SB Nation - Alex Romero

Farewell: Chad Tracy, Yusmeiro Petit, Doug Slaten, Daniel Cabrera (and maybe Alex Romero and Trent Oeltjen)

Jim McLennan — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:05:45 -0000

More photos » by Rick Scuteri - AP

Chad Tracy gets high fives from Josh Whitesell and Augie Ojeda after hitting a three-run homer against the Pirates in July. Chad's now gone: who else will be left?

Browse more photos »

With a hat-tip to Amit for the first news, a flurry of roster moves for the Diamondbacks the morning after the World Series - albeit most of them not entirely unexpected. Chad Tracy had his buyout exercised, while Daniel Cabrera, Trent Oeltjen and Alex Romero were outrighted to Reno. Cabrera has also elected to become a free agent instead, and it's possible Oeltjen and Romero may follow - ladylike weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth to follow. Yusmeiro Petit was picked up off waivers by the Mariners, and Doug Slaten went similarly to the Nationals. The 40-man roster now has five vacant spots left on it, after the moves.

Not really any surprises here. However, I'll write a bit more about these decisions in Saturday's round-up.

Diamondbacks 3, Giants 4: Dir...er, Filthy Sanchez

Azreous — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 07:18:27 -0000

More photos » by Ben Margot - AP

There he is. The master of the universe. We should be so lucky as to witness our destruction at his hands.

Browse more photos »

Record 55-72. Pace: 70-90. Change on last season: -12.

Tonight, the Diamondbacks faced a lofty task: finding a way to beat the best pitcher in major-league history. That's right, the D-backs were up against Jonathan Sanchez, a first-ballot hall-of-famer with a heart of gold, and had to rely on lowly Doug Davis to get the job done.

The word for the games I recap is usually "interesting." Granted, interesting is such a generic adjective that it's hard not to find a way for every game to fit it somehow, but this was a prime example of legitimate "interesting." As in, it's interesting how we managed to blow a three-run lead late and lose another one-run decision.

An attempt to differentiate this loss from all the others after the jump...

This was one of those games that the 2007 team would have won somehow. Maybe this team isn't that much worse than that one, and luck played a bigger factor than we'll ever know. It doesn't really matter, though, because the bottom line is Doug Davis came up short of a victory (despite a quality start) for what seems like the 40th time this season. And he doesn't even have that many starts.

To think, it started so well. Sanchez started the game off against Ryan Roberts, and threw him two fastballs to get ahead 0-2 quickly. He got a little bit too cute with the third delivery though, and Roberts yanked a home run to left that put Arizona up 1-0 early. The rest of the inning was a series of misadventures on both sides -- Eli Whiteside had two errors, the Diamondbacks got four outs, etc. -- but nothing came of it.

The D-backs threatened again early in the second. Rusty Ryal and Gerardo Parra opened the inning with back-to-back singles. Alex Romero beat out a grounder to avoid the double play, leaving a runner at third and only one out...but Davis was up next. Roberts ended the inning with a groundout of his own. In the third, Justin Upton (making his first start back with the big league club) cranked a two-out double, but was left stranded.

From there, Sanchez locked in for the next couple innings, setting down the side in order in the fourth and fifth. In the sixth, though, the Diamondbacks must've appealed to the correct baseball gods, because they were permitted to score a couple more runs against the San Francisco great. Upton drew a one-out walk and moved to second on a wild pitch. After a Miguel Montero strikeout, Sanchez intentionally walked Ryal to get to Parra, who faced a conundrum: he's been great with runners in scoring position, but struggled mightily against lefties. For the second time, though, he was successful against Sanchez, lining an opposite-field single to make it 2-0. Romero followed with a base hit of his own to drive in Ryal, and both runners moved over on the throw in. But that left two men in scoring position for Doug Davis, and...well.

Unfortunately, that was the end of the offense for the night, as the Diamondbacks once again seemed pacified by a decent-sized lead. Only one Arizona player reached base in the final three innings (a single by Montero in the eighth), and as we'll get to in a moment, that simply wasn't getting the job done.

One has to wonder if Doug Davis is reconsidering his potential future in Arizona. Once again, he pitched a great game, working around his usual handful of baserunners and lulling viewers to sleep with his slow pace, yet came away with a no-decision. Going into the eighth, Davis was working on a four-hitter (along with three walks), but somewhere between the second and third out of the inning, things went horribly wrong.

Davis started out very strong, setting down the side in order in the first and getting a quick double play after a walk in the second. He left runners on the corners in the third, but cruised through the middle frames (just one batter over the minimum on a walk). In the seventh, Davis lost hold of the shutout thanks to the second home run of the series by Juan Uribe (yes, he of the .682 OPS in 2008), a solo shot that made it 3-1. But then that dastardly eighth inning struck again, and we were all very sad.

Davis started the eighth by getting two pretty quick groundouts, and at 90 pitches on the nose, he seemed poised to easily finish off the inning and maybe go the distance. Instead, he danced around Edgar Renteria and gave up a seven-pitch walk, then watched as Randy Winn lined a cut fastball to right for a base hit. Suddenly the go-ahead run was up next, and Davis was pulled in favor of Chad Qualls. Qualls isn't exactly known for going beyond his assigned inning -- he's done it just four other times in 49 appearances, although each was relatively successful. Instead of having to get four outs, though, Qualls needed just one, for after a three-run jack by pinch-hitter Bengie Molina, his services weren't even required for the ninth.

Master of his Domain: Doug Davis (pitching), +36.7%
Honorable Mention: Gerardo Parra, +13.9%
God-Emperor of Suck: Chad Qualls, -66.8%
Dishonorable Mention: Doug Davis (hitting), -11.2%

Let me just go ahead and put that in perspective: Chad Qualls had a negative sixty-six point eight percent impact on our chances of winning. Sure, Davis put the first two runners on base, but his pitching up to that point gets him off the hook for most of that blame. Parra had a good game against a lefty for once, and Davis struggled with runners in scoring position like he does every time I recap one of his starts. Seriously, it's baffling.

The Diamondbacks had just seven hits and two walks, and that's not going to get the job done very often (case in point: even with a good outing from the starter, we still lost). Upton and Ryal each reached base twice on a hit and a walk, and Parra added a couple of hits. For the Giants, Renteria walked twice, and Uribe added a base on balls to his home run.

A...robust GameDay Thread tonight, with almost 500 posts. Unsurprisingly, Skins led the way with three times as many posts as anybody else. The attendance sheet is as follows: BattleMoses, kishi, DbacksSkins, Clefo, IHateSouthBend, Jim McLennan, pygalgia, katers, victor frankenstein, pierzynskirules, Wailord, hotclaws, 4 Corners Fan, Diamondhacks, soco, Muu, piratedan7 and Azreous. Whoever that is.

After a couple of one-run losses, the Diamondbacks will try to avoid being swept tomorrow night by sending out Yusmeiro Peti--oh dear.

Diamondbacks 4, Gigantes 5: Down, But Never Out

snakecharmer — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 09:29:32 -0000

More photos » by Ben Margot - AP

Stephen Drew had a good night upon his return to the club, going 2 for 4 with 2 RBI. But it was not enough to lead the Diamondbacks to victory.

Browse more photos »

I have finally returned, hat hair and all, photos in hand, from the joys (frustrations?) of live major league baseball at PhoneCompanyPark here in San Francisco. It was Latino Heritage night tonight, and the starting lineup for Los Gigantes consisted mainly of guys who didn't play 14 innings the night before. But Dan Haren and the Diamondbacks couldn't muster any offense against fellow All-Star Matt Cain, a late rally fell just short, and the Diamondbacks lost 5 to 4.

I am not promising that this is the most organized recap I've ever written, but details and photos are after the jump.

Dan Haren vs Matt Cain, a matchup I was greatly looking forward to. Two hard-throwing hurlers, two All-Stars, two pitchers who have had struggles, but who also have the potential to go 9 shutout innings. I expected a low-scoring game, and that's pretty much what we got.

