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| Associated Press |
Just another afternoon at Nationals Park, where a sunburned crowd of 33,314 experienced the full range of emotions on Saturday, ultimately cheering along with the home team after Rafael Soriano closed out a nip-and-tick victory.
"We're starting to play better baseball," third baseman Ryan Zimmerman said. "We're coming together. We're getting a little lucky."
Perhaps there were a few fortunate bounces in this game, but the Nationals also made their own luck. They delivered several hits in the clutch. They got a dominant relief performance from Drew Storen. And then they flashed some serious leather in the ninth inning to clinch their third straight win — their eighth in 12 games — and raise their record to 45-42.
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101 comments:
Ryan Howard to the DL so the Nats won't see him on Monday - Thursday but they will get Darren Ruff and I hope this time around they will have done a scouting report on this guy.
Looks like Gio vs. Cliff Lee Wednesday night. Power against power. I'll take that matchup.
The bomb thrower special is Monday night at the Money Pit: Danny Boy Haren vs. LannEn. Over/under on home runs allowed: 5.5
First pitcher to hit 90 on the radar gun wins.
Ricky Nolasco went for 3 low level prospect to the Dodgers.
NatsJack, and not a good chance Cliff Lee will be traded before then but you never know.
I believe he will be traded to Boston or NYY. Let the bidding begin.
Re: Nolasco to the Dodgers.
It would be like StanK to totally misread his team's situation, and believe they are just one pitcher away from making the playoffs.
Dodgers will finish the year below .500.
I might take someone who doesn't stand the sun very well tomorrow. Does anyone have an opinion on a good option. Cheaper seems to be better in this situation.
Eric said...
"they are probably crying about the Os falling into 3rd place!"
Ha!
So was there some kind of meeting between Espi and Davey recently?
No, Davey was asked in the pre-game media session about Espi's struggles after going 0-8 in the doubleheader earlier in the week where his BA fell to .094 and Davey went off on the situation and basically said he doesn't want a .220 hitter even he's hitting 20 HRs.
The quotes can be found from an article Kilgore did but to see the pre-game you could get a sense for how frustrated Davey was.
Once again WODL, the 300 sections up by me are pretty much all in the shade, even by 1pm - They are also doing a misting/cooling station down in the Stars and Stripes for free. If you want to totally avoid the sun then Stars & Stripes is the way to go but its pricey. Stay away from all the bottom bowl tickets on the right field/first base side and absolutely stay away from everything from red porch over to the left field foul pole. Those are brutal.
Not that I am eager to trade prospects, even low level. Can someone give me a comparison of who we would have given up to get Nolasco. I realize it will be apples to oranges but I wonder who are "low level prospects" are and if we could have made that trade. I actually do think we are one starting pitcher away from greatness and we might get in without any moves.
go Nats!!
I also think the Dodgers will make a strong run but part of that is because the NL West is incredibly weak.
Sunshine, I disagree on the Dodgers but we will see as they play the games. I made a prediction here a week ago here that the Dodgers if they stay healthy will win the NL West.
Kershaw, Greinke, Ryu and now Nolasco and Fife. That's a very good rotation and then you have Puig, Kemp, Crawford in the OF and AGonz and Hanley in the infield.
sjm, agreed. The NL West is very weak which makes it possible that a 86 win team can win it.
@WOLD: I always have luck sitting in the shade in rows SS, TT, UU or VV in sections 133-135 down the right field line. It's always shady there the entire game, and usually seems about 10-15 degrees cooler than the seats in the sun.
sjm, Mooneyham would be the type of pitcher that would have been in the Nolasco trade.
@Ghost: We could both be right. The Dodgers could win the division and STILL be below .500. Remember the Padres of a few years ago...
So far all the talent that the Dodgers have collected over the past few years has left them with an excessive payroll and a desperate grasp for the brass ring of 1st place.
