Division Foes 2012: The Nats

[Ceetar]

bmfc1 wrote: This weekend, we have to root for the MFYs. (Sigh.)

no we don't, playoff hopes don't ride on this, Mets still have a ton of games against the Nationals via which they can take care of them themselves. I'll simply see the silver lining in either result.

[Frayed Knot]

This game was typical MFY.
Davey walked PHer Cano (not sure why he didn't start) to load the base and get to Jeter with the Yanx up by 1. Jeter hit the desired grounder but, in a fashion we saw all too much of last week, hit it too shitty to be turned into a DP and then when SS Desmond overthrew 1st trying to get the only out that was possible all hell broke loose.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Going to the bottom of the 13th in today's tilt. Nats probably should have won in regulation but Moore thrown out at plate on a close play (but blown call) in the 8th.

[MFS62]

Yanks win in 14 innings.
Uber-twerp Bryce Harper went 0-7, including the (I don't even know what to call it - diamond crusted platinum?) sombrero with 5 Ks.

Later

[Frayed Knot]

I saw just a few innings here and there of this game ... but I'm just constitutionally incapable of rooting for the Yanx.
Maybe next year when there'll be season-long inter-league and the Yanx get one of our division foes during September as we're fighting for the title down the stretch, I'll manage.
But until then ...

[MFS62]

I couldn't bring myself to watch it either. I saw this thread and checked out the box score.
My interest in watching will be like yours, when the games are meaningful to us during a pennant race.

Later

[Frayed Knot]

It wasn't that I refrained from watching it - I was just doing other things along the way so only caught it here and there - it's just that I can't bring myself to pull for the Yanx even when it's in our best interest.
The only thing that changes when they're playing an NL East team is that I feel less pissed-off if they do win.

[Ceetar]

Frayed Knot wrote: The only thing that changes when they're playing an NL East team is that I feel less pissed-off if they do win.

What really bugs me about this is that we got swept by them and it changed the whole dynamic. They're now on some crazy win streak and we've been struggling. The Mets and Yanks met as equals (win% wise) and now blah. While it's too early to 'need' their help, them winning really does help and that's where it's irksome. If the Nats had like a 2-3 game lead you could be like "whatever, we'll take care of it".

[ashie62]

Kirk vs. Bryce for ROY.

Brought to you by Omir Santos.

[Ceetar]

Ashie62 wrote: Kirk vs. Bryce for ROY. Brought to you by Omir Santos.

presumably there are a couple of other candidates right?

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

So how do they actually shut down Strasborg? Send him to the minors? Put him on the disabled list? Keep him on 25-man roster but not use him?

[Frayed Knot]

So how do they actually shut down Strasborg? Send him to the minors? Put him on the disabled list? Keep him on 25-man roster but not use him?

It'll essentially be September before they shut him down (assuming they actually do) so there's no need to pull any roster gymnastics. Just stop using him.
I still think they'll find a way --longer rests between starts most likely-- to use him for the whole season and still adhere to their self-imposed innings limit.



Meanwhile in Nats land: Brad Lidge has been DFA'd
Facing ten Yanqui batters over the weekend and retiring four of them certainly didn't help his cause.

[Vic Sage]

Facing ten Yanqui batters over the weekend and retiring four of them certainly didn't help his cause.

that would make him the ace of our pen.

[metirish]

"Lights out on Lidge"

[Frayed Knot]

Nationals turning back the clock tonight ... to 1924!!


In addition to usual practice of having both teams (Giants are in town) wear 1924 replica jerseys, the grounds crew will also be dressed in full 1920�s attire and gameday staff will don newsie caps and skimmer hats.

Also:
- The first 10,000 fans will receive a commemorative replica of a 1924 World Series scorecard
- A 1920s-themed jazz orchestra will perform outside the stadium prior to the game
- The modern scoreboard will attempt to reflect how a scoreboard from that era would have appeared
- Video tributes of the 1924 Senators will be shown
- Organ music will be played between innings.
- 1924 concession prices will be in effect (apparently at a one-per-customer rate)
- The ceremonial first pitch (thrown out from behind the National's dugout as was the custom of the times, not from the mound) will be tossed by Walter Johnson�s grandson.
- The ball used for that ceremony will be an actual game-used ball from the 1924 World Series (Washington's only WS winner) on loan from a collector.


Sounds like they're going all out, I'll try to take a peak in on that one.



In the meantime, the Nats are suddenly hitting. They've been scoring over 8 runs/game over the last 8 games and while, yeah, three of those were out in Colorado, they've also faced Minor, Hudson, Lincecum and Baumgarner over the last four scoring 7, 8, 9 & 9 runs. None of this sweating out 2-1 and 3-2 games like they've been doing all year.
Tonight they get Cain (vs Detwiler)

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

If the Giants wear New York uniforms and win, will the win be credited to the Mets?

[batmagadanleadoff]

[u:2s2p628n]Jonesing for Bobby Jones[/u:2s2p628n]

There's no doubt in my crazy head that the **********s who own the Mets, and who must be suffering through a nasty case of the DT's all on account of cold turkeying the black drop-shadow pajama top eyesores for all of three months now (save one backsliding day), are scheming up a Nats '24 inspired 2000 throwback day, just to get back to black.

