SB Nation - Alex Gonzalez

11/25 - Spreading Ideas

bs.uf15bosox9bears23 — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:00:12 -0000

Funny to see how similar opinions are starting to form on separate sites. Of course, some sites form the opinions more in the posts, rather than the comments. Could be a function of how the sites are set up though. Anyways, here's two quick, random links:

Rising star, prospect win Boston honors - redsox.com

Buch and Lavarnway are the best. Anyone have issues with these awards?

Projected WAR and Contract Values for Free Agent Position Players - BtB

Interesting - Beltre is projected almost equal with Figgins. Oh, and Holliday is far ahead of Bay (yes, UZR issues, but still).

Now I can show you how other sites are coming to the same conclusion as we have.

Will the Sox Acquire Adrian Beltre to Replace Lowell? - Fire Brand of the American League

Wow, that's a lot of writing. Pretty much consolidates all the stuff we've been saying.

Working out the Beltre Theory - Yawkey Way Academy

So it appears everyone agrees: this isn't an easy decision - especially when there's this option:

Report: Tigers' Miguel Cabrera Available Via Trade, Red Sox Listed as Prime Candidate - NESN.com

We discussed this shortly in the Mauer MVP thread, but here's the official story.

Miguel Cabrera? No thanks - Extra Bases

The Tigers are owned by pizza magnate Mike Ilitch and have a pile of money. If Cabrera is being shopped, it's not for budgetary reasons. It's because they decided they would be better off without him. That should give teams plenty of pause.

Oh snap.

Comparison shopping sluggers: Miguel Cabrera and Mark Teixeira - Boston Herald

Okay... and your point is?

Some sites don't really come up with new stuff, and then some sites find random ideas that actually might work:

Have Homicidal Tendencies, Will Travel - Surviving Grady

Hmm... interesting. Not sure where'd he fit, but it's definitely worth looking into if we somehow manage to need MORE players.

After the jump, some coaching staff items, a bit of alarming news, and trying to get everyone caught up.

For Red Sox, a Ray(s) of Inspiration - Full Count

Interesting to see how coaching staffs evolve.

Tim Bogar braces for the hot seat - Full Count

Catcher Luis Exposito Leads Five Red Sox Prospects in Arizona Fall League - NESN.com

The Blue Ribbon panel, 9 years later - Inside the Book

I've actually never heard of this. Sounds like it'd be a fun read for traveling, which is what I'll be doing today.

Source: Red Sox in on FA’s Scutaro, Escobar, R. Soriano - Boston Herald

NOOOOOO!!! The last two, sure, but NOT Scoots.

Cornering Some Offense in Boston - Sox Tea Party

At this point, it’s the general consensus that the Red Sox need a left-fielder, a shortstop and another power-hitting corner infielder. The hope is that the Red Sox will find a away to bring back Jason Bay and then move on to finding a legitimate bat at either first or third base. As for shortstop? Most fans I talk with are content with bringing back Alex Gonzalez, although I read a lot of other posts online that are against it, due to his low OBP.

Hahaha - good to see the opinion has presence.

Sox announce spring schedule, prices - Extra Bases

Tek Won't Catch Wake - Fenway West

Odd. I wonder why.

Falling to the Bottom of the Filter

Are the Smart Guys Hinting at Something? - YFSF

People are catching on!

Sox will think deeply about adding starters - The Boston Globe

No surprise.

Why Jason Bay Should've Accepted the Boston Red Sox' $60 Million Offer - Bleacher Report

He has been a crowd-pleaser and one of the best players on the Red Sox. His salary for 2009 was reported as $7.8 million, according to ESPN.com. It would be hard to support a claim that he be paid twice what he made when he batted .267 with 36 homers and 119 RBI, being among the league leaders in the latter two categories.

I don't support resigning Bay, but that's some faulty logic right there.

Feet of Clay: Boston Red Sox Should Part with Clay Buchholz - Bleacher Report

If that stops Eckstein [sic] from pulling the trigger, Red Sox Nation should initiate a coup d’etat.

Buchholz is a very talented pitcher, yes, and I would love to see him dominating opposing hitters in a Boston uniform. But why would the Red Sox choose an unproven prospect over an established slugger?

Oh, please, don't...

Comments, links, etc. Also, special request: If you want to say something about a specific link, rather than a general idea, don't be afraid to go to the source to voice your opinion. If you do, it'd be awesome if you could drop OTM's name, especially if you are expressing a view that you may have picked up by participating in OTM; it would keep the offseason fresh if we had a stream of new ideas coming in from other sites.

SB Nation Awards: 2009 American League MVP

Jesse — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:50:09 -0000

Scioscia...Andrus...Greinke...and looky looky who completes the puzzle!