They now have more OF's than they can play regularly, and a starting rotation that has to draw straws to get a chance to pitch.
Thanks, SJM, so is that Outfield Gallery and Upper Outfield Gallery on the 3rd base side?
Sunshine, that's true, I had played around with numbers thinking 85 or 86 games will win the NL West. It would be funny if the NL West champ won it at 80-82
Puig with a Golden Sombrero tonight. 0-4 4 K's
San Diego in 2005 finished 82-80. I seem to recall playing them at the end when they were struggling to win the division.
Two things that I'd like to see happen.
1) The Dodgers keep on spending money; and,
2) some other team beats them out for 1st in the NL Jest, er... I mean West.
Doc, NL Jest, funny.
Bull Durham on MLB Network tonight....
WODL
I suggest anything along the third base line or anything is the club section (206-221). Club are expensive. Look for tickets on seatgeek (dot) com.
Thanks for the encouragement, Ghost!
We Canadian-Americans like to keep our American bros. laughing--just ask Jim Carrey, Martin Short, Rick Moranis, Dan Ackroyd, Mike Meyers, the late John Candy, etc.
Doc, Martin Short is one of my favorites. I can't remember the character on Saturday Night Live but it was when he had his hair in a single spike. I had my Beta Max taping all of those!
And don't forget those Canadian guys who used to like to drink beers....
If you think that NL Jest is funny, well, I often call the NL East, the NL Least. That is even funnier....
I'm on a break. I got 70 votes in for Ian so far.
Honestly - I was kinda hoping we would sign Nolasco....
Ghost I remember the role that Short played too, but not the name.
My favorite has been Mike Meyers, but I liked Phil Hartman a lot too.
Maybe laughing and making fun has helped to keep us Canucks warm!
Ed Grimley.
Ed Grimley. He was prone to go all mental, I must say.
I miss that character too.
rogieshan, I could totally buy you a Coke, I must say. I mean that would be totally decent of me.
Thanks to the excellent advice of Nats Insider Nation, I sat in 304 today and we were in the shade the whole time. My 2 year old nephew even lasted 8 plus innings and decided that Harper is his favorite player.
Fantastic, TexNat. Kudos to the youngster.
WODL said: "And don't forget those Canadian guys who used to like to drink beers...."
William O. that would be the McKenzie Brothers (Bob and Doug) from the Great White North. Bob is played by Rick Moranis and Doug is played by Dave Thomas. Did you ever see the movie "Strange Brew"? I used to own a video store a long time ago in Gaithersburg MD and every time we put that on the store TV, it wouldn't make it past the opening credits before someone said I want that. What a great cult classic.
BTW....I don't know about Netflix, but "Strange Brew" is available for streaming on VuDu.com
Re: Harper "watching from left field." He was definitely doing more than watching: check out his diving catch in the sixth inning (video on mlb.com "Harper's great diving catch").
ArVAFan
Raise your hand if you think Davey ever intended to sit Bryce yesterday.
Sunday mornings are so boring. 1 o'clock seems so far away.
If memory serves, cheap seats were also a concern. In that case, I'd recommend the 400 section, above the third base line, at least a few rows back. I like 409, myself.
wodl, sjm would be Infield Gallery. The ones I'm talking about would be Upper Infield Gallery.
William O. Douglas Loeffler said...
Thanks, SJM, so is that Outfield Gallery and Upper Outfield Gallery on the 3rd base side?
July 06, 2013 10:29 PM
Re. "NL Jest," back in the day, "NL Worst" was also bandied about, if memory serves.
@NationalsFanatic... Tell me the name of the store wasn't Potomac Video?!?
what can be a fair trade to acquire jesse crain? if stammen is actually done this season, we might need a good replacement. crain is about to become a free agent after this season. I think we are set in LH relievers with Abad and Krol.
Ed Grimley, thanks for that walk down memory lane.
