting healthy. If someone had breathed a rumor of this, Zimmerman moves to 1st base and ALR would not have been re-signed. You do have to be fair to Rizzo in that.
Saying the season is over is still way, way premature. There are still 141 games to go. I understand being discouraged by their early showing but it's still not a good idea to get too ahead of ourselves.
Two more blunders where Espi ran to cover 2nd on the hit and run with a lefty batting and the 8th inning rundown on Jay allowed the runners to move up and score on the infield hit. They aren't errors on the books. Biggest play was first play of the game drop by Espi and Lombo and ALR strikeouts.
Strasburg totolally unluckyn Carpenter was out at secon per the umpire, but Espinosa allows the runner tl kick it out of his glove. Should have error. Why was it ruled a double. It was a single and error.
What is Lombo's deal. 3-2 count was not a strike. He swung anyway. Should have been loaded. Insteaded inning oveRendon had an easy out and he threw wildly to second. Fits right in with the rest of the terrible fielding.
Pitchers pitching well now.
Fielders are playing terrible.
Hitting awful.
I think maybe wasian just wanted to work in some Animal House schtick. We're all pretty hard-core in here and will be around for the duration, I expect. Heck, if we didn't leave during the lean years, why would we do so now? We're survivors, my friends. :-)
SPAM MONSTER AGAIN.
Get me rewrite!
Also, Rally Bobs = fail. :-(
OTOH, the rally 'pen caps seemed to help some. Atta way, boys! We'll right this ship yet. :-)
William O., why do you care how much they paid for Haren? The Lerners are billionaires. I still think Haren will be a better pitcher this year than Lannan would have been. That's how we'll judge the signing, not whether he was "worth" the money they paid him.
Gio gets another chance to be a stopper. I'm starting to worry that's he not up to the challenge. But I'll be out there hoping for the best. Hopefully Stras's final six innings are a precursor to a turn around for him. We need both of them to be lights out to get out of this funk.
In the season so far, Morse has been worth .4 offensive WAR and -.4 defensive WAR. That's a wash. Span: .2 offensive WAR, .2 defensive WAR. He's been more valuable to the Nats than Morse has been to the Mariners thus far.
Moving Zim to first makes sense if they thought Rendon was ready. I suspect they don't. That's probably what made resigning LaRoche make the most sense.
As for the pitchers' contracts - doesn't really matter, it's not our money. And since there's no salary cap, it's not preventing the team from making other moves.
4-10 the next two weeks and they will be pretty much out of the division race. I don't see them making up a 12-game deficit even if it is still early. They have to find a way to get some wins right now.
Like I said in the last post a few blunders per game that don't show up in the box scores. Later I will detail 5. 3 fielding and 2 batting.
William O. Douglas Loeffler said...
Granted, Lannan is not a world beater, but for $2.5 million, it is hard to see how anyone could possibly think Haren is worth 10.5 million more.
Me: I agree that Lannan might have been a netter choice, but you need to get the $2.5M out of your head. If they choice to keep Lannan, the cheapest they would have got him was $4M (80% of his 2012 salary). Once he was non-tendered he was never going to sign here becuase they shipped after a year he spect the majority of time in the minors. Even with that, the $4M might have been worth it.
FYI, from Reds' twitter account, 'ERA of Reds' starters drops to 2.99. Haven't allowed more than 2 runs in any game since April 14, a span of 10 starts.' :D
Sect222, save the cash when a deal like Suzuki comes calling. Billionaire or not smart biz is always a priority.
I do not understand why Stras, younger and less experienced, closer to surgery, is allowed to regularly go 100 or more. The best pitchers on the team, JZ and Det are stopped at 90. They are throwing less stressful innings. Stras did settle down today, Haren was better. Now let's see if Gio can pull it together. Defense has looked better, bullpen mostly, now for the offense.. Oh, Lordy they look bad. As fir Lombo- he was put between a rock and a hard place with Davey putting on a hit and run. He was essentially forced to swing. Manager pressing too.
Ghost, I just disagree. The Lerners are never going to say no to a Suzuki type deal if Rizzo says it's needed by pointing to the $13 million they spent on Haren and say "we can't afford that." Every request is going to be dealt with on its individual merits. That's not to say they aren't paying attention to the bottom line, and maybe in retrospect Haren was too pricey. But (1) the jury's still out on whether he will pan out and (2) all indicators were that Lannan was not good enough to be the 5th starter Rizzo wanted.
Great point baseballswami.
I think Davey said a week or so ago that he likes to let his ace extent. Because Stras is the ace in Davey mind. But I agree with the point.
Section 222 we'll never know if the Lerners killed bidding on Yu Darvish. All I know is that Rizzo loved him for years and then didn't bid, so we really don't know what the Lerners have allowed or not.
