tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post1945622067132454586..comments2024-03-27T19:05:25.362-07:00Comments on Nationals Baseball: Will the Nationals ever play baseball again?Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07738813756060133236noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-27701819841429215122018-05-21T07:13:50.646-07:002018-05-21T07:13:50.646-07:00JDBrew, There are a lot of people who go to specif...JDBrew, There are a lot of people who go to specific minor league games, regardless of the professional affiliation, to see potential future stars. The NH Fisher Cats (Vlad Jr.) are at Bowie in the beginning of August, but he will likely be long gone by then.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-81735616479229228192018-05-21T05:39:15.730-07:002018-05-21T05:39:15.730-07:00Two unrelated comments on yesterday's game (wa...Two unrelated comments on yesterday's game (was there for the last half). I got there in the 6th and people were leaving already. You'd think that this was Los Angeles. <br /><br />Anyway:<br /><br />Solis came in and I was going to wager on whether he'd give up a tater or a double. He surprised me. But I was just off until Kelley came in.<br /><br />What's the longest half of a baseball game? The last two innings of a Dave Robert's managed game. The guy's a freakin' rain delay.W. Pattersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14136399964612314367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-37715170971906952972018-05-21T05:33:36.356-07:002018-05-21T05:33:36.356-07:00Howie Kendrick out for the season.
Adam Eaton pro...Howie Kendrick out for the season. <br />Adam Eaton probably out for the season. <br />Ryan Zimmerman on the DL, and not hitting for squat when he does play. <br />Brian Goodwin still on the DL. No definite timetable for return. <br />Daniel Murphy hasn't played a game all season, and still on the DL. No definite timetable for return. <br />Matt Weiters on the DL after hamstring surgery...no definite timetable for return....and not sure he's any better than Severino anyway. MAT probably likes him, but that's just because Weiters throws him the ball a lot--when guys are stealing second.<br />Ryan Madson just added to the DL.<br />Bryce Harper is being walked at a record rate, and is scuffling when they do pitch to him. <br />Michael A. Taylor can't hit his hat size, but there's nobody else with his defensive skills to put in centerfield.<br />No long man in the bullpen. <br />All we got is starting pitching and a great closer, but now even Sean Doolittle is blowing saves.<br /><br />We're in deep doodoo.Sammy Kenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17286255593094532554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-10280256212542054292018-05-20T21:38:51.596-07:002018-05-20T21:38:51.596-07:00Also, I enjoy going to historical baseball events....Also, I enjoy going to historical baseball events. So, I had good seats to Strasburg ‘s debut and drive up to NY to catch Acuña Jr. big Apple debut and Soroka’s first start and Soto I believe is up there with Cabrera and Pujols as a dominant hitter of his generation so it was looking like something very big to go to.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18267541044441756804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-34709483637624221562018-05-20T21:33:44.936-07:002018-05-20T21:33:44.936-07:00I went to see Ian Anderson pitch in Hagerstown and...I went to see Ian Anderson pitch in Hagerstown and saw Juan Soto tattoo him until he badly injured his ankle sliding into home plate. Preseason, I posted an article on the top 50 prospects and had placed Soto 9th. The industry once again, like Acuña Jr the year before, failed to recognize a great talent simply due to a non permanent injury. I ended up passing on going when I learned Soto wasn’t going to start. Just bizarre to bring him up as a pinch hitter for the day. He has got to play. