SB Nation - Leo Nunez

Marlins Interested in Matt Capps

GameFish — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 17:51:17 -0000

Matt Capps was non-tendered by the Pirates Saturday, and the Marlins are rumored to be one of the many teams interested in signing him.

Leo Nunez may have some competition for the closer’s job this spring, after all.

The Marlins are among teams interested in reliever Matt Capps, who was non-tendered by the Pirates on Saturday. The Marlins tried to trade for Capps this past summer, dangling RF Jeremy Hermida to Pittsburgh. Capps made $2.425 million in 2009, and he’s believed to be asking for about the same.

Capps posted career lows in 2009, going 4-8 with a 5.80 ERA and 27 saves in 32 opportunities.

Capps has made it clear he still wants the chance to close, and right now the Nationals appear to be his team of preference. Based on the amount of interest in him, and the fact that he wants a multi-year deal, I wouldn't hold my breath waiting to see if he'll be in teal and black next season. But while you're breathing normally, if you're interested, fangraphs has picked apart what was behind Matt's ineffectiveness in 2009.

Alfredo Amezaga non-tendered

craig — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 05:13:14 -0000

The Marlins did not tender a contract to Alfredo Amezaga, it is official.

Alfredo is now a free agent.

Apparently they were concerned with the fact that he is still recovering from microfracture knee surgery and that he hasn't started a running program. The Marlins are leaving the door open to the possibility of re-signing Alfredo later on, but there is a problem with that. The problem is the Marlins cannot enter into negotiations with Alfredo again until March 2, 2010. That is the day when players are mandated to report to spring training. Which gives him a lot time to prove to the other clubs he is good to go while the Marlins are sitting on the sidelines.

The salsa warm up leading, life of the clubhouse, pulse of the team, unbelievable defensive specialist, fan favorite Alfredo Amezaga may never be a Marlin again. It is a sad day. Oh sure, the move that the club made is completely understandable and was the right move. But still. That really doesn't make you feel all that much better.

In other news, the Marlins reached a one-year deal with Ronny Paulino and tendered contracts to Dan Uggla, Jorge Cantu, Cody Ross, Ricky Nolasco, Josh Johnson, Leo Nunez, Renyel Pinto and Anibal Sanchez.

Astros Winter Meeting, Day Three: Links, Thoughts and Idle Speculation

davoag — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:54:48 -0000

More photos » by Kathy Willens - AP

Unless you have this man closing games for you, do you need a big-name closer? And yes, I was referring to Yogi...

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Look, I'm all for conventional wisdom. There is usually a reason it's conventional; it's worked for years and years. It's what people do. In baseball, it's what teams do to win. I don't mock all conventional wisdom in baseball. Some of it is very sound. One thing I can't figure out, however, is why this one fact has become so crucial to a team's offseason goals. Why do the Astros 'need' to find a closer this winter? Just because they lost their closer from last season?

Let's consider last season*. How many teams went into the 2009 season with unsettled or unproven closers? That would be 11. Here's the complete list, followed by some quick thoughts on the situations.

*This isn't the most scientific study, since I'm looking just at teams from 2009 and not expanding the data range past that. I acknowledge that. Let's move past it.

Tampa Bay (84-78) Had Percival ostensibly as closer, but pitched 10 innings in 2009 and was not used as closer much early. Still had six saves, but so did five other members of bullpen.
Toronto (75-87) Knew BJ Ryan would be back at some point, never signed anyone as replacement.
Detroit (86-77) Had a group of a couple players, sorted itself out during the season.
Seattle (85-77) Found David Aardsma off junk pile.
Oakland (75-87) Went with all-kids, Andrew Bailey emerged as closer
Florida (87-75) Went with unproven kid in Matt Lindstrom, moved to Leo Nunez halfway through season.
Washington (59-103) Went with Mike McDougal, had okay season.
St. Louis (91-71) Found Ryan Franklin after going through motions with several others
LA Dodgers (95-67) Broxton saved some games at end of 2008, but still unknown entity going into 2009
San Diego (75-87) Entered season with Heath Bell as closer, no prior experience
Arizona (70-92) Let Brandon Lyon walk,used Qualls as new closer
Atlanta (86-76) Traded for Soriano, but also had Mike Gonzalez

Obviously, there were some teams that were going to be bad no matter what. They'd made the decision to rebuild and thus, didn't invest heavily in a closer. Those teams (Washington, Oakland, San Diego) finished with losing records. The Padres found Heath Bell could be a successful closer and the A's had the same thing happen with Andrew Bailey.

