tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post429242462581530556..comments2024-03-28T10:50:33.234-07:00Comments on Nationals Baseball: Monday Quickie : SUCCESSHarperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07738813756060133236noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-64973679527225891572018-05-14T00:13:43.240-07:002018-05-14T00:13:43.240-07:00very interesting information, I really like it bec...very interesting information, I really like it because it can add insight for me more broadly, thank you very much for this extraordinary information<br /><a href="https://agenwalatragamatemaskapsul.blogspot.com/2018/05/cara-menyembuhkan-lupus-nefritis-pada.html" rel="nofollow">cara menyembuhkan lupus nedritis pada anak dan dewasa</a>, <a href="http://www.plazaobatherbal.com/berbahayakah-melakukan-diet-tanpa-mengkonsumsi-nasi/" rel="nofollow">berbahayakah melakukan diet tanpa mengkonsumsi nasi ??</a>,Raya Resmanahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16529740692057798322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-7093314155723891792018-05-07T14:09:00.746-07:002018-05-07T14:09:00.746-07:00This is not a defense of MAT, but why do we think ...This is not a defense of MAT, but why do we think Eaton is going to be able to play CF when he comes back? He had a major knee injury and is now out with a related ankle injury. Even though he looked great with the bat when he played earlier in April, he was not, shall we say, fluid when he was running. If we're going to bench MAT, I'd rather put Bryce in CF than Eaton.<br /><br />Of course, the real MAT replacement is Robles, who is also hurt. It's too bad that a lot of Nats' injuries so far this year have been concentrated in the OF. I liked the idea of trying Difo out as an outfielder last year, but he looked terrible to my eyes out there.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-82355688079703462212018-05-07T13:47:41.058-07:002018-05-07T13:47:41.058-07:00BxJaycobb - The door is always open for others to ...BxJaycobb - The door is always open for others to join me on the "MAT-Is-Horrible" train. Been saying this for years now. While I agree with Dezo that there isn't much to do, I think that this year may be an exception, once everyone is healthy. We finally have pieces to either platoon or (even better and more deservedly so) bench the bats that aren't cutting it - Zim and MAT. Eaton to CF and Kendrick to LF with Adams/Murphy at 1B (Kendrick to 2B when Murphy is at 1B). I am tired of the god-awful approach at the plate by Taylor and strikeouts help no one, and are only tolerable if the guy hits for power (which he doesn't this year). Hitting under .200 should not earn you a starting CF spot on a playoff contending team regardless of how "good" your defense is. My response to the his 0.4 fWAR, is that he absolutely f***s his team over every time he's up to bat. No more please, get some one in there who can at least appear to know what they are doing - and once we get Eaton and Murphy back, we can. Honestly, even if Taylor rakes from now until they're back, it only improves his chances as a defensive replacement in my mind. Get off the field, Mike. Ole PBNnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-61690030169717727572018-05-07T13:29:13.427-07:002018-05-07T13:29:13.427-07:00Well, I said we needed to win seven or eight on th...Well, I said we needed to win seven or eight on this home stand and we did, despite someone's ominous warning that I was asking for too much --cough--Harper--cough. Looking back on it, I'm actually annoyed we didn't win nine out of ten. They were there for the taking. But, no harm, no foul, friend Harper. We're all happy after yesterday's walkoff, except maybe Max. Honestly, the thrill of the victory notwithstanding, Max should have clubbed Brandon Kintzler like a dang seal yesterday. Seriously. To get 15 Ks in six innings, leave with a lead, and it all get wiped out in about two minutes??????? I'd have been pissed to the fair thee well. Well, actually I WAS pissed to the fare thee well. Sammy Kenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17286255593094532554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-31672156969008944262018-05-07T11:43:45.249-07:002018-05-07T11:43:45.249-07:00@BxJaycobb: It's not so much that people don&...@BxJaycobb: It's not so much that people don't recognize that Taylor's bat is a problem, more that we recognize that there's nothing we can do about it. Eaton is injured (meaning we can't do Adams/Kendrick in LF, Eaton in CF), Goodwin is injured, Robles is injured, and Sierra, Stevenson, and Bautista suck even more than Taylor does. (Also worth noting is that Taylor's defense really is that good; following up on his "best center fielder in the NL" of last year, this year he's put up 0.4 fWAR--the same as Kendrick--despite his 67 wRC+ entirely on the strength of his defense and baserunning. If Zimmerman wasn't a sucking chest wound himself (76 wRC+ with bad defense and baserunning) and the catchers weren't the catchers, we could ignore the Taylor problem until or unless Robles is ready to take over.<br /><br />(Note that Severino's wRC+ for the season is 95, which is perfectly acceptable for a competent defensive catcher.)