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Hitting lowlight: The opportunities certainly were there early on. The Nationals put their first two men on base in their first three innings, yet somehow didn't score once. They went an astounding 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position, three out of the outs on strikeouts and another on a popped-up bunt. They got a couple more chances later but only managed to cash in during the top of the seventh when Jayson Werth singled home Anthony Rendon. With a chance to add the tying run right then, they ran themselves out of the inning. Adam LaRoche struck out and Werth was thrown out trying to steal second, killing the rally on a day when the Nationals couldn't deliver in clutch situations.
Pitching highlight: Gonzalez knew what was needed of him today: Innings, lots of them. The way things went in the bottom of the first, it looked like that might be a problem for the left-hander. He gave up two quick runs on three hits, a walk and a stolen base. But Gonzalez battled back in impressive fashion, tossing six scoreless innings after that, striking out nine batters in the process. He finished on 120 pitches, the second-highest total of his career. It wasn't enough to put him in line for the win, but Gonzalez earned his keep on this afternoon and allowed the Nationals to head to Chicago with a fresh bullpen.
Key stat: The Nationals haven't scored a run off Craig Kimbrel in 10 innings this season, or in their last 13 innings against the Atlanta closer, dating back to July 2012.
Up next: The Nationals head north to Chicago for the second leg of this 10-game road trip. They'll open their four-game series at historic Wrigley Field at 8:05 p.m. Monday when Jordan Zimmermann faces Jeff Samardzija.
99 comments:
Eight hits. Four Walks. HBP.
One run.
Harp didnt swing... I don't think Rendon swung either... But we had many of chances and went like 1 for 10+ with RiSP.... Again, the offense let us down...
Sad way to end the game but the line up has got to do better... And be more consistent...
well said Nats Lady. this is like the movie ground hog day. same stuff over and over........ ughhhhhh
Well lets see 1 for 13 RISP now vs Braves 18 for 116 .155.
Gio walked the first batter he faced.
Gio was good. Storen, great inning. Bullpen got a day of rest. Offense, YUCK. Let's go to Chicago and WHUP them Cubbies.
Laroche gets a pass because of last night. but this guy just strikes out way too much.
Thought I would wait until game ended to post...observations
1) Gio is a pro and more than did his job
2) While on vacation, I read Boswell's column on Nats horrific batting approach, it was evident today...no matter how good your pitching is, if your batters can't hit simple singles...you lose.
3) sick of Desi's head case issues...he has stunk at the plate, his swing on that last pitch looked worse than Espi
4) Not that it cost any runs today, but Suzuki's rubber arm SUCKS, Braves catcher throws us out, our catcher throws like a 2 year old.
5) RZim's at bat was terrible, i expected a better effort
batting approach MUST CHANGE next year if this team ever wants to win...bottom line...it sucks right now!
Oh, big deal playing the Cubs, not after we had to get lucky to even win one stinking game against the Braves. Bad defense. Bad managing. Big waste.
Remember how we were going to win 8 of the last 9 against Atlanta or something and get back into contention? So far we are 1-5 and counting. I predict they sweep us in the last 3, not that it matters one wit, with a closer like Soriano doing everything he can to undermine the ball club.
Today was typical of just how bad the whole year has been.
Hope Harp was sitting on the slider, because he should have known that's all he's getting from Kimbrel.
this team has heart but they lack talent big time at the plate. Poor approach poor decisions and bad planning. 4 and 12 against Braves. That's Not a Rivalry. That's domination.
Ray gave ALR hell for swinging at ball 4.
That has been a dig problem we swibg at a lot of valls. Not sure if we have bad eye sight or simply poor at identifying pitches.
Kimbrel another issue. You cannot get to 2 strikes. He then throws the slider, which looks like a fastball, that is almost never a strike. It is his strikeout pitch. We fall for it, hook line and sinker. Only one who approached Kimbrel correctly and that was Span. He hit tge first pitch a fastball hard. He didnt wait for the slider, which of course he would have struck out on.
