Injury graphic on the Nationals, via Washington Post
“This team is beat up more than any one I’ve ever had.”
Davey Johnson knows the walking wounding when he sees them.
And somehow, the Nats are still in first place. Granted, it’s just by a half game over the Braves, but don’t knock it. After having their best April ever (they ended the month with a 14-8 record), May is shaping up nicely as well. Oh, and all this is happening with some of their key players out with injuries.
Despite OintmentGate and the miscues in Strasburg’s start on Tuesday (somebody want to catch that pop up? Oh…no?), Gonzalez took control yesterday against the Pirates at home with 10 strikeouts.
He even got some offensive help from Adam LaRoche and his 1000th career hit (which included a home run and bases clearing double) and Xavier Nady(!) who hit his 100th career home run. Henry Rodriguez even decided to exercise his closer abilities and was able to keep the Pirates from causing too much damage.
The Nats went on to beat the Pirates 7-4. (Somewhere Jordan Zimmermann is asking them to save some runs for him.)
So what’s this saying? The Nats are winning. The team is coming together. And that’s with Drew Storen, Chien-Ming Wang, Brad Lidge, Michael Morse, Jayson Werth, Wilson Ramos, Mark DeRosa and Sandy Leon injured. (This isn’t including Ryan Zimmerman, who also made a DL stint earlier this season.) For the most part all the players on the DL were projected key players of the Opening Day roster. Also, the players on the DL aren’t just injured, they’re long term injuries. Expected return dates range from months to a year.
No one is infallible, especially in sports. You aren’t always going to play the best and there is always going to be someone who comes along who is better. Superman had Kryptonite, and apparently, Stephen Strasburg has…Hot Stuff?
Strasburg registered his first loss of the season in an eventual 6-1 loss to the Padres. He allowed 4 earned runs (including a homer) in just 4 innings of work before being pulled, walking 2 and striking out 5.
Strasburg was noticeably out of sync, and when he was asked about it after the game, Davey Johnson alluded to some Hot Stuff that was…um…misplaced.
Apparently, Strasburg had put some Hot Stuff (similar to Icey Hot) on his shoulder for the game. Some how, some of it apparently made it’s way to his groin area, creating a less than pleasant outing for the young star.
Bryce Harper earned his first Major League home run last night. Soon, all of the haters are going to have to acknowledge that while he may be confident, his play has proven that he isn’t overly confident. More on what’s going on:
-Davey Johnson is going to stick with Henry Rodriguez as a closer. [Wash Times]
-Michael Morse and Chien-Ming Wang are getting closer to coming back for the Nationals. Morse in particular could really be of use right now. [CSN Washington]
What’s the fun in playing with a full roster? That’s what the baseball gods must be saying to the Nationals, who lost ANOTHER key player in Wilson Ramos to an ACL injury.
At this point, the Nats should just buy their own rehabilitation center in bus form at the rate everyone is getting injured. It could be so many things (luck, training) but I prefer to think of it as sabotage at the hands of the Phillies and their sidekick Orioles (let’s kick up these rivalries!).
The Nats are now missing Jayson Werth, Michael Morse, and Ramos, all keys at the plate. Pitchers Drew Storen, Brad Lidge, and Chien-Ming Wang are also injured. Have you all heard of this fun thing called stretching? Geez!
The kind of good news is that the Nats are still doing well. Despite the injuries and the losses, the team continues to exceed expectations in the early months of the season. The pitching has remained strong, playing a huge role in not missing a medical beat.
Last night Stephen Strasburg struck out 13 batters in just six innings to lead the Nats to a 4-2 win and avoid the sweep against the Pirates. It can be easy to forget his pure dominance on the mound, so here is the last time he was THAT dominant.
Let’s take a little trip back to a different time Strasburg went against the Pirates…in his debut.
With the loss last night, the Nationals officially lose their second series of the season. To the Pirates. The good news is that their next series is against the Reds, who they already beat this season. Hopefully it will allow the Nats to find their groove again, though they will try to avoid the sweep against the Pirates tonight. Here’s what’s going on.
-It does seem kind of absurd that Danny Espinosa has been so ineffective at the plate. Nats really need him now with injuries. [Wash Times]
-Chien-Ming Wang is slowly making his way back to the Nats with a start in Syracuse last night. [Nats Journal]
-The Nats have brought Tyler Moore in against to help fill in injuries, but how will he be used? [Nats Journal]
-More on Espinosa’s struggles, and how Johnson plans on sticking with him through the slump. [Federal Baseball]
It was looking all well and dandy until the Nats decided to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in a 5-4 loss to the Pirates. Rodriguez blew the save in the bottom of the ninth with a lineup riddled with injuries and holes. Here’s what else is going on before game 2 tonight.
-From us, a look at this year’s Battle of the Beltway, and how it could be the best one yet.
-Nats traded sluggers on the DL: Zimmerman came off, Werth went on. [Wash Times]
-And an argument that without Werth, the Nats will still be ok offensively. It’ll take a lot of ‘if’s. [CSN Washington]
-Mike Rizzo was fined for his comments about Hamels. SHOCKER. [Nats Enquirer]
-Nats also signed Mike Gonzalez to add some bullpen depth. He’ll report to Viera. [Nats Journal]
It has been no secret in recent years that the Maryland/DC area has been lacking in some baseball enjoyment. Between the Nationals and the Orioles, there was a lot of losing in the diamonds of the DMV. However, that is all set to change in just under two weeks.
Thi season’s Battle of the Beltway series is going to be quite an interesting one. The Orioles currently boast the best record in baseball, and the Nationals aren’t too far behind with the second-best record. Both have experienced unexpected early success in 2012.
For the Orioles, their secret has been in their offense. They currently have 6 different hitters who are batting .290 or above. Baltimore has combined for 43 home runs this season. Their offense has taken the AL East by storm.
This entire Nats/Philies series was exceptional this weekend. The intensity was there, the passion was there, and ESPN was even there. The best sequence, however, came last night in front of a national audience when Cole Hamels intentionally hit Bryce Harper.
Hamels hit Harper with a pitch in the lower back, and two batters later, Harper stole home to get the Nationals on the board.
Hamels later admitted that he hit Harper on purpose to welcome him to the big leagues as “tradition” (when’s the last time a rookie was hit with a pitch 8 games into his career as part of this “tradition” anyway? Whatever). Makes you wonder why he couldn’t just teach him a lesson by, I don’t know, striking him out, but that’s really neither here nor there.
While Harper ended up being the one welcoming Hamels to the game by making him pay with stealing home, GM Mike Rizzo had some choice words for Hamels. Several choice words, actually. From the Washington Post:
It was one of the most highly anticipated series for the Nationals in a long time: the 2012 opening series against the Phillies. It didn’t disappoint.
First, there was the Take Back The Park initiative to get Nats fans in the stands instead of Phillies fans. Many seemed to believe it worked, but more importantly the Nats had their most successful April/May series attendance ever.
Then, there was of course the skill, starting with the pitching. The Phillies have had a recent history of dominant pitching, but the Nats have stormed the league with their arms this season, keeping games low-scoring. Besides tonight’s game, the staff on the mound did just that.
Other skill that was in question was, of course, the Nats’ flailing offense. They haven’t been able to find a rhythm this season, but in the first two games they combined for 11 runs. They found their heat in 4-3 and 7-1 wins, and it was enough to earn them a series victory.
It has been no secret in recent years that the Maryland/DC area has been lacking in some baseball enjoyment. Between the Nationals and the Orioles, there was a lot of losing in the diamonds of the DMV. However, that is all set to change in just under two weeks.
Loading ...