The Nationals aimed to take the series win in San Diego to go 3 for 4 before heading off to San Francisco. Unfortunately, a 13-4 loss and more shaky defense would not allow the Nationals to do so. The Nationals will leave San Diego with a series split against a team that the Nationals were hoping to win a series over.
Dan Haren came out of the gate struggling Sunday Afternoon. He immediately gave up a single to Everth Cabrera. Cabrera then stole 2nd, then went to 3rd on a wild pitch from Dan Haren. Chase Headley got on base via the walk. Carlos Quentin doubled to bring in Cabrera, then a sac fly brought in Headley. A double from Jedd Gyorko then brought in the 3rd run in the 1st inning to put the Nationals in a 3-0 hole. It would turn out to be a deficit the Nationals would never overcome.
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I woke up Thursday morning to see the Nationals had lost again last night. I
noted that the only run the Nationals were able to score was a solo home run by
Adam LaRoche. The good news is that LaRoche seems to be finding himself after a
slow start, which is not abnormal for the veteran 1B. It is easy to see what is
going on with the Nationals, really, and that is that they simply haven't been
scoring a whole heck of a lot of runs. Looking at the Nationals record isn't so
discouraging at 22-19. Even during the last stretch of games, the Nationals may
have failed to tie the Braves for 1st place, but they aren't exactly losing
ground on them either. Having lost 2 of 3 to the Dodgers, and the win last
night against the Padres, the Nationals are only half a game back of the 1st
place Braves in the NL East. So what is the deal? Why aren't the Nationals
killing baseball like everyone thought they would?
In the last several weeks, it has
seemed like everything has gone at least slightly askew for the Nationals. To
start the season, they kept throwing the ball away, the bullpen would give up
the lead, and the starting pitchers (except for Zimmermann) had been hit or
miss. Then, you had Ryan Zimmerman hit the disabled list due to a bum
hamstring, then Ramos, then Werth, then (it looks like) Ramos again. Just two
nights ago, Detwiler's back tightened up, Ramos' hamstring tightened up. We are
unsure of Detwiler right now, but Ramos is DL-bound again. Not a good night for
the visiting team. Monday, the Nationals won, but a full speed wall impact
tossed up questions about Bryce Harper, who returned to the lineup last night.
I don't even want to talk about how it looked like Haren was battling a bit of
discomfort on Tuesday, a night when he pitched so well, but suffered from a
lack of support. The fact that he fought through it and only allowed two runs
is great, but still something to look out for. In the Dodgers series, the
Nationals seemed to have been somewhat snake bitten.
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Gio Gonzalez took the hill for the Nationals in the rubber match of the series against the Cubs. He went up against Cubs right hander, Scott Feldman. Gio was looking to have another solid game after allowing only 2 runs to the Pirates. Feldman has been pretty good for the Cubs so far this season, coming into the game with a 2.70 ERA.
Feldman got off to a slow start, allowing a leadoff double to Denard Span. A walk to Harper put runners at 1st and 2nd. Ryan Zimmerman doubled to give the lead to the Nationals in the 1st inning. Adam LaRoche struck out swinging, then Ian Desmond drew a walk and the bases were loaded. Danny Espinosa was at the plate, but couldn't come up with anything and he flew out to end the inning.
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Stephen Strasburg took the hill against the very team he made his Major League Debut against, the Pittsburgh Pirates. Strasburg has had great success against the Pirates in his career, so there was reason to believe it would be a good day for the Nats. Jeff Locke would go to the mound for the Pirates and square off with Strasburg in the series opener.
Having had some trouble in the first inning, it was important for Strasburg to have a good one on Saturday. After a quiet top of the first for the Nationals, Strasburg nailed Starling Marte with a pitch to get to lead off the inning. Marte then stole second base, at which point he advanced to 3rd on an errant throw from Wilson Ramos. 2K's and a pop up would get Strasburg out of the first inning unscathed. The Nationals would then score a run in the top of the 3rd as Roger Bernadina would get hit by a pitch, then Strasburg reached on an error that allowed Bernadina to go to 3rd. Ian Desmond lifted a sac fly to bring Bernadina in and make it 1-0.
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The Nationals right hander Jordan Zimmermann had the game of the season in his last start against the Reds. It would be a tough act to follow against another good lineup in the Atlanta Braves. The Braves sent Paul Maholm to the mound in an effort to establish a 9 game winning streak against the Nationals, but one he allowed one big hit to decide the game.