It wasn't why we lost the game, but Harper didn't come close to going on that check swing. You can't end a game on a BS call like that, especially with Harper up. If he actually went okay, but it wasn't even that close. He didn't go.
Drew looks great! Gio saved the pen, but his first innings- oy. ALR needs to share time with Moore at this point. Cannot win with one run vs a first place team. How many one run games have we had with them? Can you imagine if those had gone the other way? It was not a sweep, at least they fought hard and they get to leave Turner Firkd now. This team.....
we will split with Cubs.
MnF - it's not just Adam who isn't seeing the ball well... I saw Desi and Zuki swinging at garbage/clear balls...
Saw Jayson take a pitch that was too close to not swing on....
Have to hope the new manager and his team can change some approaches for next year...
Marvin Hudson, nuff said. MLB doesn't even try to rein him in. So is instant replay going to be used for check swings? Bud Selig and MLB do everything they can to destroy baseball and do nothing to simply select umpires who know what they are doing.
I wonder how many umps are from D.C......
Once 2 strikes it will be a slider and almost never in tge strike zone.
I guess we have Kimbrel more than they have.
reality check
Braves are SIGNIFICANTLY a better team than Nats as well as over a half dozen other teams in the NL.
This is all about batting approach and the Nats are the WORST situational hitting team in all of MLB. That is the bottom line
Fine, so forget ATL. Beat the bad teams, we have quite a few of them coming up (other than KC). The wins all count the same.
Ray Knight was preaching about those first three innings. The fact that they don't/can't bunt is all on Davey.
to sum it up for 2013..Braves are Champs and deserve it and we are Chumps and more than deserve it
I agree sever need monthly eye checks.
Though bet is not seeing the speed of the ball quick enough is a bigger problem.
Zero
Yeah, Chuck - we should have gotten Teheran in the first 3 innings... I want to say we had the lead off on each and every inning...
the home plate umpire had NOTHING to do with Desmond and RZim's pathetic swing on balls well outside the strike zone. In fact, Desi has stunk his last 30 at bats so blaming the umpire is comical
Comment on last night's game: I couldn't believe that the game lasted longer than the opera. A lot longer.
Speaking of the Cubs, I'm in Chicago for the Monday and Tuesday night games. Tuesday, we'll be right behind the visitor's dugout (for those of you who know what we look like. For those who don't, look for two middle-aged fans in Curly W shirts, either cheering for or yelling at the Nats, depending on how they're playing.).
ArVAFan
Not sure why they cant bunt. First tging we are tsught as boys
Davey didn't even bother to argue the last call.
beat the bad teams, I agree...here is the problem...the Nats are one of the bad teams now
lol
positives
Gio, Drew, Bryce, and Werth
to add has to why we suck, Nats have not won at home verse Braves ONCE this season... this is why we are not a good baseball team..
Davey hit the nail on head, but the problem isnt getting solved.
In RISP
Not agressive early in the count when the pitcher is pitching fast balls over the middle. Then late in count they swing at crap.
FYI now we can only be 4-35 in last 39 game to reach your prediction.
But since we are that bad according to you, that should happen.
MNF
Boswell's column about 2 weeks ago addresses everything one needs to know as to why this team is the worst situational hitting team in all of MLB...until that changes, this franchise will stink and underachieve
mick is correct Desmond just stinks right now.
No, he didn't. Harper was chirping but Werth reined him in. Take 3/4 from Cubbies or sweep. Take 2/3 from KC. That would be a good road trip. Come home one or two over .500.
Then we get the Fish who have even less offense than we do, and Mets who don't have Wright. Fillies are terrible. 23 games against Cubs, Fish, Mets, Fillies, 23 games before we see ATL again. Go 18-5, that FAR from inconceivable. If we take 2/3 from KC, that is 20-6. Just take it one game at a time.
We will see. I am not a boswell fan so anything he says i rarely listen to you, so his words fall on deaf ears.
We also got BABIPed some today. We had a few lineouts with men on base while they had that little bloop by Chris Johnson fall in. That's just the way things have gone this year i guess.
Nats Lady I love your enthusiasm.
