Nats Enquirer

WHAT HAPPENS IN PITTSBURGH, STAYS IN PITTSBURGH

"That guy's hot."
(Jason Bergmann, via Nationals dot com, 6/12/2008)

Doumit 7, Nats 5: Don't you hate Ryan Doumit? Manny doesn't, apparently -- otherwise, why the hell did he have his guys keep pitching to him*?

Unfortunately, mostly the Bad Bergmann showed up in Pittsburgh. I miss the lights-out Good Bergmann.

Silver lining? Rally fell short late, but you can't fault the effort.

Oh, and Manny Acta's least favorite guy on the roster keeps on hitting...

Meanwhile: Odalis Perez looks poised to climb to the top of the pile of bodies on the DL. "Baseball sources" are saying Clippard will take his spot Saturday in Seattle. Aaron Boone, who left today's game in the sixth with a neck owie, is "likely back in the lineup within a day or two" according to Chico (not Matt). Loosely translated to Nats-DL-time, that means four weeks. 

*For the love of Jesus (not Colome or Flores), why'd they even bother to keep pitching to Doumit? His stats for the series were video game numbers: 9-11, 4HR, 7RBI, 5R. In case you missed it the first time, that's 9-11,  4HR, 7RBI, 5R.

(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

THAT'S MORE LIKE IT!

"There's never a carryover unless you have a good game."
(Manny Acta, via Washington Post, 6/12/2008)

Pirates 3, Nats 1: No miscommunication about it -- A nice, quiet loss, with a few blown chances and errors sprinkled on top of another quality start (this time, courtesy of John Lannan) that all goes for naught --and a little comic relief courtesy of Da Meathook.

No gutsy comeback. No shouting. No missed high-fives. No explanation or excuses necessary.

Meanwhile...We'll say it again: the news on Zimmerman IS good news (out at least 4-6 weeks, surgery still a possibility, says the Washington Post). 2008 is a lost cause. Take it slow. Get healthy, Zim. Maybe you can use some of the downtime to update your blog.

AND: Despite what Manny Acta and Jim Bowden would have you believe, Mark Zuckerman of the Washington Times suggests that maybe Tuesday night's Dukes-Acta showdown wasn't an isolated incident; seems there might be a bigger storm brewing under the surface (via Washington Times):

"His image within the Washington clubhouse has to come into question, too. Though Dukes does have a group of supporters among his teammates and coaches, a sizeable number of uniformed personnel have soured on him and question whether the player with the checkered past really has turned his life around at all."

(Photos of Dmitri's adventures in foul territory on the TV set taken by The Nationals Enquirer staff)

Spin, etc.

"We met with Elijah after the game. There was a misunderstanding. We dealt with the situation behind closed doors. I support Manny Acta, the manager, 100 percent. We resolved the issue. It's now behind us."
(Jim Bowen Bowden, via Chatter, 6/11/2008)

Well, if Jimbo says it was all just a misunderstanding, it must be true!

You gotta love the "explanation" of last night's big dust up on Nationals dot com, from the mouths of "baseball sources":

The confrontation came a few minutes after Lastings Milledge hit a two-run homer, scoring Dukes ahead of him. According to baseball sources, Acta was not angry with Dukes for showboating with Milledge near home plate after the home run. There was a miscommunication in the dugout. Dukes thought that Acta didn't want to shake his hand.

This much we know: Dukes is in the lineup tonight. Does he get drilled in his first or second at bat?

Also: The news on Ryan Zimmerman (out 4-6 weeks...and counting...) is good news, when you stop and think about it. No need to rush him back for 2008.

(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

TROUBLE IN PARADISE: Manny Acta vs. Elijah Dukes

"It was just a little misunderstanding in the dugout that I'm not going to elaborate on...We talked, and everything is fine."
(Manny Acta, via Washington Times, 6/11/2008)

Tick...tick...tick...tick...tick...just a little misunderstanding in the dugout...

Uh oh. See video above, via Baseball Tonight. Not a peep of this on the MASN broadcast locally for some reason, and not a word about it in Manny Acta's post-game press conference, but Manny and Elijah Dukes got into a screaming match (and had to be separated) in the dugout moments after Lastings Milledge's (game winning) ninth-inning HR. Worst of all, Dukes showed up his manager by faking the high-five and dropping his hand as he approached Acta in the post-game celebration on the field. Ugly. So, what the hell happened? Did Acta take offense to Dukes and Milledge celebrating mayyyybe a little too much after the HR?

Remember, these were Manny's exact words after umpire Doug Eddings got pissed off about Dukes' celebration last Thursday after his walkoff against the Cardinals (via Washington Times):

"We want to see emotions as long as you're not showing anybody up...He showed emotion, and I don't think he offended anybody."

What happened? Did Manny think Dukes crossed the line after Milledge's HR? And if the Pirates were offended, just let Ian Snell drill Dukes in the back tonight, and it's all over -- until Dukes charges the mound and hurts somebody -- unless Dukes finds himself benched for the next few games, which seems to be a likely scenario.

More from the Washington Times this morning:

As Dukes and Milledge crossed the plate, Dukes looked back at Capps (who blew his first save in 16 tries this season) in a move that could have been perceived as taunting the opposing pitcher.