San Francisco scored the first run of the game in the 2nd inning on a solo homer to left courtesy of Juan Uribe. It was a hanging slider that Haren knew was gone once Uribe made contact. Haren has given up 9 home runs since the All-Star game, and about half of them have been solo shots. But down 1-0 with Haren on the mound was not too much to ask to overcome, and indeed the Diamondbacks took the lead in the 5th. With Alex Romero at first and Augie Ojeda at bat, the hit-and-run was on, Augie popped out to left, and Romero barely made it back safely to first. But wait, why is Augie standing at first and telling Alex to go to second?? Whaaat? Even Yahoo is confused, it still thinks "A. Ojeda flied out to right". Aha, Catcher's Interference!! Giants catcher Eli Whiteside had reached out to get the ball to try to throw out Romero, but Ojeda's swing clipped Whiteside's glove, so the runners move up. (The difference between tonight and Chad Tracy's at-bat in Houston was Tracy didn't swing and didn't hit the catcher's glove.) This turned out to be a fabulous situation for the Diamondbacks, as Haren's sacrifice and Stephen Drew's double down the first base line scored both runners. Unfortunately, Chad Tracy ground into a double play, and the potential to add on was erased. (It seemed like he ground into more than just one double-play, but that was Arizona's only DP all night; Tracy was 0 for 3 with 7 men left on base.)

The Diamondbacks had another chance for runs in the 6th, when Parra walked with 2 outs and Romero lined a double down the left field line. Unfortunately, he was out at home plate by 10 freaking feet and should never have been sent home to try and score! I sort of understand taking the risk with 2 out in a close game, but man, Parra was out by a freaking mile, any throw in the vicinity was going to get him. Another wasted opportunity came in the 8th, when reliever Bob Howry literally could not throw a strike to save his life. Ryan Roberts walked (he had 3 on the night with 2 hits and was on base all 5 times) was caught stealing, though on the replay he looked save. Montero later walked as well but Brandon Allen went 0 for 4 (his first game without a hit - DFA!) and couldn't bring Miggy in.

So if both starting pitchers pitched well, how did the Giants score 5 runs?? Well, after the home run by Uribe, Haren shut down the Giants until the 7th inning. Former San Jose Giant Travis Ishikawa doubled to lead off the inning and would later score from third on a wild pitch. (Montero's defense aside, I really don't think he could've gotten that one; Dan was spiking the ball in the dirt all night, and Miggy did the best he could.) Fortunately, Dan was able to get out of the 7th inning with no further damage. (Gutierrez, I believe, was warming just in case.) A.J. Hinch brought in Big Jon Rauch for the 8th, and why not, Rauch has only allowed 3 earned runs since the All-Star Break (an ERA of 1.98). Ohhh but unfortunately, that number doubled tonight, because Rauch couldn't find the strike zone, walked two batters, and allowed a 3-run home run just over the high right field wall to none other than Travis Ishikawa (who should definitely be lobbying for more playing time after going 2 for 4 tonight with 3 RBI).

A day after the Giants blew a 3-run lead in the 14th and lost on a walk-off grand slam... there was no way they'd blow another 3-run lead today.... was there??? It turns out, it almost happened! The Diamondbacks put on quite a 9th inning, 2-out rally against Giants closer Brian Wilson. ("And your hair? It's dumb." It's a cute commercial, if you haven't seen it.) After two quick outs, the game seemed over, but suddenly Wilson couldn't find the strike zone either. Ojeda singled and made it to third base; pinch hitter Rusty Ryal walked, and Drew walked. Ryan Roberts, who was DA MAN tonight, doubled to center to score 2 runners, and suddenly the lead was down to 1 with the tying run only 90 feet away. Now, Bruce Bochy had sent Sergio Romo to start warming up in the 'pen after Ojeda's single, but I thought he was crazy. I was laughing, I really was. I thought, Wilson's pretty decent, he won't mess this up, why would he send Romo to warm up?? (And he warmed up fast.) Why would he think of pulling his closer?? Sure enough, after Roberts' hit, Bochy stalled and stalled and stalled and brought in Romo to face Chad Tracy, who fouled off a few pitches but ended the game by grounding out to second.

Masters of their Domain: S Drew, +19.2%; R Roberts, +16.7%

God-Emperors of Suck: C Tracy, -42.7%; J Rauch, -35.5%

So there was no game-changing 9th inning rally, no extra innings, no walk-off grand slam, but the Diamondbacks were never out of this game. They walked, they hit, and yes they left men on base, but the game never felt out of reach. (Okay, except the 9th, but they proved me wrong.) Dan Haren was the beneficiary of some spectacular defense behind him in the outfield, and a great grab of his own. In the end, I think this was just the way the chips fell tonight. It was a good game; can't wait to see them again tomorrow.

A decent turnout tonight in the gameday thread, 450+, though a lot of it seemed to be 'Skins talking to himself or geeky Star Wars references. 'Skins dominated, as usual, and kishi was the only other poster over 50. Also present were: kishi, DbacksSkins, katers, edbigghead, Counsellmember, Turambar, sayheyupton, hotclaws, njjohn, pygalgia, 4 Corners Fan, mrssoco, IHateSouthBend, Wailord, RockiesMagicNumber, Azreous, soco, Sprankton, groug, and venomfan.

I am too tired to post photos tonight, I will make a fanpost with all my photos after tomorrow night's game. Tomorrow's matchup is Davis vs Sanchez, same bat time, same bat channel, and hopefully an earlier recap from Azreous. :) (But with a Doug Davis start, who knows?)

Seven Into Three Won't Go

Jim McLennan — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:26:45 -0000

More photos » by Ross D. Franklin - AP

High-fives for Mr. Dreamy, the latest AZ prospect to make an impression. But will there be room for him on the 2010 roster? An oestrogen-fuelled mob masses at the very thought...

Browse more photos »

The title of this article:
a) Refers to the Diamondbacks 2010 outfield situation?
b) Is a fairy-tale for mature audiences, starring Jenna Jameson as Snow White?
c) Describes a math problem capable of baffling a typical Arizona high-school graduate?

The answer - much though you might want to think otherwise - is a). Arizona currently find themselves with a regular starting outfield consisting entirely of players who weren't even on the 25-man roster for Opening Day four months ago. But the performances they're returned have been more than credible to date, leaving the club with an interesting dilemma for next season. What do we do with this sudden surplus of apparently-talented outfielders?

There are seven names credible as contenders for the outfield grass at Chase next season. After the jump, let's take a look at the pros and cons associated with each, both on their performances this year, and where they might fit into the picture for the Diamondbacks in 2010. And no, this isn't just an excuse to use another picture of Mr. Dreamy...

Eric Byrnes. 2009 stats: .216/.260/.361 (OPS+ 57). 2010 salary: $11 million.
Currently on the disabled list with a broken hand, Byrnes has suffered a litany of injuries and poor performance since signing a contract extension in mid-2007. He missed 110 games last season with hamstring problems, and will probably see barely more than half the possible number this year. Perhaps more troubling, his performance when he has been on the roster has been hugely disappointing. Among players with 400+ PAs over the past two seasons, his OPS+ of 60 ranks him 311th out of 316 in the majors - and Byrnes has been paid $19m for it.

2010 prognosis. The team won't drop Byrnes until the last chance of him being a useful cog has evaporated. However, he'll be 34 by Opening Day, and the speed which was a key factor in his success during 2007 is not going to improve with the passage of time. Health concerns permitting, he'll start the season on the roster, probably as the fourth outfielder, but I'd be quite surprised if he sees out his contract as an active member of the Diamondbacks.

Conor Jackson. 2009 stats: .182/.264/.253 (OPS+ 34). 2010 salary: arbitration eligible (2009 salary $3.05m).
No-one played more games (414) for the Diamondbacks from 2006-2008, but this was not the season we wanted from CoJack, among the best hitters in the team last year. He struggled from the get-go, and was eventually diagnosed with a fungal lung disease, albeit only after it had developed into pneumonia. He's hoping to get back with the team for the last month, but that return is more likely to be a token gesture than anything, after having already missed three months.

2010 prognosis. He's likely going to see action this winter, either in the Arizona Fall League and/or one of the Carribbean or Latin American leagues, which should help establish whether he has fully recovered, and help shake off the rust from his prolonged absence. Probably still has the inside track on being the starting left-fielder for the regular season, the assumption being that his poor start this year was illness-related and not indicative of his true form. We'll need him to recover if Arizona is to compete.