Rk	Player	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th	Pts
1	Joe Mauer	Minnesota Twins	24	3	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	371
2	Ben Zobrist	Tampa Bay Rays	-	10	6	2	2	1	-	1	-	-	172
3	Mark Teixeira	New York Yankees	2	3	2	4	3	2	7	1	-	-	158
4	Derek Jeter	New York Yankees	1	5	3	4	4	2	1	1	2	1	157
5	Evan Longoria	Tampa Bay Rays	-	2	4	1	2	3	2	3	2	1	106
6	Zack Greinke	Kansas City Royals	2	3	2	1	1	-	2	-	-	-	92
7	Miguel Cabrera	Detroit Tigers	-	-	3	1	2	4	-	2	-	5	74
8	Kevin Youkilis	Boston Red Sox	-	2	-	-	1	3	1	8	1	-	69
9	Chone Figgins	Los Angeles Angels	-	-	-	3	4	1	-	1	3	1	60
10	Jason Bay	Boston Red Sox	-	1	-	4	2	-	-	1	-	2	54
11	Kendry Morales	Los Angeles Angels	-	-	4	-	-	1	-	-	1	-	39
12	Ichiro Suzuki	Seattle Mariners	-	-	1	-	2	-	1	2	2	3	37
13	Franklin Gutierrez	Seattle Mariners	-	-	-	1	1	1	3	-	1	2	34
14	Justin Verlander	Detroit Tigers	-	-	-	2	1	1	1	-	1	1	32
15	Felix Hernandez	Seattle Mariners	-	-	-	2	-	-	1	3	2	-	31
16	Jason Bartlett	Tampa Bay Rays	-	-	1	1	1	-	-	-	-	1	22
17	Alex Rodriguez	New York Yankees	-	-	1	-	1	-	1	-	-	-	18
18	Roy Halladay	Toronto Blue Jays	-	-	-	1	-	1	1	-	-	-	16
19	Adam Lind	Toronto Blue Jays	-	-	-	-	-	2	-	-	1	4	16
20	Dustin Pedroia	Boston Red Sox	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	4	1	13
21	Bobby Abreu	Los Angeles Angels	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	1	1	-	12
22	Aaron Hill	Toronto Blue Jays	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	1	-	-	12
23	Mariano Rivera	New York Yankees	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	1	1	9
24	Torii Hunter	Los Angeles Angels	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	8
25	Brian Roberts	Baltimore Orioles	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	-	-	7
26	CC Sabathia	New York Yankees	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	1	-	6
27	Carl Crawford	Tampa Bay Rays	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	1	6
28	J.D. Drew	Boston Red Sox	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	5
29	Jon Lester	Boston Red Sox	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	5
30	Jonathan Papelbon	Boston Red Sox	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	5
31	Robinson Cano	New York Yankees	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	5
32	Victor Martinez	Boston Red Sox	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	5
33	Michael Cuddyer	Minnesota Twins	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	4
34	Shin-Soo Choo	Cleveland Indians	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	4
35	Michael Young	Texas Rangers	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	3
36	Jacoby Ellsbury	Boston Red Sox	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	2
37	Jason Kubel	Minnesota Twins	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	2
38	Alex Gonzalez	Boston Red Sox	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1
39	Nick Markakis	Baltimore Orioles	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1

YES! Clearly there were five people who weren't watching the same baseball season as everyone else, but look at that point differential between first and second place. And nobody voted Joe lower than third place, so kudos to all voting parties for that.

Having to vote for ten candidates means this is a pretty large chart with a lot of stragglers, and after Mauer I can't honestly remember who I voted for. I know I voted for one of Cuddyer and Kubel, although I can't promise full homerism by saying I voted for both. Still, I'm positive that Longoria, Cabrera, Zobrist, Jeter and Youkilis were in there somewhere.

The only two AL teams not represented on this list? Oakland and Chicago.

Poll

Who gets your vote for American League MVP?

Joe Mauer

370 votes

370 votes | Poll has closed

Offseason Day 1 Quick Hits

Eli Greenspan — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:06:44 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Roberson - AP

Browse more photos »

Let's take a look at some of the headlines making their way around the wire on this Thursday morning:

It appears as if the Nationals will remove the interim tag on manager Jim Riggleman and name him their permanent manager. The Nationals did contact Don Mattingly about an interview, but he respectively declined. Riggleman is very experienced and did get more than expected from the Nationals after taking over, going 33-42 to close out the season.
The Kansas City Star is reporting that the Royals likely will decline Coco Crisp's option, but have interest in negotiating a low-base salary for the 2010 season. Crisp, who has surgery on both shoulders this past season, is no guarantee to come back as strong as he was in previous years.
Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch is reporting that the Cardinals and Scott Boras have discussed a the framework of a deal, reportedly in the neighborhood of 6 years, worth 96 million dollars. Seems like the first offer of many in what is expected to be a very long negotiating process. Boras has not been afraid to compare his client to Mark Teixeira, who signed an 8 year, 180 million dollar deal a year ago. I think more reasonable contracts to compare Holliday to are Vernon Wells' (7 year, 126) or Alfonso Soriano's (8 year, 134).
With Tim Wakefield's 4 million dollar option and Victor Martinez's 7 million dollar option, the Red Sox have to decided what to do with shortstop Alex Gonzalez's 6 million dollar option. Gonzalez hit .284 after joining the Red Sox, and was pretty sound defensively. The Red Sox could decline the option and hope to sign him at a reduced rate, similar to what the Giants did with Freddy Sanchez. They could always look to the Brewers and shortstop J.J. Hardy, who is also expected to draw interest from the Twins.

