...that's what this team should strive for this season. this trifecta hasn't been done in 25 years! we have the talent to do it, it's just a matter of getting it done.

barring injury...Bryce Harper has a shot at being the 2013 NL MVP; Stephen Strasburg has a shot at winning the 2013 NL Cy Young; as a collective the 2013 Washington Nationals have a shot at winning the 2013 World Series. the last team to accomplish this feat was the '88 Dodgers.

that's how HIGH i'm settin' the bar this season. i said last year "don't be surprised" if the Nats finished atop the NL East and you saw how that worked out. this year? man f*ck it. let's chase history.

who wit me?

http://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=8&topic_id=2155633&mesg_id=2155633&page=

Give him a little more line as the face of the franchise as he suffered through the 100 loss seasons.

After his June 23rd cortisone shot last year, in the last 90 games of the season he went:

.321/.383/.584 with 26 2B, 22 HR, 73 RBI

If he were to carry that line out over a full season he's right in the MVP conversation. Harper will have his day, but I want Zim to have that Brooks Robinson in 1964 type season.

...honestly, i think Zimm's RBI numbers may take a hit cuz he hits behind Harper. but, if Zimm can get on base he'll score lots of runs with LaRoche and Desi behind him. it's not what you want from the 4, but i REALLY expect Harper to improve on the solid numbers he put up last year from the 2 spot by moving down in the order. he's gonna get more RBI chances especially with Span and Werth in front of him.

the kid wants to win NOW!!! of course Zimm does too, but Bryce gives me the impression that he wants to destroy opponents offensively and defensively. he wants to lead the charge. he got the ability to do that. as good as Zimm's been for us...he was never THAT type of guy. Bryce is just a different animal.

imma delete mine


do or die

hmmm

...DAT EFFICIENCY!!!

Assuming the bullpen holds up and the bats can stay awake, they should be able to make that good push come October. More interested in seeing how Gio does this year (STRAUSE will be fine, but I want to see Gio get back together after the playoff crackup)

2:10 minute game? Damn, send 'em up, send 'em back down. Traffic may be back to normal around here come rush hour....

Denard Span leading off games to Ace Hood's "Bugatti" and B.o.B's "We Still In This Bitch" just kind of sets the tone for everything.

...against the Marlins too! them boys ain't playin'. it took them 'til JUNE to get a sweep last year.

team ERA like 0.33? TEAM ERA...not a single player, TEAM.

Bryce leadin' or tied in 6/7 batting categories?

interesting...

Let's keep it in perspective. The Marlins are likely a 100 loss team with a 37 year-old Placido Polanco hitting in the 4 hole.

The only player that they are paying (non-arbitration) for 2014 is Heath Bell, who is currently on the Diamondbacks.

Two series each against the Reds and Braves this month will be a better measuring stick.

Top 10 in HRs allowed in 2006, 2009, 2010, and 2012. He was also top 10 in HR/9 IP in 2011.

That ballpark doesn't do anybody any favors. That ball Choo hit is a 2B most places.

5 Ks and 0 BBs in 4 IPs gives me some hope.

This game is really going to funk up our Pythag though.

15-0? Yikes. I understand having a bad pitching day and all, but zero offense? No es bueno.

Ah well, toss this one, start fresh

win the division & make the NLCS. to me thats progress

people talking triple digit win numbers & shit...calm down a lil


do or die

Rafael Belliard-esque

...we'll Cincy again later this month.

C'mon.

Should have a better idea then. After that, it'll be October before they can settle any arguments.

But now, the Braves... the hell?

Haren tomorrow. Hopefully he can get some redemption and a collective sigh can be had.

...i'd settle for 6 good innings with only 2 runs given up. some semblence of a solid outting. that is all.

Braves

but these bats? woo boy.

...should be a good series.

shall be in full clown question, bro regalia letting them upton boys have it from the bleachers


do or die

.