Trent Oeltjen. 2009 stats: .414/.414/.862 (OPS+ 217). 2010 salary: league minimum
One of the great stories from this season, a career minor-leaguer who finally got a chance, and ripped it to shreds - he's one of only 20 players since 1954 to have four multi-hit games in their first five appearances. That success has also given him a chance to show off his blistering speed on the basepaths, and he has performed very well with the glove in both left- and right-field. And did we mention his cute accent? And his dreamy smile? Tee-hee!

2010 prognosis. Let's face it - he spent eight years in the minors for a reason, and any power is an illusion his minor-league HR rate works out to six per 162-game season. However, he has batted .300 both his last couple of seasons, and his defense and speed might both be worth having on the bench. Still, odds are probably slim against him making the roster on Opening Day, though as coverage for injury and stashed away in Reno, you could do a good deal worse.

Gerardo Parra. 2009 stats: .298/.335/.436 (OPS+ 96). 2010 salary: league minimum
We thought we might see Parra replacing Byrnes in 2011, but he got the call-up from Double-A, and has responded strongly. While some more walks would be welcome - he has only 18 in 333 PA's - Parra has been mentioned as a potential Rookie of the Year, albeit not much outside Arizona. He hasn't broken under pressure either, driving in runs regularly; he's fourth on the team, despite having played only 76 games. His defense still remains somewhat suspect, but he has shown himself capable of covering a surprising amount of ground on occasion.

2010 prognosis. He'll still only be 22 come Opening Day, and seems to have the best shot of breaking through, not least because he can play all three outfield positions, a versatility which gives him a leg-up on a roster-spot. He may even end up being the regular starting center-fielder next season, though the decision on that is likely down as much to the performance of others as his own. Time is on his side, and if he's not present at the start of the season, I expect he will be by the end.

Alex Romero. 2009 stats; .301/.363/.410 (OPS+ 98). 2010 salary: league minimum
The perception of Romero last season was that he was all glove and no offense, as he batted .230 with an OPS+ of only 49. Now he's batting over .300, that's an idea undergoing some revision, though both the small sample-size (90 PAs) and a hefty .352 BABIP suggest he is over-achieving. Probably even lighter-hitting than Oeltjen, Romero has one HR in 112 major-league games, but his plate-discipline is improved this year, with a K:BB of 11:7, compared to 20:3 in 2008.

2010 prognosis. Alex will probably have to rely on more injuries to see much playing time with the Diamondbacks, having certainly been surpassed on the depth-chart by Parra, and possibly even Oeltjen, depending on how the rest of the season plays out. At age 26, he probably isn't going to get much better than he is now, and as 2010 will be his last option year, Romero seems destined to lurk on the fringes of the roster, racking up the frequent-flier miles as he travels between Phoenix and Reno.

Justin Upton. 2009 stats: .301/.374/.541 (OPS+ 132). 2010 salary: league minimum
It's weird how many Arizona fans haven't warmed to Upton's undeniably immense talents - Oeltjen has probably got more love in one week on the roster, and some people still think he should be traded. Is it racism? A perception Upton is a bit arrogant? His youth? Could be partly all three. Yet, on sheer performance alone, he has been everything we could have expected, and more. Few 21-year olds are capable of holding down a full-time position, yet alone producing at a well-above average rate.

2010 prognosis. "Starting in right-field...Justin Upton!" And in 2011-2013 too. Did you really expect anything else? I still tend to think it was probably a mistake to bring him up last season - his age 26 season is going to be a great deal better than his age 20 one was, but the former will now likely be lost to free-agency. And then... Well, how many players reach free-agency just before hitting the prime of their careers? Health permitting, $20 million per year is a good starting-point for the bidding.

Chris Young. 2009 stats: .194/.297/.359 (OPS+ 68). 2010 salary: $3.25 million
And then there's the thorny problem of Young, whose batting average hasn't been above .205 since the end of April, and who was mercifully put out of our misery this week, by being sent to Reno - even if he has still to arrive there [I imagine him currently sitting in a Flagstaff Greyhound terminal. Having been there, I can only sympathize]. His struggles have been very well documented just about everywhere - it doesn't seem mental [Young is no CQ] - but if it's mechanical, why hasn't it been fixed in four months?

2010 prognosis. What once seemed a lock is now much less certain, and he has a fight on his hands - mostly with Gerardo Parra - if he wants to become the starting center-fielder for the Diamondbacks once again. It's a decision which will likely be made in spring training, with the position no longer his to lose. And the scary thing if he doesn't make it? He's signed for three more beyond next year, with $20.5 million committed to him for 2011-2013. Chris: you'd better get better...

Worst Lineup Evar: Diamondbacks 6, Mets 2

Eric Simon — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 05:40:41 -0000

Would anyone blame me if I just posted tonight's lineup and called it a day?

C Sullivan, CF
L Castillo, 2B
F Tatis, 3B
D Murphy, 1B
J Francoeur, RF
J Reed, LF
A Cora, SS
B Schneider, C

The aggregate 2009 WAR for these eight gentlemen is 0.9, which includes only Francoeur's time with the Mets. Without Castillo the cumulative WAR is -.4. That's epically bad. I challenge you to field a less useful starting eight from the active roster of any other big league team. That's it. No recap. Go find me eight players on another team who combine for less than one win above replacement.

Jeff Francoeur's Push For .300: .295

Bryce Harper Sweepstakes: The Nationals lost, so the Mets can't gain any ground on them. However, seven teams ahead of the Mets -- including the Diamondbacks -- all won tonight, so the Mets gain ground on the whole lot. They're 12 games behind the Nationals but trail the Royals by just 7.5 in the Stephen Strasburg Redux Sweepstakes.

Swag Contest

Swag contest results can be found here and the next game's swag form already available. You can read more about the swag contest here.

SB Nation Coverage

* Traditional Recap
* Boxscore
* Amazin' Avenue Gamethread
* AZ Snakepit Gamethread

Win Probability Added

Big winners: Jeff Francoeur, +9.2% WPA, Cory Sullivan, +5.1% WPA
Big losers: Livan Hernandez, -30.4% WPA, Daniel Murphy, -9.5% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Francoeur solo homerun in second, +10.2% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Romero two-run single in third, -14.6% WPA
Total pitcher WPA: -28.2% WPA
Total batter WPA: -21.8% WPA
GWRBI!: Alex Romero

Game Thread Roll Call

Nice job by KeithsMoustache; his effort in the game thread embiggens us all.

Num	Name	# of Posts
1	KeithsMoustache	91
2	blueandorange4life	54
3	MetsGod	42
4	clip	33
5	Prince	32
6	Jadden Hopkins	23
7	LeiterMilnerFasterStronger	22
8	aparkermarshall	22
9	DbacksSkins	21
10	metsguy234	18

Confirmed: Chris Young to be sent to Reno

snakecharmer — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 21:19:05 -0000

More photos » by Luis Alvarez - AP

Chris Young's poor defense on Sunday, combined with his offensive "struggles" all year long, have earned him a trip to Reno.

Browse more photos »

KTAR's John Gambadoro is reporting that Diamondbacks center fielder Chris Young will be sent to AAA Reno. Young's "struggles" have lasted all season - he is hitting only .194 and has crossed the .200 line twice since the end of April. This move has been a long time coming, and it was likely his poor defense in the outfield on Sunday that sealed his fate. Injuries to Eric Byrnes, Justin Upton and Conor Jackson opened the door for the minor leaguers this season, and Young has been unable to keep up with the breakout performances of Alex Romero, Gerardo Parra and Trent Oeltjen (all of whom were in the minors at the start of the season).

Young's had two decent seasons with the Diamondbacks in 2007 and 2008, combining for 54 home runs and 41 stolen bases. He placed 4th in Rookie of the Year voting in 2007. In all 4 seasons, however, his highest batting average was only .248 (.315 OBP / .443 SLG / .758 OPS) in 2008.

Nick Piecoro's road trip notes last night said that "on-again off-again" talks of sending Young to Reno were back on, and he confirms that Young has been demoted. Infielder Rusty Ryal has been recalled from AAA, which likely means Ryan Roberts will be the 4th outfielder.