Ghost, thanks for the follow up @10:15 last night re: Davey on Espi. I really want Espi to get it together, although at this point it would be very interesting to see what the Nats would do in that situation...
At any rate, it sounds like he's stepped it up since then...so that's good. It can only help the Nats--one way or another--if he approaches his potential.
Eric, it's a good sign for Espi that he has picked it up. I'm also in agreement with Davey on the simplicity of "see it, hit it" and the problem is not the wrist or shoulder and is mental.
Faraz, the Nats have Mattheus and Garcia. They better figure out what is wrong with Stammen who is throwing BP lately.
Davey has to define who his righty "stopper" is. This team just can't continue to take on inherited runners and open up the flood gates like they have. Asking a starter to be a reliever is one thing but why are you putting him in a stopper role like they did with Ohlendorf yesterday.
WAPO this morning has Nats talking to Cubs about Garza, which would mean they are interested in acquiring another SP.
What do you personnel experts think about Garza, and if not him, who else might they be going after?
I think it's time for the Nats to really start steam rollin hosers...
Good Morning All!
I am raising my hand in that I never thought Bryce would be sitting for both days. I actually think he will play today as well.
While the HR yesterday was deflating in our area, just a few people left before we made our comeback.
Not having good luck getting people to join in the N-A-T-S cheer.
I did not see the final attendance but the crowd did not look as large as some of the others lately. I really liked when they had the "guess the attendance" game up on the screen at Camden. Not sure why they don't do that here.
Suzuki hit the ball hard each time up and I think the rest will do him good the remainder of the season. Of course, if Ramos continues on a tear I can see Kurt playing only twice a week as Ramos gets stronger. Not a bad situation having two quality catchers.
Will we see Espinosa before the Sept. callup? I think only if there is an injury to an infielder so I am hoping not.
Go Nats!!
Agreed re: the source of Espi's woes, Ghost...
Now for my morning rant on this ridiculous thing they call All Star votes. How in the world can JJ Hardy be voted the AL starting SS with that .290 OBP for a player who plays in a bandbox and Hardy is 9th in OPS and the 3rd best SS (Desmond) in the entire Majors can't be in the All Star game?
Desi is #3 in the entire Major Leagues in shortstop OPS and guess what, Desi is tied for 3rd in the Majors in WAR if you truly believe in that stat.
http://espn.go.com/mlb/stats/batting/_/position/ss/sort/OPS/order/true/minpa/175
I, too, was always dubious about the statement that Harper was done for the weekend.
Agreed that Espi is unlikely to come back up before September, sjm.
NCNatsie, I want Cliff Lee if the Nats could pry him away (will never happen) but I still don't see the reason to panic and go after Matt Garza who is just another high potential starter who has a mid-3's ERA and will cost a lot more than Feldman did and had similar stats and for that matter so did Nolasco.
The only reason I would panic is if Detwiler is done for the season. Still concerned its his hip and not his back.
My target would be Bud Norris.
sometimes I feel like that we rely too heavily on in-house options.
I like Garza better. Lee will cost too much and I doubt Phillies would trade him. Norris also is under control for few years and I am not sure how good he is.
Faraz, it was over-valuing the incumbents last off-season in my opinion with very little MLB ready depth in the Minors.
Very fortunate on Rendon but there is no bench depth, little pitching depth, and no outfield depth.
what about Peavy? he is on DL now but supposed to come off of it after ASG. he will likely become a FA after this season since he needs about 115 innings for his player option to kick in.
Good Morning.... Don't fall out of your chairs reading this.... But....
Dan Haren actually had a good 2nd half after injury last year...I'm hoping we get a repeat of that Dan Haren....
Did you see Peavy's last 2 starts before he went on the DL? 6 earned in both and didn't make out of the 3rd inning last time out.
GoSM, it is not too late.
MrsB, that would be nice.