- 1st in blown saves (3)
- 3rd worst ERA (6.06)
- 4th most walks allowed
- 6th most innings pitched

blow-ups and bad outings happen, but they've looked shaky all year. most concerning are the control issues, which is what ended Washington's postseason (Clippard hadn't walked 3 batters in an outing since June 2010).

Rizzo might need another arm by the time the trade deadline rolls around.

I don't think bullpen management has ever been Davey's strength. The starters don't stretch games and he doesn't trust a lot of guys in leverage situations so he rides his horses hard for stretches,

Haren, Storen and Soriano all have significantly higher BABIPs than usual and their ERAs are higher than their FIPs or xFIPs to varying degrees. Their FIPs still suck, but its April. i am fine with not having all of the NL gunning for us as presumptive favorites. let the braves party now when it doesn't matter at all.


----------
"To face that guy twice a year is going to be a headache…He takes away from your enthusiasm for the game a little bit." Justin Tuck on RG3

he's the number five starter with the way Detwiler is pitching, so I guess I can't get too critical, but his stuff doesn't look that great. the BABIP is not a fluke if you're serving up that sub-90 MPH meatball he's been throwing.

at least with Jackson you knew that 7 innings and 2 ER was a possible outcome on any given night. right now, "he's really just our 5th starter" is as good as it gets for Haren.


----------
"To face that guy twice a year is going to be a headache…He takes away from your enthusiasm for the game a little bit." Justin Tuck on RG3

whyd i do that

people...calm down.

CALM. DOWN.

now if we get swept by the marlins? ok. legit.

but the reds & braves are two GREAT teams. it just goes to show how far we gotta go.

this is when the vets need to come into the clubhouse & say hey...fuck all that going on outside...lets come in here & play ball

all the prognostiocators & all the pre season trophies dont mean shit.

we gotta earn this

& it'll be cool.

im not worried. @ all


do or die

Reds and Braves rematches at the end of the month. Meanwhile we got time to get the ship right against the Marlins.

no one knows anything YET.

I'm not worried. This will be looked back upon as a positive.

stomped an overmatched team, and J-Zimm gave the bullpen some needed rest.

for the most part he's good for a durable 2-3 run effort and often improves as the game goes on.

I'm sure John Lannan is smirking a bit right now

----------
"To face that guy twice a year is going to be a headache…He takes away from your enthusiasm for the game a little bit." Justin Tuck on RG3

but haren is NOT looking like a good 5th starter.


do or die

I'm waiting for the radio callers, "Ross Ohlendorf has had two good starts in AAA. We should call him up and send Haren down..."

Also worth remembering: Last year's team was 14-9 on May 1.

started hot last april too. hopefully he can keep it up and be the stopper until Haren figures things out....

This will be worth watching

...especially if the kid comes out looking like an above average major leaguer. honestly, i've always liked Lombardozzi better than Espinoza at the plate and in the field. he doesn't strikeout as much as Espinoza or have his power, but Lombo is solid for someone who'd be 7 or 8 in the order. it's a long season, but this is an intriguing time for the infielders.

I will entertain discussions about Espinosa's issues at the plate, he strikes out a lot and looks lost at the plate as a left-handed hitter more often than anybody wants to see. 20-20 potential is there. He walks a lot. His talent ceiling is a lot higher than Lombardozzi. But yeah, I think there could be a discussion. However, after the last two years, he's pretty much untouchable in the field. Lombo can't hang in that discussion. The only question I have regarding Espinosa in the field is, "Is Danny Espinosa the best defensive shortstop on the Nationals?"

...not sayin' he a Gold Glover, but Danny is such a tease. people keep talkin' potential with him, but he's gotta put it together consistently for me to believe. Davey has worked really closely with him too on defense and offense. he's been a little banged up early on too. if he doesn't bounce back and start to pay off, yeah...all the liking in the world won't protect him from being replaced.

but...whatever gets rendon up faster is fine by me

I say they give him a cortisone shot just for old time's sake.

worried? nope.

its a LONG season


do or die

are they performing up to the standard we expected? nope.

lotta reasons for that but ultimately...the potential is there, i trust davey johnson to motivate & *shrug*

we'll see


do or die

Bullpen seems to be settling in. The outfield has been great so far. Infield is blah. Suzuki stepping up. Starting pitching is inconsistent. They'll get it together.

