Sunday, August 25, 2013

Game 130: Nats at Royals

Photo by USA Today
After a 7-2 victory over the Royals last night, the Nationals have now won five straight games, all on the road, and 11 of their last 15 overall. They stand above .500 for the first time since July 14 and are 12 games back in the division after the Braves' third straight loss on Saturday. That's the closest they've been in three weeks. Just when they were written off, Washington has pulled off its best stretch of the 2013 season.

Even if the Nats keep it up the division is still a major longshot, but fortunately for them, the Reds haven't been playing their best baseball either. The Nats now sit 8.5 games back from the Reds for the final NL Wild Card spot, and Washington has the advantage with their schedule. After they play the Royals today, the Nats face teams with losing records in each of their next 19 games. Conversely, the Reds play expected playoff teams in ten of their next 13, including seven games against the Cardinals.

Today the Nats look for their sixth consecutive win which would be their longest winning streak of the season. Dan Haren (8-11, 4.64) takes the mound against a club he's been very successful against in the past. Through ten career starts vs. the Royals he is 5-2 with a 2.53 ERA.

Pitching for Kansas City will be right-hander Ervin Santana who has been one of their more reliable starters this year. He holds a 3.13 ERA through 167 innings in what has been the best season of his nine-year MLB career.

Enjoy the game...

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at KANSAS CITY ROYALS
Where: Kauffman Stadium
Gametime: 2:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN 2, MLB.tv
Radio: WJFK (106.7 FM), WFED (1500), XM 869
Weather: Mostly sunny, 92 degrees, Wind 10 mph in from LF
NATIONALS (65-64)
CF Denard Span
3B Ryan Zimmerman
RF Bryce Harper
DH Jayson Werth
SS Ian Desmond
1B Adam LaRoche
C Wilson Ramos
LF Tyler Moore
2B Anthony Rendon
RHP Dan Haren

ROYALS (64-64)
LF Alex Gordon
2B Emilio Bonifacio
1B Eric Hosmer
DH Billy Butler
3B Mike Moustakas
C Salvador Perez
RF David Lough
SS Alcides Escobar
CF Jarrod Dyson
RHP Ervin Santana

UMPIRES
TBA


229 comments:

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«Oldest ‹Older 1 – 200 of 229 Newer› Newest»
SonnyG10 said...

Man that was fast response.

NatsLady said...

Bitter August baseball story (not the Nats, but you will recognize one of the characters).

Blue Jays

http://www.thestar.com/sports/bluejays/2013/08/24/blue_jays_lose_to_astros_7th_straight_defeat_kelly.html

natsfan1a said...

Let's go, NATS!!

A DC Wonk said...

Longest current winning streak in NL: Nats.

NatsLady said...

You wonder how much scouting a team like the Royals does on the Nats. I read in the game story that they were upset that two Mendoza hittters (Tracy and Moore) beat them. OK, on Tracy, who is a .183 hitter and the best you can say is that when he gets hits there are in high leverage situations. On the other hand, Moore is a guy who could develop into a big slugger, and whose batting average stems from his poor spring.

You always need to look at recent history. Guys fix things, guys slump because they have minor injuries, etc. Especially this late in the year, full season stats can be very unreliable.

Doc said...

Thanks for the update, NL--Tranna is my hometown!

Had hoped that the Jays would be competitve like I had hoped that my Nats would seal the deal in our division.

At least the Nats still have some hope, which is more than you can say for the Blue Jays.

What's on paper is not always what's on the field!

Goooooooooooooo Nats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BigCat said...

Ha, thats funny. The Royals are upset. They stink. They shouldn't run their mouths about anyone. We should just pound them again and come on home. Let sleeping dogs lay....as they say

Eugene in Oregon said...

NatsLady,

Thanks for the link on the Blue Jays. I had a chat with an Angels fan the other day and we were trying to figure which team has been the biggest disappointment this year -- Angels, Jays, Giants, or Nats (Dodgers were potentially on that list until about six or eight weeks ago). We settled on Angels or Jays given that their various investments/trades, whereas the Giants and Nats essentially stood pat (yes, I know both made some moves, but cores were essentially left in tact). Expectations can be cruel.

3on2out said...

