Saturday, July 20, 2013
New day, same result
They took four days off to catch their collective breath, take their minds off baseball and let their bodies heal. And when they took the field Friday on a sweltering night in the District, the Nationals wanted to believe things would be different, that they would start producing clutch hits and get big outs when they needed them and win tight ballgames.
Three sweaty hours later, they trudged off that field after a 3-2 loss to the Dodgers, feeling like they had just played a carbon-copy ballgame that resembled so many that came over the season's first 3 1/2 months.
"Everybody's here to watch us score runs and win baseball games, and there's no excuse to it," Chad Tracy said. "We just can't get the rhythm. We had opportunities tonight against quality pitching. We just didn't get it done."
Tracy could have uttered those lines after the vast majority of the Nationals' 48 losses this season. This game could have been played on April 13 or May 12 or June 14 or July 19. Ignore the calendar, and you couldn't differentiate this one from any other.
Stephen Strasburg pitched well and deserved the win but was saddled with no decision. The Nationals lineup squandered golden opportunities against a laboring opponent. And a tie ballgame late turned on one big swing against a member of the Nats bullpen.
Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
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66 comments:
Charlie, Dave and Phil as much as admitted that this probably is what this team is tonight after the game. Phil said that we keep waiting for the breakout game/series but what if it doesn't happen.
Interesting thing about Srasburg is that he is alittle off this year but is still effective because he is learning how to pitch. Too bad he has no support.
What pisses me off is that ticket prices for this years game continue to be so high. I remember even last year I could sit first row above the visitor bullpen for between 15 and 30 bucks. No way this year. I am hoping that if at least the Nats keep losing ticket prices will drop to normal levels.
Nolasco should have been knocked out in the 4th inning. Immediately after Werth puts on a clinic on how to work a pitcher and draw a walk, the next 3 guys come up and promptly swing at the first pitch, 2 of which were, at best, borderline and probably out of the zone (Desi and Ramos). The only guy who had a pitch to hit (Tracy) popped out meekly to shallow LF. All 3 of those guys hit like over-anxious little leaguers instead of pros playing to win.
Desi and Ramos both got themselves into 2 strike counts in short order, and both made easy outs on pitchers pitches because they went from being overly aggressive to having to protect the plate. Ramos swung at a pitch on a 2-2 count that was both outside and high. Sorry, but that was as pathetic a "hitting" performance in a key game situation as the Nats have had all year.
Not everyone can hit like Jayson Werth does in a key game situation, but they can at least hit like they know what they are doing on a big league roster. In what turned out to be the key situation in the game, all 3 of those guys turned themselves into easy outs.
I don't like Davey's "aggressive" approach. It does not work with everybody. All Nolasco did was throw junk up there, for the most part, and the Nats hitters got themselves out. Desi could have been in a 3-0 count with the bases loaded if he had just kept the bat on his shoulders, as Werth would have done.
Let the pitcher beat you, if he can. Don't beat yourself. Forget Davey. Watch Werth if you want to play to win.
Great job laddie blah.
Very much agree with you, Laddie, on the "aggressive" approach. You have to tailor it to the pitcher AND the situation. Against a Kershaw, young, lefty, devastating out-pitch, fine, swing at the first fastball you see and take your chances. That worked with Cliff Lee, because he was throwing strikes.
But against Nolasco? Drenched with sweat (as were several of the Dodgers), older, tiring? Barely getting the ball over the plate? Slow the game down, work him, foul pitches off, etc. Why give the guy a chance to get a breather, to re-group? Smart pitchers play off hitters' aggressiveness, they get them to expand the zone, because they know the hitter wants to be the hero. Tracy, especially, should know better, and Ramos should be taught better. Desi--I don't know how much you are going to change him at this point.
I was at the game and didn't read the game thread, skimmed the "instant analysis" thread. So maybe this was addressed.
What is the status with LaRoche? He lost a lot of weight before the AS Break, someone said 17 pounds. He said he always does that during the season (I observed that last year), and that he was going to use the time to put a few pounds back on. Then he gets the "flu-like symptoms." Are we sure he is OK? Because I am really tired of Mr. Chad Tracy.
Well, at least we have come to expect this result. We score a barrage of runs and lose the game. haha. I never expected the first run to hold up and, really, never expected the second. So, sit back and enjoy. See if they can get anyone in with the bases loaded and no outs. See how many times they put a couple of hits together. See how low their strikeouts can go. Papa Johns business must be getting killed!
