Don't Boo Miguel Batista

(Photo Courtesy AP Photo/Drew Angerer)

Unless you've been living under a rock for the last 12 or so hours, you obviously know that Stephen Strasburg was scratched from his scheduled start on Tuesday night at Nationals Park. Strasburg was having trouble getting loose in his pre-game warm up. As a precaution, Nats GM Mike Rizzo shut him down immediately. With a scheduled first pitch at 7:05 PM, Strasburg was shut down at around 6:55 PM. There will be plenty of opportunities in the next few hours and days to gossip about Strasburg when we learn more about what the team is calling his "shoulder inflammation." But for now, there is one guy who deserves all of the credit.

Miguel Batista was given approximately 10 minutes to warm up for a start, a process that most starters take the course of the afternoon to do for an evening game. When Batista comes in from the bullpen, he usually warms up over the course of several innings. But last night, there was no time. But the results were shockingly impressive.

We here at Capitol Baseball have expressed our share of Batista criticisms both on the blog and casually to friends. All I have to say about his one start last night: wow. While his ability to deal with inherited runners is still questionable, his "stuff" was certainly not in question. In his first start since 2008, Miguel Batista pitched 5 innings of 0 run, 3 hit ball. He walked only 1 and struck out 6. A truly outstanding performance.

It probably didn't hurt that the 1st place Braves came into the game expecting 100 mph moving fastballs and 91 mph change ups. While Batista isn't a slouch, his fastball is in the low 90s and was effective as it has been all season. But Batista was outstanding.

The bullpen certainly did its part, too. With Batista starting the game, someone needed to take over his long/middle relief role. That person was Sean Burnett, and no I'm not kidding. Burnett pitched a nearly flawless 2 innings of baseball. He gave up 2 hits and didn't walk any. Storen came in to set up and may have been one of his best outings of the year. He got 3 outs in 8 pitches, and his curve ball was dancing. Finally, All-Star Matt Capps came in to get his 25th save on the season. He got the save on just 10 pitches.

The offense produced early. Nyjer Morgan quite literally manufactured a run, stealing 2nd, then 3rd, then got home on an error on the throw to 3rd. Ian Desmond had an outstanding game, with a 2 RBI single that gave the Nats the 3-0 lead that stuck for the rest of the game. Desmond went 2 for 3 on the night. Also, after my Desmond rant on July 7th (that I later recinded), he has committed just 2 errors. I'm not saying that was me... but...

So it turns out the Nationals can actually win baseball games without Stephen Strasburg. Even if Strasburg was scheduled to start that very game. As a Nationals blogger and just a fan of good baseball, I sincerely hope that Strasburg's issues were nothing more than a little bit of inflammation and he'll be ready for his next start. But only time will tell if the Nats will decide to shut Strasburg down a week or two early as a precautionary measure. More on this, with commentary, as it develops.

The Inevitable Happens: Nats Lose Heartbreaker 8-6

Last night's game was bound to happen. At the time, I was a bit too frustrated to objectively blog about it, so I've put it off until this morning.

Scott Olsen looked great again last night, although his outing was shorter than you'd like to see from your starter when your bullpen hasn't been great (minus Clippard and Capps who both needed a day off). Well that day off didn't come for Clipp, or Bruney, or Walker, or Batista, or Slaten. The Nats used 5 relievers in 3 2/3 innings that give up 6 runs and cost the Nationals the game.

It wasn't all bad, so let's go there first. The offense looked dominant again. In the top of the first inning, Adam Dunn hit a 3 run home run (Guzman and Zimmerman scored) for his 7th on the year. In the 5th, Ivan Rodriguez got yet another RBI hit to score Guzman and Zimmerman again. The next batter, Ian Desmond, scored Willingham on a single and before you knew it, the Nats were up 6-1 in the 5th and looked to be well on their way win #19 on the year and 2 games up on the Mets. Then... the bullpen happened.

Tyler Walker, the new #39, came in with 1 out in the 6th and got the next two batters, although he let the runner on third come home, but that earned run went to Olsen. It was not 6-2 going into the 7th. And then Doug Slaten came in for the 7th, gave up a hit and a walk, but got out of the inning with no more runs on the board. The Nats were rolling and looked to have it locked up. And then, as it has happened too often this year, Brian Bruney came in to just ruin the game.