Rusty Ryal was drafted by the Diamondbacks in 2005. He has never appeared in a major league game. This season in Reno, he's hitting .290/.347/.527 with 17 home runs, 33 doubles and 6 triples.

Thanks to Zephon for the news.

[Update] Audio clippage from Josh Byrnes and AJ Hinch on the news. Both men talked about how they've seen "flashes" of success with Young this season, just not on a consistent enough basis. According to Hinch, Young was "disappointed, frustrated" in receiving the news, but handled it as a "professional" - Byrnes said they want to see "consistency of quality of at-bats" from Young before any they consider bringing him back. It seems clear they are in no rush, unless he is ready, and there is no guarantee he will be back when rosters expand September 1.

Audio courtesy of KTAR 620

Washington Nationals Win Eighth-Straight, 9-2 Over Arizona Diamondbacks. PLUS: Cristian Guzman Claimed Off Waivers By Boston Red Sox.

Ed Chigliak — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 22:04:31 -0000

More photos » by Luis Alvarez - AP

"Last Goodbyes For Guzman???" -- Washington Nationals' Cristian Guzman, front left, Willie Harris, center, Nyjer Morgan, back left, and Elijah Dukes, right, celebrate after the Nationals defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 9-2 in a baseball game, Sunday, Aug. 9, 2009, in Washington. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)

Browse more photos »

With the Washington Nationals' 9-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks Sunday, the '09 Nationals now have the second-longest winning streak in the DC History of the franchise, behind only the '05 Inaugural Nationals, who were able to win 10-straight from June 2nd through June 12th, 2005. A win in Tueday's game against the Braves, and the Nationals will have won more than eight-straight for only the second time since the '97 Montreal Expos took 10-straight from the Chicago Cubs (4), Philadelphia Phillies (2), Detroit Tigers (3) and Baltimore Orioles (1) from June 6-16th, 1997.

The Nationals get the comeback over with early this afternoon with a two-run HR by Adam Dunn putting DC up 2-1 after Trent Oeljten's leadoff HR in the top of the first gave Arizona an instant one-run lead. Dunn's 30th HR scores Ryan Zimmerman, who'd doubled with two down, over the wall in center off D-Backs' starter Yusmeiro Petit to keep the inning alive for Adam Du---SHAKE N BAKE!!! SHAKE N BAKE!!! Dunn knocks in his 83rd and 84th RBI's, and ends the day 1 for 4. Ryan Zimmerman goes 3 for 5 with 2 doubles (25,26) and Zim's now hitting .306 on the season. Elijah Dukes collects 3 RBI's, and Dukes now has 10 runs batted in over his last three games. AND A BIG SHOUTOUT TO JORGE PADILLA!! WHO GETS HIS FIRST MLB HIT IN THE SIXTH!! Cristian Guzman...? More on the Guz on the BACKPAGE...

D.C. starter J.D. Martin (W, 1-2), records his first MLB "W", pitching 4.0 scoreless after allowing the leadoff blast to Oeltjen in the first. Martin walks 1, K's 1 and allows 5 hits in 5.0 innings, throwing 85 pitches, 52 for strikes, with 2 groundouts and 10 flyouts from twenty batters he faces. The Nationals' 26-year-old right-hander wins for the first time in 4 Major League starts, with the help of Tyler Clippard, Jason Bergmann and Ron Villone, who hold it scoreless through seven, and Jorge Sosa, who allows a run but ends it with 2.1 IP and the S for having allowed one to cross...

Nationals win, 9-2 final.

Miss The Game? The DC Faithful Were Watching...

Check Out The SB Nation's Arizona Diamondbacks Blog: AZ Snakepit GameThread.

"Game 112: TWO sweeps?!" - by Doghouse.

BACKPAGE:

• Cristian Guzman Claimed Off Waivers By Boston Red Sox? Deal Or No Deal?

• Pitching Matchups In Atlanta...

For The Completists, Full Game Report After The Jump...

Nationals now 40-72. (Countdown To 100 Losses in Serious Jeopardy!!!!)

BACKPAGE:

GAME REPORT:

• Cristian Guzman Claimed Off Waivers By Boston Red Sox? Deal Or No Deal?

ROSCOEtheNATSfan, my source for all things twittered, sent me a note this afternoon about DC blogger Miss Chatter's tweet which said the Boston Red Sox claiming Cristian Guzman off waivers at 12:37 pm EST this afternoon. Several minutes later, Dave Nichols of the Nats News Network posted a FanShot at Federal Baseball.com entitled, "Guzman claimed off waivers by Red Sox, according to Boston Globe." The source of the rumors is Boston Globe writer Nick Carfado, who wrote this morning, in an article entitled, "Sox eye Nats shortstop Guzman", that:

"Major League sources indicate that the Red Sox have put in a claim on Washington Nationals switch-hitting shortstop Christian Guzman, who is hitting .315 after hitting .316 last season.

"If the Red Sox have been awarded the claim - which has not been confirmed - the Red Sox would have 48 hours to work out a deal with the Nationals. The Nationals could also just award Guzman to the Red Sox or they could pull him back."

MLB.com's Bill Ladson cites Mr. Carfado's claim in an article at the Nationals' official site entitled, "Nationals Put Guzman on Waivers" in which Mr. Ladson writes, "The Nationals have put shortstop Cristian Guzman on waivers, but it's not yet known which team put in a claim for him," before mentioning the Boston Globe's story and noting that "Acting" DC GM Mike Rizzo had no comment on the situation when asked.

• Follow The Story From The Red Sox' Perspective, On The SB Nation's Red Sox Blog: Over The Monster.

For the record, Washington Times' writer Mark Zuckerman, in a Chatter post entitled, "Guzman's Future", reports that from what he's heard, "...From the people I've talked to this morning, the sense I get is that the Nats would prefer to get something in return for Guzman."

• Pitching Matchups In Atlanta...

TUES: John Lannan (8-8, 3.39 ERA) vs Tommy Hanson (6-2, 3.22 ERA)

WED: Craig Stammen (3-6, 5.40 ERA) vs Derek Lowe (11-7, 4.15 ERA)

Arizona Diamondbacks At Washington Nationals. Game 112 Of 162.

Trent Oeltjen starts the game with a HR to right off DC starter J.D. Martin. 1-0 D-Backs. Ryan Roberts flies out to Nyjer Morgan to the left of center and fairly deep. Josh Willingham backs up to catch the second out off Stephen Drew’s bat. Mark Reynolds pops up foul of first and Adam Dunn makes the catch near the dugout...Nyjer Morgan pops up behind short, the left fielder Oeltjen rushes in. Cristian Guzman K’s swinging at a two-strike change in the dirt from Arizona right-hander Yusmeiro Petit. Ryan Zimmerman lines to center over AZ CF'r Chris Young’s head, and out of the park on one-hop for a ground rule double, and Adam Dunn has a two-out chance. Du---SHAKE N BAKE!!! SHAKE N BAKE!!! Dunn goes deep to left over the out-of-town scoreboard for a two-run blast. 2-1 DC. #30 for Dunn!! Josh Willingham pounds a grounder by Mark Reynolds and down the line for a double. Elijah Dukes grounds to third, Hammer’s tagged out.

Adam Dunn makes an underhand toss to J.D. Martin at first to get Chad Tracy on a weak grounder. Chris Snyder flies out to Elijah Dukes in right. Alex Romero lines one right into Nyjer Morgan’s glove...Josh Bard shoots a low liner to third, Mark Reynolds fields and throws. Alberto Gonzalez lines one off the out-of-town scoreboard for a one-out double. J.D. Martin lines a single just over Stephen Drew’s glove at short. Gonzalez to third. Nyjer Morgan gets an 0-2 slider inside and K’s swinging. Cristian Guzman battles Petit, fouling off a few 2-2 pitches, goes full and pops out.

Chris Young starts the third with a pop out over second. Yusmeiro Petit throws his bat at a two-strike bender and K’s. Trent Oeltjen grounds sharply to second, Alberto Gonzalez fields, spins and throws, but not in time. Ryan Roberts up, but Oeltjen gets greedy and gets caught going for second...Ryan Zimmerman slides in headfirst at second with a leadoff double to the wall in left. Adam Dunn pops out behind second and into the shift. Willingham gets the intentionals to bring Elijah Dukes up with two on. Willingham gets picked off first by the catcher, for shame. A bouncing bender from Petit bounces off the D-Backs’ backstop and allows Zimmerman to advance to third. Elijah Dukes rips a sharp grounder off Mark Reynolds wrist, Zimmerman scores, Dukes takes second on a throwing error. 3-1 DC. Josh Bard grounds out to second to end the third.