Longest current winning streak in MLB

Unknown said...

eugene, i might actually say that the royals would be in the running as well, considering they traded a top 5 prospect, and a dam good outfielder for a good and medicore pitcher. Does not help them down the road, and the royals fans could be looking at another 10 years of dissapointment with this being year 1.

Section 222 said...

Eugene, the Angels and Jays spent a ton of money and are a disappointment for sure. But there's only one team that was the preseason consensus favorite to go all the way, and had to go on a five game winning in late August to get above .500. That team is the biggest disappointment in baseball, no doubt about it. Not even close. Did anyone really think Josh Hamilton was going to be good this year?

mick, from the last thread, I picked 90 wins because that's how many the Reds will have if they go .500 the rest of the way. But pick any number you like -- how about 86? I'd love to see the Nats go 21-12 to get there. Doubt they'll do it, but it would be great. But the Reds only to go 12-20 to finish with 86 wins. Think that might happen? I don't.

Sorry, but our WC hopes are gone, and they were gone by August 1 when NJ said we could look at the standings. That's the most disappointing team in baseball.

NatsLady said...

Teddy, agreed. Apparently they had a 5-6 year development plan and ownership got impatient--hence the trade. They still have a good, young core, and one more year of James Shields. So let's give them 2014 for another possible run. If they don't make it then, the trade will haunt them for a long, long time.

Doc said...

Guess that the Royals players don't understand baseball---no wonder that they are also-rans!

Anybody know the name of the clown on the MLB Network who dissed our Desi for not playing regularly?

Eugene in Oregon said...

222,

Fair enough. I guess I don't take any prediction beyond a division championship that seriously. And I recall lots of prognosticators having the Jays and the Angels winning their respective divisions. But on a personal level -- the performance of the team I support -- the Nats are, of course, the biggest disappointment.

baseballswami said...

I nominate the Giants for worst disappointment-- they won the World Series last season. And as for this road trip-- not as bad as some. Philly and the DBacks played more than seven hours last night. Bernadina contributed pretty well. Weird.

baseballswami said...

Yikes-- no bueno. First inning adventures again.

Ghost Of Steve M. said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
MrsB loves the Nats said...

That just wasn't good at all...

baseballswami said...

Usually the walk and the error come BEFORE the home run, so there is that.

MrsB loves the Nats said...

Dan, leaving everything over the plate...

baseballswami said...

I take that back.

baseballswami said...

Wait-- is that Gio in disguise?

NatsLady said...

All right. Work to do.

When we got to Chi I posted: get 3/4 from the Cubs and 2/3 from the Royals, and come home at .500. Well, that's guaranteed.

Would like the bonus, now, please.

MrsB loves the Nats said...

Come on Nats O.. Y'all been hot and on fire... Lets start chipping away... Hopefully Dan can stop leaving stuff over the plate and settle down and tighten up...

rogieshan said...

Well, that was murder. Inspector Sydney Wang: "Yes; killed good weekend!"

NatsLady said...

LaRoche has 1,000 fans at this game.

baseballswami said...

I want to see some of those epic at bats.

NatsLady said...

Well, that wasn't a pretty at-bat for Ramos. Hopefully, he'll figure it out.

MrsB loves the Nats said...

Pathetic at bat Wilson...

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

Shark robs a HR in CF. Wow

MrsB loves the Nats said...

Just a great play, Ghost...

Still trying to understand why he is off the team but Tracy is still here...

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

Haren is throwing BP I guess. Even their scrubs are hitting him hard.

MrsB loves the Nats said...

Wonder how many DJ lets Haren go... He doesn't have it at all today...

MrsB loves the Nats said...

This guy is throwing everything up....

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

MrsB, agreed, 3 tools vs no tools but remember, Tracy is Captain Gooner so that must count for something ;)

MrsB loves the Nats said...

Heady play by Adam... It's decisions like that, that I think make him so valuable... Not sure T Moore does that...

Ghost - I mean I expected Roger and Tracy to be gone at year's end... But, still...

mick said...

I was OK at 2-0...I respect Haren

but G-DAMN IT Dan!!!!

mick said...

hey.. at least nats won series

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

MrsB, I suggested early on in the season to DL Bernadina for 15 days. Get him to rest the wrist and then send him out on a rehab start. He's better than this.