Rabbit, Papa John's getting killed can only be good! Dreadful pizza. Just doughy mush.
Again, I did not coach a "team" sport so maybe they can catch fire but my experience is that when you are over 1/2 way through a season, you pretty much have your base established and its very very hard to make a huge change (mentally & physically). I think our 3 special pitchers will continue to throw well. I just have to hope that we somehow figure out how to hit, but this is one frustrating season. I am also pretty sure that Seamhead is not in the "relax, we got this" mode anymore. Hope other fans are less upset than I but I doubt that as well.
To add injury to my pain, I lost a bet with a nephew and will have to wear Oriole gear to this game. After last night, I was seriously thinking of telling the young man he could stick his Oriole gear in a certain place but he is just 21, graduated from college and a very very nice young man. Being a man of my word (plus, I would have made him wear Nats gear to an Orioles game if I had won), I will honor the bet.
Go Nats!!
Agree completely on the so called Pizza. I have never put that in my mouth and never will but I chuckle that they raised the ante this year to 7 runs in a season where runs are difficult to come by.
Sharing the frustration.
Will Eckstein ever question his own hitting philosophy? As we can see it is a major fail. I just hope he doesn't get into Rendon/Harper's head.
All these players have one common response, that they are going to turn things around tomorrow. Well, they are running out of tomorrows. Short of bringing in a new manager with some fire in his belly, it's over. The problem starts at the top.
Davey Johnson manages like its no big deal...Donnie baseball manages like its game 7....Davey sure is a weird wuss
Davey Johnson manages like its no big deal...Donnie baseball manages like its game 7....Davey sure is a weird wuss
Listen closely to Zuckerman's video above. You will note that Davey is so out if it that he refers to Hanley Ramirez as "Ramos".
Haha, yeah NatsLady. Papa Johns is awful. I can see why they are partnering with the Nats. Although the Nats can get better, Papa Johns can't.
Agree with you on many points. And some of our issues this year come down to Davey. Apparently the comparison he makes with himself and Espi are accurate- an absolute refusal to change an approach that is clearly not working. I just do not see how you can possibly load the bases with no outs and score zero. But we see swinging for the fences, dumb approaches, instead of a productive out, which, of course, Davey does not believe in. Desi is our only player that can swing early- and now it appears Eck had gotten to Rendon. Even the ball Puig got to was not his usual line drive. And that weird double switch? Like that game last week where they took Zim out in a game that could have gone many innings. What? This team should be playing better. But-- suppose what you say is true- this is what we have-- are you going to spend the rest of the season booing them and ranting? I just can't kick them when they are down. I don't see anyone booing Davey for his mistakes.
And my Papa John's is quite good- will I ever get cheap pizza again?
… when last season slammed to a halt, and the promise of this season began to mushroom, I allowed myself to wonder, perchance to dream.
… I dreamt of a season when every game gave me hope and in many cases, satisfaction. Today, I look simply look for, and long for, excitement, and to that end, all I can ask is, "where's Elijah Dukes when you need him?"
Go Nats, if you can still get it up.
I was listening on the radio after the game. Davey sounded incoherent. Phil Wood was wrong about using Clip for two innings--that way lies a tired Clip in late-August and September, and if we need him, in October. Resist temptation. Plus, you know Clip, he plans out exactly what he's going to do, to suddenly put him in for two innings is not a good recipe.
Now, if you (Davey and McCatty) decide IN ADVANCE that you are going to change your bullpen strategy and start using relievers for more innings based on pitch count or whatever, fine, but you can do it mid-stream.
Swami, I'm just playing with NatsLady. I get PJs all the time. But, yes, I do think the days of cheap pizza are over. Unless they lower the requirements to scoring 3 runs and NOT having to win!! Have a nice day. Enjoy the game!
"I just have to hope that we somehow figure out how to hit, but this is one frustrating season."
They are using the approach that Davey wants them to use. Davey played in a hitter's era. Today the game is about pitching and defense. He is lost in a time warp. Every GM out there is trying to build a team around pitching. Rizzo has done as good a job as anyone in accomplishing that goal.
The main reason they are still at .500 is their starting rotation. The main reason they are only at .500 is their antiquated approach to hitting.
Try and think back to Cargo's first 2 ABs against Strasburg, by comparison. Cargo must have done his homework on how he expected to be pitched. He dialed back his swing and timed it to square up the barrel of his bat, producing 2 straight line drives to CF. How badly could the Nats have used that approach in any one of the 3 guys they sent to the late in the 4th?