"With runners on the corners and one out, Davey Johnson sent pinch-hitter Steve Lombardozzi to the plate. Lombardozzi go ahead in the count, 3-0, then fell back into a 3-2 count. At which point Johnson decided to send Solano from first base on the pitch, hoping to avoid a double play grounder. Unfortunately, all that did was create a different kind of double play: one of the strike-em-out, throw-em-out variety. Johnson has been talking about his players trying too hard to make something happen to snap out of this slump. That might have been a case of the manager doing the same thing."
No. A hit and run makes sense there. Lombo is probably the best contact hitter on the team, and knows how to change his approach with two strikes. Solano is a catcher, but as FP pointed out on air, he is fairly fast, and not just "fast for a catcher." So without a hit and run there, the chance of a GIDP is much higher than the chance of a strikeout/CS with the hit and run on. This is just a case of Davey playing the odds and it not working out.
Tyler Moore was pinch hit by ALR who had K 7 for last 10. Now it is 8 for 11. Moore had doubled and walked so let ALR hit instead.
The last 6 games our starters have been out pitched by their starters. The starters are suppose to be tge strength, but are not beeter than their opponent.
correcton. Gio out Pitched his opponent last Saturday. Though it was the worse start in the last 6.
What kind of odds are you giving on the Nats being able to making up 12 games with 120+ games left in the season?
It is not time to panic until we reach the 1/4 pole of the season. The Braves aren't as good as they are playing and the Nats certainly aren't as bad as they've played the past 2 weeks. There is a reason the baseball season is 6 months long.
Swami, JZ went over 100 in his complete game. Otherwise, weren't bot Det and JZ lifted for pinch hitters in the late innings?
Tc, the Lerners very well might have thought the bidding for Darvish was getting out of control. Or maybe Rizzo evaluated the player and decided he was getting too expensive. (I forget, wasn't that a closed bid situation anyway?) All I'm saying is that Haren didn't break the bank for a future Suzuki type deal. And that there's no good reason for us fans to evaluate whether a signing was a good idea based on how much it cost. If Haren works out as a solid No. 5 innings eater, it was a good signing. If he continues to fail to get through 6 innings on a regular basis it wasn't. And it really doesn't matter how much we paid for him.
Look at it this way, if Lannan were our 5th starter and he had a 7.36 ERA after 4 start would we be any happier because he cost less than Haren? I sure wouldn't be.
AS balloting has started. Vote Harper as one of the 3 OF, he definitely deserves it. My OF will be him, Justin Upton, and Braun/Choo. I have not voted yet.
Sec222, in that case, some fans will be complaining that Lerners did not spend enough money to sign a better #5.
Swami,
'He was essentially forced to swing. Manager pressing too.'
Incorrect. He could have take ball 4 or fouled off the pitch in either case the runner is not compromised.
Lannan is on the DL. If he were here we would be scrambling for Chris Young (who did not have a good start in AAA) or Maya or whatever. Morse is slumping, fielding terribly, etc.
Ovechkin out scored the Nats this week.
NatsLady,
You are right and besides it's not the number of pitches that matters but how a given pitcher is throwing. If Strasburg was still dealing in the 7th and it appears he was then 110 pitches is no big deal.
the problem with hit and was 2 fold. Lombo swung and miss (that happens). Bigger problem he swung at a ball. The walk should have occurred. Bases loaded 1 out Span up.
The call was the execution was terrible.
How many did Ovie score in the first month of his season?
The Nats don't have the same luxury to wait until the last 1/3 of the season to turn it on, but he's a good example how dramatically things can change within a season.
As I feared, the game is moving a little fast for Rendon, who, as Charlie and Dave said, should have thrown home. Hopefully, this is simply lack of experience with less frequent situations--this is the type of mistake he made in spring training. When he knows what to do, his D is as smooth as we were promised. IMO, no way he is staying up when RZ comes back, though.
As for RZ moving to first base, I don't see how that happens mid-season AND with a bad hammy. Otherwise, he would have to play 1B the way Morse did--stay on the base and let the plays come to him.
JD, exactly. Methany left Wainwright in, but took him out when it was obvious he was gassed and maybe about to blow the game. Wainwright MIGHT have gotten out of the jam, but at what cost in pitches and stress?
The old rule is you would rather take a pitcher out too soon than too late (unless it's a perfect game or something...).
Other than LH batter vs. RH pitcher, why did Davey take Tyler Moore out for ALR?
I am sure the Nats will turn the lights on now and show everybody what a World Series team looks like.
Nats are one game under .500 on April 24.
Last year, the Giants were one game under .500 on May 16.
How did that work out for them?
NatsLady,
I disagreed with the pinch hit but I can see Davie's point of view as well. He has a lot of faith in ALR and he has seen him come through on many occasions last year. I would have let TyMo hit there and save ALR to pinch hit for Solano hoping someone is on base for him.