The rest of the teams? 7 of the 11 had winning records. There are numerous examples of teams being killed by not having a late-inning guy. That's the 2008 Mets excuse, anyway (forcing them to spend ungodly amounts of money on JJ Putz and K-Rod). I think, however, that a large majority of teams don't necessarily need to focus on getting a closer as part of their success. Finding good players and putting them in the bullpen will work itself out. Why spend the money on a luxury item when you can win without one?

Maybe this is all rationalization since the Brewers are going to swoop in and sign both LaTroy Hawkins and Randy Wolf in the same day. I really believe that the Astros success in 2010 won't hinge on who pitches the ninth inning. Houston will be an average-to-below average team no matter who the closer is.

Onto the links:

Add the Cardinals to the list of Miguel Tejada suitors. Well, maybe not...it's just that Tony LaRussa likes him. Which he revealed for the sole purpose of driving me crazy. Would St. Louis play Tejada at shortstop or third base?
Could the Tigers end up being Jose Valverde's landing spot? The Granderson/Jackson deal saved them about 10-12 million dollars, depending on how much Jackson gets in arbitration. That puts them in perfect position to pick up a player like Valverde for the back end of the bullpen. It would also give the Astros the 19th pick in the 2010 draft. Apparently, the Nationals had interest but pulled back due to his cost. Did Valverde's agent overestimate his market?
Here's a nice defense of the Pudge Rodriguez signing. While I agree the human aspect of baseball decisions is often minimized by everyone, this seems a bit much. For one, it was widely reported when Pudge joined the Astros that he really doesn't prepare for the mental side of the game very well and is mostly concerned with hitting. Sure, he may provide moral support out there on the mound, but don't look for him to tell Strasberg what kind of pitches this guy doesn't want to see.Aaron Gleeman seems to agree with me, too.
I don't know what's more disturbing; that the White Sox could beat us out for Putz's services (and that that would be considered a bad thing) or that Matt Thornton uses the term 'bromance.' I have nothing more to say.
One of the better Twitter feeds during the Winter Meetings has been Will Carroll's. The Baseball Prospectus writer was profiled by his hometown newspaper and has apparently been one of the stars of the Indianapolis show. As someone who purchased his Carroll Guide to Sports Injuries, just so I could sound smart when I talk about Lis Franc-type injuries, I am very appreciative he's in the business.
Finally, here's a little prospect talk for those minor league nuts in the audience:
Some data on player speeds out of the box in the Arizona Fall League. The guys at Project Prospect only timed Castro twice and he fell into the below-average category, but he may have suffered the same fate as Buster Posey: fatigue. From what I'd heard to that point, Castro should have average speed in the majors.
We were recently contact by a site with some great prospect video (though it is a pay site). One of the profiles is on Henry Villar. Some very good video here with lots of pitches thrown. I didn't see any closeups from the side to tell how his arm mechanics looked, but could see some other things. His delivery is relatively smooth, but the fact he falls off to the first base side so heavily means it might not be as repeatable as you'd like. He's also not in great fielding position when he finishes. His arm slot doesn't look to put too much stress on his delivery and for a hard thrower, he certainly has a free-and-easy motion. Not too many warning signs for injury down the road.
Here's a video of Ross Seaton. I have to say, this was pretty encouraging. While Seaton did struggle with command issues in this particular start, it was a TON of video on his delivery. I can see why scouts would like him; Seaton has a very smooth delivery throughout. He lands in a balanced position, it's not too violent of an arm motion. His arm slot seems comfortable, though he does tend to miss the same slot sometimes. His elbow does not seem to fly forward before the ball and he seems perfectly balanced to field after the play. In fact, the end of his delivery reminds me a little of Greg Maddux. Now, he definitely didn't show Maddux-like control, but if his effortless delivery can really bring 92-93 MPH heat? He's a lot more interesting. Here's my end of the season scouting effort on Seaton, based on his numbers.
There's also video of Jordan Lyles on Baseball Intellect, but I won't bore you any more with prospect talk. At first blush, it's some of the longest video I've seen on prospects and a good source for first-hand scouting reports.

Game 158 Recap: Marlins 5, Braves 4

cbwilk — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 02:59:05 -0000

More photos » by Gregory Smith - AP

Javier Vazquez took the loss, allowing 5 runs in 6 innings.

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The Braves fell short in their most important game of the season. Starting pitcher Javier Vazquez unfortunately chose to emulate Tim Hudson's performance from last night, as he allowed 5 runs in 6 innings, taking the loss for the Braves. Florida's starter Ricky Nolasco, on the other hand, pitched his best performance of the season, striking out a career high 16, including striking out 9 consecutive batters at one point, becoming just the 4th player in Major League history to accomplish the feat.