(Picture of TV screen by the Nationals Enquirer. Crappy video stream by Red Lasso)

BOMBS AWAY!

"On an everyday basis, it just takes one guy to win the ballgame."
(Manny Acta, via Washington Post, 6/11/2008)

Nats 7, Pirates 6: Nationals outslug Pirates. No, seriously.

Home Run Derby: Belliard (2), Da Meathook, Jesus, and finally, Milledge (game winner in 8th) go deep.

Welcome back, Ronnie Belliard (3-4, 2HR, 3RBI).

(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Give me a break, Stan.

"Except for the last five games, we've been a .500 team for the last 40 games, a quarter of the season. You can try to figure out how. But it was that depleted talent pool that was doing it. And I think they'll be back to that, and better. Because every day we'll be adding players back in. And we are expecting promotions throughout the rest of the summer. It's clear that we're in a position where there's finally talent on the doorstep."
(Stan Kasten, via Washington Post, 610/2008)

We're not buying it.

At times like this, we could really use the StanSpeak Translator.

Silver lining (for Jimbo): at least your boss is publicly saying the same thing you are. via Jon Heyman of SI.com:

"There are rumblings Jim Bowden, GM of the Nats, could be in trouble."

(AP Photo)

CAIN AND UNABLE

"I just come every day to the ballpark telling myself that today is going to be the day." 
(Manny Acta, via Washington Post, 6/10/2008)

Giants 3, Nats 2: Matt Cain, no gain. More blown chances than you can shake a stick at!

1-6 Homestand Homesit mercifully over.

Nobody told Tyler Clippard he'd have to be perfect:

Thanks for showing up, Ty: For your 4.1 inning, 5 hit, 3 run, 4 walk effort, here's a bus ticket back to Columbus. Welcome back, Ronnie Belliard (time to park Felipe Lopez on the bench where he belonged all along)!

Take your time coming back, Zim, there's no point in rushing for 2008.

(AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson)

Enquirer Answers the Mailbag!

Who's hot, who's not? Don't answer that. It's too hot for small talk, and judging from some of the questions in this week's edition of the Nationals.com mailbag, either the heat, or the losing, is starting to get to people. So let's cool things down, shall we? As usual, keep those e-mails coming to Nationals.com, and we'll keep copying and pasting the questions over here and giving our half-assed answers! Here we go:

I'm a big Austin Kearns fan. I think he's the greatest asset to the Nats' outfield. Do you have any information on how his elbow is doing and when we can expect to see him back with the team?
-- A. W., Clifton, Va.

Unfortunately, all signs seem to indicate that Kearns could be back within a month.

What's happened to the Nats' vaunted bullpen? There's not a single guy I feel comfortable seeing when the game is on the line. Why the drop off from last year?
-- L. H., Southern Md.

Starters not going as deep into games as last year. Bullpen arms are simply burning out faster. Actually, we made that up: have no explanation for the drop off. Blame it on the heat!?

Frankly, I'm tired of your optimism. This team is nowhere near a contender, or a .500 club for that matter. How can any team expect to contend with the offense that the Nationals field? How do you respond to this?
-- J. A., Stony Brook, NY

Go to hell, asshole.

Do you see the Nationals actively trying to trade any players? I think the team can honestly do without players such as Paul Lo Duca, Wily Mo Pena, Johnny Estrada and Kearns.
-- J. H., Rockwood, Tenn.

Can you see any team actively trying to trade FOR Paul Lo Duca, Wily Mo Pena, Johnny Estrada or Austin Kearns?

Any chance Aaron Boone can play second base? Felipe Lopez hasn't been playing up to his potential.
-- M. S., Richmond, Va.

Wow. Yes, definitely.

When are we going to see Justin Maxwell again in the Major Leagues?
-- J. M., Harrisburg, Pa.

September.

With Ryan Braun, Hanley Ramirez and Troy Tulowitzki getting long-term deals at reasonable prices, shouldn't the Nats negotiate a similar contract with Ryan Zimmerman?
-- M. W., Waldorf, Md.

Yes.

Give me a break, Jim.

"Nick Johnson, Austin Kearns and Ryan Zimmerman are our 3-4-5 hitters, and they're not in the lineup. When they're not there, you won't have the same ability to score runs as you would if they were there. They were in a slump, and normally guys like that hit out of slumps because of their proven track record, and I think they would have. Certainly, we need to get our big boys healthy and back on the field."
(Jim Bowden, via Washington Post, 6/08/2008)

We're not buying it.

Meanwhile...why even keep the Lo Duca question on the table? Why not endorse Jesus as the starter the rest of the way? Classic Jimbo:

"The way Flores is playing, obviously it's an easy decision for Manny. Certainly, Paul's a guy who can hit .300, and it's something we'll deal with at the time when Paul's healthy and comes back in there." (Jim Bowden, via Nationals dot com, 6/08/2008)

(Photo of TV by The Nationals Enquirer staff)

ROCK BOTTOM? NAH, NOT EVEN CLOSE.

"We have way too many games left to hit rock bottom. We are not hitting and we know that. We show up tomorrow and be ready to snap out of it. We will."
(Manny Acta, via Nationals dot com, 06/08/2008)

Giants 6, Nats 3: Heat wave, cold streak. Bottom continues to fall out of this thing. Mock gets knocked around a bit in debut.

(AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)