Less reason to panic when you see the Braves get swept by the Pirates. That'll be a good rematch next week.

We could have three series won by sweep and two lost by sweep in the month of April.

Your 2013 feast or famine Nationals.

Big plays and tight rope walking abound.

do or die

avoided major injury with Bryce and Strasburg, pen got rest, Haren bounced back and the team goes to Pittsburgh with Zimmerman and a record over .500

again, Jordan Zimmermann is carrying this damn staff on his shoulder

After tomorrow against the Tigers that's 10 straight against the Cubs, Dodgers, and Padres. That's a 42-58 combined record. Great time to get some momentum into a good measuring stick series against the Giants in 2 weeks.

4-6. honestly, the Nats are lucky to be in second place; they're the only MLB team with a negative run differential and winning record.

The offensive problems that were present last year in the preseason are rearing their head. LaRoche is coming around and Zimmerman looking alright too. If Werth and Harper get healthy that'll go a long way. They still have the pieces, but I feel like Atlanta has the inside track at the moment given the first 1/4 of the season.

still...div title is within reach barring utter collapse


do or die

nm

although that "110 percent!" mentality can be self-damning in baseball. I cringe a lot watching him play.

this road trip has been MURDER.

but call me an optimist...IDGAF.

i dont.

i still like the team. will they win the division? who knows. im rolling w/ em. period.

the doomsayers & shit on 106.7 piss me off bad


does it even matter?

we went from ashy to classy overnight and now folks are trippin cuz of the early struggles of a generally unhealthy lineup. each of our 2-5 hitters have missed some time so far - frequently two are out at a time. The offense wasn't great to begin with. Losing the heart of the lineup is gonna have its effects.

i am still enjoying having a competitive team that easily could win 60% of its games the rest of the way.


----------
"To face that guy twice a year is going to be a headache…He takes away from your enthusiasm for the game a little bit." Justin Tuck on RG3

running errands last night, listening to the game on 106.7...riiiiight when the O's hit the 2 homers...i turned that shit off like oh well another L

woke up this morning to a pleasant surprise...now maybe davey can shave *shudders*

http://mlb.si.com/2013/05/31/washington-nationals-stuck-at-500/?sct=hp_wr_a2&eref=sihp

*shrug*

im ok w/ this

i dunno why but i am


does it even matter?

Lots of injuries. But I suppose that means that they could kick start it if everyone gets healthy. That might not be after the break though, might be too late by then.

Especially if they don't take care of business in Atlanta this weekend.

espinoza? demote that fool to the bench.

bring up rendon to play 2nd.

make it job #1 to get harper & werth in the lineup. EVERY DAY. werths 126M dollar ass has NO excuses. unless somethings getting amputated, get in the fucking field.

gio? whats the fucking problem?

larouche is coming around im not worried abt that

span is setting the table well, im not worried abt that either


does it even matter?

but Washington's training staff and management decisions continue to be terrible. WHY IN THE HELL did nobody realize Espinosa tore his rotator cuff last season? and WHO is letting him play through a broken wrist right now? he's one of the worst regulars in baseball -- his on-base percentage is under the Mendoza -- and killing the team daily.

meanwhile, they couldn't figure out whether Werth had a stomach flu or hamstring strain, so they just let him play some rehab games without an MRI. of course he re-aggravates the hammy, and they realize he'll be out a month instead of 15 days. HOW are these decisions being made?

http://cdn.fangraphs.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/3-year-data.jpg

Werth back too, but that was expected.

Not official reports yet.

