Nats Enquirer

Running Away With It

 

(Photo of TV/MASN by Nationals Enquirer staff. Here's Cristian Guzman getting doubled off first in the seventh on a liner to right to snuff out another potential rally. It got really, really ugly for the Nats in Philly last night.

"We were bunting when we weren't supposed to be bunting. Balls in the air, we were doubled up a couple times. We were trying to turn a double play we can't turn. You know, just things that we just can't do. If we're gonna be a better ballclub, we just can't do those things."
(Jim Riggleman, via Nationals Journal, 9/17/2009)

Ugly as sin.

Just don't call 'em the worst team in baseball.

Phillies 6, Nats 1: The good news is, they didn't get shut out.

Another surreal night of blunders on the basepaths.

More from Riggles:

"...you pick up the paper, you hear things, and a lot of comments get started with, 'The worst team in baseball, the Washington Nationals.' And you know, we're not the worst team in baseball. Unfortunately you are whatever your record says you are, but we've got a good ballclub. And this good ballclub just found ways tonight to shoot ourselves in the foot and lose a ballgame, which adds to the record, the negativity, and allows people to write those things. For me, our record does not indicate the quality of the ballclub we have."
(Jim Riggleman, via Nationals Journal, 9/17/2009)

Is it 2010 yet?

Meanwhile...

• Jesus Flores labrum surgery declared "successful". Basically, that means he's still alive, arm is still attached.

• Bring back Matt LeCroy in 2010!

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Mock Bottom

(AP Photo. Miracles happen: Garrett Mock somehow managed to last six innings, despite a nightmare 2nd inning and throwing 1000 pitches in his first three innings. This morning, we're still trying to figure out why Mock decided to try to stretch his 5th inning single into a double.)

"The second inning, when the runs came across, you look at how those guys came across the base, you can call it just good pieces of hitting," he said. " 'Cause I made my pitch. I felt totally fine with them. And they just hit the ball where we weren't."
(Garrett Mock, via Washington Times, 9/16/2009)

Completely Cliff Lee.

Phillies 5, Nationals 0: Sure, Mock stunk, but Nats never stood a chance against Cliff Lee on this night.

Ian Desmond rides the pine; Guz & Gonzo combine for an 0-6 night:

"Well, it's not to just play him every day, but as I've said before I just can't abandon those who've been out there for us all year. It just so happens we're facing [Cliff] Lee. [Alberto] Gonzalez set a Nationals' record with three doubles against Lee last week, so if I'm going to give Gonzalez an opportunity to help the ballclub I felt like this would be the night."
(Jim Riggleman, via Nationals Journal, 9/15/2009)

Meanwhile...

• Jesus, No!! Bye bye Jesus Flores. Torn labrum. Surgery with Dr. James Andrews. How did it come to this? Hello Brian Schneider?

• Nats Curly W hat, a symbol of terrorism?

• Nationals announce 2010 schedule. Team already mathematically eliminated from 2010 playoffs.

• Interim Jim's favorite thing to do in DC.

• Ross Detwiler will start Thursday.

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Do it for Youppi!, Nats fans.

(Photo via http://www.flickr.com/photos/patita/100258276/. NatsTown would be a happier place these days if only MLB had shipped Youppi! to Washington instead of Terrmel Sledge.)

Vance Law. Ron LeFlore. Steve Renko.

Just reading the names is making us all misty-eyed here at the offices of The Nationals Enquirer; and you should be getting misty-eyed, too, NatsTown. The time to cast your vote for the Nationals "All Time 9" -- "the best single-season hitting performances by position in Nationals franchise history" -- is now.

Just look at the ballot. Look at it!  Just pathetic. NatsTown, you should be moved to tears by the sad-sack history of the Nationals/Expos franchise. Clearly, the best years were in Montreal. Is there a single National worth voting for since the team moved south in 20005?

Perhaps worst of all, they won't even let you cast a vote for Mike Bacsik.

So let's do this, okay? A protest. (Against what, we're not exactly sure.) Vote all Expos. And only Expos who never played with the Nats. As hard as it's going to be to refrain from voting for Felipe Lopez at short, vote Hubie Brooks. Do it for Youppi!. He's counting on you.

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Simple Goals.

 

(AP Photo. Never in the Lerner Family's wildest dreams did they think they'd be contending for the #1 pick two years in a row.)

Off days, especially late in a long lost season, are good for two things: dreaming of offseason acquisitions, and making lists. We'll focus on list-making for the next few minutes, specifically with an eye on setting goals with 19 meaningless games left on the schedule. As we see it, the Nats have five simple goals worth striving for in the remaining games against the Phillies, Braves, Mets, and Dodgers. In order:

1. Sweep the final three games against the Phillies. Just reading crap like this about setting up the Phils postseason rotation makes us pray for an historic collapse down the stretch for Stan Kasten's favorite NL East City not named Atlanta. Let's do our part.