Wasian
nats have one of the top starting pitching staffs in all of baseball...it will not matter as long as the team hits as poorly as they do... This is all on management not addressing this...The one thing rizzo must do is to get manager who will stick his foot in the ass of any player who is does not buy into situational hitting. Davey has done nothing to deal with this because he is burnt out and tired
That is way everyone should be. Until we lose a game assume we will win.makes it much more enjoyable.
Wouldnt bother to watch if I thought we would not win.
The Royals are a good team.
Secret, ya gotta have a dream. If you don't have a dream, how you going to have a dream come true.
Just trying to visualize how a winning streak could happen. Nats are a .500 team.
A .500 team CAN beat the bad teams, we've shown we can. We might lose to ATL, but put on a streak and then we see STL who will be worn out from their Division fight. The teams in the central will knock each other silly.
We will know by then if we are ahead of Arizona. Could be that last series is the "meaningful games in September."
Thst is Ray Knight
Your theory and mine is exactly the same. Need to go 30-9 the rest of the way.
DP, nothing against the Royals. But this is not their year. They are only 5 games above .500 (just lost to the Tigers again). I don't think we have to live in fear of the Royals.
Meh - I don't understand the whole relishing when the Nats lose, and the 'I told you so's'... I know the Nats are going to win every game as that is what I believe as a fan...
With that said, this was yet another series where we had our chances and we didnt execute properly... On to the Cubs and winning the next game...
We were just awful with runners on base.That's the story of the game, story of the season.
Last night in the first inning we have the bases loaded, nobody out. Desmond hits a 15 ft dribbler. Span doesn't jump with the ball off the bat, he's out at the plate. OK, Span got no jump, was out, but my question is: why does Desmond get a free pass from everybody for his weak dribblerI I mean it wasn't a squeeze. And Ghost? You said that Span took us out of a big inning. Not entirely true. He was the first out, but we scored two runs, which is sadly a big inning for us.I just think that a couple of guys are getting way too much blame on this blog and at the same time a couple of other guys are getting way too many free passes.I have pointed out how many things that Desi leads the team in, but I mention that he also leads the team in strike outs and is 2nd in GIDP'S, or that he went 37 games with only 6 RBI's and I get called a "Desi basher." All things considered, Ian Desmond has had a good year, but he also has been far from flawless.
Also, for those that are calling for ALR to be benched and for Moore to be the starter? Sorry, but a couple of good weeks in AAA doesn't earn a guy a starting job that has hit .164 with a 34% strike out ratio after 110 AB's at the ML level. I have no problem with sitting Adam against some LH'ers, see how Moore does with a few starts, but that's all he has "earned."
SWM - you gotta believe as that is what we fans do... Have to hope for the beat outcome.... And look forward to the good...
Yeah, it sucked we lost this series to the Braves... But we gotta brush the dirt of our backs and keep it moving... On to the next target and get back on the winning path!
You can do it, my friend! Join us! *snickers*
With any luck, the next time we see ATL they will be resting their regulars and trying out some minor-leaguers--why not?
Hello, they are into the 16th in Pittsburgh. I would like the Pirates to win. Arizona has four against the Reds next, no off-day. Hopefully they will have something left in the tank, so they can split that series, while we sweep the Cubs and gain two games on both.
I'm a big Desi to defender. If I've ever implied he's flawless, I apologize. I never meant to do that. But guys who have a track record of success, and especially a guy who carried the team for a period of time, get a pass because guys are going to go through slumps. I give those guys the benefit of the doubt. Span has really had no sustained offensive production to speak of, so the absolute least he could do is not get picked off first or read the dribbler and score (and he absolutely should have scored on that play, he hesitated for no reason--which he does often on the basepaths).
The issue with that NL - we faced their line up with only 2/3 regulars today and still lost.... Ugh..... Arghhhh...