Jordan Zimmermann came into Thursday nights game to try and get the Nationals back into the win column. In the first inning, Justin Upton hit a single with 2 outs, but that was all the Braves would get in the 1st. Then, in the 3rd, Braves pitcher Paul Maholm hit a double down to right field with 1 out, but that was it for the Braves offense. Jordan Zimmermann was flat out dealing. Mowing down the Braves lineup innings 3-8 without allowing any base runners for the rest of the night. He would finish with a total of 8 strikeouts and allow only 2 hits, no walks and no runs. Zimmermann's record for 2013 is now 5-1.
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The Nationals entered Sunday looking to complete a sweep of the Cincinnati Reds. Ross Detwiler went to the hill to attempt to get the job done. Tony CIngrani would make it a game of lefties between the Nationals and the Reds on the final game of the series.
Unfortunately for Ross Detwiler and the Nats, the Reds got off to a quick start offensively. After getting Choo swinging, Zack Cozart hit a single to right field and Joey Votto followed up with a double to put runners on 2nd and 3rd. Brandon Phillips singled to center field to put the Reds up 2-0 and give them a lead they would not relinquish. Some good luck and timely hitting kept the Reds ahead for the remainder of the game.
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The Nationals sent Stephen Strasburg to the hill for the final game of the series against the St. Louis Cardinals. It was a salvage job for the Nats, but they were not able to come through and the Cardinals left with a sweep.
The game started quickly and decisively. Matt Carpenter lead off the game with a strange double, squeaking into second base safely. After Strasburg was able to get Allen Craig out, Matt Holliday singled and Carlos Beltran drew a walk. Yadier Molina singled to right field and was able to plate Carpenter and Beltran, putting the Nationals in a 2-0 hole. A goofy play by rookie Anthony Rendon allowed the inning to continue and Beltran to score. The damage was done and the Nationals were down 3-0 when a nifty double play started by Rendon ended the inning.
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2-8-1. That was how the Washington Capitals started the 2012-13 season. A lockout shortened season in which the team saw a regime change following the end of their playoff run in 2012. Then, as if it wasn't going to be difficult for the team with a new coach, the egos of the NHL and the NHLPA lead to a needless lockout that saw nearly 40 regular season games canceled. When the lockout was over and games were slated to begin, the Capitals had a one week training camp that included no exhibition games.
Truly, the Capitals had a lot to overcome. Considering that the team had a lot of talent and the ability to take off at any moment, there was reason to believe the Capitals would do just fine. However, they came out of the gate and struggled. In the first 11 games of the season, the Capitals eked out 2 runs and suffered agonizing defeat after agonizing defeat. Pundits would talk about how Alex Ovechkin was finished, how the core was no longer producing as it was believed they should, and how the chances became slimmer after every loss in the lockout shortened season.
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The Nationals went into the second game of the series in New York looking to get back on track after a loss Friday night. Gio Gonzalez had a rough game in his previous game, so he was looking to rebound on Saturday afternoon. The Nationals offense and bullpen would ultimately lift the Nationals to their 10th win of the season.
Gio cruised through the first 3 innings of Saturday's contest against the Mets, while the Nationals picked up 3 runs in the second and third innings. Ian Desmond had homered in the 2nd inning, then a home run from Harper gave the Nationals a 3-0 lead in the 3rd. Unfortunately, the 4th inning is where Gio came unglued. The inning opened with Gio allowing a triple to David Wright and then a walk to John Buck. Gio was able to get 2 quick outs, with a groundout to Gio and making Byrd ground out for a throw home to get Wright in a run down. The Mets were able to open it up with 2 outs, though. Gio seemed to lose his cool and allowed 3 walks in the inning. Big hits from Cowgill, Turner, and Murphy made it 5-3 Mets. Gio would be done after a long 4th inning as Steve Lombardozzi would pinch hit to lead off the 5th.
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The Nationals went into Miami on the heels of a sweep at the hands of the Atlanta Braves. The Nationals needed a big game to get back into a groove and they would get just what they were looking for on Monday night. The offense exploded for 10 runs and Jordan Zimmermann cut the Marlins down to pick up the win.
Jordan Zimmermann took the hill against Wade LeBlanc in the opening game of the series, but the Nats offense was the story in the first inning. LeBlanc couldn't seem to get an out as Denard Span and Jayson Werth opened the game with singles and Bryce Harper drew a walk. Ryan Zimmerman came to the plate and smacked a single up the middle to plate 2 runs. Harper was thrown out at 3rd trying to advance, but replay would show later he was safe. Ian Desmond hit a double that put Zimmerman at 3rd. Tyler Moore brought them home shortly after to put the Nats up 4-0 and give them a lead they would not relinquish.