John C.
Well put. There is very little perspective here and way too much looking through a microscope.
I was told a long time ago that when everything goes wrong your underwear feels tight. I'm pretty sure that we'll win a game sometime in the foreseeable future.
I still cannot for the life of understand why Davey pulled Tyler Moore for ALR
Just makes no sense at all. What's the use of shaking up the lineup if and sitting someone in a slump if you're going to put them in at the key moment in the game?
"Faraz Shaikh said...
AS balloting has started. Vote Harper as one of the 3 OF, he definitely deserves it. My OF will be him, Justin Upton, and Braun/Choo. I have not voted yet."
You're doing it wrong. Fans in real baseball cities (STL, NY, CHI, BOS, PHI, etc) vote for their guys across the board, whether the individual player is worthy or not. That's why so many of their guys make the team. It's a popularity contest, not a ballot based on merit.
AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH! This stinks. I hate how losing impacts my mood. I am getting a glass (or the whole bottle ) of wine.
I miss RZ.
I am here for the duration. For better or worse.
Tomorrow is a new day and things will get better.
GYFNG!
John C-- the Giants don't play in the NL East with the Braves.
"NatsLady said...
Other than LH batter vs. RH pitcher, why did Davey take Tyler Moore out for ALR?"
That's the reason right there. Also, it's a vote of confidence in the struggling LaRoche, who failed to pay it back.
Repost because I'm so annoyed
Fortunately, today was the first game I have been to in a while since game 3 of the Marlins: My unbiased perspective:
Postives to take away:
1) Soon, with the Nationals level of play I will have my beloved sec 106 to myself again like in 2010 and 11.
2) I will be able to buy president club passes when I don't want to sit in 106 at a 75% discount.
3) If you don't believe this team can come back, look at the giants record at this time last year. I'll take their first 60 days if I can have their last 60.
Now the negatives:
1) Face it, in the field we have 1 Harper and 7 Harpos (as in Marx.)That dropped ball at 2nd on the throw from Harper was a game changer.
2) The coaching staff needs to stand up and start managing, which they havent done since the 7th inning of game 5 of the NLDS. If you are looking for an example, I submit last Saturday, when Gio was cruising until he gave up 4 hits, 4 walks and 4 runs. Hint to the coaching staff: Talk to your piutcher BEFORE he gives up 4 runs, not after!
3) Hitter: start hitting
4) Fielders, if you can't do item 3 above, please start making NO errors. I saw better fielding at a high school JV game last night. The fact that Carpenter was given a double and not a single with an error by the infielder at 2nd base is criminal.
5) Fans are still showing up, and I'll be there tomorrow. If we show up, so should the players, not just a bunch of jerseys.
I leave my rant with a famous quote from Rob Schnider in The Waterboy. "Oh NO, We suck again!"
You can agree or disagree or say I am a lousy fan for saying this, but if the fans pay, the team should play.
I totally agree that ALR should have been out the entire game and not been put in a high leverage situation. Along with that- Tyler Moore should not have been pinch hit for as he was on base twice and playing good defense. He should have had the entire game. What is the message to him? Do a good job and you will be pulled for someone who is playing badly? I also hate it that the Nats woes affect me personally. I could not wait for baseball to start and now I am in a crappy mood about it. The Reds and the Braves- hope our feng shui improves fast.
The first play of the game set the tone. The umpire called him out. Espi drops it and he is safe. How is that not an error? If that was properly score Strasburg has three unearned runs. Had it been properly played 0 runs probably score. The fielder are just going through the motions.
That is why we are not happy most players are not focused.
KImbrell just blew a 2-run save out in Denver. Game tied. Nothing is automatic, not even Kimbrall.
I quite simply lol'd, so thanks for that.
And I'll offer up another Schneider quote for our boys.
I leave my rant with a famous quote from Rob Schnider in The Waterboy. "Oh NO, We suck again!"
Also, last May the Marlins went 21-8. They still ended the season in last place five games behind the Mets. It's a long, long season, things happen.
Why, Nats Lady- thanks for sharing that. I do think I am at the point where I have to find my jollies from someone else's misfortune. Nice to know he is mortal. And the Reds only scored one run against the Cubs today- they won, but they only scored one. I am truly grasping at straws now. Felt do sorry for Suzuki having to explain the sweep on IT. Awkward.
"baseballswami said...
I totally agree that ALR should have been out the entire game and not been put in a high leverage situation. Along with that- Tyler Moore should not have been pinch hit for as he was on base twice and playing good defense. He should have had the entire game. What is the message to him? Do a good job and you will be pulled for someone who is playing badly?"
Take the long view. This could be the first signal of an ALR-Moore platoon. If ALR is ever going to lose his job to Moore, that's how it will start.
Here ya go, swami.