<br /><br />Thankfully, Adams, Kendrick, and Difo have all been really good. With Rendon back at last, our best lineup may have Adams at 1B, Difo at 2B, and Kendrick in LF. (Unfortunately, Adams has never been able to hit LHP, but Zim playing the short side of a platoon is a lot better than Zim playing every day--heck, in this year's SSS Zimmerman has been actually good against LHP.)DezoPenguinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-34073814388450075502018-05-07T11:24:27.650-07:002018-05-07T11:24:27.650-07:00@SM - excellent suggestions. I'd opt for a mo...@SM - excellent suggestions. I'd opt for a more public humiliation to make it sting. Wearing his jock over his uniform pants, for example.JE34noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-72643031387604495602018-05-07T11:22:37.138-07:002018-05-07T11:22:37.138-07:00@SM - Harshest penalty allowed under the law for f...@SM - Harshest penalty allowed under the law for first pitch swinging after 1 (or more!) batters just walked on four or five pitches. No excuse for bailing out a tanking pitcher.<br /><br />BxJaycobb - I'm with you on MAT. K% is way too high, really not improving year after year.Robotnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-8185622858417733992018-05-07T11:13:44.874-07:002018-05-07T11:13:44.874-07:00Folks seem to not be addressing a pretty decent si...Folks seem to not be addressing a pretty decent sized problem, which is that Michael A Taylor is horrible. For some reason (don’t ask me, I repeated over and over that it was artificial), people thought last year signaled a difference in approach at the plate and making better contact. Nope. He had as high a K % as ever. He just got very lucky on BABIP. Every ball in play was a hit. This was the most predictable reversion ever (why I lobbied to trade him and start with Robles in CF and see how it went with Goodwin as backup). Once Goodwin comes back he should be fully platooned with MAT. BxJaycobbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15841583667789907324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-1336103965687129302018-05-07T10:36:30.500-07:002018-05-07T10:36:30.500-07:00@JE34
Perhaps clubhouse Kangaroo Courts might hel...@JE34<br /><br />Perhaps clubhouse Kangaroo Courts might help. In the case of first-pitch swinging, a series of graduated punishments/fines. <br /><br />Something like: Minimum sentence for a first-pitch out; something more severe for a first-pitch out with runners on base, with increasing severity depending on the situation (i.e., runners in scoring position, go-ahead run on base, late-game situation,and so on up the ladder).<br /><br />Punishment? Who cares, as long as it bites. Maybe fines (that go to charity), or modest mortification (laundering and folding teammates' underwear, for instance, or girding one's loins and jockstrap with Tiger Balm).<br /><br />Then again, there's always a good, old-fashioned benching. SMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-50112358844252481032018-05-07T10:35:54.049-07:002018-05-07T10:35:54.049-07:00Per Harper's thoughts, Severino still just bar...Per Harper's thoughts, Severino still just barely passable at the plate. At least he seems to have the patience we're lacking from Weiters, we just give up power as a result.<br /><br />Defensive numbers keeping both of them above water for now. If we bring in outside help I'd like to see Severino stick as the primary backup if the splits support it (wieters switch hitting gives him some added flexibility if he's in a backup role).<br /><br />All of this pending nothing changes drastically in their performanceBjd1207https://www.blogger.com/profile/08595153543505790679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-1624806136440694812018-05-07T10:27:13.269-07:002018-05-07T10:27:13.269-07:00@JE34: IS Slow Bat Matt actually good at handling ...@JE34: IS Slow Bat Matt actually good at handling pitchers? I wonder. In interviews after a win the pitcher always says what a great game the catcher called. Is "calling a good game" measurable, or do we just have to take the players' word for it? Clearly Weiters is a terrible pitch-framer, although it feels like he may be throwing out more runners so far this year. I guess you could count how many times a catcher gets shaken off, but that doesn't really tell you much aside from whether or not they were on the same page.Mr. Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00567685906834294396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-64106639053987827182018-05-07T10:02:23.884-07:002018-05-07T10:02:23.884-07:00@PBN: excellent preemptive answer to the "who...@PBN: excellent preemptive answer to the "who else we got for pen resources" question!<br /><br />@PotomacFan: Agreed, with 1 exception... Kintzler has been pretty good after that rough start.<br /><br />@Robot: couldn't agree more. Every time he pitches, we should gather our kids around the TV to say, "Watch and remember."<br /><br />The Nats still score in waves. They put together meaningful offense in the first two and the last two innings of the Phillies series, with a big bunch of nothing in between. Thankfully the bursts were well timed. It is tough to expect offensive production from combinations of Wieters/Taylor/Stevenson/Bautista/Sierra all lined up to end a threat.