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A night after Dan Haren and the bullpen allowed 6 home runs to the Reds offense, the Nationals were able to pick up 5 of their own. Harper, Ramos, Werth, and Desmond would all hit home runs, while Ramos with hitting 2 of the 5. It was not the Nationals best defensive day and the bullpen had a few struggles, but the Nationals were able to hang on.
Ross Detwiler took the hill for the Nationals and would not disappoint. Detwiler would go 6 strong innings, allowing only 1 unearned run. The run came when Ian Desmond threw away a ground ball on Brandon Phillips, who would take 2nd on the error. Todd Frazier doubled shortly after to bring Phillips home. The Nationals still had the lead, though as Harper had brought home Werth who had doubled in the previous at bat with a two run shot in the 3rd.
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Gio Gonzalez came into Wednesday night's game for his first start of the season. He had a tough act to follow after Strasburg's scoreless opening day game, but he would deliver and even take it up another level.
Gio was able to go 6 innings, allowing no earned runs, picked up 5 K's and allowed only 2 hits. Gio allowed a walk to the Miami battery, Slowey and Olivo, but the walks would not doom the Nats in any way. Gio looked like he was having fun in tonight's game, such as when he picked up a ground ball to tag out Polanco, who stopped running and jokingly ran away from Gio. The trademark grin, was on full display when Slowey served up a hanging curve that Gio put a good swing on. The ball landed in the left field seats to give the Nats a 1 run lead and a fairly uncommon pitcher's home run.
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After what seemed like an extremely long Spring Training, the Nationals finally opened the season against the Miami Marlins. The Nationals played excellent defense, pitched well, and got a few big hits from Bryce Harper to lock down the 0-2 win.
Stephen Strasburg was solid on the hill, giving up no runs, collecting 3 K's and pitching 7 strong innings. Strasburg's 7 strong innings set the tone for the game, one the Nationals would show their pitching dominance throughout. Strasburg was very efficient with his pitches on opening day, he threw 80 pitches, 52 of which were strikes. Through the 7 innings Strasburg pitched, he averaged 11.4 pitches per inning.
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Tonight, Team USA will play its
first game of the 2013 World Baseball Classic. It is exciting, as the United
States has long been considered to be the premier baseball country of the
world. This should not come as too much of a surprise, people come from all
over the world in hopes of making it in Major League Baseball. Japan, Taiwan,
Curacao, Venezuela, and too many other countries to name all have a player or
two in Major League baseball. That being said, Team USA will battle some tough
and proven opponents. What is exciting about the 2013 WBC and Team USA is that
they have a helping hand from the Washington Nationals.
In years past, it would be difficult
to see a lot of players from the Nationals make it onto the WBC’s team USA
roster. In 2013, the Nationals have representatives Gio Gonzalez and Ross
Detwiler. The two Nationals representatives join an all-star cast of
characters, including David Wright, Giancarlo Stanton, Ryan Braun, and many,
many other highly talented players. Having both Gio and Detwiler on the USA
roster says a lot about their talents and abilities and how good the Nationals
pitching staff is. A simple look at the roster will tell you that the players
Joe Torre picked were the best of the best. To have some of D.C.’s own
hand-picked to represent the greatest country in the world is a compliment to
the players as well as to what the organization has done to put together not
only an excellent pitching staff, but an excellent roster overall.
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In 2007, the Nationals drafted a young right-hander by the name of Jordan Zimmermann, out of the University of Wisconsin-Steven's Point. Jordan was relatively under the radar. Not many knew of his talents or who he was. Zimmermann was part of what would become normal for the Nationals: building through the draft, identifying talent, and becoming successful through the organization.
A second round pick, Jordan fell to the Nationals by chance. The 2006 season saw an Alfonso Soriano that had a great year as a National, but he elected to take a larger offer from the Chicago Cubs before 2007. Fans were frustrated and claimed the owners of the team, the Lerners, were cheap and didn't see the Nationals as anything more than another source of income. Due to Soriano's departure though, the Nationals were given the Cubs second round pick as compensation, and with it came Jordan Zimmermann. Now, every time the right-hander throws a pitch in the Major Leagues wearing a curly W hat, we know who to thank.
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