Edit: Rodriguez says that he's been DFA'd & will be placed on waivers. Zach Duke as well.

Espinosa is on the DL. Not reported whether its for shoulder or wrist. Surgery seems likely.

LHP Ian Krol, who came over in the Morse trade, also up.

adios Espinoza

good guy by all accounts but hes simply not a big league talent @ this point


does it even matter?

>good guy by all accounts but hes simply not a big league
>talent @ this point

I think he's easily the best 2B in the system if he's healthy. He's just injured. LaRoche hit .172 in 43 games in 2011 with a very similar shoulder injury (and without a broken wrist). Got the surgery, came out gangbusters in 2012. I'm betting on Espinosa to do the same thing next year.

naturally, they lose the series to Cleveland to end up with a .500 road trip. signs of life from the bullpen though, and the Rendon hype train has officially left Navy Yard.

does it even matter?

does it even matter?

*shrug*

i mean...maybe the expectations were a SMIDGE too high? you think?


does it even matter?

Watching this Phillies game...man the offense is...anemic ain't even the word

It's non existent! I mean sheesh these cats are just playing timid.

The defense is on. Pitching is decent. But Jesus h...the offense?!

Horrible. Zim isn't helping. Larouche ain't. Werth ain't. It's just really bad.

Just awful. If it weren't for the Marlins being historically bad, the Nationals would dead last in runs scored right now.

they kinda putting it together

rendon is the future

a lineup of
span
rendon
werth
larouche
harper
zimmerman
desmond

is gonna be a PROBLEM


does it even matter?

13-19 against teams with winning records, and it'd be worse if the division wasn't so middling. Atlanta has played .500 ball since their 12-1 start and Philly is treading water themselves.

before shitting the bed in that Met series over the weekend.

Atlanta's hot start wasn't sustainable, too many strikeouts in that lineup.

But yeah, this division is garbage.

I know the Phils are closer by a hair in the Wild Card than the division right now but to me it's gonna be NL East or nothing.

not good that they can't score when Strasburg pitches, tho.

Ian Desmond has the highest WAR (7.2) among shortstops in baseball. decent base-runner, fielding is adequate, and his strikeout rate is mitigated by the fact only Tulo hits for more power. hopefully he gets to play in the All-Star game this summer.

With Cabrera and Tulo on the DL, I think Desmond and Segura are the easy picks. Catro fell off a cliff. Hanley can't stay healthy either. Rollins is old.

Strange time for the position. The best guys can't stay healthy, Lot of other guys getting old. Nobody at SS has put together an MVP type season the last two seasons. I guess everybody got spoiled 10 years ago.

Battled against Harvey, then got to the bullpen.

Jordan makes a debut tomorrow.

bats woke up in a major way


does it even matter?

1st AB after a 31 game layoff...whats he do?

go yard on them hoes

man you cant script this kinda shit


does it even matter?

replace espinosa and bernadina with rendon and harper and the first half of the season is just warm ups.

if that cortisone shot works on haren... the second half should be fun.

>if that cortisone shot works on haren... the second half
>should be fun.

Maybe Taylor Jordan can find a spot.

does it even matter?

Nationals just split a home series with the NL Central's fifth place team, and minus their best player. wow!

and sad face at Storen. his sinker is getting destroyed (.429 BAA), and it's got him finessing too much.

until they lose 2 out of three and are back at .500.

its time to send storen down to figure out what is going on with him.

----------
"To face that guy twice a year is going to be a headache…He takes away from your enthusiasm for the game a little bit." Justin Tuck on RG3

A lot of "turn the corner" wins going on.

Baseball teams tend to move like ocean liners, not bicycles though.

The U-S-A, U-S-A chants during key matchups yesterday were somewhat baffling. I'm guessing this is a douchebag jar sort of offense, but just in case the offense was inadvertent and people in our nation's capital just need a geography less, there it is.

and when you're playing a team that is suspiciously close to being Canadian, U-S-A chants and a Venezuelan catcher on work visa are mandatory to keep freedom alive.

