Nats Enquirer

Gone Looking

(Rick Ankiel struck out looking to end Monday's game with the tying run on first,. Screen grab via MASN/TV.)

Nats drop series to Pirates, 2-1.

Pirates 4, Nationals 2: No help in the ninth from Gascanrahan.

Unfortunately, the guy named Joel Hanrahan who pitches for the Pirates in 2011 is not the same guy named Joel Hanrahan who pitched for the Nationals in 2009.

At this hour, Rick Ankiel is reportedly still standing at home plate at PNC Park with his bat on his shoulder. Matt Stairs gives a knowing nod.

Blame Lannan's lousy 4-run fourth on 7 minute rain delay?

Ho hum, just another error by Ian Desmond. Can't he just go on paternity leave, already?

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6'5" Michael Morse beats 6'0" wall to rob Chris Snyder of a home run

  

(Michael Morse robs Chris Snyder of a home run, didn't need to leave his feet. Screen grab of MASN/TV.)

With a little help from that little 6 ft. wall in left field in Pittsburgh, 6'5" Michael Morse robbed the Pirates' Chris Snyder of a home run in the third inning Monday night. Morse crashed into the wall hard -- but at least he didn't need to leave his feet.

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Mike finally got into a ball.

(At long last, Michael Morse went deep on Sunday. Screen grab via MLB.com.)

"Mike really got into that ball, and that's what we've been waiting for."
(Jim Riggleman, via Nationals.com, 4/24/2011) 

In 66 spring training at bats, Michael Morse hit nine home runs and earned himself a starting job in left field for the Nationals.

Finally, after 52 real live regular season at bats, Michael Morse finally hit a home run on Sunday.

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Rain, Loss, Win

 

(Jayson Werth was all smiles at the end of Sunday's game. Screen grab via MLB.com.)

Rain 1, Nationals 0 (Friday): Ho hum, another game, another rainout. "Guys are just kind of frustrated. It's just not ideal," says Drew Storen.

Pirates 7, Nationals 2 (Saturday): Livo has an awful start, blames it on the start time and insider information. EEIan Desmond strikes again. Good thing they gave him the day off on Sunday.

Nationals 6, Pirates 3 (Sunday): Michael Morse finally has a big day: 3-4, HR, 3 RBI, and another non-2010 Jason Marquis start by Jason Marquis. Jayson Werth's game-ending throw still doesn't make up for an 0-5 day at the plate.

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Bryce Harper's Big Six-RBI Night

Above, video of Bryce Harper's 4th inning HR on a cold and rainy Friday night in Hagerstown.

Just a day after running headfirst into a wall, Bryce Harper put on a show in Hagerstown's 17-1 drubbing of the Hickory Crawdads . Harper went 3-3 with a homerun, double, two walks, and six RBI. He also kicked a field goal.

"I felt good in there tonight. I still have a long way to go. I can’t sit on this game. I have to keep going."
(Bryce Harper, via Herald-Mail.com, 4/23/2011)

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When Bryce Harper ran headfirst into that wall

 

(Oh, that's just Bryce Harper running headfirst into the wall on Thursday. No biggie. Screen grab via Hagerstown Herald-Mail video.)

If simply reading the account of Bryce Harper running headfirst into the outfield wall during a game in Hagerstown yesterday doesn't scare the crap out of you, well, then...we suggest you watch the video over on the Hagerstown Herald-Mail's website. It'll scare the crap out of you. Even scarier than Tony La Russa's pinkeye-face.

"I feel good. I hit the wall hard. I laid there a little and was a little scared. My head hurt. I sat out the second game, but I felt good. I feel bad that I didn’t get a chance to pinch hit."
(Bryce Harper, via Herald-Mail.com, 4/21/2011)

Harper also hit his second HR of the season earlier in the day before gracing the wall with his face and scaring the crap out of everyone. Next question: did Harper leave eyeblack marks on the wall?

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Ray Knight doesn't like those dumb questions.