Ryan Roberts flies out to Nyjer Morgan in center. Stephen Drew sends Morgan sprinting back to the track. Mark Reynolds takes ball four on a fastball outside. Chad Tracy lines a two-out single to center. Nyjer Morgan goes back to catch the final out of the fourth off Chris Snyder’s bat, J.D. Martin is holding it down...Alberto Gonzalez flies out to the track in center where Chris Young makes the grab. J.D. Martin goes down swinging. Nyjer Morgan slices a single to left and in front of Oeltjen. Morgan takes second just for the heck of it. Cristian Guzman grounds to third, Mark Reynolds manages to field it, but throws over first, Morgan scores on the error, 4-1 DC. Ryan Zimmerman shatters his bat flying out to center.

Alberto Gonzalez dives with his glove extended but misses Alex Romero’s grounder. Chris Young doubles by Zimmerman, Romero first to third. Ryan Zimmerman calls for and catches a pop up over the plate by Josh Whitesell. J.D. Martin fields Oeltjen’s grounder, looks both runners back and throws to first. Ryan Roberts grounds out to second, and it’s 4-1 DC in the fifth...Clay Zavada, he of the handle-bar moustache, gets a groundout from Adam Dunn to start the fifth. Josh Willingham pops out over short. Elijah Dukes flies out to left to end the fifth.

Tyler Clippard comes on and issues a leadoff walk to Stephen Drew. Mark Reynolds takes the second straight walk. Jason Bergmann comes on for Clippard. Chad Tracy pops out to left. Chris Snyder grounds toward short, Zimmerman cuts it off, tosses to Alberto Gonzalez at second, on to Dunn, double play!!!...Zavata’s back out for Arizona. Josh Bard starts the Nationals’ sixth with a line drive single through short. Alberto Gonzalez pops out to second. Jorge Padilla lines the first pitch he sees to right for a single. Nyjer Morgan takes a one-out walk to load the bases. Leo Rosales on for Arizona. Miguel Montero in to catch. Cristian Guzman walks to force in a run and makes it 5-1. Ryan Zimmerman grounds back to the mound, Rosales takes the force at home. Adam Dunn K’s chasing a fastball outside.

Ron Villone gives up a single to Alex Romero on the first pitch of the seventh. Chris Young grounds to short, Guzman to Gonzalez to Dunn, double play. Miguel Montero beats Villone’s glove to the ground on the mound and gets a single to center. Trent Oeltjen singles through second and Villone’s done. Jorge Sosa’s turn. Ryan Roberts goes down swinging over two-strike junk...Josh WIllingham lines one right into Stephen Drew’s glove at short. Elijah Dukes sends the second out soaring into center. Josh Bard grounds out to end the seventh.

Jorge Sosa’s back to face Stephen Drew. Drew flies out to right. Mark Reynolds takes a slider from Sosa deeeep to left and GONE!! Halfway up the stands, 5-2 DC. Chad Tracy pops up down the left field line and it drops in in front of the Hammer. Gerardo Parra grounds to second, Gonzalez to Guzman to Ronnie Belliard at first, another double play...Scott Schoeneweis takes over for Arizona. Alberto Gonzalez goes the other way with a line drive single to right. Mark Reynolds takes the out at first on a grounder from Guzman. Nyjer Morgan rips a single through second, Gonzalez scores to make it 6-2. Cristian Guzman pops up to center, and it’s falling fast. Morgan scores when it drops, 7-2 DC. Ryan Zimmerman singles to center, Guzman to second. Jorge Sosa gets down a sac bunt. Schoeneweis is done. Josh Willingham will face Blaine Boyer. The Hammer walks to load’em up for Dukes. Elijah Dukes singles up the middle, two runs score, 9-2 Nationals. 9-2 Nationals. Josh Bard pops out to end the eighth.

Jorge Sosa starts the ninth against Alex Romero. Romero pops out to Zimmerman foul of third. Chris Young goes down swinging!!!! Miguel Montero grounds to first, Ronnie Belliard knocks it down and tosses to first to end it, Nationals win, 9-2 final.

Nationals now 40-72.

Nationals 9, Diamondbacks 2: Decaffeinated Dbacks Defeated in DC

DbacksSkins — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 20:59:38 -0000

More photos » by Nick Wass - AP

Mark Reynolds tied Albert Pujols for the Major League lead in home runs, but also had a throwing error.

Browse more photos »

We returned you to your regularly scheduled Yusmeiro Petit starts today, as the Petit Unit allowed 4 runs (3 earned) in just 4 innings pitched to get the loss and break his own brief scoreless inning streak. However, Petit wasn't even close to being entirely to blame; he had some help from some vintage early-season clutch hitting and defense, while once again, the Dbacks scored all their runs via the longball. A piss-poor bullpen outing from Scott Schoeneweis, didn't help, either, nor did an easy caught-stealing call.

Story after the jump.

The Arizona Diamondbacks turned in an all-around lethargic and sloppy performance today in a rather sad way to end what had otherwise been a pretty decent road trip. After taking 3 of 4 at the Mets and sweeping 3 games from the Pirates, the Dbacks found themselves on the other end of a sweep, as the Washington Nationals took a 3 game set from Arizona in Washington, DC.

It all started off so well, too! New Snakepit favorite Trent Oeltjen led off his 3rd career major league game with a line drive solo home run barely into the Nationals' bullpen to give the Dbacks a quick 1-0 lead. Pretty good start against a guy who came in with a 7.16 ERA, right? However, the lead rapidly evaporated, as Petit allowed a 2-out ground rule double to Ryan Zimmerman (his first of two), followed by a towering home run from Adam Dunn, and the Nats took a 2-1 lead they would never relinquish.

Neither team scored in the 2nd, although former Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez doubled and Petit gave up a single for J.D. Martin's first career hit. In the 3rd, the Nationals began to pull away. Oeltjen beat out a 2 out infield single in the top of the inning, but was easily gunned down trying to steal 2nd base with Ryan Roberts at the plate. In the bottom, Zimmerman led off with his 2nd double of the game, Dunn popped out, and after intentionally walking Josh Willingham, Chris Snyder quickly caught Willingham off the bag. It was a pretty fortunate out, as Petit next uncorked a wild pitch, sending Zimmerman to 3rd. With a chance for Petit to escape the inning unscathed, Elijah Dukes hit a very sharp grounder that ate up Mark Reynolds, bouncing off his glove and over his head into left field. Some 3B might have made that play, but to be fair, it was rightly ruled a hit, as Zimmerman came home to score the last run the Nationals would need. Nationals w/ RISP: 2-4 on the day.

Things looked slightly rosier in the top of the 4th, when Reynolds drew the first of his 2 walks with 2 outs in the inning, followed by a Chad Tracy single, but Chris Snyder flied out. Dbacks w/ RISP: 0-1 on the day. In the bottom of the inning, Petit got two quick outs, and should have pitched a scoreless frame, but Nyjer Morgan singled, stole 2B, and then Cristian Guzman slapped an infield "single" to Reynolds. Guzman may or may not have been safe anyway, but Mark's rushed throw to first allowed Morgan to score as it went by Tracy and to the fence. Nats w/ RISP: 3-6.

The Diamondbacks REALLY squandered opportunities in the 5th and 6th. In the top of the 5th, Alex Romero led off with a single, followed by Chris Young's double with no outs. However, Josh Whitesell popped up for Yusmeiro Petit, (Muchas graciás, said Petit in the dugout) Oeltjen bounced a swinging bunt straight to Martin, and Ryan Roberts grounded out to 2B. Dbacks w/ RISP: 0-4. In the 6th, Stephen Drew and Reynolds drew no-out walks against new Nationals pitcher Tyler Clippard, but Riggleman replaced Clippard with Jason Bergmann, who got Tracy to fly out and Snyder to ground into an inning-killing double-play. Dbacks w/ RISP: 0-6.