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18267541044441756804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-37165167468167288282018-05-20T19:43:36.914-07:002018-05-20T19:43:36.914-07:00I think we can all agree that that was about as ba...I think we can all agree that that was about as bad as the weekend could have gone. At least the starters all looked solid.Robotnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-81518260453520377812018-05-20T15:24:27.050-07:002018-05-20T15:24:27.050-07:00Well, Solis did his job today. Suero did not, and...Well, Solis did his job today. Suero did not, and Kelley is hopeless. MAT just plain cannot hit. The starters pitched 3 very good games, and the Nats got swept. Yikes! And the Nats can't really do much at the trade deadline because they have no prospects to trade. Soto and Robles are keepers, and no one else is worth anything. <br /><br />That said, a healthy Daniel Murphy would make a big difference in the batting order, assuming he can hit 0.300+. And Bryce needs to get back on track. PotomacFanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17479027458024348671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-27809192425148000912018-05-20T14:07:24.357-07:002018-05-20T14:07:24.357-07:00Hellickson mixed with the pen is an interesting st...Hellickson mixed with the pen is an interesting strategy - I'd be open to it. Except we don't have any arms that are worth pitching more than they have to. The rotation 1-5 is pretty solid, and anyone out of bullpen not named Doolittle or Madson just makes me hold my breath and pray we make it out of the inning alive.<br /><br />A lot of these relief arms don't pass the eye test. You know, they inner voice that tells you "okay, Solis in the game... up 4-2, facing a lefty... hmm..." and you ask yourself: "what's the worst thing he could do... give up a homer?" AND HE DOES! It's truly amazing. There are certain guys on this team where you just anticipate failure, and they almost always justify your convictions. I understand you can't have 25 guys that you love and trust in any situation. But we certainly have a lot of the opposite. And I'm not including all of the Syracuse guys: Sanchez had an AB last night against Jansen that I would bet my mortgage MAT wasn't capable of. Are we absolutely certain that any minor league outfielder would do farrrr worse that 6 for your last 52 like Taylor does? I'd love to find out! Seriously! We were all having the debate about Adams platooning with Zimmerman... how about Reynolds/Adams full-time or a platoon of those two? Why does Zimm have to be included in the solution when .217/.280/.409 is clearly part of the problem?Ole PBNnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-87281119924378251002018-05-20T10:33:40.500-07:002018-05-20T10:33:40.500-07:00If Hellickson is terrible the third time through a...If Hellickson is terrible the third time through a lineup, would a strategy similar to the Rays' use of a reliever for one inning before inserting the starter actually work to get more innings for him when it's his turn up? I like weird new strategies, and Martinez has embraced some forward-thinking approaches for the batting order.<br /><br />Also since Kendrick is out and the best that can happen is hanging around the second wild-card slot, it's time to cut loose. Bring up everyone in the farm system who looks halfway decent. Work out a long-term deal with Bryce or trade him now. Trade Gio and the Law Firm. Add racing wheelchair FDR to the presidents race.Kublanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-82748350696331975842018-05-20T04:28:55.572-07:002018-05-20T04:28:55.572-07:00@Ty Miller
I’m so confused. Why as a Braves fan w...@Ty Miller<br /><br />I’m so confused. Why as a Braves fan would you have to go to a Nats-Dodgers game because you love a prospect in the Nats farm system? Seriously not trying to be insulting or anything, just trying to understand the relevance of the Braves fan part of your statement. The Ghost of Ole Cole Henry (JDBrew)https://www.blogger.com/profile/02819416305740233222noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-76501571301274289732018-05-19T21:15:10.821-07:002018-05-19T21:15:10.821-07:00Got to go to tomorrow’s game as a Braves fan. Lov...Got to go to tomorrow’s game as a Braves fan. Love Soto.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18267541044441756804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-91573819114720128022018-05-19T21:14:33.000-07:002018-05-19T21:14:33.000-07:00@Cass
yeah but not the reason I would have liked ...@Cass<br /><br />yeah but not the reason I would have liked to see him called upFriesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-49409836567982185322018-05-19T21:01:08.390-07:002018-05-19T21:01:08.390-07:00Called it.
