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USA Today Sports ImagesPHILADELPHIA — If the Nationals are going to snap out of their season-long malaise that has left them hovering right around the .500 mark for the better part of 2 1/2 months, it's going to require a collective loos...
USA Today Sports ImagesPHILADELPHIA — If the Nationals are going to snap out of their season-long malaise that has left them hovering right around the .500 mark for the better part of 2 1/2 months, it's going to require a collective loosening up by players who might just be too tightly wound at the moment.Manager Davey Johnson, after meeting with shortstop Ian Desmond this afternoon, said he wants his team to be looser, not putting so much pressure on itself to live up to the club's lofty preseason expectations."I was talking to Desi a little earlier, and he felt like the club was not as loose as it was last year," Johnson said. "It's trying to be loose. Well, I said, we're young. We're awfully young. We've got some young guys on the bench. It's a situation where they have to go through the experience. That's part of it. But I think we'll be fine. Learn to just play loose, free and easy, and the offense will pick up."Johnson specifically mentioned the younger players on his roster who burst onto the scene last season but have struggled to produce at the same level this season.Read more
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about 1 hour ago
The Washington Nationals haven't faced Philadelphia Phillies' lefty Cliff Lee yet in 2013. In his career, the 34-year-old, 12-year veteran has a (5-3) record, a 2.51 ERA, eight walks (1.26 BB/9), 57 Ks (8.95 K/9) and a 1.13 WHIP in eight...
The Washington Nationals haven't faced Philadelphia Phillies' lefty Cliff Lee yet in 2013. In his career, the 34-year-old, 12-year veteran has a (5-3) record, a 2.51 ERA, eight walks (1.26 BB/9), 57 Ks (8.95 K/9) and a 1.13 WHIP in eight starts and 57.1 IP against the Nats. Last year, the Philly left-hander was (2-1) in three starts against the Phillies' NL East division rivals with a 1.80 ERA, 1 walk (0.45 BB/9) and 19 Ks (8.55 K/9) in 20 innings pitches against the Nationals. The last time Lee faced Washington in Citizens Bank Park, on August 26, 2012, he held the Nats' hitters to one run on seven hits in a 4-1 Phillies' win. • Pregame Tweet: Davey wants to avoid a rainout tonight. "I'm hoping to get this taste out of my mouth. Let's play." — Dan Kolko (@masnKolko) June 18, 2013 At home in CBP this season, Lee's got an ERA (3.82, with a 3.00 FIP) just about two runs higher than it is on the road (1.88, 2.21 FIP). In five starts in Philadelphia, Lee's (2-1) with four home runs (1.02 HR/9) allowed, six walks (1.53 BB/9) surrendered and 36 Ks (9.17 K/9) recorded in 35.1 IP. • Pregame tweet: Davey mentioned Ian Desmond told him he didn't think #Nats playing as loose as last yr. Davey said they're still learning to deal w pressure — Amanda Comak (@acomak) June 18, 2013 The Nationals, however, have not hit left-handers well at all in 2013. Not to, as Professor G.H. Dorr would say, "flog a horse that if not dead is at this point in mortal danger of expiring," but after 69 games, the Nationals' .214/.283/.330 line vs left-handers has them 14th in AVG and OBP and 15th in SLG amongst National League teams. How do the Phillies hit lefties you ask? Philadelphia's hitters have a .243/.311/.406 line vs LHP, good for 8th in AVG and OBP and third overall in the NL in SLG. • Pregame tweet: Denard Span (.312 OBP) and Ben Revere (.311 OBP) are leading off for their respective teams in tonight's Nationals-Phillies game. — Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) June 18, 2013 Against Detwiler? The Washington Nationals' 27-year-old, '07 1st Round pick has a (2-4) record, a 4.24 ERA, six home runs (1.34 HR/9) and 14 walks (3.12 BB/9) allowed with 22 Ks (4.91 K/9) collected and a 1.31 WHIP in eight games, seven starts and 40.1 IP against the Phillies over the course of his career. Here's the lineup that will back Detwiler up and take on Cliff Lee tonight in Citizens Bank Park if the rain stops long enough for the two teams to play the second game of three for the Nats in CBP: Tonight's lineup at PHI: Span CF, Rendon 2B, Zimmerman 3B, Werth RF, LaRoche 1B, Desmond SS, Suzuki C, Lombardozzi LF, Detwiler P — Nationals PR (@NationalsPR) June 18, 2013 7:05 pm EDT...
about 1 hour ago
Opening Day 2013? Stephen Strasburg throws seven scoreless, efficient innings on 80 pitches in the first game of the season in the nation's capital for the defending NL East Champs and hears it from the crowd of 45,274 as he walks off th...