Scott Kazmir vs. Red Sox Batters

Rev Halofan — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 09:07:10 -0000

More photos » by John Froschauer - AP

Browse more photos »

Angels Starting Pitcher Scott Kazmir will likely face the following lineup in Boston on Sunday Morning. Here is his record against each batter for regular season matchups...

Jacoby Ellsbury - 6 for 20, 1 double, 2 Ks, .650 OPS

Dustin Pedroia - 15 for 29, 3 doubles, 1 triple, 1 HR, 6 BB, 1 K, 1.393 OPS

Victor Martinez - 5 for 11, all singles, 1 K, .909 OPS

Kevin Youkilis - 9 for 38, 3 doubles, 6 BB, 14 K, .649 OPS

David Ortiz - 9 for 44, 1 double, 2 HR, 6 BB, 11 K, .664 OPS

Jason Bay - 4 for 15, 1 double, 1 HR, 2 BB, 6 K, .886 OPS

Mike Lowell - 10 for 40, 2 doubles, 4 HR, 4 BB, 10 K, .933 OPS

J.D. Drew 1 for 7, 1 triple, 1 BB, 3 K, .900 OPS

Alex Gonzalez - 4 for 10, 1 double, 2 K, .900 OPS

Facing almost this same lineup in Game 2 of the 2008 ALCS, Kazmir surrendered 3 HR, 2 to Pedroia and 1 to Youkilis. He gave up a 2-run double to Bay in the first inning of a 4+ inning start in Tampa Bay on 7 days rest.

In Game 5 of the same series he went 6 innings, gave up 2 hits, no runs, waked 3 and struck out 7. He pitched on his regular 4 days rest.

Kaz will be pitching on 8 days rest in Fenway Park today.

Ladies of Cambridge: A Boston Red Sox Preview

U-God — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 14:30:25 -0000

More photos » by Winslow Townson - AP

Boston Red Sox's David Ortiz does his best Joakim Noah Dance during the fifth inning of a baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009 (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

Browse more photos »

Dates we play them: 8/24-8/27 @ Boston, 9/4-9/7 at home

Offense: A potential line-up: Jacoby Ellsbury-CF, Dustin Pedroia-2B, Victor Martinez-C, Kevin Youkilis-1B, Jason Bay-LF, David Ortiz-DH, Mike Lowell-3B, J.D. Drew-RF, Alex Gonzalez-SS Bench: Jason Varitek-C, Casey Kotchman-1B, Nick Green-UTIL

Boy, this season has really started to slip away from the Carmines as they've played .471 ball since the ASB. They still lead the Wild Card race, their odds of making the playoffs are dropping by the day. Jacoby Ellsbury has actually been worth less this season than last, though you wouldn't think so by looking at his hitting stats. His cut his K% and he steals more efficiently than most people that pass the 50 steal mark. The problem has been his defense. He's been atrocious in the field this season, dropping him to below 1.0 WAR. And he makes bad investments to boot. Dustin Pedroia's production has been down too, but he's still been worth 4.3 WAR. He isn't stealing as efficiently, but he is still getting on base, cranking out doubles, and playing above-average defense. Victor Martinez has been raking since getting out of Cleveland. The 1B/C/DH has posted an OPS+ of 143 with 5 homers in 20 games. He will cool off eventually, so maybe we get to be the team to do it to him. When did Kevin Youkilis turn 30? I'm starting to feel old. Anyways, the man who used to have the funniest baseball-reference URL(first five letters of his last name and then the first two of his first) just recently got back from a suspension for getting his ass handed to him by Rick Porcello. He's only had one good game since getting back, but his track record shows that he'll figure it out soon.

Jason Bay is getting to the point where he shouldn't be allowed to field. If he were even just an average fielder, he would be worth about 3.5 WAR right now, but because he's being the Canadian-Jermaine Dye he's only worth 1.7. That being said, his bat is still very dangerous and he picks great times to steal. The "lovable" juicer, Big Papi, is having the worst season of his career. This could be due to going off the roids, or something else entirely. Either way, he has been exactly replacement level, which is not what you want from your full-time, double-digit millions DH. He isn't even the hitter he was in Minnesota anymore. Mike Lowell is nearing the end of his career. He'll be 36 next season and in the final year of his contract. His bat is still slightly above-average, but his defense is slipping and he is becoming an injury concern. Speaking of injury concerns, Glass J.D. Drew is quietly having a very good season. Not too many teams would be upset with 3.0 WAR from their eight-hole hitter, though he is being payed $14 mil to do so. The fact that the Red Sox went out and got Alex Gonzalez to play short shows how bad they've been at the position all season. Gonzalez still brings solid defense to the table, but his bat is completely gone and playing him actually may hurt the team.

