- They are more maddening. It's just throws.
- They've come in a bunch.
- They've come in losses.
- Ian is hitting. Zimm is not.
I'd have to check for if Ian's fits the 2nd or 3rd (where are your fielding game logs Baseball Reference?!) but there are reasons, legit and less legit. I'd say as much as it seems painful, give it a few more weeks. Could be a hiccup that we notice more now, or some little hill he can get over quickly. It'll never be perfect but we're not looking for that. We just don't want an error every other game here.
Busy today, but I'll leave you with this : Haren stinks, don't he?
25 comments:
I am still not sure about how I feel about Haren. He has certainly not had good results yet this season, but he seems to be getting better.
His velocity has not been a problem. In fact, he was looking really good until Z's error. This makes me think it is something mental. New team, new city, new league? I still give him a better than 50/50 chance of turning it around if it is just a mental thing.
He doesn't seem to be pulling a Halladay...and he doesn't seem to be injured, so he isn't pulling a Lincecum. He seems to be ok for stretches, but then falls apart as soon as something goes wrong. Isn't pitching well from the stretch???
5. Have led to more bases.
Not sure about this, but throwing errors often not only fail at making an out, but the runner advances an extra base (and other runners advance an extra base) when the ball goes past its intended target.
Also, yes, Haren sucks. Three starts and spring training. I'm seeing a trend. On the other hand, the Marlins did resort to biological warfare to take out our leadoff guy and a our best hitter.
I think the errors clear up, the lineup continues to do well. Stras, Gio, JZimm, and Det all do well, Haren becomes tolerable, and the team becomes good. But we still need to be better than the Braves.
After the Mets, we have a pretty tough stretch that will say a lot about this team. At this point, series wins against the Marlins & Mets, and Lord help us at least one Braves loss, would feel like progress.
I agree with notBobby that a lot of what's going on with Haren and Zimm in particular and the Nats in general is mental. They just don't seem relaxed.
I think Desi gets a pass because he's turned it on in a big way on offense and seems to be hitting his groove on defense.
The stretch to finish April is concerning, though, no doubt. We need to be out of this funk before we start the series against the Cards. Nothing would be better for us than winning that series...and, might be nothing would be worse for us than losing it or getting swept.
The difference between Zim and Desmond (IMO) is that Zim really doesn't look right in his throws. I know he has always had an unnatural throwing motion and it worked out, but this year (and last) his throws are everywhere with no zip on them. With Desmond, there is nothing wrong with the arm or the glove, he just booted a few balls.
I hope Zim is just working out the kinks from shoulder surgery and getting his arm strength all the way back, but I am very worried about his throws from third (and never his glove/range/hands).
Harp, I'm just confused why anyone was hyping up Haren in the first place. He's been pretty durable over his career, and his K/BB rate is obviously nice, but it is becoming clearer and clearer that K/BB rate does not define a good pitcher, at least in Haren's case. Do you think we should move him to fifth?
They should move him to Syracuse. He SUCKS!
I still don't know why we didn't at least throw a qualifying offer out for Edwin. If he signs elsewhere, then hey we get a pick. If he accepts, I'd like him over Haren. I felt Edwin at least gave 2 good starts for every bad one. I don't feel like Haren will ever really keep us in a game. He gives up to many XBH.
Also confused about the lack of a QO for Jackson. Maybe a handshake agreement with Boras?
Of course, there's another guy the Nats had team control of for another few years. So far, John Lannan has a 2.77 ERA anmd 2.70 FIP for the Phillies.
5. Zim's errors bother us much more because they deviate much more from our expectations for him v. Desi We have higher expectations for Zim than Desi because our first looks at them were Zim = Gold Glove, Desi = athletic but wild and erratic (plus he threatened the record for errors by a SS). I think that only a few people, deep down, have bought into Desi as an above average fielder, so we are kind of grateful when he doesn't make an error still. Whereas Zim, we expect to see him on WebGems each night.
6. The way that Zim's errors have occurred, it is hard to see how they are not going to continue to be repeated. It is not like he has fired 10 rock solid bullets for each error: all of his throws look like they are questionable. So we get more antsy because the problem looks like it is hasn't gone away.
Personally I am so concerned about Zimm because of how he looks throwing: like a blown out arm that has healed incorrectly. Every throw looks awkward, and it is affecting the confidence of the team.
Haren has been poor, only consolation is that Edwin Jackson has not been any better in Chicago.
nB - fastball hasn't really improved back to 2011 levels. Still time I guess. Real issues is that he doesn't seem to have an out pitch. Nothing is working great right now. I don't think it's mental, I think it is physical. Not necessarily injured but just not recovered yet. Certainly not a Halladay - he's got something, but is it building back or only going to be available in 2 inning spurts?
cass - yep, that too. booting a ball is kind of the best error you can do, for what's that worth. That's what Bryce and Span get for opening their own mail. No one in DC should.