Opening Day 2013? Stephen Strasburg throws seven scoreless, efficient innings on 80 pitches in the first game of the season in the nation's capital for the defending NL East Champs and hears it from the crowd of 45,274 as he walks off the mound. That was a pretty amazing moment, though everyone kind of thought he'd come back for the eighth. C'mon, Davey Johnson!! Bryce Harper hits a home run in the bottom of the first... then again in the bottom of the fourth. The moment that second home run soared out, that was kind of amazing. Rafael Soriano coming on in the ninth, closing out win no.1 of the new season and untucking his Nationals jersey on the mound for the first time. Friday night, April 26th. Nationals Park, Washington, D.C. Jordan Zimmermann going the distance for a complete game shutout of the Reds, holding the visiting Cincinnati batters to one hit in a 91-pitch start and then celebrating his achievement with Wilson Ramos. Zimmermann dominating on the mound, with the Nationals taking a 1-0 lead when Jayson Werth singles to right to bring Bryce Harper in after Harper tripled with one out in the fourth. Is there any better moment than when Harper decides he's got a chance for a triple and runs the bases with abandon all the way around to third? How about when Jordan Zimmermann threw eight scoreless against the Atlanta Braves in a 2-0 win in Turner Field? When Anthony Rendon hit that ninth inning home run just this past weekend in Cleveland? It hasn't been an ideal season for the Nationals thus far, but there have been big moments already. Your favorite Nationals moment of 2013 could win you $100 for a Nationals game of your choice... • Federal Baseball and TiqIQ have a contest for you: Tell Us Your Favorite 2013 Nationals Moment One Contestant Will Win $100 For a Nationals Game Of Their Choice! Contest Ends: Friday, June 23rd. CLICK HERE TO ENTER. And we stress, Contest Ends: Friday June 23rd. Washington Nationals tickets.
about 3 hours ago
Denard Span is back in the lineup tonight in Philadelphia, two days after fouling a ball off his foot for the third time this season. Here’s how the lineup looks against the Phillies: Nationals 1. Denard Span, CF 2. Anthony …...
Denard Span is back in the lineup tonight in Philadelphia, two days after fouling a ball off his foot for the third time this season. Here’s how the lineup looks against the Phillies: Nationals 1. Denard Span, CF 2. Anthony … Continue reading →
about 4 hours ago
The Harrisburg Senators have announced that RHP Caleb Clay has been promoted to the Syracuse Chiefs. Clay, who was signed during the offseason as a minor-league free agent, was 6-3 with a pitcher’s line (ERA/FIP/WHIP) of 3.46/3.62/...
The Harrisburg Senators have announced that RHP Caleb Clay has been promoted to the Syracuse Chiefs. Clay, who was signed during the offseason as a minor-league free agent, was 6-3 with a pitcher’s line (ERA/FIP/WHIP) of 3.46/3.62/1.08 over 13 starts. He logged 75⅓ innings, averaging nearly 6 innings per start. He walked just 17 batters (2.03/9IP) and struck out 59 (7.05). On June 1st, Clay tossed the first nine-inning shutout for the Harrisburg Senators since 2005. The three-hit gem earned him Pitcher of the Week Honors for the Eastern League for the period of May 27 to June 2. The 25-year-old was originally drafted by Boston as a 1st Rounder (44th overall) in 2006, but saw his ascent up the Red Sox ladder stunted by TJ surgery in 2007. He made it up to High-A Salem in 2010 before shifting to the bullpen for AA Portland for the majority of 2011 and 2012. He’ll most likely make his AAA debut against Charlotte tomorrow afternoon.
about 4 hours ago
Mark Zuckerman / NATS INSIDERPHILADELPHIA — As you can tell from the above photo, it's raining here at Citizens Bank Park. It's been raining all afternoon. And there's no real letup in sight. Which seems to suggest the odds o...