I believe that Cliff Lee has control as to if and where he gets traded. I seriously think that there is no chance that the Nats would end up with him. I wouldn't be shocked if the Phillies are very active before the deadline, but it still remains to be seen if they are going to be buyers or sellers. I don't think that they have written this season off quite yet. I've heard rumors that the Evil empire is making noise about trying to pry Chooch Ruiz from them.
On Bryce playing yesterday after Davey said he was going to sit him, I at first thought, "Oh, okay," but then thought about so many of his family members being in town. They came to see him, but also came to watch him play. It would have been a bummer for all of them if he sat out 2 games.
If Haren doesn't do well, and doesn't look like he is what Mike Rizzo thought he was getting I don't think going after Garza is beyond the realm of possibility. Not saying I'd like it, but if Dan Haren can't do it then we probably need to go outside our sandbox to find someone.
N-A-T-S NATS! NATS! NATS! WHOO!!!
The Nats can't afford to trade off key pieces of the future. The Cubs are holding out for more on Garza then they did Feldman.
Bud Norris at least has team control where you get more years and could give more in return. Maybe Bo will help out Rizzo and talk Luhnow into moving Bud Norris.
But Bud Selig trys to pretend it matters by having winner get homefield. its a joke.
Picking this up from the last thread: Actually, it does matter, unless you think homefield advantage in the WS doesn't matter. You're right that Bryce doesn't belong, but it's not like he's going to ruin the game by being there. He might even do something spectactular. Same with Puig, who doesn't belong either.
I think I read that In the end something like 1/4 of MLB position players will either be picked or be there. That's a lot of All Stars.
Ghost, the WAPO piece hinted that the reason the Nats are looking for an SP is precisely because they are concerned about Det's back.
Not saying I always believe the Post, but that is the given behind my question.
As regards when we will see Espi in a Nats uniform again, how about never? If they really do want to acquire a new SP, and if Espi keeps his new hitting streak going for a few more days, I wuld think he would be valuable trade bait.
Except for the heat, it was a fantastic game to be at yesterday. Some clutch hitting, especially by Zim and Harper. Especially loved how Harp hung in there against the LH reliever and got the sac fly. And great relief pitching by Storen and Soriano. I wanted to watch a few things on the DVR before commenting.
I've been hard on Storen, but yesterday showed what can happen if you really go after the hitters. He was throwing 95, 96, with serious movement and keeping the ball down. So much better than when he nibbles with his slider. A 5 pitch inning was just what the doctor ordered for him and for the game at that point.
I want to give a special shoutout to Rendon. He had some really slick plays in the field, especially that key play in the 9th. ALR may give him grief about throwing too hard, but his arm is a weapon. Both on plays in like that and for turning the double play. And he made that long running catch of the pop up in foul territory in the 6th, similar to the one he dropped in a previous game. He's learning every day and is going to be a very good fielder. I don't much care what Espi is doing in the minors (and I'm skeptical that two or three games means he's turned the corner). Rendon is not giving up that position for the rest of this season.
Soriano may not have been at his sharpest (he was pitching for the third day in a row after all), but he did what it takes to get the save, including busting it over to 1st to get the last out against the speed All Star (boo) Cabrera. I assume Clip will pitch the 9th tonight, if necessary.
Finally, a funny story. The guy next to me was wearing a Jason Marquis Nats jersey. Turns out his last name is Marquis and he looks a lot like Jason. His wife thinks he must be related. We were joking that it was nice Marquis had a decent game, but the Nats pulled it out.
The concert was pretty good too.
The NATS NATS NATS cheer has definitely spread to 314 and 312. Only a matter of time.
That is a funny Marquis story, Deuces.
I agree that Anthony Rendon is improving every day in the field, and there's no question that he is going to be an all around special player. His approach at the plate is very impressive and I believe as the league adjusts to him he will quickly make his own adjustments.
As to Espinosa, I haven't totally written him off yet, but he dug himself into a very deep hole, and a small handful of decent AAA games doesn't mean squat.
