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Associated Press Dan Haren allowed just one run and four hits in eight stellar innings. |
So as Davey Johnson made the slow walk from the Nationals' dugout to the mound, Haren (like everyone else at Turner Field) knew what was next.
"He was gonna take the ball from me," the right-hander said.
Not so fast. Johnson's intention may have been to signal for Drew Storen out of the bullpen, but first he needed the answer to one question.
"Heck of a ballgame. How you feeling?" Johnson asked.
"I feel great," Haren replied.
"Good," Johnson fired back. "I'm out of here."
Having just been given a resounding vote of confidence, Haren promptly rewarded his manager for the decision. He struck out Chris Johnson to end the eighth and pumped his fist as he skipped off the mound, having laid the groundwork for a 3-1 victory, the Nationals' second straight over a Braves club that had looked unbeatable to that point.
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69 comments:
I couldn't believe what I was seeing tonight. What a performance by Dan Haren.
Anyone know if there is going to be a replay of "Bryce Begins"? I missed it and I can't get it to load on my computer from ESPN web site.
I am glad for the Danimal. He is the X factor this year pitching 20% of the games.
SonnyG10, where are you seeing it on ESPN's website where it isn't loading? I haven't been able to find it anywhere either.
Very funny-- Ray Knight, who is an absolute dinosaur said he had no idea where this new fangled shirt untucking thing came from but he sure did not like it. Huh? Living under a rock? I was wondering if Desi untucking was a way of showing Sori he is part of the family. Most of the pitchers are finding it now, some of the hitters. The bullpen has turned into the land that time forgot. Pitching once a week cannot be good. Hoping for some momentum going into Pittsburgh. Worried about Bryce and Jayson. I wish they would drop taking turns being dinged up.
That would be STOP. My phone keeps trying to understand me and failing.
So much for all of the talk when Haren was signed that because of diminishing velocity on his FB he couldn't be very effective anymore. It seems the closer he pitches to the speed that he runs the better he is. Not quite Jamie Moyer yet though...
Not only has Span got more RBI's then runs scored inspite of his OBP at leadoff, he's fourth on the team in runs scored. Odd stat that is sure to change as the rest of our lineup plays the way that they are capable.
Actually Swami, if our starters do what is expected, you would not have a bullpen that is taxed at all. I am not saying we should expect a quality start from all 5 each time out but it could be pretty darn close. I would rather "worry" (not in my makeup but its what people here do) about the bullpen not getting work than having an overtaxed pen. There will still be games when someone is not right and that is when Dukes, Stamman and Mattheus will be needed. I do wonder how long Henry has and what plans Rizzo has made for that switch.
Go Nats!!
More than likely that the starters will go a solid seven and things will settle in.
I read somewhere that Atlanta had lost 10 of their last 15 games. Checked, yep, they have. Nats have lost 8 of their last 15 games, which ain't great but that's how we picked up two games. They are not invincible--need to just keep playin' our game, don't fire Rizzo quite yet, Davey stick around, and congrats to Dan Haren.
Lomardozzi batting second behind Span looks great. Makes contact, can bunt, makes things happen. Solid D. Please leave him in the job for a week or two and see what happens. A couple of weeks on the bench could inspire Espinoza as well.
Makes adjustments quickly, makes smart decisions.
One thing that wasn't mentioned was how cold it got in ATL last night. That could be what impacted Jayson's hammy. One of the Nats fans that was there last night said it was cold enough that they were serving Hot Chocolate - and the fans needed it.
Agreed NatsLady! I keep telling everybody to relax. We got this! We have the best team in the NL East and they are showing glimpses of it more and more often. I really expect the Braves locker room to implode when things are going sour. I was impressed with Dan Haren and the play of Anthony Rendon last night.
Meanwhile down on the farm, anybody still think that Ryan Perry could come up and pitch for the Nats? Another bad start last night, 7 earned runs, on 9 hits, 4 BB in four innings of work.I wish him well, but the guy is dead weight, imho.
I love that Dan Haren seemed to have come to some kind of understanding about himself. I think that bodes well for the Nats. Just don't ask him to run.
Joe Seamhead said...
BTW Braves third baseman Johnson is lobbying for Span's double official scoring to be reversed back to an error.He feels bad for Medlin.
