by Andrew Lang
by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears
by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears
by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears
by Stan4Nats
by Andrew Lang
by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears
The Nationals went 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position and had their chances with bases loaded and 1 out with Bryce Harper up who could only muster a sacrifice fly to score the only run for the Washington Nationals in this 2-to-1 loss extending the Nats losses of 8 of their last 10 games. Continue reading
The past few days it has been Bryce Harper who has been playing in a funk. He struck out three times yesterday chasing off-speed pitches below the zone and in the dirt. Harper is 2-for-his-last-14 and he has not had an extra base hit since April 8th. As we saw with Harper after the first Cubs series of 2016 when Ryan Zimmerman was slumping, teams were pitching around Harper and that quickly put Harper into a tailspin as he expanded the zone and was swinging at balls outside the zone. Harper wants to swing the bat, and in order to do that he might need protection in the batting order.
After last night’s game, Harper could be seen chirping at the umpire about a called strike earlier in an at-bat. The last thing the Nationals need is a slumping Bryce Harper who started the season en fuego. Harper was batting over .400 and the Washington Post marveled at his new sense of calm — well today Harp enters play batting .286. We felt that this could happen to Harper because history has a strange way of repeating itself — and the Nats can’t afford that now as they play without Adam Eaton and Daniel Murphy. Continue reading
The Nationals recent call-up of Moises Sierra from AAA ball is not the kind of transaction that stops Baseball Twitter in its tracks. Sierra, a corner outfielder with some power, has been a professional ballplayer for years — from his 17-year-old self in 2006 to his big league debut in 2012 with the Blue Jays, to the White Sox, to the Chicago farm system, to the Royals, to Miami, and now here in Washington. His career year came in 2013, when he posted a very respectable .827 OPS in 122 plate appearances for Toronto. For his big-league career, he’s a .675 OPS player worth -0.3 bWAR. He will get a chance with the Nationals, and we will see what comes of it. Continue reading
MASN Screenshot
The Nationals open their fifth series of the season today, and their opponent this time is the Rockies of Colorado. For the Rockies, their game had lots of drama with an early game brawl that had multiple ejections. The Rockies will have multiple suspensions looming, but if they appeal their suspensions. Players like Nolan Arenado should be able to play during this 4-game series in Washington under an appeal of what should be a lengthy suspension. When the Rockies starting pitcher German Marquez was ejected in the brawl to start the 4th inning, the Rockies had to cover 6 innings with their relievers. The Nationals had to cover 6 2/3 innings yesterday with their relievers in their 12 inning marathon. Both teams will be a little short in their bullpens. Continue reading
Trea Turner wears his stagecoach robber’s bandana to stay warm; Photo by Patrick McDermott for Getty Images https://www.gettyimages.com/license/944615126
For all the romance and emotional hope attached to it, spring should have better manners. After a winter of darkness and cold the anticipation was for warm sunshine and gentle breezes. But, with all the gangly awkwardness of a teen on Prom Night in oversized borrowed shoes and too much eye makeup — out she comes to outward grins and inward groans. The saving grace being that better is assuredly coming soon. If you haven’t figured it out yet, spring is the proverbial “Hot Mess.” Oh, and so is the baseball they play in it. Continue reading
Photo by LEGnats for TalkNats
The Nationals lost in twelve innings 5-to-3 but came back twice in this game. It was Matt Adams home run with one out in the 9th inning that tied the game and sent it to extra innings, and Howie Kendrick hit a double in the 11th inning when the Nats were down one run to tie the game again. The Braves had not one blown save in the game — but two blown saves. Unfortunately, the Nationals could not make a third comeback in the 12th inning when Ryan Madson gave up the final two runs in the game. Continue reading
Photo by LEGnats for TalkNats
Last week, Nationals manager Dave Martinez promised that A.J. Cole would get another start this week and true to his word, Cole is the starter in this early afternoon finale against the Braves. In Cole’s career he has a 2.65 ERA against the Mets, 3.13 against the Phillies, 5.56 against the Marlins, and a jaw-dropping bloated 19.96 ERA against the Atlanta Braves in 3 games. The Braves have been Cole’s kryptonite, and they stack the lefties against him. Maybe this is a lesson of, if you don’t succeed — try, try again. Continue reading
MASN Screenshot
Another pitching gem in this one, and tonight’s star was Stephen Strasburg who went 8.0 full innings of shutout baseball. The bullpen bent and gave up a run in this Nationals 4-to-1 win. The Nationals also move above .500 with this win and have something to build on. When Nats’ manager Dave Martinez moved Ryan Zimmerman back to the 5th spot in the line-up, he cashed-in with immediate dividends as Zim cracked a 2-run triple in the first inning. With this win, the Nationals have already clinched this series against the Braves. Continue reading
Sometimes you need to get on your knees and pray to the baseball gods; Photo by Craig Nedrow
Today’s roster will get a changeup as Miguel Montero is set to return from his paternity leave. With Pedro Severino playing so well and Matt Wieters set to return from the 10-day DL on Thursday, there are going to be some difficult decisions that will transpire with these roster moves. There was a hint yesterday that the Nationals could carry three catchers on the roster. With Severino catching Scherzer last night, the ace arguably had his best start since his October 3rd no-hitter in 2015. Continue reading
Photo by Marlene Koenig for TalkNats
When you needed Max Scherzer to go deep in this game to save the bullpen, Nationals manager Dave Martinez got more then he bargained for as he got a 2-hit complete game shutout from the reigning Cy Young for a big win and a stoppage on that five-game losing streak. The Nationals moved to .500 on the season. Continue reading