Bruney entered the game in the top of the 8th inning, and in yet another outing failed to retire a batter. Bruney threw 7 pitches to 3 batters, and all of them got on base. Two solid hits by Jason Bay and David Wright, and a throwing error charged to Desmond on an Ike Davis ground ball. That scored Jason Bay. And that was it for Bruney. He failed to retire a single batter and for the 4th time in his last 6 outings, he gave up at least 1 run. This is not the job of someone you're paying $1.5 million to be the "set up guy." Then it was Clippard's turn to try and save the day.

Clippard came in inheriting runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs. Clipp struck out Jeff Francoeur and looked to be on his way. Instead, on the next batter he left a pitch over the plate for the new-found power hitter Rod Barajas who crushed one to deep left that hit off the wall for a double. It scored both runners on base, so Clippard let his 10th inherited runner score in 16 opportunities. Not the best situation for your #1 set up man to be in. Alex Cora then hit a bunt single moving Barajas to 3rd, Angel Pagan then singled to right, scoring Barajas and blowing his 5th save on the season.

Just to remind you, if you've already forgotten, the Nats entered the 8th up 6-2! It was now 7-6 and the Nats were losing. An epic bullpen meltdown, made possible by none other than the Brian -Gas Can- Bruney. Clippard then gave up another double, scoring Pagan and putting him in line for his first loss of the year. Miguel Batista came in to relieve Clippard (yes, this was the 3rd reliever on the inning, with only 1 out). He immediately intentionally walked Reyes to get the double play in order. Fine and good. Except, then he walked the next batter, Jason Bay, with the bases loaded. That's right, walked in the run. He then struck out David Wright and got Ike Davis to fly out, ending the painful 8th.

There would be no offensive heroics this time. The Nats (Rodriguez, Willingham, Desmond) went in order in the 9th to end the game and move back into a tie for 2nd in the NL East with the Mets.

Today's afternoon game to end the series at Citi Field will really show if the Nats are able to come back from such a meltdown. I know I've used meltdown twice in this post, I simply can't think of another word to describe last night's game. Craig Stammen will try to reverse the momentum of the 8th inning to move the Nats toward another win.

Game 32 vs. the Mets

After a rough 1st, Atilano looked good through his 5 1/3 innings and got his 3rd win on the year to put the Nats at 18-14 and 1.5 games out of first place as the Phillies are playing in Colorado tonight and this blogger isn't staying up to wait.

Yet again, Ivan Rodriguez had a great, great night. He went 4 for 4 with an RBI single to put the Nats up 3-1 in the 8th, which ended up being the game winning hit. Pudge is now hitting .393 on the year. Wow.

Tyler Walker changed his number to 39, and it worked. Walked had solid outing to eat up an inning plus. Burnett had a bad outing again, and it was brief again. More on Sean Burnett's disappointing season in my next post. And then, there was Brian Bruney. Ugh. This guy hurts my life expectancy every time he comes in to pitch. Bruney is 18 BB on 14 Ks in 15 2/3 innings this season. That sucks. There's no way around it. He had an ugly wild pitch a mile over Pudge's head putting both runners that he inherited in scoring position with 2 outs. He got out of the jam. He's gotten better results in recent outings, although he's looked just as bad.

T. Plush had a great delayed steal in the top of the 9th. After Kennedy K'd and Zimm was walked intentionally, Taveras came in and hit a solid grounder up the middle that Alex Cora played brilliantly on a diving stop and a flip to 2nd to end the inning.

Miguel Batista came in to save the game, because the perfect save man Matt Capps needed a day off desperately. In the last 5 days, Capps has thrown 4 innings. He's been working hard. Back to Batista, he got a ground out to start the inning, then Angel Pagan (who?) hit a home run to deep center. Batista struck Castillo out looking and then gave up a single up the middle to Alex Cora, who was replacing the ejected Jose Reyes. Then he had to face Jason Bay who struck out swinging for Batista's 40th save on his career and first as a Nat.