The Battle of the Future

On Tuesday night at Nationals Park, Nats' phenom RHP Stephen Strasburg will take on the Braves young star RHP Tommy Hanson in what should be an epic pitching duel.  The main difference?  Hanson (8-6) is playing for something, while Strasburg (5-2) is playing for an early end to his season.

Tommy Hanson is just one star in the very impressive rotation that the Nationals rotatoin will have to face over the next 3 days.  On Wednesday, the Nats get to face Tim Hudson (10-5) and on Thursday they face Derek Lowe (10-8).  This year, Hanson has been good, but not unhittable.  In 2009, his rookie year, Hanson posted a most impressive 2.89 ERA over a half season or so of work (21 games). 

It just so happens that Tuesday's game will be Hanson's 21st start of his sophomore season, so we can do some semi-accurate comparisons.  Semi-accurate because the Braves are in the heat of a playoff race this year.  This year, Hanson has posted an ERA that the Nats would be jealous to have in their rotation, 4.12.  He's struck out almost as many this year as last year at this point, and has given up 9 fewer walks.  He has a respectable 114 Ks on the year.  The Braves have lost Hanson's last 2 starts, though.

Meanwhile, in less than half the number of starts that Hanson's had this year, Stephen Strasburg already has 75 strikeouts, has an impressive 2.32 ERA.  Even more impressive, the Nationals have won Strasburg's last 4 starts. 

An interesting Nationals Park matchup, Strasburg's home ERA is a meager 2.03, but when Hanson isn't pitching at Turner Field, he has posted a 3.83 ERA.  Also making the duel interesting, Strasburg is pitching for a strong end to his very short season, while Hanson is pitching to help the Braves make the playoffs and for a top of the rotation spot if they get there.  All in all, it should be a great day for baseball in the District.

Coming off of a rest day, we can hope to see some resemblance of a passable lineup today for the Nats.  But there's always a chance that Harris or Kennedy can get a random WTF start because Hanson is a righty, and the way the lineups have been posted lately, I would not be surprised.  Only time will tell.  Now that I'm back in town and won't be posting from New Jersey based on all I can see on ESPN Gamecast or MLB.com's Scoreboard, I hope to have some more interesting things to share with you over the next few days.  Until next time, all.

Riggleman Returning for 2011

After the Nationals infurating 7-5 loss to Milwaukee on Friday after being ahead 5-1, I imagine that the folks in Natstown are not particularly thrilled that Rizzo just announced that Riggleman will be back to manage the Nats in 2011.  After all, Riggleman is 75-97 as the Nats skipper.

But really, how much difference does a manager make?  Sure, the decisions to insert Willie Harris over Michael Morse are infuriating.  Or Adam Kennedy over Guzman or Gonzalez.  I understand the logic of wanting to flip out over it, because I've done so regularly on this very blog.  Just check the archives.  And I'll probably continue to do so in the future.

Let's be real, though, before performing some immature rant about how Jim Riggleman is the worst manager in the history of baseball.  He was given a pitching rotation this season where John Lannan was your "ace" to start the season.  And without even considering Lannan's meltdown, Lannan should never be an Opening Day starter for any MLB team.  But what else did he have to put out there?  Jason Marquis: The former All-Star that ended up having a 20+ ERA and ended up hurt for most of the season?  Garrett Mock: The guy who got hurt the first week of the season, and most people were shocked that he even made the rotation?  Craig Stammen: The guy who has already been sent down to the minors once this year, and I imagine it will happen again before 2010 is over? 

The bullpen started out strong, but now it seems like Clippard gives up as many runs as he gets in outs in each appearance.  Burnett has been terrible.  Batista has proven to be an ineffective long reliever.  Brian Bruney got fired after a month on the job.  Tyler Walker can't get it done and is on the DL.  Jason Bergmann got DFA'd, and because no one else in baseball wanted him, he got reassigned to the minors.

This is the cast of characters that Jim Riggleman has had to deal with in 2010.  Sure, he has guys like Strasburg, Zimmerman, Dunn, Willingham, and Capps (at least for now).  But he had almost nothing to start the year, and he has made remarkable strides.  Last 2 years the Nats ended the season with more than 100 losses.  Recovery from that type of terrible baseball takes time, and the Nationals have decided that Riggleman is the guy to do it.  He's already miles ahead of the last 2 years, and next year will be better.  But until then, it's Riggleman's team.

Lannan's Struggles Continue; Team Moves On

It is still remarkable to consider that a pitcher for a Major League Baseball team could go from Opening Day starter to struggling in AA in one season, but that's exactly what John Lannan has done in the course of 4 short months.