2. Don't get anybody killed or dismembered.

3. Win the damn Bryce Harper Sweepstakes. Thanks to Strasburg, Ted Lerner is now perfectly comfortable with writing big, fat paychecks to Scott Boras clients.

4. Outscore the Redskins in each of the three remaining Sunday games. Shouldn't be too hard.

5. Play Ian Desmond. A lot. Try to figure out if he's a viable option for the future.

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Move over Natinals...

(Photo by Reuters Pictures. Awful.)

DC's Kings of Fail are back in town!

More of the same from Campbell, Zorn, and Co. 0-16, here they come?

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When it rains, it bores.

(Photo of TV/MASN by Nationals Enquirer Staff. With J.D. Martin gazing at the rain, a disgusted Jason Bergmann kicks a wall moments after throwing his glove, moments after being pulled off the field in the 9th for yet another rain delay at Land Shark Stadium. The good news is, the umps finally called it off about an hour later.)

"Before the first rain delay, it was fine. But after we came back from the rain delay, we just got drenched. It was tough. But that's the game. No excuses. I just wish we got the full nine innings in."
(Pete Orr, via Washington Times, 9/14/2009)

5 hours and 37 minutes of rain delays over 2 days.

3:03 in delays Sunday + 2:34 delay Saturday = a lot of ESPN News on MASN.

Nats 7, Marlins 2 (Sunday): Pete Orr vs. Mother Nature. Pete Orr wins in a rain-shortened affair. Lannan (nice beard!) finally wins again. But the most interesting story was the rain, really.

Marlins 11, Nats 3 (Saturday): Let's never speak of Marco Estrada's first Major League start again, okay? And Logan Kensing still stinks. Silver linings provided courtesy of Justin Maxwell (2 HRs) and Ian Desmond (4-4).

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Now, Goozie really needs a hug...

We'll recall that order to fire Jim Riggleman. Tonight's lineup (via Nationals Journal) lists Ian Desmond batting second and playing SS. Guz rides the pine. Wonder who he'll cuddle with on the bench tonight?

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Goozie needs a hug.

(Photo of TV/MASN by Nationals Enquirer Staff. In the late innings at Land Shark Stadium last night, Cristian Guzman sulks and cuddles with coaches and teammates in the dugout. Anonymous sources say Jim Riggleman did not offer Guz a hug.)

"As far as him being open to it, that's really not even a factor. We'll make a call on that; the player doesn't make the call on that... It's a pretty natural thing. A lot of times we think, 'Oh, heaven forbid, we don't want to ruffle any feathers with a ballplayer.' But I mean, Robin Yount, Michael Young, David Eckstein, Cal Ripken -- many guys have moved off shortstop. ... It's about what's best for the team."
(Jim Riggleman, via Nationals Journal, 9/11/2009)

Riggles doesn't give a crap about Guzman's feelings; Guz pouts.

A night after being blindsided by a meeting with Rizzo and Riggleman about a potential move from SS to 2B in 2010, and being benched in favor of rookie Ian Desmond that same night, Cristian Guzman was back on the field last night and enjoyed an 0-5 at the plate against the Marlins. In the late innings, Guz could be seen on TV sulking in the dugout, seeking hugs and comfort wherever he could find it.

Seems eerily similar to July, when Guz was dropped from second to sixth in the batting order, and went into a slump...Riggleman had this to say when he finally caved and moved Guzman back up to #2:

"Most players don't really care where they hit. They really don't... I said to him a few nights ago, 'You don't want to hit down there, do ya?' And he was just like, 'Nah.' "
(Jim Riggleman, via Nationals Journal, 7/22/2009)

Hopefully Riggles starts Ian Desmond tonight; to hell with Goozie's feelings!

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Be Like Mike!

(Photo of TV/MASN by Nationals Enquirer Staff. Mike Morse stands on second base following his 6th inning, pinch hit, 2 run double which broke a 2-2 tie and proved to be the game winner.)

"I was a Marlins fan. Oh, yeah. When we could, we'd come to Marlins games when I was a kid. And like what I said with my family here, it felt good to play in front of friends and family."
(Mike Morse, via Washington Post, 9/12/2009)

Former Fan Fries Fish

Nats 5, Marlins 3: Ex-Marlins fan Mike Morse and dozens* of current Marlins Fans were on hand at Land Shark Stadium for this one.

"I'll say 4,200, because a lot of people came just to see me."
(Mike Morse, via AP/ESPN dot com, 9/11/2009)

Another good start by J.D. Martin. Another big save by Mike MacDougal, with an assist from Bergmann and Clippard. Zim, Dunn, go deep.

Ian Desmond rides the pine; Cristian Guzman sulks through an 0-5 night.

(*Announced crowd of 15,247.)

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No Desmond tonight. Fire Jim Riggleman.

Booooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!

Someone missing from tonight's lineup? You bet:

1. Harris
2. Guzman
3. Zimmerman
4. Dunn
5. Willingham
6. Dukes
7. Orr
8. Nieves
9. Martin

No Ian Desmond.

Boooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Boooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!

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