Community KTE - Nationals 5/18 + 5/19

[Frayed Knot]

Quickie 2-game series which will all take place inside about a 21 hour window.
Mets are 3-3 against Nats this year to date.

Wed, 7:10 - Tom Gorzellany (2-2; 3.40) vs Niese

Thurs, 1:10 - Livan Hernandez (3-5; 3.92) vs Gee

Their hitting suxxx: Last in NL in BA, OBA, and SLG

Injured: Ryan Zimmerman, Rick Ankiel


Feel free to added details, factual or otherwise.

[G-Fafif]

Warming up for the Nats at Double-A Harrisburg, former 15-game winner Oliver Perez.

"Right now I'm really excited," Perez told CBS 21 News on Tuesday afternoon. "It's been a long time since I've felt this (kind of) emotion. I can't wait to jump the lines tomorrow."

He sure didn't wait to jump the shark in 2009.

[Gwreck]

We had no problem with Gorzelanny at home this past April, getting 6 runs off him in 5 1/3 innings. Beltran took him deep twice.

We faced Livan as well earlier in the year and -- for inexplicable reasons -- can't seem to hit him much at all.

[Edgy MD]

This promises to be a brutal battle for fourth place, with the Mets sitting one game behind the Nats, and the Nats sitting one game behind .500.

Wilson Ramos has come along at catcher and has now displaced Ivan Rodriguez (and slowed his Quixotic quest fo 3,000 hits), starting 24 of 41 games to the quarterpole. Ramos is outdoing Josh Thole in simultaneously coming along as a catcher and a hitter, posting a .756 OPS. (Maybe having a veteran partner will help Thole.) He in fact is the only Nat regular besides Jason Werth to post an OPS+ over 100, matching Werth's 108 figure. So take him not lightly.

Though he has but two homers, the lineup juggling Nats have e'en been experimenting of late with Ramos in the cleanup spot --- the only rookie in the majors afforded that honor so far this season.

�I was surprised when I saw my name in the cleanup spot,� Ramos said. �A couple days ago, I was struggling. For me today, it�s the start of a new season. I don�t care about what happened before. I�m going to concentrate on tonight, keep working hard. I�m excited for today to see my name in the cleanup spot.�

For what it's worth, the Pirates batted .100 hitter Matt Diaz cleanup the same night.

He bats righty, came over for Matt Capps, and demonstrated that the Nats know one thing if nothing else --- good relievers are over-valued in the trade market, and only grow more so as the deadline approaches.



Don't take him lightly. Don't dread him, for Pete's sake, but don't take him lightly.

Let's talk first base.

[Fman99]

Manning the first base position is Adam "Fishsticks" LaRoche. He's a knockaround guy, having played earlier in his career for Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Boston, Atlanta again, Arizona and now the Nats. Fairly consistent over his career, a good bet for a .265 average, 25 HRs and 85 or so RBIs.

Off to a bad start, though, in 2011, driving on Interstate 82 and 34 Ks in 137 ABs. Give me a while to troll for pictures of his possibly hot wife.

[Fman99]

Here's a picture of a bunch of hillbilly fucks holding LaRoche's wife Jennifer in the air. Shortly after this they stripped her naked and drew dotted lines on her body to indicate where the different cuts of steak are located.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I'll have the rump roast.

Manager Jim Riggleman was a guest on Boomer & Carton this morning. Reminded me he was interviewed for the Mets job when they ultimately hired Wee Willie. He's a real patriot who loves the USA and also loves Ivan Rodriguez's attitude.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Coming soon to Citi Field: (The House of Dumb) --

[bmfc1]

Their bullpen is good. They just called up Cole Kimball who can throw 100 mph.
Keep an eye out for Jerry Hairston, Jr. pushing Mets off of third base.

The LoHud has a preview:
http://mets.lohudblogs.com/2011/05/18/nationals-are-20-21-really/

Their mascot is an effeminate chicken:
http://mlb.mlb.com/was/community/mascot.jsp

[G-Fafif]

I've been to at least one game of every Nats @ Mets series since September 2006 -- that's 14 consecutive series and way too much Natsball -- but that streak ends this week.

So I don't know nothin'.

[Ceetar]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: I'll have the rump roast. Manager Jim Riggleman was a guest on Boomer & Carton this morning. Reminded me he was interviewed for the Mets job when they ultimately hired Wee Willie. He's a real patriot who loves the USA and also loves Ivan Rodriguez's attitude.

Boomer and Carton spent most of that interview talking about Sammy Sosa and steroids. Riggy thought he was on Creatine.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I tuned in at the tail end of the roid remarks but unfortunately in time to hear Boomer join the army of Jeter exonerators "Just look at him,"

Booms is among those x-jocks who are completely full of shit and knowingly holding back lots when it comes to steroid talk.

[Frayed Knot]

Middle Infield:

* I swear every time I see 24 y/o 2B-man Danny Espinosa he's getting a hit and yet he's hitting just .196 (Keith Lockhart of the Braves was like that too).
He is taking walks at a decent clip and has 23 career XBHs in less than 250 career ABs since his call-up last Sept so you could argue at least he's not hitting a soft .200 - but I must just happen to see all his good days cuz I'm sure I've seen half those XBHs and probably 8 of his 11 career HRs even though only 3 have come vs the Mets

* SS Ian Desmond (25) has always been the one the Nats promoted more as a future star although I suspect he lacks the discipline to ever bust out more than just occasionally. Currently at .217/.255/.317 and coming off a minor injury that sat him a few days. Fielding-wise he's the guy who'll make the highlight reel once a week but is erratic enough to mess up two easy ones in between.


These two are talented enough and young enough to turn into a good long-term duo for them ... or they could both just as easily stagnate and never go anywhere.

[batmagadanleadoff]

1970 Adirondack ad featuring Santo, McCovey, Mays and Cleon Jones, photographed in 1969 at the All Star Game, RFK Stadium, home of the then Washington Senators.