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May 25 Spankin' RedsWow talk about a turn-around series! The Nationals really dominated the Reds in Cincinatti this week and took 3 games out of 4 in an offensive juggernaught. Well all right, all right I will rephrase that: they defeated the last place Reds with alot of home runs at Great American Ballpark.
Nope, I like the my first opening better: we kicked butt!
 FELIPE LOPEZ JACKED A FUNGO OVER THE G.A.B. WALL 15 FEET AWAY
Seriously though, how do Reds fans tolerate that joke of a ballpark? Anybody's
<cough [ Ken Griffey Jr.] cough> home run totals have got to be looked at with some kind of stat-curve. I mean, come on... there were sixteen home runs in four games. The Nationals scored more runs in this series than you can shake a stick at. Hell, even Jason Simontacchi almost jacked one over Wednesday night. If I was a major league pitcher and I got traded to the Reds, I'd try and sneak into the park some evening and burn the place down. That place is just sick. Bonds may have Balco but Griffey Jr.'s got GAB...just imagine if Griffey could have stayed healthy. Unreal.
 GREAT AMERICAN BALLPARK: HOME OF THE DINGER
I'm really rejoicing about the increase in offense by our guys during this series. Just maybe I will delude myself into thinking they have turned the corner and will start showing some real grit. At the very least, they have provided a much needed lift to the clubhouse and can go into the next series with their heads held high. It's going to be a real collision this weekend because the Cards have just come off a sweep of the Pirates and we are riding a wave of victories against the Reds.
 EVERYBODY WHO GOT A HOME RUN TONIGHT: RAISE YOUR HAND!
Note to Readers: I will not be posting for the next week because my wife and I will be away in Las Vegas and Arizona. Doubt I will be able to see the St. Louis games on TV but if I'm lucky the Dodger series might get piped into Nevada. Being without my Nat games will be like a heroin addict going through rehab. Despite my hardship: Go NATS...and see you guys next week.
 "NYAHH-NYAHH! WE GOT A BASEBALL TEAM, WE GOT A BASEBALL TEAM!"
May 22 What in God's Name Was THAT?!?Hey, thanks guys. Really. I mean you did everything I asked of you by producing some real offense for a change. I appreciate it 'cause it means you're reading closely, and I hope you continue reading because it can only mean success for you! But of course, like some kind of sadistic Greek tragedy; you only showed the offense for a couple innings and then everything else went to pot. Can you fellas handle multi-tasking? Do you need a Pfizer pill so you can keep it up and last longer? Sigh.
  Meanwhile, it was certainly entertaining to watch Levale Speigner servin' up some sweet potata' pie from the mound last night. The Reds were holding out their plates for seconds weren't they? Free taters for everybody in the outfield seats at Great American Ballpark! My Lord, what a humiliating and frustrating loss.
We had them darnit! When your opponent's down, don't give him a chance to get back up...step on his throat and finish him - seal the deal and shut the door!
Even though we didn't seal the deal and allowed Cincinnati back into the game, we still had a chance to come out on top. Unfortunately in the 8th inning it all unravelled. Austin Kearns and Nook Logan chased a line drive hit by Scott Hattieberg off of "alternate closer" John Rauch. Nook Logan was yelling that he had it...but Kearns kept coming. Logan yelled over and over, "I got it, I got it, I got it!"...and yet Kearns said nothing and kept coming.
Remembering last year and preferring not to become another Kearns collision casualty, Logan decided he'd rather not have a broken femur and peeled off. The ball then got behind both players and rolled to the wall scoring Alex Gonzalez and putting the Reds within one. Immediately afterward Javier Valentin homered and put the Reds on top 8-7. Game Over.
 Nook said..."I got it, I got it, I got it!" Then he saw Austin coming,
He thought back to last year, and said..."You got it!"
Austin what are you thinking out there? Logan is the centerfielder, so HE's in charge...if he says he's got it, then get the hell out of the way! It appears that once Kearns gets locked in on a fly ball, he homes in like a heat seeking missle and the the whole world temporarily fades from his consciousness. This ruined a perfect homecoming for Kearns, since he did hit one of the Nationals home runs earlier.
Changing the subject, as you probably noticed I've done some sprucing-up of the web site. Hope you like the changes. I appear to be the only Nats Blogger using Windows Live Spaces as a blogging platform. I like trying new features as they are developed; some of the stuff they come up with is good...some not. I don't want to use too many gadgets, bells or whistles...but I do like the fact that my blog is different and unique from the others. I hope you do as well. May 21 Tough Love: We LOSTYes, the Nationals avoided the sweep yesterday in dramatic fashion at RFK against the arch enemy. And yes, they did indeed come from behind during the bottom of the 8th when Nook Logan hit a two-run single off of Boriole reliever Danys Baez defeating the Birds 4-3 Sunday afternoon. Bang, zoom go the fireworks…presidents running around the foul lines on segways, fat goofy eagles dancing on dugouts and so on and so forth.