...does Espinosa still have a job when he returns?

i know he's got Davey in his corner, but uhmmmm...that kid's bat be lookin' good in the line up. Rendon's not as good defensively, but...he's not awful.

should Danny rehab the remainder of season?

should he be used as trade bait for prospects?

just some thoughts...

shit was inevitable. hes a pro he knows how this goes

He's still under team control through 2017 and right now his arbitration hearing would not go well for him. I think it's worth exploring the possibility that he becomes the new Lombardozzi (spot starter, 2nd or 3rd bat off the bench, and defensive sub).

I've said it before but look at Adam LaRoche's line when he had a similar shoulder injury in 2011:

.172/.288/.258 3 HR in 177 PA

He got the surgery, did the rehab, and has returned to his career normals. Now if Espinosa gets the surgery and comes back to .240/.315/.415 with plus defense at multiple infield positions, that is definitely valuable.

If something of value can be had for him, probably worth a trade. But I don't think they should just dump him for fifty cents on the dollar. He's a 2-3 win player who is cost controlled. The strike outs aren't sexy, but I am still a believer.

Our best 2015 infield might be Rendon/Desmond/Espinosa/Zim. It would be hasty to flush that because of 2 (very) bad injury plagued months in 2013.

does it even matter?

Hasn't had the shoulder surgery yet.

I think the 1500 major league at bats that he had is a more important sample than the 100 AAA ABs he's played through injury with.

But there are 25 roster spots to consider. I think a healthy Espinosa still fits into the bigger picture well.

...hmmmm, looks like someone's agent is a bit antsy:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/nationals-journal/wp/2013/07/16/scott-boras-wants-to-talk-with-mike-rizzo-about-danny-espinosa/

Boras gotta do what he gotta do as his agent, but right now there is no rush to move him.

----------
"To face that guy twice a year is going to be a headache…He takes away from your enthusiasm for the game a little bit." Justin Tuck on RG3

absolutely no reason to give him away when he's at his lowest point. even if he never hits, he'd be a valuable middle infield sub on defense and is still relatively cheap. Nats should wait for him to get healthy (which also means telling him to give up on 2013) before they attempt a trade or work him back into the lineup.

oh, and the Nats have a -50 run differential when Dan Haren pitches.

...especially for $15M!!! they're 4-12 when he starts. w/o him, they're 42-31!!!

Haren's bad, but it's still only a one year deal.

*Predominant Islamic Asiatic Black Hebrew

----------------------------



O_E: "Acts like an asshole and posts with imperial disdain"




"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "

before I read past the subject line.

He's in the mold of Derek Jeter in that he's a SS with a white mother and black father who broke into the league wearing #6.

Two years ago he switched his jersey to #20 to honor Frank Robinson though.

I've heard him claim bi-racial and state that he doesn't see color.

SMH

stick a fork in us...we're done.

no playoffs this year.

which is fine for me but holy crap are we gonna get eviscerated by the media for the rest of the season

?

this post title is looking...uh...i dunno the word but it aint looking good


does it even matter?

weve fallen apart right when it is time to turn the corner here

very disappointing


does it even matter?

That's my plan, anyway.

Al Galdi on 980 posed an interesting question during his show this morning; which season was the fluke, this one or last?

HELLO?!

yeah. they shit the bed major this season

*shrug*

pieces are still there i just hope the fan base isnt gonna go full boston pre 2003 & get on that self hate shit


does it even matter?

we just gotta endure this season and see who bounces back next year.


----------
"To face that guy twice a year is going to be a headache…He takes away from your enthusiasm for the game a little bit." Justin Tuck on RG3

...i was silent as my colleague graciously accepted their offer.

me? i was waging a protest of what this season has become and refused.

plus i get a better hookup than what they were offering anyway. my co-worker? more like the groupie type...