The bench cost this team dearly.

MrsB loves the Nats said...

Why do their balls go out... But ours stay in???

mick said...

oh, those balls...

lol

MrsB loves the Nats said...

Yeah Ghost - I remember we discussed the bench earlier this year... They definitely didnt help... Injuries forced them to play and none of them got on when they had the chance...

When dJ kept trotting the line up of 2/3 automatic outs, and the rest of the line up were under performing... And we missed Ryan, Bryce and Werth and Adam's usual funk...

Yeah, that was a big reason...

MrsB loves the Nats said...

Also, the BP screwed us over... 1 LHP, Matheus with the dumbness, the question mark of HRod...

Just not a lot of good personnel decisions made in the beginning...

mick said...

clearly, this is KC's ace

MrsB loves the Nats said...

Does Rendon steal knowing that Santana keeps going to first...

Didnt Byce do that, last year?

mick said...

but, even after all of the Rizzo and Davey screw ups...team is 1 over 500 and in it

MrsB loves the Nats said...

Ryan has to make contact... Unh...

3-1 is a dangerous count..l

mick said...

damn it haren!!!
why the 2nd HR pitch!!!

Faraz Shaikh said...

do you all prefer .300 OBP, super speedy leadoff guy or .350 OBP, good speed leadoff guy over 600 PAs?

Faraz Shaikh said...

btw I hope we can come back no matter the deficit.

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

Santana wanted to give the Nats that inning.

MrsB loves the Nats said...

Good inning Haren... Come on guys... He put up a zero for ya... Give him a squiggly #...

MrsB loves the Nats said...

I think Santana last 1 more inning... He was grabbing that hip last inning,,,

Seems we can do some work against the KC BP...

MrsB loves the Nats said...

Yes... Go Desi... What a hit... Damn, that ball was crushed...

baseballswami said...

When Desi gets a hold of one, it goes a long way.

NatsLady said...

Doc through 6 on 96 pitches (2 runs). He's got to be tired, but with the 18 inning game yesterday, don't know if they will take him out.

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

Marco Estrada doing the Nats a solid today.

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

Nice 3-0 swing RZim. You got suckered into that.

MrsB loves the Nats said...

Come on Nats,... Reds and DBacks are losing... Lets gain more ground...

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

Bernadina with a 2 RBI double.

JaneB said...

GO NATS! Take over those Reds and DBacks!

MrsB loves the Nats said...

Great at bat Bryce...

MrsB loves the Nats said...

Ya know Ghost... You're not helping.... Grrrr...lol

MrsB loves the Nats said...

Ramos is a rally killer this game...

MrsB loves the Nats said...

8 hits and only 1 run.... Come on guys...

MrsB loves the Nats said...

Yessssss.... Way to go Span....

NatsLady said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
NatsLady said...

TIE GAME!!!!!!! SIt down, ABAD, sit down.

baseballswami said...

Bryce is one tough kid.

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

OMG!!!!

Unknown said...

way to come back

Drew said...

Wow!

40 in the books at 20 years old.

1 from Rick Schu.

715 from Henry Aaron.

Steady Eddie said...

Ray did say before the game that Santana leads the majors in homers given up since something like 2006.

Jane Elizabeth said...

Denard makes it 4-2!

NatsLady said...

Joey Votto with a solo HR. Still 3-1 MIL, with their closer in.

Jane Elizabeth said...

Harper!

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

All runs with 2 outs. Nice job Nats!

NatsLady said...

Reds lost. Milwaukee didn't blow it in the 8th or 9th (not for lack of trying, though).

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

Cincy has lost. Thank you Marco Estrada!

NatsLady said...

Span is so smooth...

NatsLady said...

It was me--I played Marco Estrado in fantasy today. ;)

MrsB loves the Nats said...

I got so excited about the tie game, I closed the tab.... Whoot-wooo! Lets get this!

NatsLady said...

All right, let's win this for Danny Boy. Talk about toughing it out!

David Proctor said...

I don't know if we're going to win this game or not, but this team is showing some serious heart and fight right now. And keep in mind Chen on Friday and Santana today had an ERA of 2.20 and 3.13 respectively. Not bad pitchers. Yesterday's pitcher was bad and we beat him up as we should have.