Manager Jim Riggleman listed John Lannan, Matt Chico, and Ross Detwiler as possible starters in place of Luis Atilano this Sunday after he was placed on the DL with bone chips in his elbow. Lannan started on Thursday in Harrisburg, so that basically eliminates a Sunday start for him. However, even if it wouldn't be short rest, Lannan hasn't made a case for himself since he left DC.

When Lannan was sent down, he showed no signs of being a top of the rotation starter. His ERA was 5.76, he had walked 35 batters in just 14 starts. Considering in his last two seasons, his ERA was below 4.00, something was obviously wrong. At first, the Nats thought he was hurt. He missed a start, came back, and nothing. So the organization did the unthinkable. They demoted their Opening Day starter. (Aside: The Nats starting rotation on Opening Day included Lannan, Mock, Stammen, and Marquis. Of those 4, none of them have spent the entire season in the majors, and Stammen is the only one in the rotation today. And that's probably temporary.)

But since Lannan trekked up Route 15 to Harrisburg, PA, there hasn't been much improvement. His ERA is down to 4.29, but he's facing merely adequate major league talent. He is 1-3, and while you can't learn everything by wins and losses, in his most recent outing, Lannan gave up 4 runs on 9 hits in just 5 innings. In Lannan's last start on July 17th, he went just 4 2/3 innings and gave up 4 runs (1 earned) on 5 hits.

So while Lannan tries to figure it out in Double-A, Ross Detwiler and Jordan Zimmerman are getting closer to MLB-ready. Strasburg has solidified himself as the Nats ace for years to come (Please don't be like Mark Prior, Please don't be like Mark Prior...). Livan has shown that he can still be a middle to bottom of the rotation innings eater. Scott Olsen and Jason Marquis could both be on their way back to the rotation soon. So all of a sudden, even with Strasburg being shut down in a few weeks, it looks like there may be no room for the Nats 2010 Opening Day starter on the expanded September roster.

It is a meteoric decline by a guy that many considered a 3rd or 4th spot starter (after Strasburg and Zimmermann) for many years to come. Lannan is an upstanding player, one that works tirelessly to be a better pitcher and an off-the-field presence in the community. I speak for many when I say I hope that he can figure it out and have a comeback very soon.

Capitol Baseball will continue to update all ye dedicated readers on Lannan's progress.

The Future of Nationals Pitching

Sure, the Nats offense scored 8 runs on Wednesday, but pitching is the story of the day for the organization.

Strasburg went just 5 2/3 innings to get the win on Wednesday, as the Nats beat the Cincinnati Reds 8-5.  SS is now 5-2 with a 2.32 ERA and 75 strikeouts.  He's been in the league for just under a month and a half and he's half way to double digit wins.  In case you were wondering the last Nats starter to get 10 or more wins... well that would be Tim Redding in 2008.  Before that, it was Ramon Ortiz in 2006.  It'd be great to see Strasburg end up on that list so the Nats could stick to their every-other-year trend for 10+ winners.  And eventually, buck that trend.

Down in Potomac, Jordan Zimmermann pitched 4 innings of 0 run, 2 hit baseball.  He struck out 4 and walked none.  The Big Nats can't wait to get this guy back on the squad.  Perhaps as soon as next month.

Ross Detwiler had an equally impressive start for AA Harrisburg.  He went 7 innings of 0 run, 5 hit baseball, struck out 7, and walked just 1.  His ERA is now 2.48.  With the Nats announcing that Luis Atilano is "hurt" and will not make his next start on Sunday in Milwaukee, it will be interesting to see what the team's next move is.

Now that Detwiler has gotten deep into a few games and has show that he is capable of being effective all the way through 7 innings, it's possible that he could make an appearance in Atilano's place.  But always lingering somewhere in the organization is Matt Chico, who is the other top candidate for the spot start.

I, for one, hope to see Detwiler with the Nats for the start, but only time will tell.  All in all, despite the infuriating near implosion by the Nationals in Cincinnati, Wednesday was a pretty great day for Nationals baseball.

It's Time for a Change: Part Deux

(Photo Courtesy AP Photo/Al Behrman)

If you watched the Washington Nationals play baseball on Monday night, you probably woke up depressed about it on Tuesday morning. As a matter of fact, I'm nearly sure of it. At points yesterday, both before and after the 42 minute rain delay, disappointment and shame for covering this baseball team overtook me.