Way back in the day, I went to an Orioles game at Memorial Stadium. It was seat cushion night. When the Orioles dropped behind by something like 7-0 in the third, thousands of those seat cushions came raining down on the field.
Davey haters, tonight's the night. Davey Johnson bobbleheads will be handed out. 15,000 of them. Will you step up and show that you have better arms than Ramos and Suzuki?
Hahahaha. The bobble heads are a little heavy. Good point though.
"You have to tailor it to the pitcher AND the situation. Against a Kershaw, young, lefty, devastating out-pitch, fine, swing at the first fastball you see and take your chances. That worked with Cliff Lee, because he was throwing strikes."
Good points, NL, especially since the Nats are a great fastball hitting team. But the league has learned. Desi does not see nearly as many first pitch fast balls as he used to. Harper must see 2 slow breakers for every fast ball.
The Nats have more trouble with guys like Nolasco and even (gulp) John Lannan than they do with the fireballers.
Still, when any pitcher is trying to climb out of a hole, you don't throw him a rope. Take at least one strike with the bases jammed against a guy who is already 5 feet under and going lower. I believe Nolasco's pitch count in the 4th was already at, or over, 20 pitches when Desi came to the plate.
Anybody here play golf? You don't shoot 100 every weekend and then go out and shoot an 80 one day. The hitting will not just show up. There isn't any.
Laddie, I enjoyed reading your posts this morning.
"Everybody's here to watch us score runs and win baseball games, and there's no excuse to it," Chad Tracy said. "We just can't get the rhythm. We had opportunities tonight against quality pitching. We just didn't get it done."
Does anyone have a mirror for Tracy? "We" should be "I".
What a sad state of affairs. Davey and every other manager in the league uses his closer when the game is tied in the bottom of the ninth. No surprise there. And Ethier isn't that dangerous really. You want to use your best (second best in our case) reliever in a tie game. So I don't fault Davey for that decision. But the fact remains that Soriano has let us down twice in a row. That's not good.
The real issue, as many have pointed out, is our failure to push across more runs. This was the game we needed to win in this series. It's not going to get any easier against Greinke and Kershaw. Still, the season is not lost with one game or one series. As I noted yesterday, we can still go 7-4 on this homestand if we lose the series to the Dodgers, who are the hottest team in baseball. I'm just increasingly worried that this team, this year, just doesn't have what it takes.
The manager of this team should be Bill Murray. Ground Hog Day.
I'm sure Tracy knew he was a prime contributor to the lack of scoring and was essentially talking about himself. He's no dummy. How long will Rizzo stick with him though? Matt Stairs's last game with the Nats was our 99th game of the season on July 22. Tick tock.
Nats Lady, You said Davey sounded incoherent after the game. I have noticed that too on several occasions. He also has a vary vacant look, even in the dugout during games. These may be early signs of dementia.
It's not dementia. He's tired. He's frustrated. We can hammer him all day and he should be. But this is a bad team talent wise. The team was killed when they dumped Morse. There is little power in the line up. Nobody is scared to throw our hitters a meatball.
Section 222 said...
What a sad state of affairs. Davey and every other manager in the league uses his closer when the game is tied in the bottom of the ninth.
Sect222, I think you mean the "top" of the 9th and that was just bad luck on Ethier's HR. I've seen Ethier miss plenty of those. Soriano was supposed to bounce that pitch but it was still a good pitch that Ethier golfed out.
The Nats had chances. The Nats aren't going to win many games scoring 2 runs. We already know that. 1 hit the entire game with RISP. Plenty of chances with less than 2 outs.
Davey has still shown a reluctance to change. You bring in Hairston and the 7th inning presented the situation to use him to pinch-hit for Span once Mattingly brought in the lefty.
Mattingly was going after this game like it was a Game 6. Davey was managing in his usual style.
Ok- last year pretty much all Davey had to do was show up, be a character and bring those riverboat gambler instincts to the game. This year requires managing , strategy-- counting cards. He tells funny stories, believes in them but does not do much actual coaching. Watch the game-- most of the time he is now in the dugout sitting and staring while Knorr is doing the communicating and encouraging. He is the one getting in faces, patting on backs and shaking hands. Davey is making the decisions , but does seem lost. His style is not working with these players. Kind of like that old guy who managed in Miami for a while- their era is past. Does Matheny have a twin?
Right, top of the 9th. My point is the same. And yes, the pitch wasn't a meatball. Still, that's twice in a row he's been burned. You know I think Soriano is great, but giving up two homers to the first batter in key games is a problem.