MrsB loves the Nats said...

Gotta give Dan H some dap... He clearly didnt have his A stuff... Maybe not B.... And after pitching BP in the first inning, he settled down very well....

David Proctor said...

Ramos has had a rough day.

MrsB loves the Nats said...

Ouch... Ramos is just not having a good day at all...

NatsLady said...

Stammen loves tie games.

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

Ramos day game after a night game. Davey trying to do what he did to Suzuki.

That's how you break down your players.

David Proctor said...

It's just because there's an off day tomorrow Ghost. If there wasn't an off day, Solano would be catching. Because the game is at 7 on Tuesday, Ramos basically gets two full days off after this one.

MrsB loves the Nats said...

Hell of a play by Rendon.... Thought he was safe....

David Proctor said...

Because he was safe, lol.

MrsB loves the Nats said...

Has Stammen thrown a Strike yet???

David Proctor said...

Wow Stammen. Unacceptable.

MrsB loves the Nats said...

Stammen - you big dummy!

NatsLady said...

Stammen brain fart. Better get this guy.

David Proctor said...

I hope Werth lays into Stammen after the inning.

NatsLady said...

Their closer is VERY good. Keep it tied, Craig. Keep it tied.

MrsB loves the Nats said...

This *expletive* is working. My got *explitive* nerve....

I'm assuming that DJ was trying to save Clippard?

MrsB loves the Nats said...

Im beyond livid.... Beyond livid....

David Proctor said...

WHY AREN'T YOU AT THIRD RYAN?

NatsLady said...

JUST STUPID!!! Ryan Zimmerman day-dreaming!!!!!

Jane Elizabeth said...

Fundamentals. I expect better from Stammen and Zimmerman.

MrsB loves the Nats said...

Just dumb as all frack...

Unknown said...

pathetic and inexcusable plays by Stammen & Zimmerman, just awful.

MrsB loves the Nats said...

Had Stammen covered first in the first place... None of this would have happened...

Just dumb as hell... Pissed...

pk24 said...

Two mental errors in one inning!! Game should still be tied

MrsB loves the Nats said...

Just damn pathetic....

David Proctor said...

Zimmerman should have covered absolutely no question. Unacceptable. It's odd though that Desmond chose to go to third when he had Butler at second.

But still, Ryan has to be on the effing bag. Period. He can't assume. Same for Craig Stammen. Absolute loss of fundamentals.

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

That hurts a ton. Stammen with the walk that comes back to haunt.

David Proctor said...

Well we got the bloop, now we need the bomb.

MrsB loves the Nats said...

Idk why Stammen was even used... Just ugh... Terrible...

Walks hurt and then his dumb ass doesn't cover... Ugh....

pk24 said...

Two mental errors in one inning!! Game should still be tied

NatsLady said...

OK, Ryan, make up for it now. Right now.

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

Ryan Zimmerman on the play to Desmond was doing what exactly?

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

Time for redemption for Ryan Zimmerman and he K's.

MrsB loves the Nats said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
David Proctor said...

Standing around. He was surprised that Desmond went to him since Desmond had a play at both second and first. It was an odd decision by Desi. But that's absolutely NO EXCUSE. Ryan can't assume anything. Just pitiful.

MrsB loves the Nats said...

So the blue wants to make himself known.... Okay...

Jane Elizabeth said...

No margin for error and we can't even cover bases properly. I notice Atlanta's pitchers always seem to....

David Proctor said...

I wish our closer had stuff like this...

Secret wasian man said...

The guys fight back nicely and have really been impressive lately. Then somebody woke them up and reminded them it was 2013. I am absolutely sick to stomach at the way Zimm has performed this season. The errors, the strikeouts and seldom does he deliver in the clutch. He is not worth a 3 rd of his money. That swing on 3and0 earlier with Bryce waiting was putrid.

NatsLady said...

Didn't deserve to win that one.

Jane Elizabeth said...

Zimmerman should be benched a game....

NatsLady said...

Davey should hold the flight and make them take infield.

MrsB loves the Nats said...

Pathetic loss.... Haren actually does a decent job and the got darned BP does us in... Again...

I mean just a mess...

NatsLady said...

On a day when AZ and Cincy both lost, we could have picked up on them both. STL too, if Kimbrel holds on.