<br /><br />Slow Bat Matt has returned to his woeful offensive ways. He AGAIN was first-pitch hacking immediately following a 4-pitch walk (with Trea getting a huge jump, had 2nd stolen) in the 9th inning on Saturday, which led to the pop-up double play. How can a guy who has been so good in handling pitchers be so bad with a bat in his hand? When you're hitting around the Mendoza line, why are you first pitch hacking after a 4 pitch walk? That is hubris, stupidity, or both.JE34noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-87231528332503098902018-05-07T09:05:03.196-07:002018-05-07T09:05:03.196-07:00Good teams capitalize on opponent's mistakes. ...Good teams capitalize on opponent's mistakes. Glad to see the Nats taking advantage of a mishap. Agreed with Nattydread re the bullpen support... some potential in-house arms that could be viable (btw Carlos Torres isn't helping anyone by putting on a uniform everyday):<br /><br />- Justin Miller, RHP (AAA): 6 IP / 0.00 ERA / 0.60 WHIP / 2 BB / 12 K<br />- Jimmy Cordero, RHP (AAA): 12IP / 0.75 ERA / 1.58 WHIP / 8 BB / 16 K<br />- John Simms, RHP (AAA): 19IP / 1.86 ERA / 0.98 WHIP / 8 BB / 18 K<br /><br />... and some others to look out for in lower levels...<br /><br />- Austen Williams, RHP (AA): 12IP / 2.25 ERA / 0.92 WHIP / 2 BB / 11 K<br />- Logan Darnell, LHP (AA): 12IP / 2.13 ERA / 0.87 WHIP / 3 BB / 10 K<br />- Jordan Mills, LHP (A+): 15IP / 1.72 ERA / 1.02 WHIP / 9 BB / 16 K<br />- Ronald Pena, RHP (A+): 14IP / 1.88 ERA / 1.05 WHIP / 6 BB / 21 K<br />- James Bourque, RHP (A+): 14IP / 1.93 ERA / 1.00 WHIP / 6 BB / 24 KOle PBNnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-74671346200313488792018-05-07T08:49:53.347-07:002018-05-07T08:49:53.347-07:00Can we pause and reflect on Max's performance ...Can we pause and reflect on Max's performance for a moment. Yeah, it was a short outing, but he K'ed 15 of 19 outs! Forget 30 wins. New goal is 27-K game.<br /><br />Also, Solis is not good.Robotnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-7463016501626913662018-05-07T08:47:32.835-07:002018-05-07T08:47:32.835-07:00How long are we gonna stick with Harper at leadoff...How long are we gonna stick with Harper at leadoff? Yes he has had some good games but he also has had some 0-fers.Huzzah!https://www.blogger.com/profile/03728993885000677878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-26707313875643277542018-05-07T08:47:28.005-07:002018-05-07T08:47:28.005-07:00Not out of the woods at all. Lack of hitting agai...Not out of the woods at all. Lack of hitting against Phillies was due, in part, to good pitching by the Phillies.<br /><br />Let's give credit where credit is due: the starters have been spectacular. For now, Strasburg may be the weakest of the starting 5, but I have no doubt that Hellickson will revert to his mean. Gio and Tanner have been pitching really well, and of course, Max is an ace. <br /><br />Moving Harper to lead off has worked well. Notice how Adams got two walks when he was hitting in front of Zimmerman? RZim has to be moved down in the line-up (or better yet, just have Adams start against all lefties). Difo hitting 9th also works -- no one is going to walk him in front of Harper (not that he takes many walks).<br /><br />The bullpen, other than Doolittle and a very well-rested Madson, is pretty terrible. Not sure how you fix that until near the trade deadline.PotomacFanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17479027458024348671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-49712015124960319872018-05-07T08:15:46.445-07:002018-05-07T08:15:46.445-07:00@cass yes, but the April lesson is but for the gra...@cass yes, but the April lesson is but for the grace of god go we. Another bad series with some of the lackadaisical offense we were seeing for two games minus the most recent two innings, some expected less than stellar games from pitchers 3-5 (or expected bullpen failures) all while somebody else is coasting and we are right back in -6 "what the fuck are we gonna do?" territory. Love the momentum, love the team's chances, but let's not pretend we are out of the woods yet.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-91132946002478741522018-05-07T08:10:08.486-07:002018-05-07T08:10:08.486-07:00"You're never as good as you seem on a wi..."You're never as good as you seem on a winning streak, you're never as bad as you seem on a losing streak." Nats need to hold .500 most of the time, and then roll off occasional 5 to 8 game winning streaks. First cycle complete in '18 and we're 2 games out.<br /><br />Luck seems to accompany strong performance. Nats couldn't buy a hit with RISP during 7 of 8 one-run losses. Last night the Phillies dished out 9th inning bases.<br /><br />Bullpen has a decent closer but support pieces are not there. Weak underbelly of the team right now.Nattydreadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03893360732342616110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9207681.post-41583324142153834552018-05-07T07:51:13.781-07:002018-05-07T07:51:13.781-07:00According to Fangraphs odds, the Nationals are now...According to Fangraphs odds, the Nationals are now the most likely team to win the NLCS with a 25.6% chance. Next closest team is Cubs at 22.5%.<br /><br />Nats now at a 76.7% chance of winning their division. <br /><br />The season has been turned around. In graphic form:<br /><br />https://www.fangraphs.com/standings/playoff-odds-graphs?lg=NL&div=E&stat=poff&year=2018cassnoreply@blogger.com