tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post8922559762959469809..comments2024-03-28T10:50:33.234-07:00Comments on Nationals Baseball: A good plan, spoiled. Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07738813756060133236noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-20800807575815518282018-04-27T05:33:00.791-07:002018-04-27T05:33:00.791-07:00Anon @ 2:17 - maybe. Easiest way would be to wait ...Anon @ 2:17 - maybe. Easiest way would be to wait until end of April because then could use splits already out there. Harperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07738813756060133236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-3649489356245151762018-04-26T14:17:11.879-07:002018-04-26T14:17:11.879-07:00Harper - Can you do a post with some kind of team ...Harper - Can you do a post with some kind of team hitting and pitching comparison for every season 2014-2018 up to this date without telling initially which year is which to see if this year really is as bad as the win loss record indicates? My guess is it may be tougher to match up years than one would think.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-63162446990322709372018-04-26T13:29:26.135-07:002018-04-26T13:29:26.135-07:00Unfortunately, I think acquiring a middle reliever...Unfortunately, I think acquiring a middle reliever is going to cost prospects - of which we have none. Remember how much Brad Hand cost? We aren't willing to part with Robles or Soto (nor should we). The thing with this team is health and the failure to produce in-house bullpen talent. Someone has to pitch better. Suero? Austin Adams gets his control issues... under control? Fedde to the pen? Bryan Harper? I mean...<br /><br />Koda not panning out (yet) hurts, as he had some promise and would have eliminated a role to be filled. I get frustrated with guys who have had good numbers elsewhere and stink here (Solis lately, Kelley, etc.) Poorly constructed pen or poor performances highlighting bad GM decision making? Take your pick - players gotta play.<br /><br />Ole PBNnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-19492792360165258272018-04-26T13:11:24.851-07:002018-04-26T13:11:24.851-07:00I think if this team had no expectations, we'd...I think if this team had no expectations, we'd be saying what will they be like once they get healthy. But the thing is, since Martinez has to get this team to the World Series, all that matters is getting into the playoffs and winning - let all those other teams worry about all the injuries and stinking they have left to do, the Nats must win now! <br /><br />Can anyone make the case that the starting eight guys plus the top four starters, plus the best three relievers is not a playoff team? We should not anoint the Phillies and Braves prematurely. All they really need is health and perhaps a decent middle reliever. What in hell is easier to acquire than a middle reliever? Get about five of them and see who's good.blovy8https://www.blogger.com/profile/06888192019412533415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-56746259633699790222018-04-26T12:23:14.686-07:002018-04-26T12:23:14.686-07:00@Harper - You make a good point, I left the west c...@Harper - You make a good point, I left the west coast 30 years ago (grew up a Dodger fan) and don't plan to move back. Right now, as a Nats fan, I can watch every game. Folks in L.A. are lucky if they see two or three games a season on TV.W. Pattersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14136399964612314367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-50896492799770323912018-04-26T12:20:40.395-07:002018-04-26T12:20:40.395-07:00W Patterson - watching sports is probably the best...W Patterson - watching sports is probably the best reason to move to the West Coast, especially as a retiree. Harperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07738813756060133236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-80884743163138861812018-04-26T12:11:25.749-07:002018-04-26T12:11:25.749-07:00"What I really liked about yesterday's ga..."What I really liked about yesterday's game was that 14 of the 15 runs were scored with two outs. That's the kind of clutch hitting we've been needing."<br /><br />Nit-picking here, but that's not clutch hitting at all, when most of these two-out hits were when the Nats were already up 3-1, 6-1, 8-1, 10-1, 12-2, and 15-2.<br /><br />This makes your point about Severino more valid; hitters were loose, pitching was bad, and he still went 0-6. But on the other hand, anybody can have an 0-fer day any game. So I'm not alarmed.Richttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13389546973060137660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-10070013261189733522018-04-26T10:50:15.426-07:002018-04-26T10:50:15.426-07:00Just call me happy that they're back in town w...Just call me happy that they're back in town where I can watch games at a reasonable time. I'll retire someday and be able to watch those west coast games live . . .W. Pattersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14136399964612314367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-23961404048807374962018-04-26T08:50:27.632-07:002018-04-26T08:50:27.632-07:00GCX - It'll never be everyone. I'm sure we...GCX - It'll never be everyone. I'm sure we can find someone who thought the Nats would lose 100 games if we look hard enough. But revel in your rightness. We don't make predictions to go over all the ones we miss but to single out the ones we get right. Harperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07738813756060133236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-22530497764376142712018-04-26T08:45:50.999-07:002018-04-26T08:45:50.999-07:00Sammy - 7/8 is too much to ask. There are no gimme...Sammy - 7/8 is too much to ask. There are no gimme teams here to expect a sweep. Beat the Phillies (2), Either beat the D-backs OR the Pirates (4). 6-4 w/ beating the Phillies is probably where I'll end up. But I'll say there isn't a lot of leeway here. 5-5 isn't good enough. So it's a lot firmer line, not the usual "within a game either way" type of call. Harperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07738813756060133236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-63058090531077291492018-04-26T08:44:23.195-07:002018-04-26T08:44:23.195-07:00"Everyone thought the Nats were a shoe-in for..."Everyone thought the Nats were a shoe-in for the division title."<br /><br />This is mostly true, but not 100% accurate. Back on the Happy 'Opening' Day post, I included this prediction:<br /><br />'2015 repeats itself. Mets win the division, while the Nats miss the playoffs. Lots of injuries and lack of chemistry. Martinez keeps his job, but Nats go full rebuild mode in '19.'G Cracka Xhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16718297381010491862noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-38026072714289642032018-04-26T07:48:44.852-07:002018-04-26T07:48:44.852-07:00I feel bad for Pedro Severino. On a day when the N...I feel bad for Pedro Severino. On a day when the Nationals were just clouting the heck out of San Francisco pitching, Pedro went 0-6. But he did get on base once and scored a run. What I really liked about yesterday's game was that 14 of the 15 runs were scored with two outs. That's the kind of clutch hitting we've been needing. Wish we could bank some of those runs and two-out hits and use them later.<br /><br />Unfortunately, there are too many things about this Davey that remind me of the first Davey, and of Matt Williams.....and a bunch of low scoring games wrapped around one solitary offensive explosion is one of them. It drives me nuts when the Nats are scuffling and F.P. or Bob (who, granted, are charged with the job of always being positive) says the Nationals are averaging four runs a game and you know that per game average has been deceptively inflated by a two touchdown outburst every tenth day. When Dave and Matty were managing we'd have four or five series every season where the opponent scored something like 3-3-3-3 and the Nats scored 2-2-2-14. Or you could just track the scores for ten days and it would be 3-0-1-3-2-4-1-5-2-15. Then all the apologists would clamor "They're averaging nearly four runs a game!" when in truth, they were actually SCORING two runs or fewer for half of the games and three runs or fewer 70% of the time.<br /><br />Next up is a ten game homestand against Arizona, Pittsburgh, and Philly. We need seven or eight of these to be wins, especially against the Phillies.Sammy Kenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17286255593094532554noreply@blogger.com