May 03, 2013 5:19 AM
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Remember last year when Morse lost his hitting streak when they changed the scoring on a hit to an error.
You have to think this double could get changed but as was discussed because Johnson was playing for a bunt it made it a higher degree of difficulty than the hit that got by LaRoche on Wednesday. I don't think Johnson ever got leather on that ball by Span. MLB Network had a great shot of the play.
NatsLady said...
I read somewhere that Atlanta had lost 10 of their last 15 games. Checked, yep, they have.
____________________________
That's what got my goat with Mark rating the Braves #1 in their Power Rankings. They are trending way down. Once you neutralize Chris Johnson and Gattis there is really only 2 legit hitters on their team in Justin Upton and Freddie Freeman.
Uggla and BJ Upton are K machines and Simmons and Shaffer are in deep slumps.
OK, for those of you complaining about Davey sticking with his guys, and how great Fredi is about switching out his guys when they're slumping because, y'know, Fredi plays to win and Davey is running a country club, here is a sample of the ATL post game.
B.J. Upton was 10-for-31 with five homers against Haren before Wednesday, when the center fielder went hitless to extend his slump to 4-for-43 with 18 strikeouts in his past 12 games. He’s batting .134 and had a .485 OPS before Thursday, third-lowest among NL qualifiers. Uggla, who popped out with a runner on to end the game, is batting .167 with 37 strikeouts in 90 at-bats.
Gonzalez was asked before the game about sticking with that slumping duo almost every game.
“They’re trying to tinker, they’re working at it,” he said. “That’s why you’re in their corner when they struggle, or anybody struggles. If you’re working and putting the effort in, you’ve got to stay with your players, and (Upton) is doing that. Both of those guys (B.J. and Uggla) are doing that.
“Come September, B.J. is going to be right where he’s supposed to be, and Danny’s going to be where he’s supposed to be, and we won’t even remember April. You’ve got to be supportive. Again, if they’re doing their stuff they’re supposed to be doing and working, you’ve got to stay with them.”
Atl postgame comments
http://www.ajc.com/news/sports/baseball/braves-muster-little-against-haren-lose-3-1-to-nat/nXfXy/
Whew. The way the pitching has looked recently, the rotation should be Zimm, Haren, Det, SS, Gonzo!
Good stuff, NatsLady.
Dan Uggla,[37] BJ Upton[34],and Justin Upton[32] each have more strikeouts then any one National player. Just sayin'
Bryce Begins. He doesn't Repeat.
Oddity of the morning:
Phillies are 5-13 in Lee, Halladay, and Hamels’ starts, and 8-3 behind Kendrick, Lannan, and Pettibone.
NatsLady said...
OK, for those of you complaining about Davey sticking with his guys, and how great Fredi is about switching out his guys when they're slumping because, y'know, Fredi plays to win and Davey is running a country club
Let me chime in, too: great stuff NatsLady -- especially when combined with Seamhead's pointing out that:
Dan Uggla,[37] BJ Upton[34],and Justin Upton[32] each have more strikeouts then any one National player. Just sayin'
Jamesfan the bench does nothign for Espinosa and he'd be a horrible pinch hitter. If you are going with Lombo then let Espi get things straight in AAA. I'd say AA but there is a guy there learning his job.
Haren's effort was a total shocker - in a good way :)
I have no idea if this is true, but yesterday afternoon on MLB Channel on Sirius Radio, they said Werth sent Davey a text message with "play me or trade me"; if he ends up on the DL because he played before he was ready - shame on him (and Davey too).
I thought most interesting thing on the post game last night was when Haren said in effect that he was trying to keep up with the younger faster guys and his fast ball is not there anymore so he has to do it his way.
That probably explains the 0-2 start, and now 3-1 in the last 4 games.
"I have no idea if this is true, but yesterday afternoon on MLB Channel on Sirius Radio, they said Werth sent Davey a text message with 'play me or trade me'"
I call BS.
Manassas, yeah, Haren's post-game interviews are always great. Even after he stinks up the join, his demeanor has a way of inspiring confidence that he'll get it together.
To hear him reflect equally candidly after a win is even better.
the rotation should be Zimm, Haren, Det, SS, Gonzo!