Pitching: A potential rotation and closer: Josh Beckett-RHP, Jon Lester-LHP, Brad Penny-RHP, Clay Buchholz-RHP, Junichi Tazawa-RHP and Jonathan Papelbon-RHP

Josh Beckett is a fastball/curveball pitcher and a very good one at that. He still reaches the mid-90s and has been one of the 15 most valuable pitchers in the AL this season. The lone southpaw in the rotation, Jon Lester has been even better than Beckett. Lester throws a fastball, a cutter, a curve, and occasionally a changeup. This season he is beating AL hitters like he beat cancer, to the tune of 10.12 K/9. Brad Penny is back-of-the-rotation fodder that had to be moved up due to injuries. He is no longer the pitcher he used to be, but has still been worth 2.1 WAR this season. Clay Buchholz has not been the same pitcher since his rookie year no-hitter. His K/9 is plummeting, yet his BB/9 is stagnant. The kid needs to figure something out, or his career may be ending early. There isn't much on Tazawa, as he's only thrown 17 innings in the bigs. He throws a high-80s fastball, a curve, and a splitter. But we've never seen him before, so we're doomed. Papelbon is having a rough year for him. He's already walked six more hitters than he ever has and is striking out less too. This could be flukey, but it could also be the start of the AL figuring him out. Neither outcome is that great for Boston.

Outlook: This won't be deep as I'm running late to class (sorry for the lack of links of humor, I busted both wrists this weekend, so typing isn't too easy right now). I say we take the season series 5-3.

Reds fail to extend their winning streak to 2 but are somehow still in contention, lose to the Padres 3-2

BK — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 02:51:18 -0000

Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

The Padres bullpen. After gaining a 3-2 lead in the 7th, Luke Gregerson, Mike Adams, and Heath Bell each pitched a perfect inning, including a stretch where they struck out 6 Reds hitters in a row. I'm still not sure why Jim Day refers to this team as the "Battlin' Redlegs".

Key Plays

The Pads struck first, with Kevin Kouzmanoff doubling in Tony Gwynn Jr., who tripled to lead off the game.
The Reds answered in the bottom of the 2nd, when Jonny Gomes drove in Edwin Encarnacion to tie the game, and Craig Tatum's grounder bounced off of 1st base to drive in Laynce Nix and give the Reds a 2-1 lead.
Adrian Gonzalez, who has seemingly killed the Reds this season, blasted a solo shot halfway up the moon deck to tie the game in the 3rd.
Tony Gwynn Jr. doubled to lead off the 7th, and after Nick Masset came in with runners on 1st and 3rd, Kevin Kouzmanoff hit a sac fly to give the Pads the lead. Ball game.

via www.fangraphs.com

Other Notes

Craig Tatum had his first major league hit. Whoopee.
How long is it going to take before something happens with Ryan Hanigan? Not being able to pinch hit for Tatum in the 9th was a minor inconvenience.
The leadoff combo of Willy Taveras and Alex Gonzalez was a combined 0-for-8. I'm sure Dusty is shocked by this, but nobody else should be. I fully expect to see the same two players at the top of the lineup tomorrow, because "they're due".
Edwin was 2-for-4. I guess that's something.
The scouts in the stadium saw what we've been seeing of Bronson Arroyo all season. He had a quality start, going 6 1/3 innings, giving up 3 runs on 9 hits, but wasn't anything spectacular. Just solid, and threw a ton of pitches.
I'm not going to go on a tirade against Dusty because he's done much worse than this, but leaving Bronson in to pitch the 7th with 112 pitches under his belt probably wasn't a good idea.
Pete Rose was in attendance, with a woman who looked like a prostitute. This was much more exciting than the game.
The Reds have now lost 6 of their last 7. Since they didn't win consecutive games, the baby goes back under the basket. Sorry kid, you were so close to freedom.

I've Had the Reds, the Blues, and the Pinks: A Cincinnati Reds Preview

U-God — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:35:34 -0000

More photos » by Morry Gash - AP

Cincinnati Reds starter Bronson Arroyo practices for his off-season career as a Rockette during the first inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers Tuesday, April 14, 2009, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Browse more photos »

A brief look at an opponent we play this weekend.

Dates we play them: 6/19-6/21 @ CIN

Offense: A potential lineup: Willy Taveras-CF, Alex Gonzalez-SS, Brandon Phillips-2B, Laynce Nix-LF, Ramon Hernandez-1B, Jay Bruce-RF, Jerry Hairston-3B, Ryan Hanigan-C

Willy Taveras is the Reds' leadoff hitter, despite the fact that he is currently rocking a .270 OBP. I enjoy having constants like this in the real world. I know Dusty Baker will always make decisions I will question to no end and that Willy Taveras will leadoff even though he has never drawn more than 34 walks in a season due solely to his blazing speed. It's like knowing the sun is going to rise in the morning. Alex Gonazalez is another hitter who has no place near the top of a batting order (think Juan Uribe with less pop). It seems like this is the year he finally falls off the cliff. The 32 year old is hitting .214/.256/.302. I don't care how good your glove is, you would have to be immaculate to make up for that slash-line (Alex Gonzalez is not holy). Brandon Phillips is one of the best second-tier second basemen in baseball. The former failed-Indians' prospect (thankfully they gave up on him) turned the corner when he moved to southern-Ohio. He brings speed and power to the table along with plus defense. He should be a key player for the Reds for the next few seasons. Jayson Nix's older brother Laynce is enjoying a brief career resurgence in the Great American Ballpark this season. His .310 OBP is a new career high, but it's his .514 SLG and .257 ISO that have turned him into a regular for only the second time in his career. He's probably going to cool-off quite a bit, but I kind of hope he doesn't.