KB - Yeah - I got no worries about the Nats playoff chances. It's not even a tenth into the season. But those Braves are getting mighty small in the distance right now. True, it's a marathon, but you can't just spot someone a mile.
Eric - Zimm is def mental. Like I said not sure about Haren. The Nats really don't catch a extended breather until June. Losing the Cards series wouldn't be terrible, but they need to beat some winning teams soon.
Anon - I think Zim is trying to fix something that was broken. But it was usable at least.This is just making it worse. Go back to the old way, cross your fingers injury wise
Stras - K/BB usually is a decent indicator (though as we discussed at some point earlier this year - it overrates control a little) I actually think they SHOULD move him to 5th but not because of any ordinal reason. I think if you put Det in front of him the lefty -> righty thing might help him a little. He's the only guy in the rotation that follows a like armed pitcher.
DCNatty - NO ONE should be forced to move to Syracuse.
Miles / cass - the most likely scenario of why no QO was twofold. (1) they feared he may just accept the offer - he did in fact turn down multiyears before signing with the Nats (2) it freed them up to go after Haren. In retrospect no the best move but at least defensible at the time
Wally - more reasons! Also good. It does hang over every play to 3rd doesn't it. Where as Desmond's are more like "where did that come from".
Tyler - I didn't see a lot of ST games, did Zimm look this bad? Anyone know?
Yeah, it's pretty much because Zim has been an excellent fielder before, and Desmond has had to overcome more problems in that area. The expectations are lower defensively for him. I expect Ian to be about average and Zim to be very good.
I still expect that of Haren too. While he's shown his "control" by only walking one guy, his command has been crappy, leaving balls over the plate and up.
I don't envy the Nats video coach about now.
I said that about the Cards because I really think the Nats came back "pressing" due to how last season ended. I think losing the series to the Cards or getting swept by them would prolong what I feel is a team-wide problem with getting into a rhythm. I think winning the series or especially sweeping it would go a long way towards them getting their swagger back as a group. It would really help put NLDS 5 behind them.
I was only following on atbat last night (had to cover an evening job for a friend), so I didn't see Haren's performance. It's possible that it's an issue of mechanics from the stretch, but it seems like fielding errors get in his head, like he has to then save the day.
But, who knows. Without doubt, you're right that we need to beat a strong team, stat.
Sorry to quote myself, but...
"It would really help put NLDS 5 behind them."
To be fair (and honest), that comment may have more to do with me and other fans than the Nats...a lot of them just haven't seemed relaxed to me out there, though, whatever the reason.
cass is right. Lon... Jannon!!!
Unibrow and all. He's a bulldog, a fighter, got all the intangibles, plays the game the right way...
Or maybe I'm just biased because he went to school in my neck of the woods.
Lon Jannon, Braves killer! Spot starting phenom ... Miss that guy!!!
z11 - as possibly Lannan's biggest non-relative/family fan I must interject. JOHN LANNAN DOES NOT HAVE A UNIBROW!!!!
The Nats need to just eat Haren's contract, call it a bust (which Rizzo would NEVER do) and give Chris Young or one of the other AAA guys a shot. Can't be any worse than it is now. It's painful to watch. Some are blaming his falling apart last night on Zimm's error, forgetting that HE'S A MAJOR LEAGUE PITCHER AND SHOULD NOT BE RATTLED IN THE SLIGHTEST BY THAT.
I'm with Cass, Haren didn't impress at all in the spring, but I don't think this is a trend. I think this is who Haren is.
One more shot for him and unless he throws a no-no, we'll know for sure whether he just marginally sucks, or sucks real bad.
Harper, I disagree, just because Lannan clearly GROOMED his unibrow does not mean he does not in fact have one. Check out the picture here:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/WC3_6276_John_Lannan.jpg/800px-WC3_6276_John_Lannan.jpg
and tell me that those straight vertical eyebrows are a natural phenomenon, and not the result of manscaping!
I agree with z11, I ran into Lon Jannon once at a hotel near the park the day he got called up and other than him being a tall guy, all he needed was a mustache and a cigar with that eyebrow and he would have been Groucho Marx.
"Say the secret woid, and win a $100 dollars!"
I appreciate Harper giving me the last word on this unibrow issue. I want to make it clear that I am also a big John Lannan fan. Or at least I will be once he leaves Philly and plays somewhere else. Siena college is a place near and dear to my heart :)
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