Month: September 2015

Coming Roster Changes

Pete "Hit 'n Run" Wood 2 Comments

I expect Matt Williams and Jonathan Papelbon to be gone very soon after the season ends.  One pretty good un-employed manager out there now is Bud Black (recently let go by the Padres), but I don’t know him well enough to say the Nats should go get him.

I considered not doing this blog any longer when Mike Rizzo acquired Pap, because it showed me he no longer had any clue what the Nats needed and had really lost his way.  He has not put together anything near an effective bullpen.  For that alone I think the Nats also need a new GM.  Not keeping RZimm or Span are 2 more bad decisions.

If the Nats can afford Scherzer then they can afford RZimm too.  They should also make Span an offer for a 1 or 2 year contract.  RZim’s health is a big concern but they won’t part with him, he’s just too good when healthy!

The Nats offense is just too inconsistent to keep hitting coach Schu.  Have the new manager bring a replacement.

Behind the plate both catchers are pretty good and I don’t see any better ones becoming available.  But if a better one does appear on the market the Nats should try to get him.

A Cancer in the Dugout!

Pete "Hit 'n Run" Wood 2 Comments

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Readers already know I thought the Papelbon trade would turn out badly (see several previous posts).  His ridiculous beaning of Machado in the recent Orioles game and now attacking Bryce Harper in the dugout today will hopefully bring Mike Rizzo to his senses.  It is time to end the “Pap-smear.”  He has shown repeatedly over the years that he is an “it’s all about ME” player who doesn’t belong in the Nats clubhouse.

Acquiring “Pap” was a bad mistake from the get-go.  They needed a set-up pitcher, not another closer.

The Lerners need to step up to the plate and get rid of Rizzo, Matt Williams, and Papelbon the day after the end of the season.

 

Crying in Baseball?

Pete "Hit 'n Run" Wood Leave a comment

Craig Stammen says “every year there are one or two games that make me cry all night.”  Craig (one of the stalwarts of the Nats bull-pen over the years) has been out all year due to injury.  He (and Tyler Clippard) have been much-missed all this long season!

I’ve got to say,……….the Mets are a very good team, and are fun to watch.  They fight til the “Fat lady sings.”  When a team can come back from a late-inning deficit night after night one knows that he/she is watching a team that ought to be playing in October.

Hard to Ignore 15-1…………..

Pete "Hit 'n Run" Wood Leave a comment

It would be tempting (after kicking the Braves’ butts last night) to imagine the 2015 Nats are rounding the final turn into the home-stretch of this season about the grab the division title away from the NY Mets.  But after handing the Cardinals 2 out of the last 3 games (when they could have easily won both) most of the Nats fans would probably still bet on the Mets:)

The Nats bats are most likely still smoldering and smoking this morning after exploding last night.  Ryan Zimmerman now has 71 RBIs in the approximately 95 games he has played this year (which projects out to about 121 for a full season).  He is one of the hottest batters in baseball right now.

Bryce Harper, batting just before RZimm, wisely didn’t swing at any bad pitches and managed to walk every time he came to bat!  He scored all 4 times.  Bryce is only the 4th player SINCE 1914 (!) to score 4 runs with NO OFFICIAL AT-BATS in a game.  Put that in your pipe and smoke it:)  He saw 20 pitches and did not swing at a single one!

The rest of the team brought their A-game also.  Rookie Trea Turner even got his first major-league hit!  Pretty good after flying home from St. Louis in the middle of the night and getting to bed around 6am before the game.