But, as masterful as Nolasco was, he wore down a bit toward the end of the game, as the Braves were able to scratch two unearned runs across the board in the 7th inning on an Adam LaRoche double. A win seemed tantalizingly close as Florida closer Leo Nunez lost control of the strike zone in the 9th, allowing Yunel Escobar to drive in Brian McCann and Omar Infante to drive in Escobar.

Then, with two outs and the bases loaded, Florida manager Fredi Gonzalez opted to bring in super-vet Brendan Donnelly to face Martin Prado. Donnelly needed only one pitch to end the game, but not in a manner anyone could have guessed. Catcher Ronny Paulino lost the ball in the dirt and as it squirted away from him Matt Diaz began down the third base line toward home. But, Diaz showed indecisiveness, ultimately retreating to third base, but not before Paulino could retrieve the ball and throw him out to end the game.

This was a heartbreaking and somewhat baffling loss. The onus has been on the Braves to win at the end of the season and the last two nights they have failed. This loss puts their elimination number at 2, meaning any combination of Rockies wins or Braves losses equaling 2 will eliminate the Braves from winning the Wild Card. The Phillies clinched the Eastern Division tonight, so the Wild Card remains the Braves lone hope, but, as I write this, they lead Milwakee 8 to 4 in the top of the 7th inning in Colorado. If the Rockies hold on to win the game, the Braves elimination number drops to 1, meaning any Braves loss or Rockies win after tonight kills the Braves playoff hopes.

Final - 9.30.2009	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Florida Marlins	0	0	3	0	2	0	0	0	0	5	11	3
Atlanta Braves	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	2	4	6	1
WP: Ricky Nolasco (13 - 9) SV: Brendan Donnelly (2) LP: Javier Vazquez (15 - 10)

Complete Coverage >

Leo Nunez is the closer

craig — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 13:43:47 -0000

It is fully expected that Leo Nunez will be retained and be the closer next season.

Even though their closers have taken the Marlins on a bumpy roller-coaster ride this season, the team will likely be inclined to stick with Leo Nunez as their primary late-inning option in 2010.

The approximate $2 million that Nunez is expected to command in his first year of salary arbitration makes him a more affordable option than anything they are likely to find on the free-agent market.

I have no problem with this. Oh sure, Leo puts the excitement in closing but we need to remember that this is Nunez's first season to close. In fact he hasn't had a major league save before this season. The 25-year old is still learning and the catchers are still learning him. They just need to identify which pitches are working quicker. If the fast ball ain't cutting it but the change is, throw the change. Which closer was it who threw slow, slower, and OMG that actually made it to the plate..... thinking....Doug Jones.

While Nunez may be a work in progress, he has the stuff and he has the mental makeup to be actually good in the ninth. Anyways, I hate training a pitcher just so he can succeed somewhere else.

Fantasy Baseball: NL Closers Peripheral Stats

raygu — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 13:45:09 -0000

More photos » by Manuel Balce Ceneta - AP

6 months ago: The Washington Nationals' first-round draft pick, pitcher Drew Storen, throws the ceremonial first pitch before the Nationals' baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Wednesday, June 10, 2009, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

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After posting the volatility of NL closers article, I decided to take a look at the peripheral stats for all NL closer with at least 5 saves. Lets take a look:

Player	S	BS	S%	Kd9	BBd9	K/BB	HRA	HR/9	INN	ERA	WHIP	BAA
Qualls, Chad RP ARI	24	5	0.828	7.8	1.21	6.44	5	0.9	52	3.63	1.15	0.256
Street, Huston RP COL	33	1	0.971	10	1.81	5.64	6	1	55	2.96	0.91	0.196
Soriano, Rafael RP ATL	24	4	0.857	12	2.94	4	5	0.7	67	2.67	1.01	0.191
Broxton, Jonathan RP LA	35	5	0.875	14	3.44	3.96	4	0.5	71	2.42	0.95	0.162
Hoffman, Trevor RP MIL	34	3	0.919	8.1	2.06	3.91	2	0.4	48	1.88	0.92	0.193
Madson, Ryan RP PHI	8	6	0.571	8.8	2.66	3.29	7	0.9	71	3.3	1.24	0.25
Bell, Heath RP SD	37	5	0.881	9.9	3.14	3.14	3	0.4	63	2.86	1.11	0.21
Valverde, Jose RP HOU	23	4	0.852	9.9	3.19	3.12	5	0.9	48	1.88	1.02	0.189
Wilson, Brian RP SF	34	6	0.85	9.7	3.31	2.92	2	0.3	68	2.65	1.21	0.226
Gonzalez, Mike RP ATL	10	7	0.588	11	4.15	2.63	7	0.9	69	2.6	1.23	0.212
Hawkins, LaTroy RP HOU	11	4	0.733	6.5	2.47	2.62	7	1.1	58	2.31	1.2	0.25
Capps, Matt RP PIT	25	5	0.833	7.3	2.86	2.56	10	1.8	50	5.9	1.67	0.327
Nunez, Leo RP FLA	23	6	0.793	8.2	3.23	2.53	13	1.8	64	4.08	1.19	0.224
Sherrill, George RP LA	21	4	0.84	7.9	3.16	2.5	4	0.6	63	1.72	1.13	0.211
Gregg, Kevin RP CHC	23	6	0.793	9.1	3.74	2.43	13	1.7	67	4.68	1.29	0.23
Gutierrez, Juan SP ARI	6	1	0.857	8.5	4.09	2.07	2	0.3	66	3.95	1.39	0.249
Franklin, Ryan RP STL	37	4	0.902	6.3	3.16	2	2	0.3	57	1.89	1.11	0.206
Morales, Franklin SP COL	6	1	0.857	9	4.5	2	4	1	36	3	1.28	0.214
Cordero, Francisco RP CIN	38	4	0.905	7.8	4.04	1.93	2	0.3	65	2.37	1.31	0.241
Rodriguez, Francisco J. RP NYM	31	6	0.838	9.5	4.97	1.92	6	0.9	63	3.13	1.26	0.194
Lidge, Brad RP PHI	30	10	0.75	9.4	5.37	1.75	11	1.8	54	7.21	1.81	0.3
Troncoso, Ramon RP LA	5	1	0.833	6	3.43	1.73	3	0.3	79	2.75	1.39	0.269
Lindstrom, Matt RP FLA	14	2	0.875	7.2	4.66	1.54	5	1	46	5.83	1.64	0.28
Marmol, Carlos RP CHC	13	4	0.765	11	8.13	1.37	1	0.1	69	3.41	1.46	0.163
MacDougal, Mike RP WAS	16	1	0.941	5.4	6.47	0.83	3	0.6	49	3.88	1.62	0.251

I sorted this list by K/BB and included Save percentage (S%), HR/9, ERA, WHIP and Batting Average Against (BAA). I am not surprised to see Francisco Rodriguez in the tier with Brad Lidge, Kevin Gregg, Matt Lidstrom and Carlos Marmol. I would be very wary of K-Rod going into 2010 drafts.

I would also be short Leo Nunez, Matt Capps and Carlos Marmol going into 2010. I would be looking to acquire the setup men for the Marlins, Pirates and Cubs going into 2010 drafts.

Mike McDougal will have to do a 180 to hold off 2009 draft pick Drew Storen in my opinion. If Storen doesn't make the Nationals roster on Opening Day, I would bid on him late in auction drafts, and draft him late in snake drafts.

Poll

Will Drew Storen be the Nationals closer on Opening Day 2010?

Yes, McDougal's peripheral stats are horrible.

17 votes

No, the Nats will bring him on slowly.

16 votes

33 votes | Poll has closed

Dayton Moore's Off-Season Trades Have Started To Look Mildly Less Terrible

royalsreview — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:14:11 -0000

Thanks to some mild struggles (or non-awesomeness really) from Ramon Ramirez in Boston and a typical Leo Nunez implosion in Florida, Dayton Moore's two major off-season trades don't look quite as terrible as they did around the All-Star Break.

Alright, actually, 90% of this is just ole Leo's struggles, but hey, you wanted more positive analysis.

Let's not be mistaken here: both trades are still failures. They may have been justified gambles, but each failed to pan out. The trades added $9 million to the team payroll, along with directly encouraging additional spending on Kyle Farnsworth, Horacio Ramirez, and Jamey Wright. The bullpen got more expensive and worse, and for their troubles, the Royals got 49 games of Coco Crisp and a player with negative value in Mike Jacobs.

However, we can now consider these trades as only a seven or an eight on the failure scale, instead of a ten.

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Mike Jacobs	115	388	38	91	16	1	17	55	35	114	0	0	.235	.301	.412

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Leo Nunez	4-5	68	0	0	0	21	6	62.1	52	28	28	12	23	56	4.04	1.20

October 31, 2008: Leo Nunez traded to Florida for Mike Jacobs

Team leadership has not shied away from voicing their disappointment regarding Jacobs's performance in 2009, which is a little strange because it has been little different than what he's done throughout his career. He's lost some singles, but his ISO and HR/FB numbers are mostly in line with his career numbers. Mostly, he's just had a non-career year, which has caused him to lose playing time, which has made his counting stats look even worse.

So how has this trade started to look better?