I agree that Davey is asleep at the switch, has lost a step, or whatever other cliche' you want to use. Why have Hairston and leave him sitting on the bench when a perfect situation arises to use him? Same issue as not using Rendon at the end of that Friday night game with the Marlins. It's pretty discouraging.
By is Feel's brother Phil depressed this morning on MASN's NatsTalk show.
Section 222, that's what I have been saying. Maybe it works, maybe it doesn't but put your best efforts out there. Leaving Rendon on the bench and Hairston on the bench last night isn't smart baseball.
I was relieved to see that Stras pitched well...I already had written off this awful season so my concern is the future and the fact that Stras pitched well is a relief. In hindsight, I wonder if it was a good idea for Davey to announce this was his last season as I see two clear negatives as a result.
1) Davey became complacent this season, no drive or energy and as the team went into the toilet, in the end, he knows it is not his problem to fix and that is why Davey has remained stubborn about Eck as well as the way he manages.
2) Human nature shows that players, employees will underachieve if they know the boss is gone after the year, this also reflects on the character of the players who are dogging it and those guys need to get the hell out of here!
I would feel better about Rizzo if his contract had been extended last year. Here is the question for all insider fans, why did the Lerners not extend his contract...do they have doubts about him and does this season reinforce those doubts?
I actually think Rizzo should be given next year to fix this garbage...if he fails, well folks, welcome back to the losing days for many seasons to come. If he does fix it and I think he can, then the Nats will be good for many seasons. Right now, it is hard to imagine as young prospects like Tyler Moore are a total bust.
This season is so bad and frustrating and every fan should be pissed off!!
Fell asleep on the couch and went to bed before the game ended, but wasn't really surprised to see a sad game results email in my in-box this a.m., given what I did see before retiring. Won't see tonight's game in real time, as I'll be helping to celebrate the birthday of a friend. She beat cancer and is celebrating another milestone. Beating cancer = awesome. Not winning a baseball game, while frustrating, is not even close to that in import. Will be at the game tomorrow, rooting on my team.
I really believe this team needs an in your face manager. I do not buy the argument that it would not work. I can list talented teams in baseball and other sports that this not only worked it made that team champions. The down side is that once a championship is won, the act wears off quickly. In hockey, the Rangers finally won a their first Cup after 54 years when Mike Keenan was hired. The Rangers had the talent but were soft, Keenan got in their faces including Mark Messier and they won the Cup. Billy Martin with the Yankees did the same thing with Reggie Jackson and Yankees won it in 1977. Nats need a kick ass manager that will challenge these guys to want to be great!
I will preface this with the comment baseball is a team sport.
Having said that Tracy's response probably represented most players thoughts...
We..... Tracy should say I am not......
By saying We the players are taking a smaller piece the problem.
The only player who has stepped to the plate to take individual responsibility is Dan Haren. He says I.
All the others keep saying we didnt execute etc...
well said MNF and spot on
OK...maybe the Morse trade will make sense by getting Kroll and Cole.. on that note, now is the time to unload others with value such as ALR and Soriano. Nats could restock very quickly. So, this disaster could actually be a silver lining for the future (I'll keep telling myself that).
Pleased to see that the worst of the crazy got vented in last night's threads. The comments here are tough but mostly fair.
Davey did not make good in game choices, and there were multiple failures of execution, many but hardly all by Chad Tracy.
I know it's appealing to say "cut the bum" or "trade the bum" as a means of venting, but let's stay realistic.
Chad Tracy is easy to get rid of. ALR, not so much. Most teams looking for a DH/1B type can get it a lot cheaper. Anyway, ALR wasn't the problem last night--he could well have been the solution, if he hadn't had the flu. Here's hoping he's feeling better today.
I was AT the game and got home late after it, which fortuitously kept me out of those threads. I didn't realize there was a move to get rid of LaRoche. I mean, he MIGHT have gone 0-4, left 6 on base and 4 RISP, but since he had the flu--he didn't. Our resident .147 hitter did.
What seems the primary problem for the hitters is simple. Not enough taking tge bull by the horns and doing the job.
Ramos and Rendon didn't do any better than Tracy, though, and they are supposed to be better hitters. The crowd of 39K was ready and primed to cheer, but never got a chance, not a real chance...
I heard that there were a fair number of Dodger fans present, but they weren't loud, and certainly not obnoxious.