This year's season is what last year should have been. They overperformed then, and are underperforming now. There's still a chance (slim as it may be), but next year is probably when things come together as they should.

since the break, they're 1-8 against teams contending for their divisions. outscored 53-24 in that span. even the top of the rotation is getting hammered now, and Harper won't be healthy until it's time for new calendars.

http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=330731106

specifically:
"You got to play with heart," Harper said. "You got to play as a family. Everybody's got to want it, starting with the manager on down -- everybody. Everybody wants to win this and keep going. We need to get going and play better, hit better, have better ABs in certain situations and pitch better also. It's just something we need to do.

i cant help but wonder if theres some...underlying issues in the clubhouse.

ive noticed Stras gets NO run support. like none. hes a weird duck kinda guy...i wonder if the team just doesnt like him

like theres no real...clubhouse leadership for real.

i mean desmond tries, but hes like...not a star. zimmermans too quiet. werth is old. harpers young. somebody needs to get these guys together & unified...which SHOULD be daveys job.

i dunno man. really disappointed

they overachieved last year and drank up all the kool aid. they've had the wrong "we are better than we are playing"attitude all year.

it also hurts much more so that rizzo had an OFF year. only the morse trade seemed to work. not overpaying jackson was smart but Haren was a disaster only mitigated by the shortness of his deal. letting go of burnett (pre-injury) and gorzelanny was a mistake, hairston has been ineffective, and span hasnt adjusted well to NL pitching. soriano is a wash to me when the team loses so much.

next year they still have some of the same problems (CF, 4th/5th starter) that they came into this season with. not a good look.

not even 2 outta 3...we need a sweep

im just saying.

me & mine are in them $10 seats tonight, holla if u hear me


does it even matter?

They're closer to the Marlins than the Braves in the East, but only 6.5 back from the second wild card with the slumping Diamondbacks between them.

the bullpen has done nothing to earn his trust this year and still like clockwork every night the starter gets yanked after the 7th. Stras was rollin last night, your season is near over with anyway, why not ride it out? SOON as Clippard gets in it's a bomb. It's like comedy now how easily the bullpen gives up homers.

only the White Sox and Marlins have scored less runs, and those two are a combined 52 games under .500.

the title of this post is like...uncut hubris right now.

but basically like...wtf is going on?

other then bryce & werth...who is coming to play here?

it doesnt make any sense either we've been sold a bill of goods abt the quality of the guys on the roster or

can it be that NOBODY is playing up to their potential?

zimmermans arm is too weak to be @ 3rd now.
larouche should be trade bait, move zim over
span as a lead off guy is...ehh...@ best
rendon is doing his best i dont expect much out of him in his 1st full season in the bigs
werths producing finally
bryce IMO still isnt fully recovered from that knee & i hope its not some lingering issue


the bullpen is....*sigh*

i dunno man.


does it even matter?

- your pound for pound best player hurt himself and missed a month, with the injury having been worsened by your delayed response to it.
- your 4th starter goes down early
- your new 5th starter is just awful
- your former golden glove 3B can't field to save his life
- you hitched your wagon to an iffy 2B way too long
- you emasculated your former closer past the point of repair
- and, most importantly, you deliberately raised the stakes unapologetically high.

Honestly this is probably over reacting but at this point I like about 6 guys on this team; the 3 starting pitchers worth a damn, Bryce, Desmond, and Werth. EVERYONE else you should listen to an offer for if the phone rings.

I'm not willing to let it go yet. It would almost be worth it now. To have everyone scooping dirt on the grave, talking about how Davey Johnson should be fire/resign before the season, pointing fingers everywhere...then the bottom falls out on the Reds. And it's a 3 horse race for the last spot in the NL. Nats have a good couple of weeks. Go on one of these 10+ game winning streaks that everybody else in the league seems to be going on right now. Dodgers, Rays, Royals, Indians, Braves. Just get a few lucky breaks here and there. Then...

All of the sudden that last series of the year in Phoenix becomes its own playoffs series.