First, the Royals have done an admirable job keeping Jacobs off the field. He's only played 112 innings with a glove this season, which has mitigated some of the damage he does to a baseball team. As such, his WAR total is "only" a terrible -0.3. Yes, that's awful for a guy you voluntarily added to your team. Yes, that's awful awful for a guy you are paying $3.25 million for. Sure. Still, it could have been worse. Imagine if Jacobs was playing first full-time and not posting his highest walk rate since 2006.

Secondly, Leo Nunez, after a nice start, has fallen apart in Florida. In his last 49 games, Nunez has posted a 5.10 ERA, in the National League, in a pitcher's park. As such, Nunez's WAR total for 2009 is -0.7. He's been worse than Jacobs. Of course, Leo's also making the league minimum. Although he's set to be arb-eligible for 2010 (I think) he's still likely to be cheaper than Jacobs will be.

Trade Verdict: Trash in, trash out. After the trade, I speculated that Nunez might have been on the precipice of "getting it" or turning a corner or whatever. That didn't really happen. Nevertheless, Jacobs has been just as lame as we predicted. We're bummed out by the low OBP, the team brass sees lower RBIs and strikeouts (or whatever they look at) but the result has been the same. When a guy's value actually goes up when he plays less, because he's a net negative, well, that's literally the definition of a sub-replacement level player. The trade could have been worse, had Nunez panned out in Florida, but at the moment, it's only a two out of three failure: Jacobs is bad and Jacobs took the roster spot and the salary of a potential player who could have easily been better. Maybe the most horrifying thing remains unchanged, as the Jacobs acquisition continues to reveal how the team's Major League talent evaluation is broken.

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Coco Crisp	49	180	30	41	8	5	3	14	29	23	13	2	.228	.336	.378

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Ramon Ramirez	7-4	61	0	0	0	0	3	61.0	51	20	19	6	27	48	2.80	1.28

November 19: Ramon Ramirez traded to Boston for Coco Crisp.

Thanks to good defensive numbers and the fact that his season ended shortly after a hot streak, Coco's WAR for the season stands at 1.3. Coco was walking like crazy during his two months as a Royal and there's a reasonable case to be made for the fact that Coco's defensive numbers would have likely declined a touch as the year, that he didn't play, dragged on. Coco's salary for 2009, one of the highest on the team at $5.75 million, wasn't a complete waste, at least from a strict WAR perspective. Nonetheless, the Royals traded for a player with injury history, and that player with injury history got injured. Bad luck!

Meanwhile, Ramon Ramirez, has not quite flourished in Boston. He's been good, and would still be the best non-Soria reliever on the Royals. He's slumped mildly after a hot start, and has posted a 0.5 WAR in a deep Boston bullpen. He's been good, but he hasn't been quite as awesome as he had been in 2008.

Trade Verdict: Considering that Ramirez is making the league minimum in 2009 and arb-eligible for the first time in 2010, he figures to be a cheap bullpen option for a team that doesn't need cheap players for a few more years. Crisp, meanwhile, faces an unclear future with the Royals, who continue to look for other options in centerfield. Instead of solidifying a position of need, Crisp was just another player who was briefly slotted in. For 49 games of Coco Crisp, the Royals gave up four salary-controlled seasons of Ramon Ramirez. The odds are extremely small that the Royals will win this trade, but hey, at least they didn't lose it immediately!

The Royals would do well to swallow their pride and part ways with Coco Crisp and Mike Jacobs in 2010, effectively turning the page on these two fall of 2008 trades. If it is any consolation, we can now be pretty sure that the Royals only traded away one cheap & effective reliever, not two. Leo Nunez, we now nominate you for Dayton Moore's 2009 off-season MVP.

Leo Nunez still the closer?

craig — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 19:34:04 -0000

Judging by what Fredi said yesterday, expect to see Leo Nunez to remain as the "closer"

"Those pitches in the ninth inning, really, they don’t bother me as much as the eighth inning when you’ve got two outs and we walk a couple of guys,’’ Gonzalez said, "because that top of the order doesn’t come up in the ninth if we take care of business in the eighth. That’s the inning I’m more upset about.’’

True enough. However, Nunez has got to learn to keep the ball in the park which is something he hasn't been real good at lately. It doesn't matter who is in the outfield if all they can do on a batted ball is admire the distance it went into the crowd. Keep it inside the fences Leo.

Ryan Zimmerman's Walk-Off HR Ends Eight-Game Losing Streak, Washington Nationals 5-4 Over The Florida Marlins.