Mark Zuckerman / NATS INSIDERPHILADELPHIA — As you can tell from the above photo, it's raining here at Citizens Bank Park. It's been raining all afternoon. And there's no real letup in sight. Which seems to suggest the odds of baseball being played tonight are slim. But nothing official has been announced from the Phillies, so we'll proceed for now as though there's actually going to be a game.If they do play, Ross Detwiler will take the mound for the Nationals, trying to build off his solid-not-spectacular return from the DL last Thursday in Colorado. Detwiler faces a bolstered Phillies lineup, with Carlos Ruiz fresh off the DL himself and ready to wreak havoc on the Nats as he has done throughout his career.Cliff Lee starts for Philadelphia, facing a Nationals lineup that desperately needs to get healthy and productive. Still waiting to hear if Denard Span will be back after missing last night's game with a bruised right foot, but he appeared to be moving around better after the night off.Weather and game updates to come, so please check back...WASHINGTON NATIONALS at PHILADELPHIA PHILLIESWhere: Citizens Bank ParkGametime: 7:05 p.m. EDTTV: MASN, MLB.tvRadio: WJFK (106.7 FM), WFED (1500), XM 184Weather: Rain, 76 degrees, Wind 3 mph in from RFNATIONALS (34-35)Lineup TBARead more »
about 4 hours ago
Well, last night was a tough one. Those seem to be becoming more and more frequent. It's deep into June, and the Nats haven't been able to reel off a winning streak that signifies to the rest of the league that the team is a legitimate...
Well, last night was a tough one. Those seem to be becoming more and more frequent. It's deep into June, and the Nats haven't been able to reel off a winning streak that signifies to the rest of the league that the team is a legitimate playoff contender, at least in my view. While the talent is there, the results (and Bryce Harper) currently aren't. That Cliff Lee is pitching for the Philadelphia Phillies tonight also doesn't help matters. Early Career to Present Lee didn't blow the doors off prospect rankings, but Baseball America had him as the 30th best player in the minor leagues in 2002. Before 2002, Lee was actually a part of the Expos system, having been drafted by Montreal in the 4th round in 2000. He's pitched for Cleveland, Philadelphia, Seattle, Texas, and now Philadelphia again. So, Lee's been pretty good, as you're probably aware. Including 2008, his last four seasons have by FIP- been pretty incredible: 67, 72, 61, 67, 80 (lower is better, and 100 is major league average). Lee's strengths are his control -- that is, his ability to throw strikes and avoid walks -- and his command -- or, his ability to locate the ball in particular locations inside and outside the strike zone. It's not just control and command, though. Lee has struck out an above-average number of hitters by K%, making for a pretty complete package and a very uncertain at-bat. 2013 has been much of the same. In just over 102 innings pitched, Lee's earned a 2.55 ERA, 2.49 FIP, and 3.23 xFIP. The sum total is +3.0 fWAR pitcher, which is nearing half-way to his career-high +7.1 fWAR 2008. The strikeouts are still there (22.3%), and he's remained stingy with the free passes (4.3%). Pitches, Velo, Usage, Value Lee attacks with a four seam, sinker, change, curve, and cutter. He's seeing some historic results on his sinker so far this year, which I'll explain a bit more below. Pitch Velocity Usage Value Fourseam 91.3 4% +4.0 Sinker 91.3 54% +15.4 Change 84.8 14% -2.0 Curve 75.1 8% -0.3 Cutter 87.4 19% +4.2 Right, the sinker. That value is the best in baseball this year when you compare it to other sinker and two seam values across the sport. Since 2007, Lee has amassed a +73.5 value with the pitch, far and away the most during that period (and the second best hard offering overall, behind Clayton Kershaw's four seam). And just to round it out, his career high -- and the single-season major-league high -- value for the pitch was +21.9 in 2011. He's nearly 3/4 of the way to that mark before the All Star break. Even the most ardent anti-value commentators would agree that the pitch is a "plus plus" offering; I think there's a decent argument that it could be the best in baseball. Lee's sinker has the fourth most vertical movement among major-league starters this year, but one shouldn't chalk up his success to just that. Joe Blanton, he of the 4.42 FIP, gets about the same "upward" movement from his sinker. Unsurprisingly, it's likely a combination of many things that leads to Lee's success with the offering. Batted Ball Profile Lee doesn't throw terribly hard. Indeed, he's somewhere around 40th (out of 88 qualified pitchers, > 200 pitches) in sinker velocity, and similarly middle of the pack with everything else. But without elite velocity and mostly modest movement, Lee's still getting the below batted ball results: Year GB% LD% FB% HR/FB% BABIP 2013 43.1% 22.2% 34.7% 5.0% .272 So how does he do it? Additional Analysis Let me be aggressively straightforward here and compare Lee's K/BB ratio to former Braves' pitcher Greg Maddux. Looking at just this statistic from age 30 on, Lee and Greg Maddux aren't that far apart. Take this at face value, to be sure -- this ratio doesn't really tell us
about 6 hours ago
Photo by USA TodayBy Steve RoneyCSNwashington.comThough the standings remain unchanged, the dogfight between the Nationals and Phillies for second place is perhaps the most intriguing story in an otherwise underwhelming division. Can the...