The Reds are experimenting a little bit by putting Ramon Hernandez out at first since Joey Votto went on the DL. In the incredibly small sample-size of 26 games, he has been awful out there. His weakening bat was acceptable when he was a catcher, but he can't hit well enough to be a bonafide corner infielder. Jay Bruce needs to learn how to walk. He has great power (.249 ISO), but until he starts showing some more improved plate discipline he won't reach his full potential. Jerry Hairston continues to exist in the baseball world. Somehow, in 52 games he is one homerun away from tying his career high of 8. He'll be out of the lineup once Edwin Encarnacion comes of the DL. No one has benefitted from all of these injuries more than Ryan Hanigan. He currently has an OPS+ of 107 and in my opinion might be the better option to go with at catcher once Votto returns and bumps Hernandez off of first base.

Pitching: A potential rotation plus closer: Aaron Harang-RHP, Bronson Arroyo-RHP, Johnny Cueto-RHP, Micah Owings-RHP, Matt Maloney-LHP and Francisco Cordero-RHP

Aaron Harang has had the bad fortune of pitching in Cincinnati almost his entire career. This has resulted in his relative obscurity outside of the Queen City and the fantasy baseball world. In 2006 he lead the NL in wins and strikeouts and recieved no votes for the Cy Young Award. Bronson Arroyo is better known for being with Boston in 2004 and playing terrible music. His stuff is fairly unimpressive and he appears to be on the downward spiral part of his career. Cueto is somehow leading the NL in ERA+ (206!) and I can't figure out how. His numbers aren't that impressive, but seeing as we've never seen him before we will lose. He is a fastball and slider guy to the extreme. Micah Owings is a mediocre pitcher and an above average hitter. A few seasons ago there were rumors the the D-Back's were thinking of trotting him out to play first on days he wasn't pitching. He was the PTBNL in the Adam Dunn trade last season. Matt Maloney is the only lefty in the rotation. He throws a high-80s fastball and a change-up and appears to be nothing impressive. Francisco Cordero is the kind of luxury a team like Cincy shouldn't have splurged on. He's a good but not great closer and cost them way too much money.

Outlook: Bad. We've never seen Cueto or Owings, so that's probably two losses right there. Bold prediction? We lose the series 1-2.

This Comeback Sticks, Nationals Beat Reds, 3-2 On Hard Slide!!!

Ed Chigliak — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 02:21:40 -0000

More photos » by Manuel Balce Ceneta - AP

6 months ago: Washington Nationals' Christian Guzman (15) scores as Cincinnati Reds' catcher Ramon Hernandez waits for the ball during the eighth inning of a baseball game, Thursday, June 11, 2009, in Washington. Nationals won 3-2. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Browse more photos »

It was cruising along like it was gonna be just another one of those games, you know, the other forty-two of them, but these are the new Washington Nationals, the ones that are bound to sign Stephen Strasburg, who is bound to pan out, at exactly the same time the coming wave of prospects crests, lifting the Nationals above the salary excesses of their NL East rivals and at least into Wild Card contention...These are the Washington Nationals who walked out of a two-and-a-half hour rain delay and picked up where they left off last night, tying the Cincinnati Reds in a game they would eventually lose, but today they refined their technique, and waited to strike in the eighth, turning a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 win by forcing an error, the fate that usually befalls the team with the most combined E's of any roster in baseball. The Washington Nationals are turning the tables, this is how it happened tonight...

HEADLINES: (After the Jump...*)

E: 57

E: 5

What The ..... Is a DH?

Miss The Game? The DC Faithful Were Watching, In DC, Virginia, NJ, Syracuse, NY And Some Place Called Australia, Sounds Fancy!

Nationals Win, 3-2 Final.

DWDT: 3.

For The Completists, An Incomplete Game Report After The Jump...

Nationals now 16-42.

HEADLINES:

E: 57 - DC lefty John Lannan gave up a two-out single to Reds' shortstop Alex Gonzalez in the second, but he got the ground ball he wanted out of Cincy 1B Adam Rosales, only to have straight-shooter Ryan Zimmerman misfire on the throw to first, for his 7th Error of '09, the Nationals' 57th E as a team, and Reds' first run of the game, 1-0 Cincinnati. Two innings later it was A-Gon again, with an RBI single that scores a run in the fourth, bringing Johnny Gomes around after he was hit by a pitch from Lannan in the first AB of the inning. 2-0 Reds after four. Lannan's afternoon would end after he'd allowed 5 hits, 2 runs, 1 ER and 2 walks, with 2 K's and a 3.51 ERA after 6.0 IP.

The Nationals score a run in the sixth on three singles by Josh Willingham, Wil Nieves and pinch hitter Nick Johnson and an RBI groundout by DC SS Cristian Guzman. 2-1 Reds after six, and Julian Tavarez takes over on the hill for John Lannan. Tavarez gives up a two-out walk in the eighth, but is otherwise unharmed as he holds the Nationals close through the top of the frame, and in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Nationals strike...