Good one!
Bryce Begins. He doesn't Repeat.
Better one!
I'm seconding Eric's call. No way.
@Eric I like he's a standup guy (as many Nats are).
Realizes tribg to pitch like some else ( the others all hit mid 90s easily) didn't work.
Moving forward McCatty just has to casually remind when he starts to try and over throw.
Wish McCatty could do the same for Clip and Gio. Just stay within yourself and you're fine.
"I have no idea if this is true, but yesterday afternoon on MLB Channel on Sirius Radio, they said Werth sent Davey a text message with 'play me or trade me'"
But now I'm curious. Who is "they," exactly? As whack as that rumor sounds, it doesn't seem like the kind of thing anybody with an actual name would put out.
Bob and FP repeated the same anecdote about Werth, with the 'play me or trade me' text, on air. Davey may have been joking about that, but it doesn't appear to be something MLB network or anyone made up.
I will echo great stuff, NatsLady. Nothing like getting a little perspective about what other teams are doing/thinking/saying.
This all coincides with one of my most treasured beliefs in sports--slow start, fast finish. This is most true in the quirky NFL, with so few games that momentum at season's end increasingly translates into Super Bowls, but it also is happening in hockey and indeed in MLB. As arbitrary as the one-game play-in WIld Card game may be now in MLB, as an effort to reward Division winners for a sustained record of performance I applaud it.
It is rare for quick out-of-the gate teams to sustain it for a whole season. That made the Nats' run last year all the more remarkable. And as for those who disparage Davey's managerial abilities, methinks it's useful to compare him to all the other MLB managers out there. He gets my vote, he's imperfect as we all are, but he knows his guys and his teams and tends to get the most out of them. The vote of confidence he gave Haren, a veteran, in the 8th speaks volumes.
So, I'm watching highlights of other games this morning.
Trout doesn't slide into home, and doesn't make the great catch--knocks the ball over the wall instead. Is he mortal??
Rick Ankiel misplays a ball in the 8th inning to tie the game at 3-3. Then in the 11th he throws out a guy at home--what new? Oh, Rick. It takes Detroit 14 innngs to beat the Astros.
I was listen on my way home from working out between 6:45pm and 7:15pm on channel 209 on Sirius Radio; I really didn't take note on who was talking, but it made me smile at the time. Then Werth came out the game later and I remember the comment.
By the way, it irks me no end that the WaPo reporters act as if Haren's amazing performance last night came out of nowhere, after "a month" of bad performances. As folks here have noted, Haren has consistently improved over his last four outings, if not five. Any beat reporter, who supposedly covers the team day-to-day, should be able to observe and report that. Mark Z certainly has.
Just checking ERA rankings Nats are 4,9,24,47, and 51
Bob and FP repeated the same anecdote about Werth, with the 'play me or trade me' text, on air. Davey may have been joking about that, but it doesn't appear to be something MLB network or anyone made up.
Thanks Em. Now I'm thinking "Whoosh!"
Werth has got to know Harper is hurting, and Bernadina is slumping (and can't play both LF and RF at the same time, anyway). Who knows whether he sent that text or something close to it. I could believe it. He's a gamer.
I believe the Play me or trade me comment was tongue in cheek.
"Bob and FP repeated the same anecdote about Werth, with the 'play me or trade me' text, on air. Davey may have been joking about that, but it doesn't appear to be something MLB network or anyone made up."
Last night on the post-game interview, Davey said (to paraphrase), "[Werth] tricked me. I shouldn't have played him. But, he'll be OK after a few days' rest."
It's possible he or someone else made a comment about "play me or trade me," but I still think it was BS, either because it was a joke in the first place, or it's some evil, sinister plot against the Nats ;).
Play me or trade me -- I'm pretty sure that Bob and FP reported that during the game too. I totally believe that. It was Werth's joking way of saying to Davey that he was ready to go last night after sitting out the last two days.
Nats getting regular coverage on MLB Now (4 pm daily on MLB Network). We're a team in the news now, and maybe Kristina has something to do with it. She does a great job moderating the sparring between Brian Kenney and Harold Reynolds. It's a fun, fast moving show covering some interesting topics. Last week the had Hawk Harrelson on to try to debunk the used of sabermetrics. He said the most important stat was TWTW (the will to win). Now they make fun of that on the show all the time.