I think I need an intervention.

:|

all we need now is for a complete historical collapse by the braves unseen in the history of MLB


does it even matter?

this reminds me of many Augusts...fun wins at the park while out of contention

Currently at -18. Hasn't happened since that Cardinals blowout on April 5.

what a complete disappointment of a season topped off by this utter bed shitter of a series sweep by the gatdamn mets of all teams.

SMH

and once again my INCREDIBLE reverse jinx mutant super power impacts the greater world. if there was a real professor x, i'd be writing that fool an email right now. i got a gift. im serious.


does it even matter?

does it even matter?

Nice game.

Reds losing 2-0.

"Keep hope alive." - Jesse Jackson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2letGPIXKi8

Zimmerman has 8 HRs in his last 10 games
Jayson Werth is a hot finish away from a batting title
Bryce Harper has no structural damage
Wilson Ramos gets no days off
Denard Span is going to run off a 40 game hit streak
Tanner Roark is never going to lose a game

is to not talk about it

these guys are allergic to attention in 2013

That's right, 5.5.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FWTX3Hm1upQ/Uc3dtludsmI/AAAAAAAAoCI/raRF7I7goU4/s400/main.jpg

Expected to make his next start.

Stras scratched, didn't matter. Zim jacks again. Had a rally without leaving the infield. Gio coming back tomorrow night to face Cole Hamels. Cincinnati play early during the day.

Speaking of which, Reds down 3-1 going into the 7th...

...CRITICAL series against the Braves. they've owned us all season. 4-12 against them. they outscored us by 23 runs.

gotta get 2 of 3 just to have a chance. 4.5 back of the Reds who play the Bucs 6 times in their last 12. even if 2 of 3 happens we can lose ground because the Reds play the Astros.

i'm enjoying this run. very small, small, small, small chance they repeat as NL East Champs. but if that's the goal, then they should go all out in this series. make 'em earn it.

the only hope is to delay Atlanta from clinching at Nats Park (although that'd be fitting, the way they've owned Washington this season). Baseball Prospectus had the odds of catching Cincinnati at 1.5 percent before today's game.

Team's in a spot where they can't even think 2 out of 3. With 13 games left, if they go 10-3, the Reds have to close out at 5-7 just to tie for the 2nd Wild Card. I can't see this happening with less than 11 wins.

Davey's got to give a Lou Brown speech and get a cardboard cut-out in the dugout or something.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Tp55eSBxKk

Cincy or Pgh will lose ground

Unfortunately haren is up tomorrow

It ain't over.

Alright, so the Reds are probably going to hold on to their 9-0 lead over the Astros, but the last time they were 4 games back was July 11th.

Buy an eye patch and pump Sister Sledge if it still means something next weekend.

headed to the ballpark for the first time since 4th of July. Pretty jazzed about it

fk it.


does it even matter?

I hope you guys are pissed.

if we stay within 4.5 or so...we will catch SOMEBODY

thats awesome

its annoying how theres no press abt this around here. every time i turn it on 106.7 its abt the damn redskins


does it even matter?

at least the Junkies had, and I know Holden and Danny ride especially hard for the Nats. I expect Sheehan and Loverro on 980 to delve into it quite deep this afternoon, and yesterday afternoon Cooley and Czabe had Mark Zuckerman in their booth for two segments in the 5 o'clock hour. The Nats are getting plenty press considering the football team is in shambles.

also, if I'm not mistaken the worst case scenario would be a split between the Reds and the Pirates over their six game stretch. Furthermore, we have to keep winning!

...well, at least we were in it almost to the very end.

90-win season woulda been nice. 'offs woulda been better. consecutive winning seasons, not bad given a few years ago.

nice knowing ya Dan Haren.

I'm not sure I really like this.

