Nats Roundup: Fire Away
Someone has to be fired. There have to be consequences to the type of season that the Nationals are having, if only to show fans that the ownership actually cares about the product on the field. Most of the chatter seems to center on GM Jim Bowden and Batting Coach Lenny Harris, and given the team's performance, both seem like good candidates. That said, there are plenty of other worthy contenders. Given all the injuries this year, and how imprecise the diagnoses seem to be, the medical staff should probably be shown the door. Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing Clint in an unemployment line.
The Nationals are currently 45-83. They have lost more games than the league leading Angels have won, and have guaranteed a losing season. At least they broke their 12 game losing streak last night, and have still not been technically eliminated from the postseason.
The Nats have 34 games left in the season, and they have to go 18-16 in order to avoid 100 losses. Given that their current winning percentage is .352, it would seem unlikely is impossible that they can suddenly become a .529 team. They do seem to be a lock to draft Stephen Strasburg, although after the Aaron Crow debacle, one has to wonder if they can sign Strasburg. It is nice to see the Nationals do their part to keep the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball stocked with young talent.
Bye Bye Luis
The NY Mets traded Anderson Hernandez for Luis Ayala. Ayala has struggled this year: he is currently 2-8 with a 5.77 ERA, and had lost his role as a setup man in the Nationals' bullpen. The Mets have had luck this year with former Nationals, Brian Schneider and Ryan Church have both been playing well, so maybe they figured that they would get lucky again. Ayala has already pitched 2 innings for the Mets, and has not given up a run.
The Nationals received backup infielder Anderson Hernandez, who sports a career batting average of .177, OBP of .194, and monster .240 slugging percentage. Lucky for Hernandez, the Nationals are not a baseball team interested in scoring runs. At least he has lots of friends on the roster.
Ayala was the player with the longest tenure with the franchise. Now that he is gone, Nick Johnson, Shawn Hill, and Chad Cordero are the only players left on the team that played in Montreal. The status of all three of those players is uncertain, and there is a possibility that all three could be gone next year.
The Nation comes to the Capital
The team begs that we look to next year, or possibly the year after that, and try to ignore what is happening on the field today. Keeping that in mind, the Boston Red Sox will play their first game in the District of Columbia since 1971 next year. The games, which are certain to fill the stands, will give Nationals fans the opportunity to decide whether Mets fans, Phillies fans, or Red Sox fans are the most obnoxious. At least the usher who "performs" to Sweet Caroline can make Sawk fans feel at home.
Jason Bergman
A few weeks ago, we mentioned that Jason Bergman was 0 for 27 with no sacrifice hits or bunts at all. He is now currently 0 for 36, and shockingly still has no sacrifice hits at all. The Washington Times asks if he is the worst hitter ever. The only thing that I know is that he should be running laps right now.
Game of the Week
The game of the week is Tuesday, August 26 when the Dodgers come to Nationals park. Manny Ramirez will give the Nationals fans the opportunity to see what a real hitter looks like. Also, the first 10,000 people get a free T-Shirt.
Briefly Noted: The Taylor Hooton Foundation stopped by Nationals Park to warn District youth on the dangers of steroids... Minor League Ball goes through the Nationals top 20 prospects.
Meaningless Statistic of the Week: Pitcher John Lannan's 3.81 ERA is leading the National League in ERA by a rookie left handed pitcher with at least as many innings pitched as games played this season.
Photo by Fredo Alvarez.