Clay Zavada came on and pitched a perfect 5th but had a rough 6th, going single, popout, single, walk, to load the bases with 1 out. AJ Hinch pulled 'Stache for Leo Rosales, who threw 6 straight balls to walk in one of Zavada's baserunners. Rosales then calmed down, getting Zimmerman to ground back to the mound to choke off the run at home, while new catcher Miguel Montero inexplicably threw to 3rd after realizing there was no play at 1st. The decision didn't hurt, as Dunn struck out. Nats w/ RISP: 3-8.

More of the same scoringFAIL for the Dbacks in the 7th, as Romero led off with a single and was immediately killed by Chris Young's GIDP. CY seems to have a unique ability to hit a ground ball JUST when we needed him to strike out or pop up, since the next two batters singled but were stranded by Roberts' K. Dbacks w/ RISP: 0-7. Rosales had a perfect bottom of the inning.

Despite Mark Reynolds' best effort, it went from being a 4 run game to a 7 run game after the Dreaded Eighth Inning (TM). Mark's solo shot with one out made it 5-2 and tied him with Albert Pujols for the most home runs in the majors, but Chad Tracy's subsequent single was erased when Gerardo Parra, pinch hitting for Leo Rosales, grounded into a double play, practically jogging down the line to 1B while doing his best Felipe Lopez impression.

In the bottom, AJ Hinch inexplicably pulled a truly Melvinesque move in bringing in Scott Schoeneweis to face four right-handed batters, a switch-hitter, and one lefty. By now, the results were all too predictable, and CY decided to get in on the action, too: Single; Groundout; Single about 2 feet in front of CY and bobbled; stolen base; single to CY; error on CY; single; sacrifice bunt. Hinch finally pulled Schoeneweis with the score 7-2 and runners on 2nd and 3rd. He lasted for 2 outs, and one of those was a gimme on a sac bunt. Blaine Boyer decided to clear the table, not wanting to have to deal with inherited runners, so he quickly gave up a walk and a single to allow two more of Schoeneweis' runs to score before finally getting the 3rd out. Clearly eager to get on the plane and leave the Nationals' House of Horrors, the Dbacks obediently went down in order in the 9th.

Nobody had a particularly good game today. Trent Oeltjen had an infield single and solo homer, and finished 3-4, but was caught stealing and had an error assessed against him. Reynolds had two walks and another home run, but also an error. Tracy and Romero each had two hits, while Montero and CY(!!) had a hit each and Drew drew a walk. Yusmeiro Petit's ERA went from 5.81 to 5.87; Clay Zavada's went from 2.97 to 3.13; and Scott Schoeneweis' went from 6.63 to 8.24. The team cranked out 10 hits yet only scored 2 runs, partly due to going 0-7 with runners in scoring position and partly because of THREE double plays grounded into.

Something tells me the Dbacks are glad to be on the flight back to Phoenix about now.

Badass of the day: Mark Reynolds, +10.0%

Boarding the bus to Reno: Yusmeiro Petit, -21.5%

Should have stayed in bed: Chris Snyder, -16.3%; Ryan Roberts, -13.4%

Present and accounted for in the Gameday thread were.... well, some guy who had the most comments, and then soco, snakecharmer and Wailord coming in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, respectively. Other posters included Azreous, myself, ZonaBacks10, 4 Corners Fan, drvnlow, mrssoco, katers, TwinnerA, kishi, pygalgia, Zephon, Jim McLennan, unnamedDBacksfan, Gravity, rapdawg, and emilylovesthedbacks.

Washington Nationals Win Seventh Straight, Beat Arizona Diamondbacks 5-2.

Ed Chigliak — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 02:49:06 -0000

More photos » by Luis Alvarez - AP

"You Just Got MOCK'd!!!" -- Washington Nationals pitcher Garrett Mock delivers to the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Aug., 8, 2009, in Washington. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)

Browse more photos »

The Washington Nationals have won seven-straight games three times since moving to Washington, D.C. before the start of the 2005 season, but only once, in that inaugural campaign, have they won eight or more, taking 10 in-a-row from the Braves (1), Marlins (3), A's (3) and Mariners(3) from June 2nd-June 12th, 2005. The Nationals' 5-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks tonight gave the '09 Nationals seven wins in-a-row, and if they can sweep the D-Backs tomorrow afternoon, they'll have tied for the second-longest win streak in D.C. franchise history. (If you want to count Montreal Expos' history, it'll be only the third time they've won more than seven straight since 2002.)

Garrett Mock earned his first "W" of 2009 season by outdueling the D-Backs' ace Dan Haren, surrendering just two runs and five hits tonight, with both runs scored on a two-run blast by Mark Reynolds in the fourth, which blew an early 1-0 DC lead that was recaptured when Josh Willingham hit a two-run HR in the bottom of the frame. The Nationals never trailed after that, adding a run on a sac fly after the Hammer's dinger in the fourth and a run in the sixth on a Josh Bard bomb over the out-of-town scoreboard in right. Mock throws 97 pitches, 55 for strikes in 6.0 innings of work, and he hands the ball to Sean Burnett, who completes 2.0 scoreless and Jorge Sosa, who closes his first and the Nationals' 39th.

Nationals win, 5-2 final.

Miss The Game? The DC Faithful Were Watching...

Check Out The SB Nationals D-Backs Blog: AZ Snakepit GameThread.

"Game 111: SEVEN?!" by Doghouse.

BACKPAGE:

• MOCK'd!!!

• HAMMER'd!!!

• SAV'D!!!

For The Completists, Full Game Report After The Jump...

Nationals now 39-72.

BACKPAGE:

• MOCK'd!!!...

The Washington Nationals have won the last two of their seven-straight in spite of their pitching. Tonight, however, Garrett Mock may have earned himself another chance in a rotation that's likely to see some changes soon. Craig Stammen couldn't get out of the second in the Nationals' 12-8 win over the Marlins on Thursday, and Collin Balester was out in the fifth last night with the Nationals still trailing in the 7-6 comeback win over Arizona. Mock was solid through six against the D-Backs, throwing 97 pitches, 55 for strikes and getting 7 groundouts, 4 flyouts and 7 K's from the 25 batters he faced. Mock goes longer than he has in any of his 4 previous starts, and collects the highest K total of his career, though he continues his unfortunate habit of allowing 1 HR per start.

• HAMMER'd!!!

Josh Willingham's two-run HR in the fourth came a half-inning after the Arizona Diamonbacks erased a 1-0 DC lead with Mark Reynolds' two-run blast off the left field foul pole. Willingham now has 17 HR's, 23 doubles and 44 RBI's in 86 games and 265 AB's, over which he's hit .309 with a .420 OBP, .589 SLG and a 1.012 OPS. Willingham's hit in 15 of his last 16 games, raising his average from .292 on July 25th to .309 after tonight, and in that time he's 21 for 54 with 5 doubles, 5 HR's and 17 RBI's.

• SAV'D!!!

Jorge Sosa's first save of 2009, is his first save since October 1, 2006. The Nationals' 32-year-old right-hander, earned just 4 saves that season, (3 for the Braves and 1 for the Cardinals), and before that he had just one save in his career, on May 22, 2004, when he was 24-years-old and pitching for the D-Rays, when they still had their "D". Sosa's save as a Cardinal in 2006 came in his last appearance of the year, so that's 139.2 IP between saves...and Sosa's the only other Nationals' pitcher not named Mike MacDougal to earn a save since Joe Beimel earned the "S" on June 11th.

GAME REPORT:

Arizona Diamondbacks At Washington Nationals. Game 111 Of 162.

Stephen Drew lifts a low fastball to short center for a single, as DC righty Garrett Mock lets the first D-Back on. Alex Romero grounds to Alberto Gonzalez, to Cristian Guzman at second, to Adam Dunn, double play. Gerardo Parra fights off a high fastball and singles to left. Mark Reynolds gets a two-strike change that comes in around 80 mph and goes through Reynolds’ bat...Nyjer Morgan takes a fastball inside and lines to left center for a leadoff double in front of the Guzzz. Cristian Guzman rips a single through second into right. Ryan Zimmerman pops up behind home for the first out. Adam Dunn hits a Trademark Single™ back up the middle to score Morgan from third, 1-0 DC. Josh Willingham K’s swinging at a two-strike bender. Willie Harris gets more of the same and goes down swinging.