He's never managed before, so it's definitely a wait and see thing, but he was Kirk Gibson's right hand man and Gibson ran Justin Upton out of town because he didn't play the same way that Kirk Gibson did. Which felt vaguely racist. I feel like Gibson is one of those guys that doesn't really embrace analytics because he played the game with his gut so that's how he manages. This worries me a bit just because I don't know Matt Williams' stance on things, so I can only really associate him with the regime he was coaching in.

>This worries me a bit just because I don't
>know Matt Williams' stance on things, so I can only really
>associate him with the regime he was coaching in.

Had he provided you with a track record to judge, you'd work with that. As it is - the information is that he's a gritty Gibson acolyte. The same guy who pushed a roster makeover on an 81-81 team and got a totally different 81-81 team out of it.

-He was a slugger whose walk rate was below league average. When the strike hit in 1994, he was on pace to break Maris' single season record with a .319 OBP:

He's going to complain about Bryce Harper taking too many walks in big spots when he should be looking to drive runners in.

-For unknown reasons, his nicknamed was "The Big Marine"

Tough and gritty guy

-He took PEDs and said that it was only to get over an injury:

He's likely to give into what he feels pressured to do and too concerned about public perception

I think Rizzo was eager to get someone that held the players a little more accountable than Davey did. Somewhere between Riggleman and Davey is what I think they were ultimately going for.

Aside from talking about not getting the Rockies job and only using PEDs to recover from injury, the only real substantive interview I found from him post-playing days was this:

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=11649

A lot of it is specifically about playing 3B, but he does mention this:

"You know, I have a little different thought about this. The metrics, and all the numbers, and all the positioning and over-shifting, is all well and good. And the tendencies are great, and all of those things, but you have to feel the game at times, too. That’s a little bit of the approach that I take with our guys. If you have a feeling...if our shortstop, Stephen Drew, has a feeling on something, then I let him go with it, because he’s out on the field. He can see the pitches cross the zone; he can feel the game better than I can sitting in the dugout.

I think that a combination of all of those things is good, but to rely one way or the other is something we’re past the point of now. If we can combine a little bit of the numbers and the feel, and getting into the game, I think we’re all better off."

My belief is that guys who acknowledge analytics but immediately follow it up with, "but they aren't everything, you still have to rely on gut/instinct/feeling" are just gut/instinct/feeling guys that are smart enough to know they'll take a beating from certain circles if they don't pay lip service to it. Nobody is asking for robots, but if the evidence says to shade the hole and the player is shading the bag, personally I want more than the guy at SS had a tingle in his belly.

The Diamondbacks this year were 14th in SB with 62 and 3rd in CS with 42, good for a 60.19% success rate. That's the worse number in the Majors and the only team close to that number, Detroit, attempted half the number of steals.

That makes it seem to me like too many players had a "feeling" that they could take the next base and somebody didn't stop them...because they can feel the game better than the coach can sitting in the dugout.

just in that it was pretty clear that the boys wanted Cal. Rizzo DIDN'T EVEN CALL Ripken. I think this guy is going to be a little more rugged.

Often times, managerial hires are reactionary things designed to shake things up.

Frank Robinson, an old school HOF player, begets Manny Acta, a new school guy who never made the show.

Firey Lou Piniella begets a serene Joe Maddon.

Billy Martin begets Dick Howser begets Bob Lemon begets Billy Martin begets Dick Howser begets Gene Michael begets Bob Lemon begets Gene Michael begets Clyde King begets Billy Martin

Why call him if dude wont state definitively that he wants to manage?

I will give Rizzo the benefit of the doubt here, but not hiring Knorr is kind of a shock. Then keeping Knorr around and not letting Williams build his own staff is very Snyderian. How is Williams not threatened by Knorr's presence?


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"To face that guy twice a year is going to be a headache…He takes away from your enthusiasm for the game a little bit." Justin Tuck on RG3

these asshats aren't in the postseason.

Shout out to everybody that cared, got excited, shed a tear, whatever. It's a joyous moment. The parade float is big enough for everybody

...we had vision, it just took some time to come to fruition!