Daniel Ray Herrera comes out of the pen to replace Carlos Fisher after a leadoff single in the Nationals' eighth, when most are expecting maybe, Arthur Rhodes?, but it's the third game of a road series and the Reds have won the first two, so Manager Dusty Baker goes to Herrera, at least for one batter, and the Cincy lefty allows a second single to Anderson Hernandez and the Nationals are rolling with two on and no outs and only a one-run deficit to recover from, at least, that is, until Cristian Guzman bunts too hard and the Reds take down the lead runner at third. Alberto Gonzalez singles, but not hard enough to score the tying run, so it's Ryan Zimmerman due up, with the bases loaded and a new pitcher on the way out to the mound...

E: 5 - Right-hander Nick Masset replaces Herrera, and Ryan Zimmerman steps into the batter's box. A 91 mph fastball from Masset catches the high outside corner as Zimmerman swings and misses, then a slider falls off the outside of the plate, and Zimmerman holds back. Masset comes back with a four-seam fastball that bounces, and follows with another low heater that hits 95 but is low in the zone and short of the plate. The 3-1 pitch is a fastball that Zimmerman connects with, but only for a groundout and a DP if the Reds can turn it quickly enough, Alex Gonzalez to Brandon Phillips at second, but DC's Alberto Gonzalez is charging from first, and his hard slide rocks Phillips and sends his throw flying by first, Anderson Hernandez comes around to score and Cristian Guzman follows, and the Nationals have a 3-2 lead.

Enter Joe Beimel...

Joe Beilmel failed in his first audition as closer, but Manny Acta put his trust in Beimel to save tonight's game. Jay Bruce grounds out, Alex Gonzalez flies out, and Adam Rosales does the same. Joe Beimel saves the game. The Legend Continues...What? You Haven't Heard The Legend Of Joe Beimel. Miss Chatter had the first story I read about it back in early May, in a DC Sports Bog article entitled, "The Youtube Legend Of Joe Beimel", and if you still don't know what I mean, it's about time you did:

What The ..... Is a DH?

Starting with tomorrow's 7:38 pm EST start, the Washington Nationals make a 15-game trip through the American League East, 3 this weekend against Tampa Bay, followed by 3 with NY's Yankees next week and 3 each with the Blue Jays, and Red Sox at home in DC after that and then three with the Orioles before the Nationals get back to their own league. In 75 Interleague since moving to the nation's capital in 2005, the Washington Nationals are 36-39. Stammen vs Garza in the Trop tonight...

Cincinnati Reds At Washington Nationals. Game 58 or 59 of 162.

(ed. note - "Arrived home in the bottom of the second, where the GameReport picks up...")

Bottom of Second...

...Josh Willingham hits a low liner to Brandon Phillip for the first out of the second at second. Austin Kearns draws a one-out walk . Wil Nieves should have singled if Alex Gonzalez hadn’t been there to make a slick fielding play at short. John Lannan...

Bottom of Third...

Cristian Guzman slaps a single through second for the Nationals’ first hit of the game. Alberto Gonzalez chops one to short, Guzman’s running so he avoids the DP. Ryan Zimmerman take a one-out walk in front of Adam Dunn, Dunn K’s swinging under a high heater from Owings. It’s the slow stuff that gets Elijah Dukes swinging for the final out of the third.

John Lannan hits Johnny Gomes and then walks Ramon Hernandez. Jay Bruce grounds into a force at second, first and third with one down. Alex Gonzalez knocks Bruce in with a line drive single. 2-0 Reds. Adam Rosales K’s swinging over an 0-2 curve. Micah Owings pops out to short right, Alberto Gonzales goes back ot get it...Josh Willingham smokes a line drive to left to start third. Austin Kearns swings over a 2-2 slider outside. Wil Nieves gets hit in the back with a curveball gone bad. Lannan tries to lay down a bunt, but he hits it too hard, and Adam Rosales charges in from first to cut down the lead runner at third. Cristian Guzman grounds out to first.

John Lannan gets a weak pop behind first from Jerry Hairston, Jr. Elijah Dukes glides back ot catch Willy Taveras flyout. Lannan walks Brandon Phillips to bring up Johnny Gomes with two down. Johhny Gomes pops out behind second to end the Reds’ fifth...Alberto Gonzalez takes one on the wrists, and takes a base. Ryan Zimmerman works the count full, and goes the other way with a liner right at Bruce in left. Adam Dunn pops out to second. Elijah Dukes swings through a two-strike fastball to end the fifth.

Cristian Guzman slides to field Ramon Hernandez’s grounder, and rolls and throws from his backside to first, in time! Josh Willingham’s waitiing for Jay Bruce’s liner. Alex Gonzalez flies to right center and Dukes gets to it in time...Josh Willingham goes the other way and drops a bloop single into right. Kearns pops up to first, for Rosales. Wil Nieves reaches down for fastball and lines to left to put two on for Nick Johnson, who singles to right to load the bases for Cristian Guzman grounds into a force at third, but a run scores, 2-1 Reds. Alberto Gonzalez flies out to Taveras to end the sixth.