D-Backs’ backstop Miguel Montero pops up foul of third, and Ryan Zimmerman makes the catch at the wall. Josh Whitesell swings at a 2-0 pitch and grounds it out to second. Chris Young goes down looking...Josh Bard’s first-pitch swinging and he lines out to center. Dan Haren kicks his heel at a grounder back to the mound, knocks it down and throws to first to get Alberto Gonzalez. Garrett Mock rolls the third out to first ending the second.

Ryan Zimmerman dives toward third and stabs Augie Ojeda’s one-hopper, throwing to first, in time. Mock gets Dan Haren to chase a sinker for a swinging K. Stephen Drew grounds out to end Arizona’s third...Nyjer Morgan flies out to Alex Romero in left. Cristian Guzman hits a one-hopper to Whitesell at first. Ryan Zimmerman sends a broken bat floater to second for Ojeda to handle.

Gerardo Parra gets a single by Adam Dunn at first and into right to leadoff the fourth. Garrett Mock leaves a fastball up inside and Mark Reynolds pulls it right down the line and off the foul pole for a two-run HR and a 2-1 D-Backs' lead. Willie Harris gets under the second out off Miguel Montero’s bat. Mock issues a walk to Josh Whitsell, but gets Chris Young swinging after a visit to the mound...Adam Dunn gets hit by a pitch and Josh Willingham HAMMERS it, out to left and into the first row!! GONE! Two-run blast, 3-2 DC. Willie Harris lines to the right field corner and he’s thinking triple out of the box, and he slides in safely and somewhat unneccesarily. Josh Bard lines out to first on the first pitch he sees. Alberto Gonzalez lines out to left and it’ll do, sac fly scores Harris, 4-2 DC. Mock gets abused by Haren to end the fourth.

Alberto Gonzalez gets a grounder to his backhand from Ojeda and throws to first as he runs toward second for the first out of the fifth. Garrett Mock gets the opposing pitcher chasing. Stephen Drew takes a two-out walk and moves to second on Alex Romero’s single. Alberto Gonzalez throws to first on a weak grounder, in time to get Gerardo Parra...Nyjer Morgan grounds out to short, Cristian Guzman grounds out to first, and it’s two down with Zimmerman at the plate. Ryan Zimmerman strokes a single through short. Adam Dunn hits a one-hopper to second for the final out of the fifth.

Garrett Mock walks Mark Reynolds to start the sixth. Miguel Montero K’s swinging over an 0-2 bender. Nyjer Morgan speeds back and makes an awkward catch on a sharp liner to center from Josh Whitesell. Chris Young K’s again and Mock’s through six with the lead...Josh Whitesell falls in foul territory but catches Josh Willingham’s pop fly. Willie Harris takes a two-strike fastball for a called strike three. Josh Bard gets a hold of a heater from Haren and rips it to right and GONE!! Over the out-of-town scoreboard for a solo blast. 5-2 DC. Alberto Gonzalez flies out to end the sixth.

Sean Burnett replaces Garrett Mock. and gets a groundout to first from Augie Ojeda to start the seventh. Ryan Roberts grounds to Adam Dunn at first, to Burnett covering. Stephen Drew grounds out too and it’s 5-2 DC at the stretch...Blaine Boyer, the old Braves’ reliever is on in relief. Sean Burnett K’s swinging when forced to bat. Nyjer Morgan grounds to first, and tries to get away from Josh Whitesell’s tag. Cristian Guzman grounds out to second to end the seventh.

Adam Dunn makes an underhand toss to Sean Burnett covering on a weak grounder from Alex Romero. Ryan Zimmerman fields a grounder to short from Gerardo Parra, spins and throws to first. Mark Reynolds flies out to Nyjer Morgan in center, and Burnett’s got two scoreless...Ryan Zimmerman lines a single over second to start the DC eighth. Adam Dunn flies out to center. Josh Willingham flies to right field. Willie Harris K’s swinging to end the eighth.

Jorge Sosa starts the ninth against Miguel Montero. Fly ball to right for Jorge Padilla. Josh Whitesell's fly ball is out No. 2. Chris Young flies out to Nyjer Morgan in center to end the game. Nationals win, 5-2 Final.

Nationals now 39-72.

The Upstart Washington Nationals Come Back From 5-0 For 7-6 Win Over The Arizona Diamondbacks.

Ed Chigliak — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 05:25:35 -0000

More photos » by Nick Wass - AP

4 months ago: Arizona Diamondbacks manager A. J. Hinch, right, argues with first base umpire Jerry Crawford, left, after being ejected for arguing a close play at first against the Washington Nationals during the eighth inning of a baseball game, Friday, Aug. 7, 2009, in Washington. The Nationals 7-6. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Browse more photos »

The Comeback Kids Strike Again. D-Backs Blow Lead To Upstart Nationals...

Alright...It's gotten to the point where those of us following along in Friday night's GameThread were calling for the Arizona Diamondbacks to build up an early lead just so the upstart Washington Nationals could mount another comeback, which they once again did, rallying from a 5-0 deficit to defeat the D-Backs a day after they rallied from 6-0 down to beat the Florida Marlins. However big the hole the Nationals' starters have put them in, the Nationals' bats have continued to pound opposing pitching, with Ryan Zimmerman homering in his fourth straight game, Elijah Dukes knocking in the Nationals' first 3 runs tonight and scoring the fourth, for 7 runs batted in two days, and Josh Willingham winning it with a two-run double in the 7th that left him 3 for 4 and hitting .309 on the season, with hits in each of his last 6 games, over which he's 9 for 24. Oh, and Cristian Guzman's hit in 13 of the last 14 games, with 26 hits in his last 65 at bats, and a .480 AVG and a .509 OBP in August...Adam Dunn?...Since you asked, Adam Dunn has 3 doubles, 3 HR's and 7 RBI's in 21 August at bats, and he's hitting .281 on the year, with 22 doubles, 29 HR's, 81 RBI's, a .408 OBP, .572 SLG and a .982 OPS...The pitching?

3.1 of Collin Balester's 4.1 innings pitched tonight were scoreless!!! In the second, however, the Nationals' 23-year-old right-hander allowed 3 HR's and all 5 runs he'd surrender. It took Balester 82 pitches to get through 4.1 IP, and he was lifted in the fifth after retiring one batter and allowing two singles, forcing Saul Rivera to get two outs with two on and the Nationals trailing by a run. The bullpen comes through again, with Rivera, Sean Burnett, Jason Bergmann, Ron Villone and Mike MacDougal holding the D-Backs to just one run after the second, while the Nationals ralllied to tie it and eventually take the lead...but you can't keep doing this to the pen...and the starter can't keep doing this to the fans...one inning of closer Mike MacDougal "making it interesting" is really enough, two, like the DC Faithful had to endure tonight, is asking a bit too much...

Nationals win, 7-6 final.

• Miss The Game? The DC Faithful Were Watching...

• Check Out The SB Nation's Arizona D-Backs Blog's: AZ Snakepit GameThread.

• Game 110: The bullpen did WHAT?! by Doghouse.

BACKPAGE:

• Sign Strasburg? No Excuses.

• Zimmermann? Oh Noes...

For The Completists, Full Game Report After The JUMP...

Nationals now 38-72. (Countdown To 100 Losses Stuck At...28.)

BACKPAGE:

• Sign Strasburg? No Excuses.

I know it's all about saying, "We don't need Strasburg," now with MASN's Rob Dibble leading the cause, and arguing that the money could be better spent on a proven commodity. Great idea, but maybe Mr. Dibble should simply read the Washington Post's Nationals Journal, where the Nationals' team President Stan Kasten was quoted last winter stating as clearly as possible in Washington Post writer Chico Harlan's "Stanifesto" blog post:

Stan Kasten:

"'...this is a personal philosophy of mine: I don't believe in signing free agent pitchers, at least not big ones. I have this debate with people from time to time, usually also with agents for pitchers. I don't believe in signing -- I know [inaudible] will remind me that in my career I have signed big, successful free agent pitching contracts, and I'm sure I will again someday, but in my mind that really is a final piece in the puzzle. Before you spend money on a pitcher which is so expensive and so risky, I'd much rather go the way we're going, trotting out the young guys because not only are the young guys we have penciled in now really projecting to be big-time starters, but we also have a crop right behind them. So I like the way we're developing. If we get the five, or five of the eight, to turn the corner and become major league pitchers then we're off to the races -- right now, this year. If not, we have to keep working on it. But because you can't really buy pitching -- look at the contracts in the last five years of free agent pitchers; it's impossible to figure -- so because you can't buy pitching, I just believe in building our own...'"