Ed Chigliak — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 21:01:48 -0000

More photos » by Haraz N. Ghanbari - AP

"Hey! It's Bernadina!!!!" - Washington Nationals' Ryan Zimmerman is congratulated after hitting a two-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat the Florida Marlins, Sunday, Sept. 6, 2009, during a baseball game in Washington. The Nationals won 5-4. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

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Just when it seemed like all hope was lost. After the Nationals had rallied to tie the Marlins at 2-2 in the eighth and then watched as closer Mike MacDougal gave up a two-out hit to Nick Johnson that put Florida back up 4-2...Just then...Willie Harris stepped to the plate against the Marlins' closer Leo Nunez and sent a solo shot to right, right into the second deck to remind everyone why he's TAWH!!! The Amazing Willie Harris!!! Cristian Guzman follows with a sharp grounder to second, deep in the hole, and Guzman, (bunions and all), beats the throw to first and is actually called, "SAFE!!" Do You BELIEVE, DC FAITHFUL? Ryan Zimmerman steps in against Leo Nunez. First pitch change in at 86 and it's called ball one. Nunez comes back with a fastball and dials it up to 96 for a swinging strike and a 1-1 count. Is Nunez crazy? The Florida closer comes back inside with a 1-1 change and Ryan Zimmerm---THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!! THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!!! TWO-RUN WALK-OFF HR TO CENTER AND GONE!!! Ryan Zimmerman's 28th HR of 2009 wins it for Washington!! The Nationals break an eight-game losing streak!!! The NATIONALS WIN! THE NATIONALS WIN!!!

Nationals win, 5-4 Final.

Miss The Game? The DC Faithful Were Watching!!

Check Out The SB Nation's Florida Marlins Blog: FishStripes - Open Thread And Ichthyomancy.

"Game 137: Like old times--in a GOOD way!" -Doghouse.

BACKPAGE:

• Elijah Dukes, Socks High, Sends A DY WAVE To The Dugout From Second!!!

• The Kids Call Him Zim!! A Win That Almost Wasn't And Why.

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

Nationals now 47-90.

BACKPAGE:

• Elijah Dukes, Socks High, Sends A DY WAVE To The Dugout From Second!!!

Elijah Dukes had the red socks pulled high today as the Nationals donned their Sunday Reds with the alternate BIG "W" logo in white and white piping on the jerseys, and the Nationals' right fielder had another impressive outing as all eyes in DC, with not much else to watch, have turned their attention to right to see if Dukes can claim the job for 2010 in the last month of the season, and it seems like Dukes knows he's playing for a spot. Dukes is 11 for 25 in his last 8 games played before this afternoon, and Dukes ended the day 2 for 2 with a walk, a double, his 18th, and a run scored. So far in September, Dukes is hitting .444 in 4 games, and he's using the Discerning Eye passed on by the great Nick Johnson, walking 5 times in 9 at bats and posting a .643 OBP so far in the final month of the season. They're not yelling, "Boo"...They're Yelling DUKES!!!!

• The Kids Call Him Zim!! A Win That Almost Wasn't And Why.

D.C. right-hander J.D. Martin held the Florida Marlins to one run through six, and had two out in the seventh when two two-strike pitches to Cameron Maybin were called balls** and the Marlins' center fielder walked. Pinch hitter Ross Gload followed with a single to right that sent Maybin to third, and Chris Coghlan's single scored the two-out walk to make it 2-0 Marlins after seven. DC right-hander Tyler Clippard pitched a quick scoreless eighth and the Nationals got a bases-loaded, two-out, two-run single from pinch hitter Mike Morse to tie it, only to give up the third out of the inning when Wil Nieves failed to advance to third on the throw home and Morse ran into him at second and was tagged out. 2-2 after eight.

Mike MacDougal takes over for the Nationals in the ninth. The DC Closer gives up a single, throws a wild pitch and issues a walk to Cameron Maybin put two on for Marlins' third baseman Wes Helms, who bunts both pinch runner Emilio Bonifacio and Maybin into scoring position. Chris Coghlan had another chance to win it, but he hit a ground ball to second that Willie Harris threw home for Wil Nieves who blocked and tagged Bonifacio. One down, first and third and...Oh no!...It's Nick Johnson! And the Former Nationals' first baseman hit a Trademark Single™ to center to give the Marlins the lead, and an ill-advised dive and miss by the "defensive replacement" Justin Maxwell allows Coghlan to score from first for a 4-2 lead after eight and a half...

And Then TAWH!! THE GUZ!!! THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!!! LOSING STREAK OVER!!!!

(ed. note - " ** = Check the MLB.com Gameday Link And Tell Me Pitches 5 and 7 aren't strikes!!)

GAME REPORT:

Florida Marlins At Washington Nationals. Game 137 Of 162.