My prediction: we will need Danny, if not for Rendon or Desi going on a DL stint, then in September to give them a break, especially if we haven't locked it up by August 31. Would rather have Danny in for late-inning defense than Zach Walters.
Joe Seamhead said...
Interesting looking back over each players last 10 games played. I didn't include Harper and Ramos or Suzuki, just the players that have played all 10 games Not getting into advanced stats, just basic stuff:
Span .310 7 RS 4 BB 3 RBI's 5 K's
Desi .368 9RS 4 BB 8 RBI's 8K's
Zim .324 3 RS 5 BB 8 RBI's 5 K's
ALR .278 6 RS 7 BB 5 RBI's 7 K's
Werth .368 9 RS 5 BB's 8 RBI's 13 K's
Rendon .158 5 RS 3 BB 3 RBI's 10 K's
I was surprised at how much Rendon has cooled off at the plate.
I amended my original of this post because I had a typo with Werth's strike out total. 13, not 3.
July 07, 2013 10:11 AM
A couple of people have commented here that there's some connection between Davey's pre-game comments the other day and Danny's turnaround in AAA. That it looks like "Danny got the message." With all due respect -- that's just hogwash. First, as JoeS says, "a small handful of decent AAA doesn't mean squat." More importantly, Espi played under Davey for nearly two years. They've had countless private discussions about hitting. Davey has coached and coached and coached him. He tried everything to try to get him to change his approach. Finally, he and Rizzo gave up and sent him down. And now some comments to the press when he's hundreds of miles away finally got through to him? That's just silly.
I really, really hope that Danny gets his act together. I really do. Because if he does, he can be a decent utility player, and maybe we can get more than a bag of balls for him in a trade. But I have no desire to see him at Nats Park again in a starting role. I know a lot of folks here are attached to him. But that ship has sailed.
Is haren really gonna get the ball again ? Come on man. He is done......face it riz. It was a decent gamble, but it blew up in our face. Lets move on
I would guess Danny having three good games is not related to Davey's comments, also. Maybe he is feeling better. Maybe he got contact lenses. Maybe he ran into some hittable pitchers. Very small sample size.
BigCat, the only problem is now moving on is even more problematic with Det going back on the DL.I think that you have to risk using Haren at least one more start, and if it's obvious that he is still toast Rizzo may need to get someone else from outside the organization, which will be painful. Maybe you can ride Taylor Jordan for a few starts, but there's not much else in the well to draw from.
This team is starting to come together. We can't afford another 2 inning disaster from haren. Doesn't he have an infected hangnail or something that could put him back on the DL
The breeze behind section 313 was amazing.
:With a south wind, the air hits the wall above, then funnels down near the opening behind 313 creating an amazing wind tunnel effect. remarkable
Thanks to the contest awhile back I sat in 116, Row M, so pretty far down. It was fun, but I wouldn't want to sit there often. (1) Lots of steps, and I took them very slowly, people behind me were getting impatient. The three other seats (the ones I returned at their request) were empty, so I guess no one won whatever drawing they used them for... too bad, I would have given them to friends or Insiders.
(2) Once I was in my seat I was frozen there--and I'm the restless type, I like to pace the concourse, use the facilities before the game ends, and so forth. Also, people don't observe the rules about seating themselves during an at-bat or an inning, probably because it's a long walk down and you'd have to stand in the aisle and block traffic.
Who can be your four and five, BigCat? Karns, Rosenbaum ? I don't think so.
NL, did they really leave you with just one ticket? That's cold. But you still have suite tix for a night right?
I hear you about the traffic in the lower level. The rows and corridors are so long that even though the ushers try to prevent people from going down between plays, even if people start walking down after a play, by the time they get down to their row, the game will have restarted. Plus, no way they can stop people from coming up the corridors during play. Whenever I have a choice of seats down there, I try to be in seats far away from the corridor closer to home plate (higher numbered seats on the 3B side, lower numbered on the 1B side) so that the traffic in the aisle doesn't block my view.