I listed RISP for last night. Will again
Span 0-0
Rendon 0-1
Zim 0-0
Harper 0-0
Werth 0-1
Desi 1-2
Tracy 0-3
Ramos 0-2
9 hole 0-0
MNF, I counted 4 RISP for Tracy, what did I miss?
2nd inning – Desi on 2nd, ground out.
4th inning – bases loaded, fly out.
6th inning – runners on 1st and 3rd, grounds into double play.
9th inning – bases empty, ground out.
Tracy was oh for 3 when he came up with RISP. He left 6 guys on base. What can we conclude from this? NatsLady can't count.
I count the way MLB counts. I got the stat of 6 LOB from the box score and then checked it. It checks.
As for RISP, he left Desi on 2nd. He left runners on 2nd and 3rd in the 4th.
He left a runner on 3rd in the 6th. That's 4 RISP.
You missed nothing he was up 3 times witg RISP. The 4g at bat was bases empty like you said. Yo dont count base runners you count at bats.
You are combining 2 stats. Mens left on base and average wuth RISP. WHEN i say RISP i talking about at bats wirh runners in scoring position.
When I talk about runners I talk about runners that he had the opportunity to score if he hits at least a single. In other words, runners on second or third who do not score by the time his at-bat is completed.
I was not calculating Tracy's batting average with RISP. I was calculating the actual number of runners he left on base; and the number of runners in scoring position. His (batting) average for the day was zero.
This is so off-topic, it's not even funny.
I've lived here 44 years and never have had a decent pizza. Toward that end (and knowing you, ahem, frugal folks will probably not be getting that awful half-price Papa John's red dough gravy pizza many times) here as a public service is my recipe for homemade pizza. It will come down to about 25 cents a personal pizza, better than even the half-price rate:
Pre-heat oven to 450. On baking sheet, put 2 or 3 flat pita bread pieces. Rub a little olive oil on them. Smear good style (I like Paul Newman's) spaghetti sauce. Add some Italian seasoning.
I like it with mushrooms, so I saute mushroom slices while I'm doing this. Thinly slice some fat cherry tomatoes. Add mushrooms and tomatoes to top of pita.
Get some housebrand grated mozzarella cheese and some good quality parmesan. Add on top of veggies.
Cook for about 5-8 minutes in pre-heated oven, or until cheese fully melts. Add some fresh basil when it comes out. Slice with one of those wheely things on a hard surface (Not the baking sheet).
This is about as hard as realizing Chad Tracy has outgrown his usefulness to this team. Enjoy.
Chef Sunshine.
Look at the Red Sox for comfort, last season they were awful with high expectations, this year they have 59 wins. why can't that be the Nats in 2014? Plus, the Red Sox's issue was pitching in 2012, wee already have pitching so a turn around should take less moves than what the Sox's did
Sunshine_Bobby_Carpenter_Is_Too_Pessimistic_For_Me
thanks for the pizza tip
gotta tell you, nothing like Ledo's Pizza, it is the greatest, I miss going to Ledo's on Adelphi, seeing Lefty in there late at night...good ole days!
We were doing 2 different calculations.
Hitting is contagious: this team is not hitting - nothing to catch. No life in dugout. Manager no longer a good fit for team -- GM dismantled core strength of team over winter - inept? You bet. Worse, Rizzo thinks he's a giant among GM's. Haha that's very funny. Davey believes that whatever he says aloud, becomes fact. Haha more laughter here! Bad combo: GM and manager not capable of meta-cognitive analysis -- of themselves! Yikes. This is a .500 ball club. Thanks, Rizzo and you too, Davey. Span? as weak as a kitten. This guy was supposed to take the place of Morse in the scheme of things? Ludicrous. Yet, most on this forum lauded the Span acquisition and the Morse dumping with enthusiasm! and now you know better, don't you?
Naysayers should cool a bit now, as your ardor for a pennant fades. This is a .500 ball club; don't fight it; just enjoy the games for the sake of watching some baseball.
Oh yeah: Rizzo and Davey would be gone if I were a Lerner.
MLB counts runners left on base. MLB counts BA with RISP. But MLB doesn't count runners in scoring position left on base. Or if they do, they never publish it anywhere.
Sunshine, whatever you're making with that pita bread may taste good, but it ain't pizza. And there is lots of good pizza in DC at places like 2 Amys, Pizzeria Orso, Pizzeria Paradisio, etc. It's just probably not what you're used to if you think pizza is what you get by the slice on the street in NYC.
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