https://www.mlb.com/news/nationals-to-...Called it.<br /><br />https://www.mlb.com/news/nationals-to-call-up-prospect-juan-soto/c-277498492cassnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-84384617754537020162018-05-19T08:12:50.689-07:002018-05-19T08:12:50.689-07:001. If he's hitting what you say he's hitti...1. If he's hitting what you say he's hitting - he could easily be up. I have to imagine it depends on how the team is doing and how the position is doing. If they are comfortable and the 4th OF is doing fine, I don't think they'd move Soto up to take a 5th OF spot. If they are out of the race I doubt they'd bring him up to win a few more meaningless games. There's also a hierarchy though. Robles, if he's hitting, comes first. <br /><br />2. No idea on Robles. Nothing I heard dismisses the initial talk of it being months but not the whole year. But that's still probably August back playing in the minors at the earliest. <br /><br />So I think the most likely scenario has Robles back in August, September call-up, Soto does stay in minors BUT that's not a high probability. There's a lot of different things that can happen. Harperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07738813756060133236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-38912320805109646792018-05-18T17:24:27.234-07:002018-05-18T17:24:27.234-07:00Harper: i have two questions. Because I think the ...Harper: i have two questions. Because I think the answer to them are key. <br />1. I ASSUME we won’t see Soto at the end of the year. Right? That would be the norm. Except insane talents like this who utterly make a mockery of levels with video game numbers like Vlad Guerrero, etc sometimes shoot up levels and end up in majors earlier than expected despite crazy youth (it happened with Bryce, it happened with Acuna, it will happen with Vlad.....so I suppose the question is, why wouldn’t you bring him up if you’re in a pennant race in the fall and he’s hitting like .330/.450/.650 AA?<br />2. Robles. When is he going to be back do you think? I’ve heard people say he’s done for the year. I’ve heard people say second half. I’ve heard September. because man is that a huge injury, given MAT playing like this and Eaton/Goodwin hurt. To me the ideal alignment, assuming Soto will spend the whole year in minors—is Eaton in LF, Robles in CF, Bryce in RF, MAT as defensive replacement/late inning preservation of eaton’s legs. BxJaycobbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15841583667789907324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-52172553634883889722018-05-18T17:16:03.366-07:002018-05-18T17:16:03.366-07:00Unfortunately.....catcher has become a black hole ...Unfortunately.....catcher has become a black hole for everybody EXCEPT the team we’re chasing. Somehow, the combo of Flowers and Suzuki is like peak Johnny Bench this year. Don’t ask me how. BxJaycobbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15841583667789907324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-85865089030106288642018-05-18T17:14:31.606-07:002018-05-18T17:14:31.606-07:00This was a scary good run down. Except to add this...This was a scary good run down. Except to add this: basically....our rotation has been borderline looney tunes pseudo-historically great. If those 4 (now 5 with hellickson) pitch merely well as opposed to “wait....those 5 have a 2.6 ERA?” we would be below .500 and in a hole. BxJaycobbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15841583667789907324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-3620060000158391632018-05-18T13:16:16.737-07:002018-05-18T13:16:16.737-07:00I also get your point - Robles and Goodwin aren...I also get your point - Robles and Goodwin aren't helping out bc of injury! And you cant say "Guys could get injured!" is analysis because that applies everywhere. Everywhere is a problem then. Prime Cal Ripken could be a problem if you didn't have a good back-up SS. <br /><br />That's true but my belief was that these guys wouldn't be helping bc of current talent level. So I'm half right - on MAT and Eaton, but the other side is not half-right on Robles and Goodwin. That's undecided. So I think I win 0.5 to 0. I'll check with the official scorer Harperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07738813756060133236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-40367938647707461932018-05-18T12:38:23.598-07:002018-05-18T12:38:23.598-07:00By "told you so" I mean I talked about h...By "told you so" I mean I talked about how I thought it was LIKELY MAT wasn't that good, and LIKELY that Eaton would be slow to recover or be an injury risk, and LIKELY Robles wouldn't be a big help this year and LIKELY that Goodwin wouldn't be a real 3rd OF or better all while Kendrick would LIKELY be stuck at 2B for a while. <br /><br />That it was possible, though admittedly not LIKELY, that all those things would hit and the OF would suffer. You know - the 60%*60%*60%*60% thing (that's like a 13% chance) - where as you guys were like "No Way that all happens!"