- Ryan Zimmerman returns!
- Gorzelanny makes rehab start, soon to return and replace Yunesky "The Dominican League Roy Halladay" Maya.
- LaRoche out for year, spares team months of awkward and poorly planned outfield platooning while still injured Adam weakly hacks his way to off-season surgery.
- Ankiel injured. No more Ankiel for a couple days. You know he's been hitting worse since coming back? He left hitting .221 / .302 /.288. He has hit .167 / .200 / .250 since.
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Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Best Nats News of the Day....
Lots of good news for the Nats yesterday. So much so that I can't decide what exactly is the best news I've heard. Is it:
lol @ the comment in parentheses love your blog keep it up...
ReplyDeleteThe Plan for June/July:
ReplyDeleteDELETIONS:
1) DFA Stairs.
2) DL/DFA Ankiel.
3) Maya -> AAA
4) Trade Marquis
5) Bixler?
ADDITIONS:
1) Brad Peacock (bullpen?)
2) Tom Milone
3) Gorzy off DL
4) Antonelli to bench
5) Oliver Perez to bullpen
I know this isn't a contention year. Guys like Antonelli, however, we might as well see what they can do. He's probably not a prospect but might be useful as a bench guy. Similarly, I'd like for Marrero to be called up for a few weeks to "give him a taste".
The team can contend this year. They need to get to .500 by the all-star break. That will put them about 5 or so games out of a wild card spot. Kudos to the management getting the team to play this well thru the Zimmerman injury.
ReplyDeleteI'm not so sure about #2. Maya is not ready for prime time, but Gorzo frightenes me a little too. I'd rather see Milone brought up. They can make rooom for him on the 40 man by DFAing (take your pick) Stairs, Ankiel or for Pete's sake, Mock!
ReplyDeleteOliver Perez to the bullpen.... that's about the most frightening statement I've seen in print for some time.
Yes to Antonelli. The Brian Bixler could end anytime as far as I'm concerned.
LaRoache who....
ReplyDeleteI agree with anonymous. I think if the Nats get to .500 by the All Star break, then it is possible to close the gap and make some people notice. There are a lot of teams who recognize that the Nats play great little ball on offense, play great defense, and have a good pitching staff, and are only one solid starter from being very good (notice I didn't say great). But Rizzo has to go out and find at least one other solid bat to really be in contention. Morse and Nix need to play everyday, Bernie in CF, (I was wrong about Ankiel) and Stairs either has to go or become a coach.
If Rigs hadn't taken Marquis out of the Orioles game a couple weeks ago, he would be 8-2 and one of the top pitchers in the league. He wants to stay a Nat and we are going to have a better team next year, Strausburg is coming back, and Jordan Z is pitching his ass off without run support, so I disagree with the idea of trading him.
Who knows, Pujols might be available at season's end. It could happen...
hahaha...Olie Perez in the pen. Agree sec314. that is scary and enough to set the team back 3 years.
ReplyDeleteLets not get carried away on the wild card talk just case they won 4 games in a row. It is nice to dream thoguh...and fun to wacth games like last night.
Ps. Maya...its always nice to hang a 60 mph curve for Pujols to destroy. that was such a nice early xmas gift i had to laugh.
mw- thanks
ReplyDeleteRusch - They won't put Peacock in the pen yet so expect him to stay in the minors until a spot opens up. Perez is interesting. He doesn't serve any good purpose in AAA but he'd be eating up a spot in the majors and how much interest could he garner really?
Anon - Sched isnt' too bad before the break. If they can get to 2-3 under by the time that last long homestand starts it'll be interesting.
314 - Gorzo is getting paid and Milone's clock hasn't started so Tom #1 gets the first shot. You should check out Ollie's numbers in the minors. Pretty good. Worth a call-up if the space opens up but seems kind of an anti-Rizzo guy.
Froggy - .500 might be possible but I don't see them making any trades to get that elusivce bat. If help doesn't come from what they've got already, it ain't coming.
Pujols? But whatever would the Nats do with LaRoche?
DCN - It's kind of fun to have watched enough baseball to know a split second before it happens when a pitch is going to be absolutely crushed. Maya's curve was one of those times.
I've seen Ollie's #s... in the minors and in the Majors in the past. He's Daniel Cabrera/Garrett Mock, etc.
ReplyDeleteIf we're talking relievers, Stammen and Balester are on the 40 man. If they want to make room, why not Wilkie?
#1 it is. Everything just feels that much more relaxed with #11 back there.
ReplyDeleteBut #4 is nice too.
#3 - kind of sad. I really think that if a guy is injured, he gets a pass. We shouldn't hold it against him that he tried to play through the torn labrum, instead of going on DL right away to protect his stat line. Defense was spectacular to watch.
Ollie? - Might want to check the first level or two behind the stat line. My understanding is he hasn't hit 85mph yet.
Finding contention a hard thing to even contemplate this year. Still feel like it is a good year if JZimm, Espy and Ramos earn the right to be considered fixtures. great if Desi somehow raises his game to that level too. Also in favor of seeing some of the young pitchers get some time, even in the pen.
Yeah, I was unhappy with LaRoche's performance, but seeing how badly he was hurt I think we can give him a pass there...though I really am starting to wonder about the training staff's mishandling of injury (i.e. allowing players to try to play through them and resulting in more serious injuries).
ReplyDeleteHopefully, he can heal and return for next year to something resembling his usual career performance (and at least since Dunn is having such an awful spring himself it helps to soothe our regrets over not resigning him)...unless Morse turns out to be for real or genuine miracles occur and we somehow actually land Pujols or Fielder.
...and hey, another LIVAN!! sighting tonight. For at least one day, we can savor not having sole possession of last place. ^_^
5 in a row and the bats have come alive.
ReplyDelete@ KR
Most of your prescient wish list has come to pass. The question is, of course, Marquis. As in the summer of Sorriano, it depends on what is being offered, where the NATS stand in late July, etc.
I don't know if the NATS can "contend" this year but my prediction of 79 wins seems attainable again.
Sec 314 (& Wally) - Because Wilkie can always come up later but Perez is a now or never deal? It's not like I love Perez or anything but if they don't bring him up than what did they sign him for? Just drop him if you aren't going to use him.
ReplyDeleteWally - #3 yeah, I'm not happy that LaRoche had to go down the way he did, but I am glad it helps avoid a potentially tricky situation almost certainly sitting hot bats for cold ones.
I worry that if they win 2-3 more or 4 of the next 5, fans will start getting their hopes up too high. I guess that's a good thing to be worried about.
Dezo - The Nats have been in last for a month now. It'll be good to climb out of the cellar psychologically at least. Thanks tanking Marlins.
Sec 204 - and if the Nats even want Marquis back next year. That's something we don't really touch on. If Strasburg looks healthy and Gorzelanny has a strong 2nd half, Marquis could be seen by the team as superfluous