After a game of lackluster defense by Guzman and Harris, and an exceptional defensive game by Desmond and Dunn, Jim Riggleman and his squad kept spouting the same tired lines that Nats fans are simply tired of hearing. "We'll have to break out of this slump, eventually...." There's no outright anger, almost helplessness.

The Nats have plummeted to 22nd in hits and 26th in RBI in the League. They're moving way, way in the opposite direction of .500. And while I know that it would be nearly impossible for this team to reach more than 100 losses this season, it certainly hasn't felt like it lately. Long gone are the thoughts of an 80 loss season from the first few weeks, back are the days of minimizing damage and just hoping the team doesn't get swept in every series.

In Riggleman's infinite wisdom, he put Willie Harris in the game, as we covered yesterday. Harris went 0 for 3, shocker, and saw his average somehow drop even more to an almost inconceivable .173. He did draw a walk, but he also struck out. Morgan hit the ball hard, but still went 0 for 4. The only person who was on in all aspects of his game today was Ian Desmond, who had two incredible fielding plays and actually went 1 for 4 and scored a run. Yes, a .250 day is now considered a roaring success in Natstown, until proven otherwise. Desmond threw one of those amazing plays from shortstop into the dirt, but Dunn was there to rescue him.

Even national broadcasters are now flabbergasted at Riggleman's seemingly inconceivable decisions to keep guys like Harris, and to a lesser extent Guzman, in the lineup. Even on an a completely irregular basis. When 2010 started, I was as big a support of Jim Riggleman as anyone you could find that cheers for or covers this team.

Before you read on, know that I do not support firing Riggs at all during this season. His management doesn't make the Nats the worst defensive team in baseball. For the most part he works with what he has. But what he needs to start doing is playing the guys that have a future in Washington, or in baseball, as anything but a utility guy. To reiterate, let's quickly list two categories of those characters:

• Future of the Nats' organization: Morse (bench), Bernadina (bench), Gonzalez (bench). Yes, Cap Ballers, I'm going to keep touting the 27 year old AG as a future 2nd basemen for DC until someone can provide an alternative.
  
• Future utility guys for other clubs: Guzman, Harris (if he can figure it out), Morgan (if he figures out how to steal bases again, he may end up as a pinch runner type. May.)
  

Before this post gets even longer, and you completely lose interest, I'll end here. But I will continue to post future parts of this story (will the next part be part "Trois," part "Tres," even part "Drie"? Check back in to find out...) as the Nats work to figure out to roster disaster that is occurring right now in the Nation's Capital. Until next time...

It's Time to Get Younger; It's Time for a Change

Tonight, the Washington Nationals will face the best team in the NL Central, the Cincinnati Reds. J.D. Martin will get his first start since before the All-Star Game against Johnny Cueto. Cueto is 8-2 with a 3.42 ERA. Now, it's a lot easier to get wins when your team is 7th in baseball in average, 4th in homers, and 5th in RBI, but it still poses a problem for the Nats.

Not the least of their problems is the managerial decisions that have been made lately (and unacceptable base running errors). Sure, the Nats haven't gotten any offense for their starters, and I'm certainly not making excuses for that. But look at the line ups that these starters have behind them, starting with tonight's. And a few things about them.

1. Nyjer Morgan - Although Nyjer is new to the organization, he is still already 30 years old, and has shown this year what Pittsburgh saw in him when they decided to let him go. That said, Lastings Milledge certainly wasn't an upgrade, and Morgan is having the worst year of his career this season. His career average is .288, this season it's .255. Career OBP is .348, this year its .316.
2. Cristian Guzman - Guzzie is 32 years old. Being that baseball peak ages tends to be 28-32... he's on his way down for sure. That said, Guzman is, on no planet, a 2 hole hitter. And he's had more than half of his ABs in that spot this season. His CAREER on-base percentage is .309. Unacceptable for a top of the lineup guy.
3. Ryan Zimmerman - A near-perfect 3-spot hitter, and among the best in the game. His average this year is .293, and his OBP is .381, 30 points above his career average. He hits for power (16 HR) and traditionally has been an RBI machine. One problem though: NO ONE is getting on base in front of him! Oh... and he's only 25. (Time to start asking yourself what you've done with your life, everyone...)
4. Adam Dunn - The Big Donkey is in the peak of his career. He's putting up career numbers, is hitting near 40 points above his career batting average, he's on pace to hit 40 homers yet again. Dunn is 30.
5. Josh Willingham - The Hammer is also playing solid ball, giving Dunn ample protection. Dunn is getting pitches to hit because a guy like Willingham is behind him. This is one of the main functions of a 5 hole guy, and he fills it well. He, along with Dunn, have become passable fielders.
6. Ivan Rodriguez - You're never, ever going to argue about having a Hall of Fame catcher behind the plate to help your young pitching staff. But at 38 years old, he does significantly skew the average age of the Nats straight up. That said, there are few good reasons to have a catcher hitting above the 8 spot in a line up, especially an old catcher. But as long as Pudge keeps putting up the great numbers, he deserves it. If I EVER see him batting 2nd again though, I might vomit.
7. Willie Harris - I'll try and take care of this one without losing my cool. Willie Harris is a bad hitter. Like... really, really bad. Yes, he's a good fielder. Yes, he has a World Series ring from being a utility player in Chicago. But he's 32 years old, he's hitting .177, and the Nats are playing him freaking $1.5 MILLION for it. Ok, my heart rate is skyrocketing. So I'll stop with this: Keep Harris and Kennedy OUT of the starting lineup. End. Of. Story.
Rather than bore you about everything that I've already said about Ian and J.D., just go read my very recent posts dedicated to those guys.
8. Ian Desmond - See this post
9. Martin - See this post