Photo by USA TodayBy Steve RoneyCSNwashington.comThough the standings remain unchanged, the dogfight between the Nationals and Phillies for second place is perhaps the most intriguing story in an otherwise underwhelming division. Can the Nats finally shape up and pull away? How long can Domonic Brown prop up the Phillies? Both teams could still catch the first place Braves, of course, but as the mercury rises neither team really feels up to the challenge.Atlanta Braves (42 - 28)Freddie Freeman's two-run blast in the bottom of the ninth last night gave the Braves a thrilling 2-1 victory over the Mets, as well as a three-game winning streak after dropping four straight. Oddly enough, the Braves have lost in bunches this season, with five losing streaks of at least three games, though they've counterbalanced those skids with winning streaks of ten, eight, and five games. And yes, if you throw out their 13-2 start, they're just 29-26 since -- but those first 15 games count for just as much as the last 15, and the lead they have is the biggest in baseball. They say that what matters most is how your finish, and not how you start...but if you sprint out of the gate faster than anyone else, sometimes you can coast to the finish line. Ask Usain Bolt.Aside from Freeman, who has proven to be far and away Atlanta's best hitter, the catching duo of Evan Gattis and Brian McCann has been impressively powerful (a combined 21 home runs and 51 RBI), and Chris Johnson has given them good production at third. The expected boost provided by starter Brandon Beachy will have to wait a bit, however, as word came today that he's been scratched from a doubleheader start against New York this afternoon. An MRI was negative, showing only fluid in his surgically repaired elbow, but the Braves can wait to debut Beachy with five good-or-better starters already in the mix.Read more »
USA
about 7 hours ago
We know the offense is bad.  Even given Dan Haren‘s continued struggles, he’s not the problem. Here’s a telling statistic; from Baseball-Reference here’ links to 2013′s Team Scoring Summary report and a comp...
We know the offense is bad.  Even given Dan Haren‘s continued struggles, he’s not the problem. Here’s a telling statistic; from Baseball-Reference here’ links to 2013′s Team Scoring Summary report and a comparison to 2012′s version.  I did a version of this analysis mid-last year to show the amazing record the 2012 team had in games in which they scored 4 or more runs.   Lets see what’s changed this year: Some telling breakdowns: In 2012: # runs scored Wins Losses W/L % 3 or less 19 48 0.283582 4 or more 79 16 0.831579 5 or more 62 10 0.861111 If they scored 4 runs, they won 83% of their games last year.  There were a couple weird games (they lost three games in which they scored 9 or 10 runs; that’s hard to do) but overall these stats are pretty constant for most teams; when you score 3 or fewer runs it is awful hard to win.  4 runs is the benchmark to shoot for. More specifically though, the 2012 Nats were an astounding 17-6 when they scored exactly four runs.  You would expect something closer to a .500 record in games like that, given the RS/RA averages and league ERAs in baseball.  That’s indicative of just how good our starters were last year collectively. In 2013, through Monday 6/17/13 game: # runs scored Wins Losses W/L % 3 or less 9 31 0.225 4 or more 25 4 0.862069 5 or more 25 1 0.961538 The percentages are roughly the same.  They’re losing a few more of the low-scoring games thus far, but are winning a few more of the higher scoring games.   But look at the number of times they’ve already scored 3 or fewer runs (40) versus all of last year (67).  And their record when scoring the magic 4 runs exactly?  0-3. On the bright side, they’re closing out wins much better when scoring 5 or more than they did last year (when they had some amazing blown leads). Conclusion?  Hope for 4 runs every night (though it didn’t work last night).  And then hope again for that 5th run.
about 7 hours ago
Hey, did you uh... see that thing with Jayson Werth and the Philly Phanatic and his four-wheeler or whatever not starting? Yeah... classic. And uh, remember last year when Werth stole the keys to it? He's incorrigible. And then there was...