  Look… normally I’m not one to rain on a parade, but forgive me for my lack of enthusiasm. Anyone not wearing a Nats cap on their head will point out to you that we lost the series and dropped two out of three. That’s enough to keep Lord Baltimore and his minions smirking and keep us at twelve games under .500.
What continues to amaze me is that despite our desperate pitching situation, it’s not pitching that’s killing us…it’s our continuous and relentless struggle at offense. Pinch hitting is still reeking: the current average now is .102 or 7 for 72. Manny Acta continues shuffling the lineup like a deck of cards on a daily basis, no one knows who’s going to be where from day to day, game to game.
But as inconsistent as the batting order may be, the starting players are pretty well established and simply have not been performing to specs. Four of the core players have been below the poverty level in productivity:
Felipe Lopez: .237 batting average, .190 w/ RISP
Austin Kearns: .240 batting average, .220 w/ RISP Brian Schneider: .222 batting average, .094 w/ RISP Ryan Zimmerman: .240 batting average, .167 w/ RISP  Felipe Lopez Has Been Struggling For Offensive Numbers This Season
These guys are not call-ups; they are the starters, three of which were named clubhouse leaders by Manny Acta shortly before the season started during Spring Training. Well, they certainly aren’t leading by example with numbers like these.
It does appear that Zim’s bat is finally starting to warm-up (thank God) and I fully expect that he will come out of his funk shortly. But the other three need to step it up and start supporting the pitching arms who I believe are currently playing above their pay grade.
 Pitcher Mike Bacsik Made a Great Major League Spot Start Against the O's Saturday
This Nationals rag-tag, strewn together pitching staff has held their opponents either behind, or within two runs in 28 out of 44 games this year. Now that 'aint bad for a bunch of "minor league nobodies". And listen, two run ball games can go either way…I think if we had put together some decent at-bats in all those wasted RISP opportunities, we might have a very different perspective on the season right now.
I’m not downing these guys, but sometimes you need to show a little tough love - much like a football coach’s pep talk in the locker room at half time. The Nationals veterans need to start showing leadership by displaying a hunger for success and an anger for what’s been said about them. There’s not many better ways to take out anger than with a wooden bat and an inanimate object stitched with a leather covering. May 18 Hometown Cookin' Left Handed Starter Matt Chico Obtained His Third Win Yesterday
Well what do you know? Forgive the pun, but sometimes baseball just throws you a curve. Yesterday, under a cloudy but pleasant sky in Washington...our boys completed a fantastic home series against the division leading Atlanta Braves - taking 3 out of 4 against them. Matt Chico was brilliant in 6 innings of work allowing only three runs and garnered his third win of the season. Congratulations Matt. Kudos also extended to our relievers: Billy Traber, Jesus Colome and big John Rauch. And thanks guys for not doing what was in the back of every mind in the stands: a bullpen collapse. Instead, we were treated to no drama and no heartburn...just good solid relief and the Braves never produced any offense to threaten the Nationals lead. What a breath of fresh air that was.
 Felipe Lopez Slides Into Third. He Was A Home Run Away From Hitting The Cycle Yesterday
And how bout some offense? Finally! ...some movement along the basepaths on our side for a change! Unlike the past season, when the Nationals could rely on a large blast from Alphonso Soriano over the left field wall, this year it's got to be done the old fashioned way. Yesterday, the Nats offense executed good fundamental baseball by moving baserunners with sacrifice bunts, stealing bases and taking advantage of the Braves mistakes. This is the key to any success we might enjoy this season because we don't have a "Big Papi", A-Rod or an Albert Pujols.
 Nationals Backup Catcher Jesus Flores Scores In The 6th Inning
What's unusual about yesterday's game (in addition to having exciting offense) was the lineup itself. This was an unusual batting order: Jesus Flores, Tony Batista and Ronnie Belliard all started the game in place of Brian Schneider, Christian Guzman and Robert Fick. Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to get excited over Tony Batista (although he did provide a much needed RBI), but I'm all for using Jesus Flores and Ronnie Belliard to infuse some pop in the lineup. The Nationals tendancy of not being able to score when runners were in scoring position finally seemed to escape us yesterday...and it was a very welcome change.
 Braves Manager Bobby Cox Looks Over Washington's Stats Thinking, "This CAN'T Be Right..."
Now the bad news: Today, Bill Ladson over at Nationals.com reported that Jason Bergmann experienced some pain in his elbow when he woke up Tuesday morning. This being the day after almost pitching a no-hitter against Atlanta. We just can't afford another starter to go on the DL, but pain in the elbow is a profanity in pitching circles. Hopefully it's nothing serious, as they are not placing Jason on the disabled list yet. If they do - I don't know where they are going to get anyone from anywhere. Fruto and Hanrahan are still on the minor league DL and Redding has been less than stellar in his outings with Columbus so far this season.