David Proctor said...

Well we have the Marlins coming in. We absolutely have to take care of them. If our offense keeps producing, we'll be fine in that series. Especially since Jose Fernandez isn't pitching.

The mental mistakes are inexcusable. But we showed a lot of heart and fight from 1-9 in the lineup. Let's just hope that continues. Our guys won't be that stupid again, I hope.

MrsB loves the Nats said...

Granted... I thought Desi should have gone to 2nd but still Ryan has to be there... But it wouldn't have gotten there had Stammen covered the base....

Jane Elizabeth said...

How many years has Zimmerman been in the league?

When do they teach you to cover your base?

Jane Elizabeth said...

The guy might have been out at 3rd anyway, but still....

NatsLady said...

We are missing Fernandez? Great. I was counting on my fingers...

SonnyG10 said...

Stammen and Zimmerman should pay for tickets to the game if they want to stand around and watch. They both need a good slap up side the head for not covering their bases. That cost us the ballgame.

David Proctor said...

If you thought Werth was mad at Gio when he failed to cover first when we got out of the inning, imagine how angry Werth is going to be when it cost us the game? I wouldn't want to be in the clubhouse right now, that's for damn sure. I'm positive that Stammen and Zim are hearing it.

NatsLady said...

MrsB, since they didn't show the whole field, I don't know where Rendon was at the time. Desi wouldn't go to third without a reason, he "sees" the whole game.

BigCat said...

I think it all started with the country club spring training. And Zim..... What the hell are you thinking out there? I think he has mailed it in

Secret wasian man said...

Bullpen stinks minus Clipp. But enough with Ry Zimm. I'll still steamed at him swinging 3 and 0 with a guy on first and Bryce coming up. Does he honestly think he is a good hitter? He is a mediocre hitter and a less than mediocre fielder. 18 errors this year. Ughhhhhhhh.

NatsLady said...

DP, you don't KNOW it cost us the game... be reasonable. It was tied. And a road game where they get the final chance. It's just a REALLY annoying way to lose.

David Proctor said...

Well of course, but Werth went off on Gio for not covering in the first inning after Gio managed to get out of the inning. Imagine now when that allowed the two winning runs to score. Stammen and Zim are being read the riot act right now.

NatsLady said...

MrsB, Clip is getting into the "over-used" category, and you don't know how many innings the game will go. Davey played it with the assumption the game would go extras, because they would use their closer in the top of the 9th, so Stammen goes for the 8th and the 9th and then you get an inferior guy for the 10th... Get the lead.


NatsLady said...

I don't think Davey put in the wrong guy. Stammen and Ryan Zimmerman just DIDN'T do their jobs.

Secret wasian man said...

Nats lady it's not that we lost. If a guy gets a clean single then a clean double then you say OK we got 2 on the road and played well and showed heart. But KC didn't win. THE NATS LOST. That's what pisses everyone off.

David Proctor said...

Almost our entire schedule remains is Marlins, Mets and Phillies. We have to win those games. We play the Marlins and Mets next. We have to win 5/6 of those games.

Depot Master said...

Didn't Desi not handle the ball cleanly, just having to go to the nearest base? No excuse for Ryan or Stammen and I imagine they will both say that as well. A key element of baseball is thinking about the play before it happens. Zimmerman should have known there was no other place for him to be but 3rd. Stammen should run to 1st base any time the ball is hit to the left side. Fundamental baseball. They need to do better. Good news is there's a homestand and we're a .500 club again - let's make a run!

Secret wasian man said...

If your Stammen or Zimm how can you look Harper in the eye after he limps up to the plate and ties the game? After you just failed to,do,something they teach you in fifth grade.

David Proctor said...

Stammen was the right guy and he did his job pitch-wise. He got a groundball to LaRoche for the third out. Then he screwed himself over. We gave them an extra out and they made us play. Big league teams usually make you pay. Stammen deserves the loss.

Ghost Of Steve M. said...

How doesn't Ryan Zimmerman standing by 3rd not be able to crawl to 3rd and beat Billy Butler.

No telling how this game ends but that is possibly the nail in the coffin. Stammen, well, he has no excuse but the FoF playing spectator is beyond comprehension.

NatsLady said...