Tavarez vs Rosales to start the seventh. Rosales flies out to left center, Hammer and Dukes almost collide. Josh Willingham is at a full spring to catch Chris Dickerson’s sinking flyout. Jerry Hairston, Jr. K’s chasing junk from Tavarez...The Reds bring on Carlos Fisher to start the seventh against Zimmerman. Zim draws a leadoff walk. Adam Dunn pops out to the infield. Elijah Dukes flies out to right on the first pitch. 1-2 pitch to Kearns, and he K’s trying to hold up on a bender that ends in the dirt.

Tavarez gets a weak grounder from Willy Taveras to second. Brandon Phillips grounds to third, Zimmerman guns him. Johnny Gomes takes a two-out walk from Tavarez. Ramon Hernandez takes strike three...Carlos Fisher’s back for the eighth, facing off against Willie Harris lines a single to right to start the home half of the frame. Anderson "Elvis" Hernandez is going to see lefty Daniel Ray Herrera. Willie Harris gets hit with a pick off play. Anderson Hernandez sneaks a single through short, two on for Guzman. Guzman bunts toward short and the pitcher throws to third, in time. Alberto Gonalez shoots a fly ball to center to load the bases. Ryan Zimmerman grounds to short, Phillips to Alex Gonzalez, Alberto Gonzalez slides in hard and the DP throw to first sails, two runs score, 3-2 DC. Adam Dunn lines to left with two down. Elijah Dukes K’s chasing...

Joe Beimel comes on to end it. Ryan Zimmerman cuts off Jay Bruce’s grounder to short, and throws to first, in time!! Alex Gonzalez flies out to left!!! The Nationals win!!! 3-2 final.

Nationals now 16-42.

Washington Nationals Lose 41st Game, 3-2 To Reds, Draft Stephen Strasburg!!!!

Ed Chigliak — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 08:14:17 -0000

More photos » by Lenny Ignelzi - AP

Browse more photos »

(ed. note - "Pt. 2 of the Federal Baseball.com Interview With The Washington Post's Chico Harlan will be posted at 1:00 pm EST.")

Sometime After 6:00 pm EST:

Shortly after the start of the broadcast of the 2009 MLB First-Year Player Draft began, the Commisioner of Major League Baseball, Bud Selig, sauntered out to the podium as a camera floated in from high above the collected representatives of each MLB team (who were seated at tables on the MLB Network's miniature ballpark set) to rest upon Mr. Selig's face:

(paraphrasing the following cause I was nervously pacing when I should have been typing):

"I'd like to announce that the Washington Nationals, who have the first pick in the 2009 MLB First-Year Player Draft, are now on the clock..."

DC Faithful -

sdsuaztec4 - "Don't •••• this up!! That is all."

e chigliak - "On the clock...(and) what sdsuaztec4 SAID!!!!"

graysnail - "John Hart talking about getting the first two picks next year.*You're not helping dude."

Doghouse - "Clock? CLOCK?! This pick takes more than 1 second?"

catdaddy3000 - "Uh, is this really made for TV?...is Selig chewing?"

e chigliak - "You have to have a crowd, empty studio doesn't work..."

cat daddy3000 - "Let each team make their own announcement........and yeah, have an audience...We are apparently interrupting Selig's dinner..."

e chigliak (to Mr. Selig) - "SAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY IT!!!!"

Mr. Selig was back in frame: (paraphrasing now, cause I was laughing...)

"WIth the first selection in 2009 MLB First-Year Player Draft, the Washington Nationals select Stephen Strasburg..."

...Mr. Selig continued to describe Stephen Strasburg as a right-handed pitcher out of San Diego State University, as the entirety of the DC Faithful celebrated finally hearing the words they'd waited since September 28th of 2008 to hear, "The Washington Nationals select Stephen Strasburg." The Washington Nationals did not flinch. Amidst rumors of Strasburg's agent seeking a $50 million dollar contract for the 20-year-old college junior, who will be leaving the Mountain West Conference for the NL East if he agrees on a deal with the Washington Nationals...The Washington Nationals stepped up to the podium...(well, Mr. Selig did, uh, and they, through Selig, did the right thing)...and took the best available player, the pitcher described as the best prospect most scouts have ever seen...and now if they can sign him, the Washington Nationals' Stephen Strasburg...(ed. note - "R.J. Anderson at Beyond the Boxscore, the SBN's blog with Statistics Gone Mad, has a post up today asking, "How Much Is Too Much To Sign Stephen Strasburg?")

Before the scheduled Strasbur--starting time for the first of three with Cincinnati tonight in Nationals Park, it was announced that the beginning of the game would be delayed, and while the rain passed over the Navy Yard on the Anacostia, "Acting" DC GM Mike Rizzo and the members of the Nationals' Brass who were not preparing for the night's game were preparing to make the 10th pick in the '09 Draft, which they used to select Stanford right-hander Drew Storen, who's described by ESPN's Keith Law, in his ESPN.com Insider video entitled, "Insider: Keith Law scouts Drew Storen", as having a:

"...well-above average fastball...90-94 mph...with very good life....a sharp slider in the upper 80's with very good tilt, and a hard two-plane curve ball in the lower 80's...(with) excellent command."