 Friday Afternoon Update: Latest news is now Bergmann will indeed be placed on the disabled list for right elbow inflammation retroactive to May 15. Apparently, the Nats have purchased the contract of Mike Bacsik to replace him on Saturday against the Orioles. Hopefully, Bacsik will not spend too much time on the major league stage as he is still in need of much polishing before he is ready to take on pro level opponents.Nats take on the Birds today at RFK Stadium for a weekend series. Our friends from the North are having problems of their own with a current clubhouse implosion. No, I'm not laughing....well, ok maybe just a little. Should be good enough for some decent entertainment regardless. May 14 Cleanup in Seafood Department - Aisle 11 Screech Was Excited To Finally Be Able To Kick The Tires On His Screech-Mobile Sweep-Mobile
So ok, I guess there's reason to celebrate right? The Nationals got their first sweep of the season against the Florida Marlins over the weekend. But of course, there would have to be some major drama to accomplish the feat...a walk-off grand slam by Zimmerman in a game that had a two and a half hour rain delay. The game apparently didn't end until 1:45 in the morning.
I say apparently because I missed it...I was in Harrisburg Saturday with my daughter watching another game that was rain delayed (three and a half hours). I intended to take game-time photos to add to the Senators photo album but the rain forced me to keep my camera gear in car. Will have to make up for that when they play in Bowie later in the season.
 Nationals Third Baseman Ryan Zimmerman With A Walk Off Homer At 1:43 AM
It is my fervent hope that the Nationals will use this as a springboard for a season turn-around. Don't get me wrong, I of course know that they aren't going to be making a run for the pennant this year, but I hope they can dispose of this talk of being historically bad. MASN announcers Bob Carpenter and Don Sutton have made comments during the game that despite the losing, the Nats have been holding tight against their opponents. Now it's time to turn those close games into victories.
That being said, it's not going to be easy because they are going to have to do it against the Braves during the week, followed by our cross-town rival Barn Swallows (cough) excuse me...Orioles over the weekend. Not only this, but they will be working with a much diminished pitching rotation since both #1 John Patterson and #2 Shawn Hill will be sitting these games out on the disabled list. Simontacchi proved yesterday that he can be effective again...however apparently Levale Speigner will be starting against the Braves on Wednesday. Yeah, my fingers are crossed too.
 Arghh! Baltimore Fans Can't Get A Break! Yet Another Player On The DL. May 09 07 HARRISBURG SENATORS THE 2007 HARRISBURG SENATORS
I must admit that since our parent club has been struggling so horribly lately, my criss-cross around the minor league circuit has been a much needed distraction for my sanity. For this week's destination, I drove the two and a half hour hike up to Harrisburg, PA to visit the Nationals AA affiliate: Harrisburg Senators. Let me tell you, it was a gorgeous night for baseball and the ballpark in Harrisburg is top notch.
Commerce Bank Ballpark (originally Riverfront Stadium); the venue for the Senators since 1987, is located on an island in the Susquehanna River alongside the town proper. In fact, you can see the city skyline and the majestic Pennsylvania Statehouse across the river from the upper seats. There is both a vehicle and a footbridge that connects the island with downtown. Parking for the games is also available on the island for $3.00.
 HARRISBURG LEFT HANDED STARTING PITCHER MICHAEL HINCKLEY
Monday night featured an familiar face for me since Mike Hinckley used to be a starter for Potomac just last year. I found his performance pretty good but he walked some guys in some bad spots which seemed to make life difficult for him. Another Potomac arm; Alexis Morales, came in and took the mound after Mike and was really sharp. He had a biting fast ball that seemed to mystify the Rock Cats. The Senators had their best chance when they had the tieing baserunner, Frank Diaz only 90 feet away...but unfortunately failed to score on an attempted steal of home plate. Harrisburg closer Zechry Zinicola kept the game within a run, but they never again threatened for the remainder of the contest. The following evening on Tuesday was a miserable affair with my favorite young pitcher, Beltran Perez allowing 8 earned runs, 4 of them in the first inning. Perez has been off to a slow start so far this season.
 SENATORS FIRST BASEMAN JOSH WHITESELL
The biggest success story so far from this club appears to be the first baseman Josh Whitesell, who's already racked up 5 home runs, a .359 batting average and a .454 on base percentage. Yesterday while I was photographing BP, the MASN "Nats Access" crew was there interviewing Josh. Larry Broadway (who whoever is playing first in Columbus these days) should take notice. With the continual struggle of any type of offensive power currently experienced in our beloved Nationals, Whitesell could find himself propelled to the next level sooner rather than later. |
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