The Nationals have stated clearly and demonstrated in their actions the last few seasons that they have no interest in paying for free agent pitching, it's going to have come from within, and signing your number one pick, thee number one pick in '09, and the number one prospect in the country according to every scout who was asked is probably a good place to start. I know everyone likes quoting from the 100 or so articles about how Strasburg probably won't succeed that preceded the Draft, but the same's true for every pitcher wherever he's chosen. It was just as unlikely that John Lannan would make it to the Majors as it is that Strasburg will continue to defy the odds. This is, however, the same team that drafted Jordan Zimmermann*, Ross Detwiler, Drew Storen and the other young pitchers that we're all so enamored with, why assume they were wrong about Strasburg? Should the Nationals pay $60 million? No. But they're going to have to pay, and they'd better be ready to, cause it's just over a week until the deadline, and I want to hear an announcement, not more excuses.

• * = Zimmermann? Oh Noes...

According to MLB.com's Bill Ladson's post at his blog entitled, "Zim has setback, Kearns has tissue removed from thumb", DC's right-handed rookie, Jordan Zimmermann, "...continues to have tightness in his right elbow," and, "He will have an MRI soon to determine the seriousness of the injury." Mr. Ladson's last report entitled, "Kearns seeing specialist; Zim may get big-league start", quoted Zimmermann explaining, "'It's tight. I don't know how to describe it...'" Let's all just hold our breath til he sees a doctor...

GAME REPORT:

Arizona Diamondbacks At Washington Nationals. Game 110 Of 162.

DC right-hander Collin Balester gets a groundout to third from Stephen Drew that Ryan Zimmerman handles. Josh Willingham settles in under a fly ball to left off Alex Romero’s bat. D-Backs’ center fielder Gerardo Parra flies out to Nyjer Morgan in center to end the top of the first...AZ starter Jon Garland gets a groundout to second with a 1-0 fastball to Nyjer Morgan. Cristian Guzman goes back up the middle with a 2-2 fastball and has himself a one-out single. Ryan Zimmerman up, Guzman’s nailed trying to steal second, not even close. Zimmerman ends up walking in front of Adam Dunn, who grounds out to first.

Mark Reynolds starts the second with a solo shot to left on a 1-1 fastball up high and inside. 1-0 D-Backs. Collin Balester gets Chris Snyder swinging at ball four. Trent Oeltjen, AZ left fielder, flies out to short left. Former DC prospect Josh Whitesell sends a long fly ball out to right and over the bullpen, 2-0 Arizona. Cristian Guzman knocks down a one-hop liner from Augie Ojeda, but can’t make the throw. Balester has to duck to avoid a line drive up the middle by Jon Garland. Stephen Drew does it to Bally again. HR to right and into the second deck, 5-0 D-Backs on the 3-run HR. A sharp grounder from Alex Romero bounces off Adam Dunn’s glove, but Balester finally gets Gerardo Parra to roll the third out to second for Belliard to take care of...Josh Willingham lines to center, Gerardo Parra charges in but misjudges it and has it roll by him into deep center, the Hammer takes third. Elijah Dukes pushes a line drive out to right, that goes far enough to score the Hammer from third. 5-1 D-Backs. Ronnie Belliard lines a double into the left field corner. Wil Nieves gets jammed and rolls the second out back to the mound. Stephen Drew throws out Collin Balester to end a long second.

Collin Balester hits the inside corner with a 1-2 change up and inside for a called strike three. Chris Snyder takes a high fastball for ball four and a one-out walk. Trent Oeltjen flies out to Elijah Dukes in right. Josh Whitesell lines out to Dukes to end the Arizona third...Nyjer Morgan K’s swinging over an 0-2 change. Cristian Guzman flies out to center. Ryan Zimmerman fouls strike three into the catcher’s mitt.

Augie Ojeda lines a hanging curve right to Nyjer Morgan in center. Balester drops a few curves on Jon Garland and gets a backwards K. Balester pops Stephen Drew up to end a quick fourth...Adam Dunn lines a double off the out-of-town scoreboard in right to start the Nationals’ fourth. Josh Willingham lines a full-count change back up the middle for single that moves Dunn to third. Elijah Dukes rips the cover off the ball, lining to center and over Gerardo Parra’s outstretched glove. Two runs score, 5-3 D-Backs. Dukes in standing at second. Ronnie Belliard sends a chopper up the middle and beats Stephen Drew’s throw to first. Dukes to third. Wil Nieves works the count full and flies out to center, Dukes tags and scores, Belliard takes second. 5-4 Arizona. Collin Balester grounds back to the mound. Nyjer Morgan flies out to right to end the fourth.

Alex Romero rips a single back up the middle to start the fifth. Gerardo Parra flies out to left field for Willingham. Mark Reynolds rips a high fastball from Balester to left for a single. Chris Snyder with two on, one out. Saul Rivera comes on and gets a check-swing K. Trent Oeltjen grounds out in front of the plate, Wil Nieves throws to first to end the D-Backs’ fifth...Cristian Guzman K’s swinging at a low two-strike change. Ryan Zimmerma---THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!! THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!! Ryan Zimmerman ties his career high with his 24th HR. Solo shot ties it at 5-5. Adam Dunn K’s looking at a low strike three. Willingham K’s to end the fifth.

Ryan Zimmerman leaps to catch a high chopper from Josh Whitesell and throws to first in time. Zimmerman fields going toward short and throws to Dunn at first for the second out off Augie Ojeda’s bat. Jon Garland grounds out. Saul Rivera records his fifth straight out...Elijah Dukes flies out to left. Ronnie Belliard grounds out to Augie Ojeda at second. Wil Nieves grounds out to third and it’s tied after six.

Ryan Zimmerman fields a spinner toward third from Stephen Drew and throws to first for the first out of the seventh. Sean Burnett gives up a two-out single to Gerard Parra. Mark Reynolds sends a soft pop to right and it falls in for a single. Burnett’s done. Jason Bergmann vs Miguel Montero. Montero grounds out to short to end Arizona’s seventh...Juan Gutierrez takes over on the hill for the D-Backs. Alberto Gonzalez flies out to center. Nyjer Morgan lays a bunt down the third base line and beats the throw to first. Cristian Guzman chops a single up the middle, Morgan goes first to third. Ryan Zimmerman up with men on the corners. Ryan Zimmerman pops out to the infield, Stephen Drew catches it at short. Adam Dunn gets the intentionals to bring up Willingham. Gutierrez gives up a single to left, two runs score on Hammer's hit, 7-5 Nationals lead. Dukes grounds out to end the seventh.

Ron Villone’s out to pitch the eighth. Trent Oeltjen grounds to short, Cristian Guzman slides as he fields it, jumps up and makes the throw to first, in time!! Josh Whitesell takes a one-out walk and Augie Ojeda singles Whitesell to second. Riggleman’s out again, and he takes out Villone in favor of Mike MacDougal. MacDougal walks the first batter he faces to load the bases. Stephen Drew hits a sac fly to left to score Whitesell, 7-6 DC. Alex Romero grounds to short, Guzman throws to first, 7-6 DC after seven and a half...Franklin Gutierrez is back out for Arizona. Willie Harris K’s on three straight pitches. Wil Nieves grounds out to short. Alberto Gonzalez grounds to short, Stephen Drew does it again.

Gerardo Parra leads off the ninth with a single to center on a 2-1 fastball. Mark Reynolds flies out to right. Miguel Montero goes down swinging through a late breaking heater!! Two down. Trent Oeltjen lines a single to right. Chad Tracy will get a pinch hit chance. Tracy grounds a 1-0 pitch to second, Alberto Gonzalez fields and throws to end it!!! Nationals win, 6-straight!! 7-6 final.

Nationals now 38-72.