Secret, I believe that's what I said. If's a very annoying way to lose. But it can be corrected, hopefully not too late.

That is what Doc said about the FIllies. The culture needs to change, more focus on fundamentals than was happening with Cholly. And no one disputed him on that (though he later said he wasn't taking a slam at Manuel.)

David Proctor said...

It's only the nail in the coffin if the guys let it be. They have to learn from it and forget it. They won 5, lost 1. That's fine. Continue that pace for a while.

There were A LOT of positives from this roadtrip. It sucks that it has to end on such a sour note. But as we've learned, momentum only goes as far as your next game. We've got the Marlins. Have to beat them.

NatsLady said...

On the replay, it really looks like Zim is day-dreaming, and suddenly remembers to cover his base. No excuse.

Not that I'm excusing Stammen, either. Should be automatic. Don't think, just react.

Nats106 said...

Bummer to lose that way. Zimmerman needs to quit pouting over not being the face of the franchise anymore and pay attention.

Maybe it will take getting wracked like the 3rd baseman for the NY Knights to wake him up.

Won 5 of 7-good road trip. Even better is the Brew Crew not laying down against the Reds. It will be an interesting 5 weeks of baseball. We are still in this although Mike Wise would disagree.

Nats106 said...

DP and NO Fernandez!

NatsLady said...

DP, absolutely agree. As I said, take 3/4 from the Cubs, take 2/3 from the Royals. Come home at .500 and beat the tar out of the Fish and Mets. We should have had road trips like this all season. We didn't, now, absolutely no room for mental errors, nothing.

Hope Bryce is OK.

BigCat said...

The old saying, physical errors are gonna happen, but mental ones are inexcusable. I agree with William O....sit Zim down a couple games. He is too complacent/comfortable.

NatsLady said...

Also, bear in mind, we only got the chance because Yost left Santana in too long. Should have taken him out after Span's HR.

BigCat said...

Man.....what happened Ryan. Is your marriage bad already? Somethin ain't right though. Jesus....cover the f--ckin base! A 13 year old knows this!

David Proctor said...

You can't afford to lose Zim's bat. I know many of you think he's completely useless, but the stats say otherwise. Zimmerman will be the first to tell you he absolutely screwed up. Sitting him isn't going to "teach him a lesson", it's just going to hurt the team. The offense is finally clicking (and they did it against two good pitchers in KC). You can't just remove a big piece of that from the equation.

baseballswami said...

It wasn't just a good last two series because of the win- loss record. The at bats have been outstanding and several players are heating up offensively. There has been energy, passion and determination. This was a long and brutal trip with extra innings, rain delays, pitching meltdowns, unfamiliar AL team- and they have pretty much dug down deep and performed well. Brain farts at the wrong time today on the last, very hot day . I would call this last two weeks progress. I have actually enjoyed watching a lot of it without pounding my head against the wall. Still can't bear to watch innings one and nine- traumatized.

NatsLady said...

Read some Royals blogs, their fans are really down on Yost. If he didn't lift Santana after the HR, he definitely should have lifted him after Zim's single. Should have brought in a lefty to face Harper. Basically, stupid managing gave us the opening, and we gave it back.

baseballswami said...

Desi bomb- 455 feet. Harper- 40 home runs before the age of 20. Sweet.

Faraz Shaikh said...

oh well, let's get back to it tomorrow.

natsfan1a said...

Yeah, the 9th = not pretty. There was a fair amount of runner-stranding before that. Gotta love Bryce. (Not sure why the state of Zimm's marriage is pertinent but whatevs.)

David Proctor said...

Everyone ahead of us lost today. It was a great opportunity to gain ground, but we're fortunate we didn't lose any ground.

natsfan1a said...

Also impressed with Haren's gutting it out. Too bad they couldn't come all the way back.

Secret wasian man said...

Oh c'mon David. The guy went hacking on 3 and 0 and it was a very good pitch to hit. He bounced to second. This guy isn't Desi, Bryce or WERTh. He needs to wake up and realize that he is not a star on this team or any other.

NatsLady said...

With a better manager for the Royals we would have lost it 4-2. It just wasn't ours to win. Come home, boys. Try to heal up, Desi, Bryce, Jayson (and everyone else we don't know about).

Secret wasian man said...