Ooops, I owe EmDash a drink!
"Play me or trade me" is Jayson telling Davey he was good to go last night. You know, the players and manager don't take this nearly as seriously as fans do. It's not a matter of life or death. Lighten up, everyone.
The new girl on MASN is no Kristina, now in any way...
Like I said, "Whoosh."
By the way, it irks me no end that the WaPo reporters act as if Haren's amazing performance last night came out of nowhere, after "a month" of bad performances.
Nattering, did you mean the gamer from last night? Prompted by your post, I went and read it, and I gotta say, I didn't get that from Wagner's story at all.
Manassas Nats' Fan said...
I thought most interesting thing on the post game last night was when Haren said in effect that he was trying to keep up with the younger faster guys and his fast ball is not there anymore so he has to do it his way.
That probably explains the 0-2 start, and now 3-1 in the last 4 games.
This is the same issue Detwiler would have and has now admitted that as he would start to lose Velo as his pitch count was up that he would over-throw. Most pitchers that over-throw get the zip without the zag and if you miss your spot it becomes hittable by most major leaguers.
You could see Haren trying to get to 91 or 92 and push everything and he was very hittable.
It's the same thing with all players in playing with in themselves. Once you get outside of your game you make mistakes. Have a plan and execute.
It seems like commonsense but there's too much emphasis on this whole Velo thing and getting labeled as a soft tosser. Who gives a rats patootie if you can throw 88 or 100 if the end results are better at 88. Haren's command was excellent and there's no shame in a great pitch like the one Uggla hit out, that happens.
Now if Haren can find this same consistency he will look like a bargain at $13,000,000!
Welcome back Dan!!!
There's also a big difference with Verlander and his reach back fast ball that Stras and now JZim are using. It's a challenge fastball usually thrown high in the zone that you try to throw by someone and it doesn't have a lot of movement on it. JZim threw a couple of those heaters at 96+ to perfection. If you miss your spot or the batter gets on top of it, it's usually a long HR.
sajfh.fgck.jasd.KLGV.Ksdg said...
"Play me or trade me" is Jayson telling Davey he was good to go last night. You know, the players and manager don't take this nearly as seriously as fans do. It's not a matter of life or death. Lighten up, everyone.
May 03, 2013 9:39 AM
I think we all get the joke unfortunately fans of other teams don't get it.
Now if Espinosa said it, well then you have an issue.
http://www.masnsports.com/byron_kerr/2013/05/nationals.html
When is one rehab start enough to declare you are ready after going 0-3 against some "A" ball pitching?
We know RZim was supposed to play 2 games and the weather was poor on Tuesday but why not play last night somewhere or even delay coming off of the DL a few more days to make sure you can hit the Minor Leaguers.
Zimmerman played third base for the Potomac Nationals in his lone rehab start to test the recovery of a sore hamstring, and despite an 0-for-3 performance, he felt his swing and timing are back.
"Everything feels good," Zimmerman said. "I think seeing some live pitching was good. I saw pretty much every pitch, fastball, slider, change up. It is always nice to get some of that before you get right back into it."
I am in wait and see mode also. Come on Ryan, let's see it!
"I think we all get the joke unfortunately fans of other teams don't get it."
I do wonder if the text was even sent, or if it was fabricated by Davey or someone else as commentary on how Davey may have been, in his words, "tricked" into playing Werth. Either way, it's good for a chuckle, and almost definitely BS of one color or another ;).
Lighten up indeed.
NatsLady, I think you are comparing apples and oranges on this BJ Upton slump as Freddi did sit him last week. When the Braves lost Heyward to the appendicitis it put them down a man and Freddi did sit BJ last week but has nobody better. They tried putting Reed Johnson in RF and they sacrificed defense and he isn't hitting well. Shafer isn't hitting well. Their outfield is only Justin Upton.
Freddi has to play 3 guys in the outfield so its Justin Upton and 2 others.
Zim's batting line in a rehab start doesn't matter. It doesn't matter that A ball pitchers were able to get him out. What matters in a rehab start is that he was able to perform in a game situation without any negative effects from the injury. A rehab start is basically a stress test. Zim passed the test. He's ready to come off the DL.