J.D. Martin starts the afternoon by popping up Chris Coghlan for the first out of the series finale with the Florida Marlns. Former Washington Nationals’ first baseman Nick Johnson strikes out swinging at a fastball up high. Hanley Ramirez flies weakly enough to left that Cristian Guzman runs out to get it...In the absence of Nyjer Morgan, Willie Harris is leading off against Anibal Sanchez, and he flies out to center. In the absence of "Two-Spot" Johnson, Cristian Guzman’s batting second. Guzman hits one up into the wind toward center for Cameron Maybin to catch. Ryan Zimmerman hustles but he’s thrown out by Hanley Ramirez after a grounder to short.

Cristian Guzman throws to first to get Jorge Cantu. Dan Uggla pops a slow curve up to the infield. Cody Ross gets a hold a hanger and lines it over Willingham’s head in left. Ronny Paulino flies to Willie Harris to end the top of the second...Adam Dunn K’s chasing a fastball up out of the zone. Josh Willingham grounds out to the pitcher. Elijah Dukes rips a single through short off Sanchez. Alberto Gonzalez hits another two-out single to send Dukes to third. Wil Nieves swings through a high fastball to end the second.

Cameron Maybin grounds out to Guzman to start the Marlins’ third. Wil Nieves fires the ball to Ryan Zimmerman at third after catching the third strike thrown by the opposing pitcher. Chris Coghlan hits another single to center. Nick Johnson gets jammed and he pops one straight up...J.D. Martin tests Nick Johnson’s reflexes with a line drive to first. Willie Harris walks with one down. Cristian Guzman K’s swinging through a high fastball from Sanchez. Ryan Zimmerman flies out to center to end the third.

Hanley Ramirez launches a leadoff HR to left for a 1-0 Marlins’ lead. Jorge Cantu fouls strike three into Wil Nieves’ glove. Dan Uggla grounds out to Zimmerman at third. J.D. Martin hangs another bender to Cody Ross, who sends a screamer to left for a two-out double. Ronny Paulino grounds out to short...Adam Dunn flies out to left field for Chris Coghlan to catch. Willingham grounds out to third. Elijah Dukes up with two down, and he goes the othe way with a line drive double to right. DY WAVE FROM SECOND BY DUKES!!! Alberto Gonzalez K’s swinging.

Cameron Maybin doesn’t think the low outside corner counts, but J.D. Martin hits it. Elijah Dukes sprints in and makes an underhand catch on a liner from the pitcher. Martin gets Chris Coghlan to ground to short to end the Fish’s fifth...Wil Nieves sends a fly ball out to Cameron Maybin in center. J.D. Martin K’s swinging over a two-strike bender from Anibal Sanchez. Willie Harris flies to the warning track in right to end the fifth.

Elijah Dukes leaps at the wall, but misses a fly ball off Nick Johnson’s bat. Johnson in with a double, so Hanley Ramirez gets the intentionals with first open. Jorge Cantu grounds to short, Guzman to Alberto Gonzalez to Dunn, double play. Johnson takes third. Uggla up with two down. J.D. Martin gets a grounder back to the mound and throws to Dunn to end the threat...Cristian Guzman pops out to Cantu foul of third. Ryan Zimmerman grounds out to Uggla at second. Adam Dunn hits a two-out double to right and off the wall on one hop. Josh Willingham walks, and Elijah Dukes gets a two-out RBI opportunity. Dukes takes a curve in the numbers and takes first. Alberto Gonzalez grounds out to first to end any threat.

Cody Ross pops out to the infield. Ronny Paulino grounds back to the mound. Cameron Maybin takes a low fastball for ball four and a two-out walk. Ross Gload gets a PH opportunity. Gload singles to center, Maybin moves around to third. Chris Coghlan lines an RBI single into right to score Maybin, 2-0 Marlins. Nick Johnson hits one straight down that stays fair, Johnson out at first, 2-0 Fish in the seventh...Wil Nieves leads off the seventh against Matt Lindstrom. Nieves flies out to Maybin in left center. "Pinch Hittin’" Pete Orr drops a single into short right. Willie Harris lines out to Cody Ross in right. Cristian Guzman walks with two down. Ryan Zimmerman flies out to Chris Coghlan in left.

Tyler Clippard blows Hanley Ramirez away with a 90 mph two-strike fastball for a swinging strike three. Jorge Cantu singles to left with one down. Dan Uggla pops out to short center. Cody Ross pops out to center to end the top of the eighth....Renyel Pinto’s dealing to Dunn in the eighth. Dunn flies out to left field. Josh Willingham flies out to Cody Ross in right. Elijah Dukes takes a two-out walk. Josh Bard moves Dukes to third with a two-out single. Wil Nieves takes a second two-out walk. Mike Morse will see Kiko Calero. Morse lines up the middle, two runs score, tie game, 2-2, but Wil Nieves is still on second when Morse arrives there, and Morse gets tagged out to end the inning.