Meanwhile, riding the bench today are Michael Morse (28), Roger Bernadina (26), Justin Maxwell (26), Alberto Gonzalez (27).... Personally, I'm not big on the "JMax is the future" train, so let's leave him out of this just for a moment. The fact remains that the other 3 that I just listed are far more likely to be the future than some of those guys in the line up. Morse, Bernie, and AG are all hitting .280 or above in their opportunities. I fail to see how leaving guys that are passing their prime in the starting line up, while the "future" rots on the bench, only to start every few days, makes managerial sense.

If the Nats win tonight, I won't be eating my words, because one game doesn't make me wrong. Riggleman's job isn't at risk, because I mean, come on. He's coming off of 205 losses in 2 years. He'd have to do something really bad (I had lots of inappropriate... and hilarious... examples here, but I'll keep the blog PG) to lose his job. But the problem isn't the talent. The talent exists. The Nats are using the WRONG talent, and have backwards priorities. It's time for a change.

And We're Back: Strasburg Time

(Photo taken by Keri Roberts for Capitol Baseball - 2010)

Welcome back to the unofficial 2nd half, ladies and gents. Cap Baseball has taken a load of for a few days to prepare for the exciting post-All-Star break festivities. So let's start the ride.

Tonight, Stephen Strasburg begins the push to the end of his season (late-August, early-September), quite possibly just in time to see Jordan Zimmermann return to the rotation with a week or two of overlap possible.

But before anyone worries about that, Strasburg has to take on the Florida Marlins in... Joe Robbie, no Pro Player, no Dolphin(s) Stadium, hm... Land Shark, nope, oh, right, Sun Life Stadium. (Aside: Seriously, who paid the money to switch the stadium from Dolphins Stadium to Dolphin Stadium in 2006. That is outrageous)

The Nats are 3.5 games behind the Marlins in the NL East... for 4th place... so this series is important for them to help close that gap. The Nationals decided to go with Strasburg just for this reason; they want to get the best start from the best pitcher they have to start the second half rolling. Strasburg is 3-2 with a still-impressive 2.32 ERA and 61 Ks. He'll take on Ricky Nolasco instead of Marlins ace Josh Johnson, since Johnson just pitched in the All-Star Game. (Nats hitters are undoubtedly relieved.) Still, Nolasco has been impressive with his 9-6 record and a passable 4.55 ERA.

The Nationals need to pick up where they left off at the end of the first half. I'm not talking so much about the Livan loss on the Sunday before the break. It's more about the run support that the offense has been able to generate (15 runs in the last 3 games). Not to mention Adam Dunn's 2- and 3-homer games and his .500 batting average in the last 5 games. And Zimmerman's .316 average in the same span.

Strasburg will have to face guys like Home Run Derby runner up Hanley Ramirez who is sporting a .301 batting average with 13 home runs and 53 RBI on the year, and his fellow phenom on the Marlins, Mike Stanton. Stanton tore up the the Marlins' minor league affiliate Jacksonville Suns early in the year, batting .311 and hitting 21 home runs in just 52 games. The Marlins had seen enough, and they brought him up in early-June. But Stanton hasn't been quite as unshakable as Strasburg. He's hitting just .231 with a .276 OBP, and facing Strasburg won't make it any easier for the young man.

I know that you're all as excited as I am to get back into baseball, so let's see what Stephen can offer the Nationals today. But more importantly, let's see what the Nationals offense can offer him in support.