STATS LLC @STATS_MLB 9m
#Cubs’ starters Carlos Villanueva, Travis Wood and Jeff Samardzija have a combined 2.25 ERA in 13 starts but just three total wins.
first off, what the hell is up with ALR? he should give his pay check back to the Lerners for the past 2 games. Horrible at bats and fora veteran, unacceptable!
Finally, Lombo will start at 3rd tomorrow is what Davey said post game`. It looks like Espi at 2b, Desi at sS, Lombo at 3rd, and oore at 1b.
Every analyst says the Nats depth is part of the overall talent. There are 141 games left, if the Nats are as good as all experts say, they will begin to turn this around. If not, it is not onoly back to the drawing board, but it may take another 5 seasons to get to where they were last year. I really have my doubts on this team. Desmond and Espi may after all be very over rated players.
Nats errors are on pace to exceed the 1962 Mets, I just saw that. The question begs... what the hell did they do this Spring??
Rich P... i would go with Moore period and platoon him with RZim. i would seriously think of trading ALR to an AL team. I think he has gotten old over night
Natsjack.... I am willing to live with Moore's inexperience at 1b in exchange for his bat, which I know is better than ALR
Strasburg needs to find a better approach to start a game. Seems like 1st inning has been a problem for him this year.
Danny Espinosa has not built a sufficient MLB resume to start every game while hitting below the Mendoza line.
Rendon has made two errors, but his approach at the plate is better than almost anyone else in the lineup not named Bryce Harper. The 8th inning at bats for ALR and Desmond were pathetic for veteran MLB players in a clutch situation.
I just see too many red flags, some can be fixed, others I really do not think they can be fixed as certain players either have deteriorated or may have been over rated to begin with.
The one positive today, Stras showed poise and finally some maturity after the 1st inning. The pitching and bull pen have done a pretty decent job. The hitting and fielding area combo of deterioration of players like ALR and over rated expectations among average players like Desi and Espi
Another bright spot: Braves lose.
I am enjoying watching the Nationals more now that I have given up on expectations. Sure, I don't like them to lose, but I find I can appreciate the things they do well now. The team may have to hit rock bottom before they right the ship. The players are pressing too hard, the manager is pressing too hard, and the fans are definitely pressing too hard. They will eventually come out of this. Whether its too late to save the season or not, I don't know. But if you give up your expectations, it doesn't matter. GYFNG!!!
First of all- you don't know what kind of plays Moore can make at first. He has not had the opportunity to show us. Now- perspective. We scored only two runs today. The Giants and DBacks are tied at two in the tenth. Will Nieves with a sac fly! Who? Also the Reds only scored one run today. Of course, they shut out the Cubs. If we can combine a decent pitching performance with a couple of runs, we can still win.
As for RZ moving to first base, I don't see how that happens mid-season AND with a bad hammy. Otherwise, he would have to play 1B the way Morse did--stay on the base and let the plays come to him.
In an interview Zim once said he could play shortstop if he had to. I believe him. Same deal with first. Don't underestimate Zim's defensive prowess.
In any case the pressure appears to have gotten to the Nats budding pure hitter Anthony Rendon. He needs to be sent to Syracuse soon if things don't lighten up. Have to wonder if the players might not resent having him instead of Zim ... it may not be all that pleasant all the way around who knows.
All I know if Zim comes back and he isn't healed you might as well call this season and wait til next year.
Uhh....the double play turned by LaRoche in the 9th inning never happens with Tyler Moore at first.
And not with Marerro who already has 4 o4 5.
But with Zim? No problem.
Other than LH batter vs. RH pitcher, why did Davey take Tyler Moore out for ALR?
He just wanted to stir things up not replace LaRoche. But that's coming fast if they fall way behind.
Still ticked at the official score. Carpenter called out and call reverse when he dropped the ball after the tag.
That is a single and error. Had ump never made out sigb then it is a judgement call.
All three should be unearned. Since Scott Boris is Stras' agent maybe Joe Torre gets a call.
i loved nats106 post. if we r going to lose i at least can look forward to watching the games, albeit bad baseball, in peace. i can hangout in the stars n stripes n by cheap tics in dnc n won't wait in congested traffic. see, there is always a bright side to even some of the bad shit that happens.
At least we have a team to be pissed at. 34 years had to watch from afar.
Moore takes over at 1B before they transition Zimmerman to a brand new position 6 weeks into the season.
Rendon has had a decent approach at the plate, but in the field the play was a home and not at 2B. He needs another year of seasoning before he's ready to compete for the starting job, although I confess I FREAKIN LOVE THE ROCKET LAUNCHER ARM he has.
I've got a couple more weeks before I start sweating my Nats to win the East and Nats over 91 wins wagers.
Manassas, you are right-and that's the perspective I've had since 2005. Time to starting winning and stop whining. Today is a new day.
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