Mike MacDougal is on in the ninth. Ronny Paulino singles through short to start the ninth. Emilio Bonifacio runs for Paulino. Cameron Maybin take a two-out walk in front of Wes Helms. Helms bunts to third, Zim fields and throws, but both runners advance. Chris Coghlan grounds back to the mound, Willie Harris throws home and nails Bonifacio at the plate. Two down. Nick Johnson with two on and two out, hits a Trademark single™ to center to score Maybin, Justin Maxwell misplays it, and the Marlins score two, 4-2 Fish. MacDougal walks Hanley Ramirez and gets a ground ball from John Baker to end the inning...TAWH GOES DEEP!! GONE!! Solo shot by Harris to cut the lead in half!!! 4-3 FISH!! Cristian Guzman grounds deep in the hole near second and beats the throw to first. Tying run on for Ryan Zimmerm---WHO WANTS A TIE!! THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!! THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!!! Ryan Zimmerman hits a two-run walk-off HR to win it for the Nationals. 5-3 final. THE NATIONALS WIN! THE NATIONALS WIN!!!!

Nationals now 47-90.

Two Astros' starts, how the Marlins finish and Being clutch without swinging the bat

HighLeveragePerformer — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 11:00:13 -0000

More photos » by Rob Carr - AP

The Astros' Mr. Clutch

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And Bazardo makes three: With Mike Hampton's injured shoulder holding him back for at least one start, Yorman Bazardo will become the third former Round Rock starter to make his season debut for the Astros in 2009. He is following in the footsteps of Felipe Paulino and Bud Norris. Hampton is going to throw a bullpen today in hopes of returning to the rotation on Saturday.

For what it's worth, isn't this what we all pretty much expected from the Ortiz/Hampton experiment? That at some point, both veterans would step/be pushed aside in favor of younger arms? It was a marriage of convenience for Ed Wade and those two: the Astros would have two fairly cheap replacement level arms to toss out there on the cheap, and Ortiz/Hampton would be able to showcase their arms coming off serious injuries. At certain points it seemed like it could work, that they would at least give the Astros a puncher's chance of winning in the games that they started. At this point though, the experiment has been much more failure than success.

With the deadline to sign 2009 draftees having past, the Astros didn't have to sweat not having their highest draft choices go unsigned. First rounder Jiovanni Mier is no exception. A number of early signees have gotten off to solid professional starts, and Jio is no exception:

Houston has done a very good job of bungling previous drafts to horrific levels, but the organization seems to be making amends with its last two drafts. Mier was selected out of a California high school with the 21st pick of the draft and has performed better than expected. The raw shortstop is currently hitting .302/.406/.504 with nine steals and 15 extra base hits in 139 at-bats. Scouting reports suggest Mier has average to below-average power, but he’s already hit four homers in rookie ball. He’s also showing an encouraging walk rate of 13.1 BB%.

Heading into last week's series with the Marlins I was somewhat optimistic because while the Astros pitching staff doesn't strike out that many batters, the Marlins were a team with a reputation for being a fairly free swinging team. Obviously, they had no problem hitting against the Astros, and worked counts well. In the Miami Herald, I came across an article that detailed how well the Fish were hitting of late. Up and down their lineup, there are no holes. Everyone can hit for extra bases, and guys like Nick Johnson and Dan Uggla will work counts and draw walks.

The other strong suit of the Marlins that really struck me as impressive was their bullpen. They throw hard, limit the long ball and have a top 10 FIP as a group. Matt Lindstrom, their closer entering the season, has been hurt and/or ineffective for much of 2009, but step in closer Leo Nunez, along with unheralded pitchers like Kiko Calero, Brian Sanches and Dan Meyer have filled in the gaps. I wouldn't say that they are the favorites the win the Wild Card, but hot hitting and a strong bullpen can at least help the boat stay afloat until a fourth starter can find his way behind Josh Johnson, Ricky Nolasco and Chris Volstad.

Say what you will about the Astros, but at least they have a home all to themselves. I tried to find a picture of their "new field", but was unsuccessful. It looks at this point like the A's are a definite afterthought. You can almost picture JaMarcus Russell, Darren McFadden and the rest of the Radiers tapping their toes and pointing at their watches during A games. Then again, I guess if the Texans and Stros played at the same stadium, the same could be said...God Bless the Juice Box.

Last, there is at least one conflucence of sabermetric thought and traditional baseball thought. I present to you: clutch walking.