NatsJack in Florida said...
Ghost.....I watched Tommy Mihones game the other day when he gave up the 3 solo shots against the Angels and he threw exactly one pitch that hit 87. All his other fastballs were 84-86.
While he took the loss, it was a solid outing.
Give me command over velo every time.
May 03, 2013 10:04 AM
Preaching to the choir my friend!
More insight into Werth's benching.
"Werth tested out his ankle and hamstring before Thursday’s game and told Johnson he felt well enough to play. Werth, however, had to promise to Johnson that if he felt any discomfort he had to report it.
...
'He didn’t want to lose me so I told him I’d be totally honest with him,' Werth said."
Er, my post at 10:11 should read, "Werth starting," not "Werth's benching."
sajfh.fgck.jasd.KLGV.Ksdg said...
Zim's batting line in a rehab start doesn't matter. It doesn't matter that A ball pitchers were able to get him out. What matters in a rehab start is that he was able to perform in a game situation without any negative effects from the injury. A rehab start is basically a stress test. Zim passed the test. He's ready to come off the DL.
May 03, 2013 10:10 AM
Alphabet soup, thanks for that. It takes some batters several rehab starts to get their timing down. I know what Ryan said but I also know Ryan says a lot of things like the hamstring is fine. The shoulder is fine. The abs are fine.
I sincerely hope he goes 3 for 4 tonight!
My Rocking Fire Sofa,
Thanks for looking. Wagner's first para is what set me off, though my "ire" is cumulative. He takes as his baseline premise that for the first month, Haren was "noting short of underwhelming". And then comes up with this gem. Kilgore's and his reporting for Haren's previous three starts gave him virtually no credit for the improvements that could be seen, and were noted here, each time. Baseball being a game of great subtleties, the gradual improvement in Haren's starts should have been obvious to them. Yes, this was a quantum jump, and the article is complimentary. But his premise, based on a month of observations, was and is wrong. The storyline should have been that Haren's gradual improvements led to this breakthrough, breakout performance.
It's the binary reporting--things are either dismal or superlative--that gets my goat. Baseball is usually a game of in-betweens. Boswell does the best job, IMO, of capturing that in his columns, and folks here certainly do (leaving the hand-wringing aside). Is it too much to ask the beat reporters to reflect the subtleties as well? That's my point.
Boswell's amazing. It's like therapy (ha!). He does a great job of keeping my expectations level during the best and the worst of times. I seem to recall a column of his prior to the NLDS essentially predicting that, if the Nats advanced, it would be in spite of themselves operating in a pressure cooker.
Ghost, that may be true, but that's not what Fredi said.
Also, since when is playing Reed Johnson losing defense? Can't hit much anymore but he is an amazing fielder. Just checked the stats in case my mind was betraying me because of a couple of great plays, but no, with Heyward out, Reed Johnson is their best outfielder after BJ Upton.
LOL. Just goes to show you how players lie all the time. TIm Kirkjian is worried that Harper is going to play himself into a serious injury.
'He didn’t want to lose me so I told him I’d be totally honest with him,' Werth said."
"LOL. Just goes to show you how players lie all the time."
The way I read it, the "honesty" only seemed to apply to his staying in the game once the decision was made that he would start. I think Werth came out when he did because he didn't lie about how chasing that ball affected him...but, who knows.
NatsJack in Florida said...
Ghost.....I watched Tommy Mihones game the other day when he gave up the 3 solo shots against the Angels and he threw exactly one pitch that hit 87. All his other fastballs were 84-86.
While he took the loss, it was a solid outing.
Give me command over velo every time.
Two quick comments:
1. Milone struck out 10 in just 7 innings! (on Wed)
2. The old saying goes:
pitching is about velocity, accuracy, and movement -- and you just need two of them
velocity, accuracy, and movement
add deception. When you are looking fastball, a good changeup will get them every time.
Koufax: "Pitching is the art of deception"
"Hitting is timing. Pitching is disrupting timing."
Warren Spahn
"Pitching is about velocity, accuracy, and movement -- and you just need two of them."
To be fair, Bad Henry has two of them.
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