We have the easiest schedule between the Reds, STL and Arizona. You can check it here.
http://www.coolstandings.com/baseball_team.asp?id=WAS&sn=2013
Natslady,I've been looking at matchups for the Nats, Reds and D-Backs as well. Looking ahead to KC, we have, I believe, Davis v Gonzales and Chen vs Strasburg. Santana and Haren for the 3rd game. KC is a good team, but struggling right now and the matchups are good. And the Cubs are, of course, the Cubs. Need to make up ground over the next 7 days. It can happen. Only 12 more games against teams with winning records and that includes KC. A split by the Brewers vs Reds was an unexpected plus.
I am still liking our chances, but we need to go 5-2 or 6-1. Otherwise we're running out of daylight.
The main thing is to keep grinding and keep HEALTHY. We can't afford any injuries. Period. Boys, get in those hot tubs, take treatment, whatever. Good warm-ups, no binging.
Almost every year there is some team that is 9-10 games out of it and makes a run. Let's BE THAT TEAM.
This team just have it -- to make a run of any kind. It's exhausted, worn out, dispirited and realistic. This squad cannot and will not make up the 10 games and run at the Wild card.
It's Over. Stop Deluding yourselves.
LaRoche: hahaha who ever supported his re-signing were so wrong it's funny.
Rendon? This boy can't even play baseball -- how do you produce a player like him? He can hit, but has no idea how to play the game!!
I think we should all have positive thoughts and sing kumbaya.
Lol attacking Rendon now...
David Protor? Desmond was lucky that ball wasn't another double play. We needed a ball hit to the outfield but everybody blames Span. Meanwhile, today Span goes 3-5 with two lead off hits, but gets stranded each time, but still gets blasted. I'm frustrated with some aspects of his game too, but he seems to get few breaks on here.
It's clear to me who the closer is.
I've defended Span on here plenty. He still should've scored on that dribbler. I'm not defending Desmond on that play. Desi screwed up, but Span has to score. He hesitated for absolutely no reason--even FP called him out fo rit. And then in the 9th inning today, with Harper up, he very nearly gets picked off. Really? Span plays great defense and he has games where he does well offensively. He still deserves a lot of criticism.
But yes, he gets more criticism than he probably deserves on here. Especially from WODL.
The thing is, why watch sports if not for the unexpected comeback, the run that is against the odds? If your idea of fun is the favorite always wins, fine. But I want to see my Nats keep trying, keep grinding, against the odds. Maybe Davey is tired and old, but Rizzo isn't, the boys aren't, Haren isn't, Bryce isn't, they still have fire in them.
I didn't think the PO attempt was all that close today. Whatever. He got on three times, got stranded all three times, except when he was forced out. Just pointing out a positive that has pretty much gone unmentioned, but nobody drove him in repeatedly today.
Bottom line, Braves OWN the Nats right now. Have won 18 of 21 back to last August. That has to change or Nats will be, at best, second fiddle in the East for years to come.
But remember, what goes around comes around.
Next manger should be Pat Morita, Mr. Miyagi!
A big part of the Braves success is their bench. Guys like Schafer, Gattis, etc. Good for them. But as we've learned this year, it's very very hard to sustain that type of thing.
Also bullpen. But the Braves have had a great bullpen for a long time so don't expect that to get much worse. We just have to make ours much better.
Flipping between LLWS abd the Padres and Mets.
Tony Gwynn obseeved most batters who have troble with RISP have it because they are over swinging. Relax, take a breath see pitch, if it is a strike swing smoithly and no harder than normal.
He idebtified the Nats all swing to hard in RISP
I feel bad for the Pirates. They have lost 7 of 9 now, and McCutch went 0 for 7 today. I fear they will have their hearts broken, but maybe not.
Well that is one team who we could pass.
McCutch didn't go 0-7, NatsLady. He went 0-4 with 3 walks.
OH, ok, sorry, that's better then. I saw him miss a fly ball, he seemed upset.
That is nearly that bad.
Alverez hadcwirse day 0 for 6
Will Venable just walked off the Padres. Only AL games left today.
Watching Japan vs. Taipei
Ok so losing makes me sad. But I just realized how few games we have left and now I am really sad. Because the off season is much worse than losing. September call ups looming. Drew and Tyler are here( but how can we keep Tyler?), and I just don't know if there is anyone else I care about being here. Think Espi comes back?