Sorry should say NOT a good pitch to hit

Secret wasian man said...

Zimm is at the level of about Rendon. He's good but that's it. WERTh, Desi and Bryce are the big guns anymore. If Zimm would realize that he would play better.

David Proctor said...

Zimmerman almost NEVER swings on 3-0. He obviously thought he had something he could drive: it was a fastball up. He just chopped it. Earlier this season, Werth swung 3-0 against the Mets with 1 out and runners on 1st and 2nd. He grounded into a double play. We ended up losing that game, largely as a result of that double play. It happens to everyone. I think Zim is perfectly fine not being the star, he's never been a guy who has seemed like he's much wanted the spotlight. But he's a quality offensive 3B. He's well above average offensively, the numbers show that.

Now defensively, fire away on him. He should've covered third. No excuse.

Nats106 said...

Reds have 10 of 13 games against the Cards and Dodgers with the Rox sandwiched between in the next 2 weeks. We have Marlins Mets and Phillies.

This is it-time for a run!

NatsLady said...

And, look at it this way, it's hard to win extra-inning road games--and we did it twice on this trip. Our bullpen is exhausted. The LAST thing we needed was another extra-inning game on a hot, hot day--even with the off-day it would set us back. It's annoying, it's frustrating, but it's not the worst thing in the world.

baseballswami said...

I think they are all exhausted. There were extra inning games, and rain delays. They have come from behind more in the last week than in the whole season before that. Jsyson had an infection, Desi had been hitting some things out. Rest tomorrow will do wonders.

baseballswami said...

Desi has been gutting things out.

NatsLady said...

Nats106, absolutely. And Davey's head is back in the game. He said he's in a pennant race now (that was yesterday).

BTW, in the pointy ball game, Shanahan said, anything less than a Super Bowl would be failure. Any team with a wee bit of talent, they all say stuff like that...

David Proctor said...

Desi has a bad back and bad hamstring. Harper has the knee and now foot. Werth has the foot. Ramos has the hamstring. They're all playing at well less than 100% and they're grinding it out and winning games. That's all you can ask for. Doesn't make games like today easier to handle though. I can take the physical errors, the mental ones are tough.

PChuck said...

>>With a better manager for the Royals we would have lost it 4-2.

With a better manager for the Nationals we would have scored at least six runs.

mick said...

still won series....

now, no reason Nats cant win 6 straight at home putting them 6 over

mick said...

going into 9/1

rogieshan said...

Based on Werth's calculation the other day (10 losses max to make the wildcard), our tragic number is now down to 18.

mick said...

here's the thing

nats were picked to win it all...if they are as good as we think...there is no reason why they canot win 85% of games from now until 9/17

mick said...

R Zim pissed me off... he should be embarrassed as the face of franchise

David Proctor said...

23-9 is what it'll take to get to 88 wins. Not easy. But it's also not unheard of, especially with our schedule. We just won 11 of 15. Basically we need to do that again, twice. That will get us to 88 wins.

mick said...

David

exactly...Nats have a real shot

baseballswami said...

There were a couple of key brain farts, near the end of the game, near the end of the long road trip. You don't think Stras lost concentration on that HR ball at the end of his game? It takes a millisecond, the game speeds up. As a fan this road trip has been brutal and tiring. They have showed me a lot. Add to the injuries, delays, extras , travel-- they lost two well liked teammates. It's a wonder they were still functioning at all today. Then Haren doesn't have it in yet another first inning hole. But they battled back yet again. You can complain about a couple of late inning mental lapses. But I feel that this road trip has showed a lot of mental toughness all around.

NatsLady said...

Our boys started this road trip losing 3 of 4, including a blowout to the CUBS, the CUBS!

Finished it 5 of 6. That is a team, people, that is a team.

Joe Seamhead said...

David Proctor said...
Desi has a bad back and bad hamstring. Harper has the knee and now foot. Werth has the foot. Ramos has the hamstring. They're all playing at well less than 100% and they're grinding it out and winning games. That's all you can ask for. Doesn't make games like today easier to handle though. I can take the physical errors, the mental ones are tough.
August 25, 2013 5:58 PM
---//--//

And Ryan has a bad shoulder, but fact is, he should not have swung at the 3-0 pitch.Period. Now that said, yes,he should've gotten to third, but come on, you all. Desi gets a pass from most of you on a ball that he first misplayed with the glove, and then honestly? The play was at second, in my opinion.

mick said...