Karns and Rosenbaum are not ready, IMO, and Rosenbaum may never be, or at best will be another Lannan (which isn't the worst thing ever). Jordan can give us, what 2-3 more starts? For this year, Rizzo will have to go outside, and I hope the price is only $$ and not good prospects.
Next year, we will see. Got some good ones in the pipeline (though Cole Kimball crashed yesterday), and a good development system for pitchers.
The problem with Haren returning to the DL, as JoeS notes, is that we have no one to replace him. Well, we have RossO, but Davey and Rizzo have apparently decided he's not a long term option. I really don't want to see Karns back up here. And TaylorJ has an innings limit. Rizzo needs to make a move, and it could cost him. It seems like the Nats are getting payback from the baseball gods for the great luck they had with the rotation last year. At least our big 3 are healthy -- for now.
222, they wanted me to return all four tickets, plus the four to another game but I held back the one because I wanted all along to go to the July 5 game (and it was their mistake that let me win three times on the same day).
Yes, I still have the suite seats for the 27th, and my sis is coming in from Fargo. Trying to decide what to do with the other two--my boss wants me to give them to a co-worker who has done me a favor but that's a $500 gift... On the other hand, if I sell them, you never know who you might be sharing the suite with, might be someone obnoxious.
Rosenbaum is a future bullpen guy at best.
Gorzelanny is starting for the Brewers. Maybe we can get him back? Sort of kidding...
Don't want Gorzo back,NatsLady. Ghost, I think the train has left the station for Rosenbaum ever being a MLer. Bring him, or Karns, up just reeks of desperation.Rizzo has to make a decision as to whether this team has a realistic shot this year. If he believes they do then he has to go outside, unless Haren can surprise us, which is not totally impossible, but improbable. We all hope he proves us wrong.
NL, they are "Club 3" seats, right? So you're already sharing the suite, possibly with some obnoxious people, so what's a few more? But here are a few ideas:
1. Donate to Most Valuable Kids and take a hefty tax deduction (if you itemize).
2. See if there are Insiders who will take you to some other games you want to go to in exchange.
Of course, you could always invite two other friends and make their days, but you've thought of that I'm sure.
I would absolutely give Karns another shot. He has been lights out again his last 2 starts in AA. 1 run in 12 innings with 12 k's. I would then go to Ohlendorf as my 5th starter.
Haren has been pounded horribly all year. Going to him again is like a dog going back to its own vomit
Sunday in July, Stras pitching -- found tix in section 309 for $9 (!!) at StubHub. We're going.
Just went to NIDO spreadsheet and . . . nobody else is listed for today's game!
Hmmmm....I see Robbie Ray won his first game in Harrisburg. Lets see what he's got. Bring him up
We'll see, BigCat. I really think Karns is a future ML pitcher, but I think he really needs to develop another reliable pitch to be effective up in the bigs. Hey, I have no great feelings about Haren coming back and being effective, but with what they have invested in him, and with as good as he did look in a couple of starts, I think they have little choice but to give it another shot, but with a very short leash. Maybe his starts become committee performances.
Joe, good points and I agree and that's what Haren has to do is prove all the naysayers wrong.
Here's what I've seen with Haren. He throws that cutter as his main pitch and a cutter that doesn't cut is like a BP fastball and even Mariano can tell you that.
Haren's cutter's horizontal movement has slowly decreased in movement from 3 inches to 1 inch on average. Mariano in comparison is getting 4 inches of movement on his cutter at 92mph.
What is a short leash? One dinger? A couple walks? It seems like with Haren the balls fly out so fast its 5-0 before you can get someone warmed up.
Wonk, I'll be there. Section 314. If we get there in time, see you at the picnic tables.
Mr. Doggett........It was Nickelodeon Video
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