[bmfc1]

Wuss Ian Desmond is skipping the All-Star Game to rest his tender oblique but he still hit a homerun today. So much for Bud's edict that everyone has to play if selected. Michael Bourn is his replacement.

As @AdamKilgoreWP points out, Ian Desmond has played every inning since 4/20. Yet Nats believe 1 inning off bench in ASG is too risky. Sad.

[Frayed Knot]

And now Harper replaces Stanton on the NL AS Squad. At least Stanton has an excuse.
But the Nats - at least Davey anyway - publicly stated that they preferred Harper skip the ASG so the Desmond pull out is probably more on the player than the team.

[Ceetar]

Frayed Knot wrote: And now Harper replaces Stanton on the NL AS Squad. At least Stanton has an excuse. But the Nats - at least Davey anyway - publicly stated that they preferred Harper skip the ASG so the Desmond pull out is probably more on the player than the team.

I assume they're both going to fly to KC anyway. Everyone always does (except Jeter/Rivera). Is it really that hard to privately tell La Russa "Hey, dude, my chest hurts and I want to rest. Don't feel like you need to get everyone in the game and just let me chill and tweet and whatnot"

[bmfc1]

If the All-Star game is so important that it settles home field advantage for the WS, and Commissioner Bud has said that he wants everybody to play, then Desmond should be playing unless he's on the DL. It's nonsense that he can play every inning since April 20 but can't play 2 innings in a game that "counts." He didn't even bother to announce it after today's game ("uh-oh, I aggravated my thingy.")

If Selig doesn't fine Desmond or the Nationals, then he's even more of a ball-less, incompetent, stooge than I thought and I consider him to be on a par with Bowie Kuhn.

[Ceetar]

bmfc1 wrote: If the All-Star game is so important that it settles home field advantage for the WS, and Commissioner Bud has said that he wants everybody to play, then Desmond should be playing unless he's on the DL. It's nonsense that he can play every inning since April 20 but can't play 2 innings in a game that "counts." He didn't even bother to announce it after today's game ("uh-oh, I aggravated my thingy.") If Selig doesn't fine Desmond or the Nationals, then he's even more of a ball-less, incompetent, stooge than I thought and I consider him to be on a par with Bowie Kuhn.

he better fine them. It's the only weapon he has to try to make teams do what he wants. (since he didn't bother trying to get a harder All Star rule into the CBA anyway)

Hell, use him as a pinch hitter. i can practically guarantee that Desmond is going to take swings at a batting cage somewhere between today and Friday anyway.

[bmfc1]

We keep seeing the commercial with the players saying that they're into the game. Sure.

I hate to think that this screwing around will hurt the Mets chances of home field advantage in the WS.

[Ceetar]

bmfc1 wrote: We keep seeing the commercial with the players saying that they're into the game. Sure. I hate to think that this screwing around will hurt the Mets chances of home field advantage in the WS.

Don't worry, the AL voted in Jeter to start.

[Frayed Knot]

The Nats have obviously had good pitching for the entire year, but at this point their lineup also has no holes this season except for maybe catcher since Wilson Ramos went out for the year.
To help plug that hole they've just landed Kurt Suzuki from Oakland. Not sure he'll be much of an improvement over Jesus Flores, but it's helps with their depth.
As does the return this week of Jayson Werth

[bmfc1]

Holy crap, the Astros are embarassing. Look at how the Nationals scored the go-ahead run last night:
http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=23685139&source=MLB&gid=2012_08_06_wasmlb_houmlb_1

Reactions:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dc-sports-bog/post/the-astros-botch-a-bunt-and

[Ceetar]

�What a collapsed circus tent that was,� Danny Rouhier wrote.

[TransMonk]

bmfc1 wrote: Holy crap, the Astros are embarassing.

The Astros are on pace for 109 losses. Ouch.

[Frayed Knot]

TransMonk wrote: bmfc1 wrote: Holy crap, the Astros are embarassing. The Astros are on pace for 109 losses. Ouch.

And they were actually playing OK until nearly mid-season (looking it up ... 23-24 in late May).
Usually when you get triple-digit loss season (or wins for that matter) it's for a season which is pretty much bad/good from wire-to-wire, but they're now 4-31 since their back-to-back wins on June 26/27.

Double ouch.

[Frayed Knot]

* That above 'Keystone Kops/bunt play' was from the first Astros-Nats game this week (Monday night).
What made it worse was that that play was in the 11th inning and that Houston left the tying run on 2nd in the bottom half to lose 4-3


* Then on Tuesday they lost by giving up a run in the top of the 12th inning (a legit one this time) and then proceeded to get the tying and winning runs on in their half before losing on this play. 3-2 was the final

PhhIUGxEYh8



* Last night they lost again by one run (4-3) although in regulation this time, giving up runs on:
- a balk
- a 2R/2-out HR to the opposing pitcher, Gio 'I've been in the American League my whole career before this season' Gonzalez.
- a 2-out 7th inning error
They then scored one of their own in the 9th to close the gap to one but stranded runners on 2nd & 3rd to end the game.




I don't know if they should be praised for hanging tough against the best team in the NL right now or mocked for how they're losing them.
Either way, as a reward, they get a 4th game against Washington tonight. Wonder how they'll screw this one up.