Storen, who roomed with DC pitching prospect Jack McGeary at Stanford, said during an interview on the MASN broadcast, or at least I could've sworn I heard him say, that he was once a bat boy for the Montreal Expos. MLB.com's Bill Ladson's article entitled, "Nats add more pitching in first round", quotes the "Acting" DC GM Mike Rizzo saying that the former Cardinals' closer has, "...two plus pitches and a developing changeup," which Mr. Rizzo believes gives him, "the repetoire to start," but:

"...we are going to keep him in the bullpen role. That is where he is most comfortable. His makeup and character led us to that decision."

Around 8:50 pm EST:

The Washington Nationals and Cincinnati Reds took the field in Nationals Park. DC lefty Ross Detwiler was a late replacement for Jordan Zimmermann, who bowed out with what Washington Post writer Chico Harlan described vaguely, necessarily of course, in a Nationals Journal post entitled, "Zimmermann, Willingham, Lineups", as, "some elbow soreness." (ed. note - "Don't panic just yet, DC Faithful.") According to Mr. Harlan, Zimmermann's, "...just skipping one turn in the rotation." Detwiler took on the Reds tonight, and allowed 3 runs on 5 hits in 6.0 IP, with 6 K's and 3 walks, suffering his 3rd loss of the season, (L,0-3) when the Nationals couldn't overcome a two-run Reds' fifth, in which a leadoff double, one-out walk, two-out walk and a two-out double by Brandon Phillips scored Cincy SS Alex Gonzalez, who'd doubled to start the frame and scored, and Reds' pitcher Johnny Cueto, who had walked, and scored on Gonzalez's two-out hit, for what would eventually be the winning run.

Around 9:45 pm EST:

Sometime earlier this afternoon I agreed to appear on RBI Sports Radio with Joe Hayward to discuss the Nationals' selection of SDSU's Stephen Strasburg with the No.1 overall pick. What follows is what I'd described as, "bombing like the early '09 Nationals' bullpen". I think what threw me was Mr. Hayward's question about Peter Angelos' entanglements with the Washington Nationals and the agreement that was reached to allow the Expos into the nation's capital, which took place five years ago, and so had me searching my memory of the events as I tried to decided whether or not what Mr. Hayward was saying was in fact true...Shortly after that, at the conclusion of the interview, Mr. Hayward asks simply, "If you had to sum up the drafting of Stasburg in one word what would it be, Ed?" To which I responded, "One word...?...(awkward silence)...(more silence)...how about a hyphenated word, 'forward-thinking', it's going to set us up for the future, finally..." (ed. note - "...ugh...enjoy, it's cringeworthy...")

(ed. note - "The Federal Baseball.com segment begins at 46:56 and ends at 50:45...")

(RBI Sports Radio, Episode 18)

Around Midnight:

2 hours and 49 minutes after it started, following a 1 hour 47 minute rain delay, the first of three between the visiting Cincinnati Reds and the Washington Nationals ended when Austin Kearns was called out on strikes by an umpire who had, the previous inning, called Adam Dunn out on a full-count slider from Reds' lefty "The Great" Arthur Rhodes, which MLB's GameDay has generously placed at least close to the strike zone...

Adam Dunn wasn't happy with home plate ump Andy Fletcher's call, but he just voiced his displeasure after K'ing with one-out and Ryan Zimmerman at second in the eighth. When Austin Kearns K'd however, the Nationals came unglued. Kearns turned and confronted the ump, Manny Acta stepped into to hold his player back, and DC Hitting Coach Rick "Teh Geenyus" Eckstein could be heard shouting from in front of the dugout, "You've got no integrity, none...," and Mr. Eckstein said it a few times as the game ended with the entire Nationals' bench enraged. Keep calling them the "Washington Generals", "the jokes of baseball", the "lowly Nationals", go ahead...They're starting to get angry. They're all starting to get a little of the RV in them.

Phillies win, 3-2 final.

Notes:

• Elijah Dukes hits a 2-2 slider from Reds' starter Johnny Cueto out of the yard for his 6th HR and 27th RBI. Dukes finishes the game 1 for 3, hitting .270. • C

• Cristian Guzman finished the loss to the Reds 2 for 4, with a .330 '09 AVG. and his 3rd HR of the year, off Arthur Rhodes.

• After Ross Detwiler's, 6.0 innings of work, Jason Bergmann, Ron Villone, (affectionately known here as "VILL0.00NE"), and Mike MacDougal combined for three scroreless frames, keeping DC within one though they were not able to come back completely."

• * = Mr. Hart is assuming here that the Nationals will finish last in the majors again, thus earning themselves their second straight #1 overall pick, and if they somehow, catastrophically, fail to sign Strasburg, the second pick of the 2010 First-year draft as well...

Miss The Game? Or The Draft? The DC Faithfull Were Wathing...

See How The Folks At Red Reporter Saw It...(ed. note - "Their post game is written by Brendanukkah, who has posted at Federal Baseball before.")

DWDT - 1

eMb

Nationals now 15-41.