Nats Enquirer

Logan's Runs

(AP Photo: Logan Kensing gets heckled by Diamondbacks mascot, Baxter, moments after melting down and turning a 6-5 Nats lead into a 9-6  deficit in the sixth. Please, ignore the fact that the Dimaondbacks' mascot is a bobcat, not a snake. Thank you.)

"Well, he has good stuff but he pitches behind in the count. It doesn't matter how hard you throw up here in the big leagues. When they know a fastball is coming, they're going to hit it... He has a good arm, and the fact that today we were a little short, we needed him to pitch at least two innings today, and we couldn't get one inning out of him."
(Manny Acta on Logan Kensing, via Nationals Journal, 5/10/2009)

D-backs 10, Nats 8: Scott Olsen stunk, and Logan Kensing stinks.

8 isn't enough: Lots of O, 2 more bombs for Dunn, 2 bombs for Willingham; but the bullpen is back to the same old tricks again.

Zimmerman: 28 straight.

Way to go, Joel!

"I think it can help his confidence, because he wasn't the only guy left in the bullpen. We went to him with the guy who's already closed a couple games for us on the mound. We went to him in a key situation... and he came up big."
(Manny Acta, via Washington Times, 5/10/2009)

Nationals 2, Diamondbacks 1: Kip Wells tries to blow it in the ninth, but guess who bailed 'em out?

The box score says Hanrahan got the save, but Kearns-to-Flores in the 7th may have saved the game.

Lannan wiggled out of trouble all night. Good enough.

Zimmerman extends hit streak to 27 with 8th inning bomb.

(AP Photo)

 

Nats Flex vs. D-Backs

 

"We played a clean game today. We're starting to build some confidence. We got some runs, got ahead, and the bullpen is starting to do a pretty decent job. Defense and pitching win games. That's a goal of ours, to become better defensively as a team." (Ryan Zimmerman, via Washington Post, 5/9/2009)

Nats 5, D-Backs 4: Dunn, Jesus go deep. Bullpen doesn't implode!

Zim extends hitting streak to 26.

No-no for Nats' future Ace (coming this summer)...

Go F yourself, Felipe.

(AP Photo)

Hollywood Ending

 
 

"We had them all the way." (Manny Acta, via Washington Post, 5/8/2009)

Nationals 11, Dodgers 9: Nats did their best to cheer up disconsolate Dodger fans with a brutal first inning (Zimmermann implodes + Comic relief courtesy of Dukes and Dunn), but come roaring back late for first win in LA since 2005.

The Ron Villone Era begins with a Curly W.

After a nightmare first, Jordan Zimmermann kept 'em in the game for six. Ron Villone earns win #1. Beimel holds 'em. Kip Wells fails to blow it in the 9th, despite his best efforts.

Seems fitting it all went down with Frank Robinson in the house.

Zimmerman extends hit streak to 25.

LA Times' Bill Plaschke says: "Mannywood has gone to hell." Boz chimes in on Manny (not Acta), too.

Well, at the very least Manny Acta can't be the first manager fired in 2009.

(Photo of Dukes and Dunn clowning around in right on TV by The Nationals Enquirer staff)

No shortage of duct tape and bubblegum...

 

The endless tinkering and reshuffling of the abused and misused Nationals' bullpen continued earlier today, with the immortal Ron Villone serving as the latest piece of duct tape slapped on Jimbo's ill-conceived monstrosity. Oh, and Mike Hinckley, DFA, which really is a shame considering that he seemed to have finally figured it all out last September.

Villone is the guy in the picture above; not the one in the catcher's gear. Don't go getting yourself too attached, though; you can bet he'll be gone in a week or two.

Good luck to you, Ron. You'll need lots of it.

(AP Photo)

Dodger Blew

 

"It's a struggling bullpen right now. That's what it is."
(Manny Acta, via Washington Post, 5/7/2009)

Dodgers 10, NAAAts 3: So much for that Reverse Lock theory.  Bullpen explodes in nightmare sixth.

It'll be a long bus ride from LA to Syracuse for Hinckley, Kensing.

Raise your hand if you turned off the TV immediately following "that pitch" by Hinckley.

Zimmerman extends hit streak to 24.

Meanwhile...

Bill Ladson of Nationals dot com reports that Sony Pictures is scouting the Nationals for a romantic comedy about a Nationals relief pitcher, to be played by Owen Wilson. However, unnamed sources tell the Nationals Enquirer that Sony is actually scouting the Nationals in preparation for the sequel to "Titanic".

According to Nationals Journal, Mike Rizzo and Scott Boras watched last night's bloodbath in LA together.

Maybe Zimmermann can get it done tonight.

More evidence there's a Reverse Lock in the making tonight...

Here's a little more fuel for the Reverse Lock fire - the LA Times' Dodger Thoughts blog reminds us of the following facts:

1. The Dodgers have the best record in MLB

2. The Nationals have the worst record in MLB.

3. The Nats haven't won in their last nine attempts at Dodger Stadium, dating all the way back to 2006 (2006!):

The Dodgers have the best record in the major leagues. Their opponents, the Washington Nationals, have the worst record in the majors and have lost their past nine games at Dodger Stadium dating back to 2006.

So yeah, it turns out the Nationals haven't won a game in LA in more than four years. May 4, 2005, to be exact. A 5-2 win with some fat guy nicknamed 'Livo' on the mound.

It ends tonight.

Meanwhile, on an unrelated note...

Now that he doesn't have Lenny Harris to kick around anymore, it seems Chris Needham has found a new cause: Vote Lastings! (Nationals Enquirer staff will be voting early and often.)

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A reverse lock seems to be in order...

It ends tonight.

Last night, the Dodgers become first team in 98 years to start a season with 12 wins in a row at home.

Nats fly out to LA for a two game set. Daniel Cabrera starts for the Nats tonight.

A reverse lock seems to be in order, wouldn't you say?

(AP Photo)

Suspension of Disbelief

"Today was the battle of two struggling bullpens, and I think we could have helped ourselves a little bit if we would have played better defense."
(Manny Acta, via Washington Post, 5/5/2009) 

Nationals 10, Astros 10: To be continued. Two bad teams + Nats' dreadful Bullpen + Rain = see you July 9th!

Damn you, Kip Wells

Zimmerman extends hit streak to 23.

Boz says the Nats are in danger of "losing the town." Hasn't that already happened?

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(Photo of TV by Nationals Enquirer Staff)

Deep Sixth.

"We've had sizable leads before disappear on us..."
(Manny Acta, via Washington Times, 5/5/2009)

Nationals 9, Astros 4: No disappearing act for this lead!

A 5 run 6th, 4-4 night for Zim, and no sign of the exploding bullpen. Lannan notches win #1.

Shh...Zimmerman's hit streak, 22.

It's like Jimbo said: Strasburg will be #1 

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(AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)