<br /><br />Or IOW - It's not like I said "Oh this is going to happen!" I was simply pointing out "Oh, this totally could happen!" And it did! But I would have taken credit regardless because the idea behind it - that OF problems were possible - was sound. Harperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07738813756060133236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-88166188521010776482018-05-18T11:51:38.793-07:002018-05-18T11:51:38.793-07:00I think we're doing just fine that cancer Jays...I think we're doing just fine that cancer Jayson Werth dicking around in the Mariner's AAA affiliate.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-80788036778313056122018-05-18T11:47:24.604-07:002018-05-18T11:47:24.604-07:00Is there a reason why players/managers/medical sta...Is there a reason why players/managers/medical staff always have to overestimate the return date for an injured player? If they say 6 weeks for Eaton to return, do they mean "as early as 6 weeks?" If not, then 4-5 is possible? Please, what hogwash. Why not say 10-12 weeks, and if he's back by then: great! These "assumptions" are so unbelievably inaccurate so very often - why even put such a ridiculous time frame out there? Kind of like Murphy making it for Opening Day. Kind of like Rendon day-to-day for that toe... fans once again are getting the run-around. I agree with you Harper: All-Star break... maybe. Ignore the noise.Ole PBNnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-14043629180511773572018-05-18T11:02:09.542-07:002018-05-18T11:02:09.542-07:00+1 to flapjack. Eaton's injury and MAT's s...+1 to flapjack. Eaton's injury and MAT's struggles were foreseeable, and Harper pointed them out at the beginning of the season. <br /><br />But it was not foreseeable that Eaton's injury would occur at the same time Robles and Goodwin would get injured, nor was it foreseeable that all three of these injuries would occur at the same time Kendrick is unavailable to play LF because he's busy replacing Murphy. Timing matters, and Harper's crystal ball could not have reasonable predicted this all would have happened at the same time (in fact, his crystal ball was worried about whether Robles would hit well enough).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-83316450787465410092018-05-18T10:32:31.928-07:002018-05-18T10:32:31.928-07:00Harper, I've been waiting for "told you s...Harper, I've been waiting for "told you so" on the outfielders. You certainly were right last year regarding Wieters possibly being the team's weakest link in the playoffs. But we had such shallow depth at that position (we should have picked up Suzuki). Can't recall what you've said about catcher this year, but your willingness to take credit for an improbable string of OF injuries -- such as Goodwin and Robles each injured on diving catches (no wonder Bryce is a statue) -- is still exasperating.<br /><br />MAT's predictable travails are irritating because the two guys who should be replacing him are stuck on IR. If they get off IR and still can't replace MAT, then you've got a told-ya.Flapjacknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-88352008871391159302018-05-18T09:06:38.414-07:002018-05-18T09:06:38.414-07:00the rays suck... BRING BACK THE BUFFALO!!!!!!!!!
...the rays suck... BRING BACK THE BUFFALO!!!!!!!!!<br /><br />WIIIIIILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLSSSSSSSSSSSOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!<br /><br />WIIIIIILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLSSSSSSSSSSSOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!<br /><br />WIIIIIILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLSSSSSSSSSSSOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!Zimmerman11https://www.blogger.com/profile/14524103974207323535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-90838161424482010122018-05-18T08:13:27.310-07:002018-05-18T08:13:27.310-07:00In reference to outfield depth at deadline. As lon...In reference to outfield depth at deadline. As long as Robles is back by Julyish, they will give him a chance in centerfield if MAT continues to struggle. Cheap option and is MAT level defender with a better bat. I see no reason to go buy a Center fielder when they can get a starter or Kelvin Herrera. On another note, Catcher has become a offensive black hole across the MLB so if we only have one hole in the lineup but he provides contact and above average defense it will be hard to improve other than Realmuto who is going to cost an arm and a legTreaples69https://www.blogger.com/profile/04875053153656460229noreply@blogger.com