Did get to watch this one, but am way behind in reading posts and comments - probably nothing new in mine. That said, was nice that Gio could step up and save the 'pen. Was really nice to see Drew back and taking care of business. The offense was, well, the offense.
Yes Espi will be back.
I suppose so. He isn't hitting, though. On a pretty long 0-fer. Defensive replacement.
Yeah, I hate the off-season. Even watching AL baseball is better than nothing.
Morse not doing well.
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130818&content_id=57409698¬ebook_id=57409186&vkey=notebook_sea&c_id=sea
Oh, and my DVR wasn't set for 15 innings last night - what's the rally poncho?
Very late, a desperate FP , looking for a lucky charm , was amused by a kid in a poncho and a curly W hat, cheering for the Nats with enthusiasm. And so, in the tradition of last year's rally napkin, he dubbed it the rally poncho. And we won.
ALR hit the homer after rally poncho was discovered.
Poor kid will probably need therapy after his time at Turner Field.
I'm taking from this that Storen is back and we can count on him again. I'm really glad about that.
Thanks, Swami and MNF.
Storen has looked amazing! It's actually kind of creepy, though because the transformation is so dramatic. Buzz cut hair, different mechanics, quick to the plate, using two of his pitches mostly-- good velocity and filthy movement. Like a different guy. And Tyler Moore came back hitting. Syracuse-- the baseball hospital.
Nats Lady, I can see it coming down to Drew and Espi being the hero (maybe Tymo too)....there's always a story like that every year it seems..Keep keeping the faith!
Watching guys like Taylor Jordan, Ross Ohlendorf, Rendon have success is really fun. And then there is Row - Ark!!! Also watching Haren extend his career a few more minutes, watching Drew fight for his career, watching JW be epic-- those are the storylines that keep you going when the wins and losses are not so good. I also enjoy some nice Spanning. The stories inside of the story.
watching LL world series, preliminary games, Chinese-Taipei vs. Japan and guess what? they are using replay...successfully!
Bud should be embarrassed!
And as I am watching, one of the kids on Japan's team, went deep and the entire team met him at the plate and did like a swing gesture to the fences...loved it! but wondering if that kid will get drilled next time AB?!!
haha.
What fifteen games behind in August. Plenty of time to make it up. By season's end, just watch. The Nats will only be fourteen behind. This team has been pathetic since the beginning of the year and whilst some people said so as early as May, the chorus of boosters never had a problem shouting down the discordant voice in the crowd. Hopefully, next year will be better for this team. With Rizzo building the team, however, success is not guaranteed. He did a miserably bad job this offseason. And while it's easy to pick Strasburg and Harper in the draft, other less heralded managers made do with Trout and Machado. Amazingly, these two players have clearly outplayed the so called Nats "superstar." At least when the "star" is healthy enough to play.
So I understand Ryan Dempster just drilled aRod, well, for being ARod. Apparently the Fenway faithful cheered. I think at some point MLB is going to have to address these " messages" before someone gets seriously injured. The blood thirst is getting a bit out of hand.
swami, sorry but I have no problem with Dempster drilling A-Fraud, didn't see it & hope it wasn't above the shoulders but he should serve his suspension (again) like the others. Until he does, I hope he gets drilled every time he comes up to bat.
Watching that game now after LLWS finished.
Demster missed him the first two tries nowhere near head.
Ex players said it was Sabathia's job to hit Ortiz, but he never did.
Interesting the ex jicks describe Cano's hitting early compared to now.
Cano sounded like Harper swinging at breaking balls with a fastball swing.
Harper will catch on if pays attention to coaching.
Why oh why does Davey keep sitting Lombo who is hittin .375 INt 30 days and for the 2nd year in a row has a high avg. with runners in scoring position?
NatsLady says beat the bad teams. I agree, but we have to remember that we are one of the bad teams. The Cubs are saying the same thing about us....here come the Nats. They can't score.
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