Hey, did you uh... see that thing with Jayson Werth and the Philly Phanatic and his four-wheeler or whatever not starting? Yeah... classic. And uh, remember last year when Werth stole the keys to it? He's incorrigible. And then there was John Lannan. Remember when he hit Ryan Zimmerman on the foot early in the game? Classic Lannan. Right? And what about Henry Rodriguez? Did you? Did you see Henry's first two pitches for the Cubs? Ahhahhah. He hit the umpire! Then he hit Carlos Beltran!! Oh, Henry! And what about Dan Haren? Uh... yeah. So the Washington Nationals dropped another game last night. Chad Tracy homered with two outs... two strikes... to tie it at 4-4 in the top of the ninth. Then the Nationals turned to Fernando Abad and the left-hander ended up putting two runners on before Domonic Brown hit a two-out, walk-off single to center on a 93 mph fastball inside. It was kind of like expecting the Nationals to be on their way to another 98-win season and finding them struggling to get over .500, all wrapped up in one cruel inning. Let's not dwell. Ross Detwiler's on the mound tonight... against Cliff Lee...? Seriously? Another lefty? The Nats can't hit lef.... I'm sorry. Let's just move on to the links. Lots of them starting... RIGHT NOW!!!: • THE BIG STORY!!!: • "Davey's not the problem. Or, in the sense that everybody is part of the problem, he's not the central element in fixing the problem. And the problem is offense. That's it. That's all." - "Ask Boswell: Redskins, Nationals and Washington sports" - Thomas Boswell, The Washington Post • NATS BEAT: • "Eighteen minutes after the Washington Nationals had pounded on the dugout railing, raised their fists in the air and practically danced Chad Tracy into the dugout in celebration, they walked off the same field with their heads bowed." - "Late-game heroics not enough as Phillies top Nationals in ninth" - Amanda Comak, Washington Times • "When a team is on the road, its manager typically holds back on using his closer when a game is tied in the ninth inning or extras because the closer is needed if the road team takes a lead." - "Nationals Pastime: Johnson discusses Nats' 5-4 walk-off loss" - Dan Kolko, MASNSports.com • "Asked if [Danny] Espinosa can reclaim his job as the team's starting second baseman, manager Davey Johnson didn't answer the question, but praised Espinosa, calling him an excellent defensive player..." - "Johnson: Espinosa needs to be 'comfortable' at plate" - Bill Ladson, nationals.com: News • "In a season that has been sometimes hard to watch for Phillies fans, staff ace Cliff Lee's numbers have remained rather easy on the eyes." - "Washington Nationals at Philadelphia Phillies - June 18, 2013" - Kevin Massoth, MLB.com Preview • "It's been a rough season for [Chad] Tracy, and that's putting it mildly. But perhaps the events of the last three nights will be the spark that turns things around for the veteran pinch-hitter." - "Instant analysis: Phillies 5, Nats 4" - Mark Zuckerman, NatsInsider.com Your browser does not support iframes. • "[Fernando] Abad struck out pinch-hitter Steven Lerud for the second out before [Domonic] Brown fisted the winning hit to center. Jonathan Papelbon was the first player to greet Brown in celebration as he was rounding first base." - "Brown's hit in 9th lifts Phillies over Nationals" - Aaron Bracy, WTOP.com • "When Chad Tracy homered off Jonathan Papelbon on an 0-2 pitch with two outs in the ninth tonight, a shot that tied the game at 4-4, the Nationals exploded in the third base dugout." - "Nationals Pastime: Hearing from Tracy and Abad after Nats' loss" - Dan Kolko, MASNSports.com • "Soaring buildup dissolved into a miasma of things gone wrong — lack of execution here, a bad break there, a dash of curious management, all stirred together to maximize anguish." - "Nationals vs. Phillies: Chad Tracy ties game, but Domonic Brown wins it in ninth for
about 7 hours ago