So Ray Knight dished out some tough love to Nationals beat reporter(s) during MASN's postgame show, Nats Extra, on Wednesday night. It happened after a clip of Jordan Zimmermann's post-game interview with reporters aired -- video clip of the proceedings above (complete with strange cutaway during a question by MASN's Debbi Taylor). Just what was the "interesting" question during the interview that sparked the following exchange between Johnny Holliday and Knight? Was it one question? Or just a general commentary on the state of baseball beat reporting? Come on Ray, name names!

Johnny Holliday: "When you were playing, Ray. When you were managing, when you were playing, was the media asking interesting questions as sometimes we see them ask? I say interesting sarcastically, but. A little bit different tenure today than when you were playing?"
 
Ray Knight: "I find myself sitting up here listening to some of the questions and they're obvious. You know, back in the day, these guys were sportswriters for 15, 20, 30 years, and you only had a couple or three in an area, and you didn't have every dot com and everybody sticking their microphone in there. And there are so many times these questions are asked and I'm not getting hard on anybody but it's just, "How do you feel tonight...what do you think about your outing"...heck he went six innings and gave up five runs, that's not acceptable and it doesn't make any difference. But I would just like to see more thought out questions. Like, you know, you've got three hours to ask a question. You need to come up with one good one. Back in the day -- I was just sitting here making the comment, that's why Johnny is asking me this -- I don't remember people asking me those dumb questions."

 

(Johnny and Ray. Screengrab of Nats Extra via YouTube.)

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Nats lose series, but earn moral victory by not contracting La Russa's horrific pinkeye

St. Louis Cardinals St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa looks around the dugout during a game against the Washington Nationals at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on April 20, 2011. La Russa is battling an extreme case of conjunctivitis, or pinkeye, that has his right eye swollen shut and the right side of his face, including his forehead, swollen and discolored. UPI/Bill Greenblatt

 

Nats drop 2 of 3 to the Cardinals? Well, that's not good. But you have to just take the silver linings wherever you can find them: at least the Nationals didn't catch what Tony La Russa's got on his face.

Here's Tony La Russa, via the Belleville News-Democrat, describing his "extreme" case of conjuntivitis:

"Actually, it just looks bad. I'm not in a lot of pain. It just scares kids. Like bad makeup in a horror movie. I get a little weary dealing with it." 
(Tony La Russa, via Belleville News-Democrat.com, 4/20/2011)

Come to think of it, the same could be said for the Nats' offense thus far...

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Lohse Hanging Fruit*

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Kyle Lohse (R) knocks elbows with catcher Yadier Molina after the third out and a complete game, shutting out the Washington Nationals, 5-0 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on April 21, 2011. UPI/Bill Greenblatt

 

No fight in 'em. Nats bats easy pickins' for Kyle Lohse.

Cardinals 5, Nationals 0: Kyle Lohse goes the distance, and a pair of two run jacks from Holliday and Pujols more than enough (following a pair of two-out walks).

Matt Stairs strikes out in latest pinch hitting appearance: at least he swung his bat this time.

Good news: Nats still playing .500 ball.

*Because we can't help ourselves when it comes to bad puns, and MLB.com already used "Lohse and behold". Stay tuned for our first ever reader-driven "bad headline pun game of the week" contest...

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Split Decision

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Jordan Zimmermann delivers a pitch to the St. Louis Cardinals in the second inning of game two of their doubleheader at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on April 20, 2011. UPI/Bill Greenblatt

 

Nats-Cards Split Doubleheader

Nationals 8, Cardinals 6: A win is a win, nothing comes easy, etc. From a  7-0 lead to too close for comfort. Hey, how about that six-run third/Desmond's steal of home?

Cardinals 5, Nationals 3: A loss is a loss, nothing comes easy. Jordan Zimmermann goes six, but with game tied at 3 in the 5th with 2 outs, a walk-hit-hit-hit sequence does him in.

Gorzelanny goes for the series win this afternoon.

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