R zim has a chance to be a leader in sept.

it is time for him to play like a champ, like Werth does

his at bat made him look like a loser use to playing on 100 loss teams

SonnyG10 said...

All nine defenders have a job to do on every play that happens while they're in the field. Never should anyone be standing around watching. Either you're directly involved in the play (catching or throwing) or you're covering your base, or you're backing up the play...every player...every time! Fundamental defensive baseball 101.

Nats106 said...

Eovaldi vs Ohlendorf Tuesday, Alvarez vs Strasburg Wednesday and Koehler against Gio on Thursday. Guess who is scheduled to pitch for the Mets Thursday against the Phillies? Harvey.

We miss Fernandez against Miami and Harvey against the Mets. I sense opportunity. NL, you are right, they are tired and hurting, but a day to recover and back home. I shall be cheering loudly for Harper & Werth Tuesday. They have been carrying this team and daring the rest of the players to lose. Gotta love that attitude.

Nats106 said...

Oh and Span too has been extraordinarily good.

NL, you are right again-this is a team, but certain people are defining it right now.

SonnyG10 said...

My vacation was delayed so I'm looking forward to going to a game or two on this coming home stand. I must say that I have been really happy with their play on this road trip. You always feel like you have a chance when they play this way. GYFNG!

baseballswami said...

There really has been more of a sense of determination. This road trip has had lots of drama. Hope they can keep the offense going. Even the four today would have seemed like ten a month ago.

Nats 128 said...

"mick said...
R Zim pissed me off... he should be embarrassed as the face of franchise"

I was at that viewing party at Chilis. Nice event.

Ryan Zimmerman should buy a ticket if he wants to watch the game. Lousy swing on a 3-0 pitch and not getting to that one ball by him and then he watches as Desi plants in the hole and doesnt man his base.

The Nats season went in the toilet in Game 1 against the Braves when he couldnt field his position in the 9th inning and threw that ball wide of 2nd base which shouldnt surpize any one I guess and he did it again 4 months later where every game is do or die.

He is supposed to be the team leader and even says his style is "lead by example". He better not be leading by example bcuz his example is lack of hustle and execution. I dont care of the bad shoulder. Its just a excuse. A bad shoulder doesnt keep you from hustling to your base and to not beat the slowest runner on the Royals in Billy Butler is just more pethetic.

His example sucks and he should be ashamed of himself.

As David says "Desi has a bad back and bad hamstring. Harper has the knee and now foot. Werth has the foot. Ramos has the hamstring. They're all playing at well less than 100% and they're grinding it out and winning games"

Nats 128 said...

"Joe Seamhead said...
And Ryan has a bad shoulder"

Was there 1 of his poor plays today that any thing to do with his shoulder?

If Zimmerman would have dived into Billy Butler on the tag instead of lunging at him he gets the out.

Theres no excuse but Joe Seamhead will say he has a bad shoulder. That excuses nothing of his plays today.

Nats 128 said...

You have to listen to the Royals TV crew. They called Zimmerman "a spectator". You can see Rendon covering the 2nd. You can also see Zimmerman standing there and Desmond only looking to 3rd.

Zimmerman must have thought it was funny as Billy Butler was laughing looking at Zimmerman.

Yah, real funny.

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2013_08_25_wasmlb_kcamlb_1&mode=video&content_id=30038299&tcid=vpp_copy_30038299

Doc said...

Yo RZim and Stammen, falling playing baseball and falling asleep is a dangerous activity!!!

Sunshine_Bobby_Carpenter_Is_Too_Pessimistic_For_Me said...

"I've never been much of a rah-rah guy."

Yeah, Ryan, it shows.

Nats 128 said...

Zimmerman Falls Asleep

Read these Ryan Zimmerman quotes on April 12th after the Braves loss when the Nats were winning 4-1 into the 8th.

Zimmerman's Error

Nats 128 said...

"I've never been much of a rah-rah guy. I lead by example!"

MASN better change that commercial.

Nats 128 said...

Bernadina with the #1 and #2 Web Gems today!

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