tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676208.post1985187457240859115..comments2023-10-20T04:28:04.547-04:00Comments on Nats320 -- A Washington Nationals Blog: Why?Screech's Best Friendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094199653375184305noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676208.post-2415401974398017102009-05-21T16:11:37.970-04:002009-05-21T16:11:37.970-04:00I think the disappointment in the bullpen is indee...I think the disappointment in the bullpen is indeed leaking over to the position players. Before last night's game I jokingly sent a text to a friend asking him what inning would the Nationals mount a comeback and what inning would the bullpen blow it. Now this isn't a joking matter. If the Pirates sweep us tonight in our park it will truly be a "Defining Moment" of this year....<br /><br />Take Me Out To The Ballgame!<br /><br />SamSam Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03893689566777764166noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676208.post-48115263303858866922009-05-21T12:17:52.894-04:002009-05-21T12:17:52.894-04:00Required reading for all Nationals Fans, especiall...Required reading for all Nationals Fans, especially the young ones, "The Year The Yankees Lost The Pennant". Ya gotta have heart. It takes heart to watch a bad baseball team and survive with your sanity intact. Maybe we can sell our souls to the devil for Joe Hardy.nats guyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17664345829794812697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676208.post-514090097256127562009-05-21T11:30:23.370-04:002009-05-21T11:30:23.370-04:00SBF:
Is it my imagination, or is Bergmann being b...SBF:<br /><br />Is it my imagination, or is Bergmann being badly mistreated this season? First, after being told that he would have to make the club as a reliever at the beginning of spring training, he had what was pretty close to a flawless spring, but was sent to Syracuse on the eve of Opening Day. He then got called up as part of the Purge of April 18th, but was sent down again shortly thereafter when Logan Kensing (who pitched poorly before being DFA'd by Florida) was acquired and Saul Rivera (who was originally sent down as part of the April 18 purge but got a reprieve when Joe Beimel went on the DL) remained with the big club. Then last night's triple warmup.<br /><br />Now, aside from last night, I place the blame more on Mike Rizzo than Manny, and I wonder, if this becomes part of a pattern of how players are treated, how this may adversely affect FAs from wanting to come here, as word gets around.<br /><br />I also blame Rizzo for showing Steven Shell the door on April 18 for no apparent reason. While his few outings this season were not all stellar, I thought he came in in a pretty rough situation in Atlanta, and that his subsequent ones were decent. I also believe he was one of our two most effective relievers in 2008, and that even if (as is rumored) Rizzo thought last year was a fluke, it could just as easily have been that he found his niche once he became a reliever who got fairly regular work. At least we could have let him prove that 2008 was a fluke before cutting him loose.<br /><br />Now, instead of cutting our losses with Daniel Cabrera and promoting Tyler Clippard, whose body of work at Syracuse merits a promotion, we send Daniel to the pen with the big club to learn how to be a reliever at the Major League level. I can't imagine this move will be successful, given his both historical and recent control problems.<br /><br />While this is certainly out-of-the-box thinking, I'm beginning to believe that maybe we should carry nine or ten starters and assign two to each game with the idea that each will pitch no more than six innings and no less than four. Aside from John Lannan, our young starters are probably under some sort of innings count for the season, and this may keep us from needing to shut each of them down for much of September. It could also give management some taste for how the first nine or ten starters on the depth chart all measure up against major league hitting without subjecting them to the potential disadvantage of third or fourth at bats from a lineup on any given day.<br /><br />Finally, SBF, you and AQ are indeed correct about the six line-outs. Four to Morgan in left, one to McClouth in center, and one (absolutely smoked by J Max) to Sanchez at second.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676208.post-78757320493451523102009-05-21T10:07:53.129-04:002009-05-21T10:07:53.129-04:00"How about WHY? If Manny isn't impressed with the ..."How about WHY? If Manny isn't impressed with the pitch selection, doesn't he get the message to the battery, in some shape, form or fashion -- DURING THE GAME?"<br /><br />The only relevant WHY? question at this point is why is Hanrahan still even pitching on this team, much less pitching when the game is on the line? Hanrahan can't throw his slider with any consistency (other than consistently in the dirt) so what message is Manny supposed to convey to him or the catcher in any way, shape or form DURING THE GAME anyway? Quit sucking and throw your pitches right? I have a feeling that message has been conveyed to Hanrahan repeatedly by Acta and St. Claire, but he just doesn't seem to be getting it. Get rid of him. Not only is he not closer material, he's not even a viable major league pitcher at this point. Sure, he's a nice guy, but we all know Leo Durocher was right, don't we?An Briosca Morhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06855174362787324401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676208.post-56569724896928388082009-05-21T09:53:58.818-04:002009-05-21T09:53:58.818-04:00Manny Acta's biggest failing is he doesn't have a ...Manny Acta's biggest failing is he doesn't have a feel for the pitchers.. its an intangible thing..tough to measure but I don't believe he has that gut instinct combined with knowledge from previous experiences to know when to yank a pitcher or when to put in another pitcher...<br /><br />Bottom line is it seems clear ownership is OK with losing 110-115 games this year and therefore Manny's job is apparently safe and it rubs off on the players. Its a "its ok to lose mentality"Record diggerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15567481120621896280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676208.post-80238844810758881302009-05-21T05:57:48.242-04:002009-05-21T05:57:48.242-04:00In today's National Journal, Chico has this... "Af...In today's National Journal, Chico has this... "After Hanrahan loaded the bases, he threw sliders almost exclusively. Manager Manny Acta wasn't impressed with that pitch selection -- which is dictated by the catcher. "There, they just didn't mix it very well," Acta said. "They threw about seven or eight in a row. Once you throw the fastball up in the zone like he does at times, then you throw the slider down [and] you change the eye-level on a guy's swing. But when you throw five or six down in the dirt, the guys, they're not going to chase it."<br /><br />How about WHY? If Manny isn't impressed with the pitch selection, doesn't he get the message to the battery, in some shape, form or fashion -- DURING THE GAME?Janetnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676208.post-49846747719789104092009-05-21T05:23:13.341-04:002009-05-21T05:23:13.341-04:00Why? Why did ownership leave Bowden in place for a...Why? Why did ownership leave Bowden in place for as long as they did? Why did they and Kasten bottom-feed on the pitching side even when low-risk bargains galore materialized this off-season? <br /><br />Because you have be passionate about the team and what it represents to the area, not treat as a "family legacy item" as the Lerners termed the team from the second close personal friend Bud Selig ended all bidding at $450 million [leaving bids of $600 million plus on the table] because Bud knew that Lerner fit the Carl Pohlad mold of an owner who'd always choose the bottom line over contending. <br /><br />At least Pohlad had more of an excuse, being in a much smaller media market and in a revenue-unfriendly stadium. Lerner doesn't, yet he prodces this drek. It goes back to who was most dedicated to the idea of baseball in this area and wanted to make it succeed like never before. The question is if there's enough honesty for us to point it out.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28676208.post-85847851213936247182009-05-21T01:54:20.404-04:002009-05-21T01:54:20.404-04:00Why can't Manny bring it upon himself to enforce s...Why can't Manny bring it upon himself to enforce some discipline? I know you want Dunn's bat in the game, but a gutsy move would have been for Manny to bench him after the fourth inning. Send a message that if we're not going to tolerate it from our Big Free Agent Bat, it's not tolerated for anyone else either. Manny's stoic, no reaction, mode has played it's hand out. The players know there's no accountability and the sloppy, half-hearted, play continues. It's time for Manny to be shown the door.Sec 317noreply@blogger.com