Friday, May 12, 2006
Week in Review: Patterson (as late as June 1st?), Guzman (Out), Nationals lose 5-4 in 11, giving up 4-1 lead
So, what's happened in the last week?
1) Story about Patterson:
Apparently Patterson could be pitching right now if the team was in a pennant race, according to Bowden, but because they aren't and because it would probably be better for all involved if Patterson waited until he could actually pitch without pain, then he likely won't be back until as late as June 1st (considering Guzman was supposed to be back by now, you know how never say something like "back at the latest . . ."). Patterson article.
2) Guzman's season is over, back by 2007?:
Before testing his shoulder in front of Robinson and Bowden, Guzman decided on having season-ending surgery. Apparently, he might be good to go by April 2007. Guzman article.
3) The games:
Since we last met, the Nationals have played 5 games (off Monday), and are scheduled to start a series tonight against the 15-19 Braves team. In those five games the Nationals won two and lost three games, to end up with a record on May 12, 2006 of 12-23. Except for the Tuesday 7-1 win against the Reds, most of the games were relatively close, within 3 runs (three games were 1 run games).
Saturday's game: Loss
Ortiz managed just five innings and gave up 4 runs. As the Nationals were able to score 4 runs, that would seem to indicate that they should have a good chance to win that one. While they were able to take a 4-1 lead into the top of the third inning, that 3 run edge was the closest the team came to winning. The Pirates picked up another two runs in the top of the third, then another run in the top of the fourth to tie the game. The Nationals were not able to get another run, and the Pirates won in the 11th inning by scoring a run off of Felix Rodriguez.
Player of the Game: Soriano with a home-run and 2 RBI (4 total bases) for the losers and Bay for the winners (1 home-run, 2 RBI, and an another actual hit).
Dog of the game: Oritz for giving up 4 runs in 5 innings? Rodriquez for giving up 1 run in the 11th and allowing the Pirates to win? No one scored because of Zimmerman's error, so he isn't it.
Sunday: Win
O'Connor pitched his third major league start and gave up three runs in five innings, and giving up more walks than strike-outs (4 walks, 3 strike-outs). The Nationals picked up five runs in the third (their only runs), so when O'Connor left after throwing 95 pitches to 26 batters, he was the pitcher of record. The relief pitchers held the Pirates to just one additional run, and O'Connor picked up his second win of the season. He is now 2-1 with an era of 2.12.
Player of the Game: Guillen and his 2 hits (1 HR) and 2 RBI.
Dog of the Game: in a win? If I have to pick someone in such a situation, Anderson for getting caught trying to steal in the 6th.
Monday: Day off
Tueday's game: Win:
Tony Armas pitched six solid innings, giving up just one run on 2 hits and 1 walk, while striking out 4 to lead the Nationals to a 7-1 win over the Reds. The Nationals managed to get 14 hits to the Reds 4.
Player of the Game: Tony Armas (Guillen (2 home-runs, 3 RBI (2 with 2-out)) would get the nod if the Nationals had another pitcher that could last more than 5 innings (see last night's game)).
Dog of the Game: in a 7-1 win?
Wednesday's Game: Loss
Hernandez yet again got in trouble early, and yet again started to get a handle on the batters later. The Nationals gave Hernandez a 2 run cushion before he threw his first pitch against the Reds. What did he do in return? Gave up three runs. The Nationals batters immediately scored one more run in the top of the second inning to tie the game, but Hernandez promptly rejected their help by giving up another run to the Reds at the bottom of the second. After two innings, Reds 4, Nationals 3. Hernandez gave up one more run before getting pulled (after 112 pitches to 29 batters) after one out in the sixth. In the meantime the Nationals had scored a run in the top of the fifth, putting the game into a 1 run advantage for the Reds (5-4) after Hernandez left. By the time the game ended, the Nationals will have scored two more runs and given up four more runs. Final score: 6-9. Reds win, Nationals lose.
Player of the Game: Johnson (4 for 5 with 2 doubles and 1 home-run, driving in 2)
Dog of the game: Hernandez or Stanton (for giving up 3 runs with the game tied in the 8th inning).
Thursday's Game: Loss:
Zach Day faced off against the Reds Bronson Arroyo and his 5-1 record. For eight innings the two pitchers pitched a 1-run duel, with Day giving up that 1 run in the fifth and with Arroyo giving up nothing in his eight innings of work (except for six hits and 1 walk). Arroyo's innings and strike-out total matched up in this game, 8 innings pitched, 8 strike-outs. Day's innings and hits given up matched up in this game, 7 innings pitched, 7 hits given up (plus 1 walk, and 3 strike-outs). Day again lowered his era, this time down to 5.85 and now sees an era of 2.37 with the Nationals this season. This was a 1-run pitchers game through 8, so why did the game end up a 5-4 win for the Reds? Because both teams had relief pitchers give up runs, Weathers giving up 1 run in the top of the ninth in a blown save (his third of the year) that allowed the Nationals to continue the game. That one run, a home-run by Johnson, would not be the Nationals only run of the game. The Nationals batters turned over a 4-1 lead after the top of the 11th inning to their relief pitchers, but while Rauch was able to get 1 out (12 pitches to 2 batters), he also gave up 1 run to then leave with the game 4-2. Rodriquez replaced Rauch and promptly allowed two runners to get-aboard off of 1 hit and 1 walk on 16 pitches to just 2 batters. With the score still 4-2, Eischen, and his 9+ era replaced Rodriquez and his above 5 era (after the game, Rodriquez's era moved up to 6.52). The game lasted a total of three hours and thirty one minutes. How much of that time did it take Eischen to lose the game? He pitched 2 pitches (both strikes) to 1 batter. Eischen gave up a three run home-run to Griffey for a Reds victory (and a reminder to self that just because a pitcher gets a run counted against him doesn't mean that he was pitching at the time). I don't see a play-by-play on the Nationals website, so I assume that Rauch gave up 1 run, then Rodriquez put two runners on base, who then scored when Griffey hit his home-run. Two of those runners counted against Rodriquez and 1 counted against Eischen.
Player of the game: Zach Day
Dog of the day: Joey Eischen and his blown save.
Tonight: 0-3 Ramon Ortiz (5.88 era) against 2-2 John Smoltz and his 3.72 era. Game preview.
The Nationals have the chance to remain in fourth place if they sweep the Braves. After those three games both teams would have 15 wins, but the Braves would have 1 less loss (15-22 vs. 15-23). If, instead, the Braves sweep the Nationals and the Phillies win their next three games, then the Nationals and Phillies will be tied at 12-23 (and in last place). The Philies will be trying to sweep the first-place Reds in Cincinnati.
1) Story about Patterson:
Apparently Patterson could be pitching right now if the team was in a pennant race, according to Bowden, but because they aren't and because it would probably be better for all involved if Patterson waited until he could actually pitch without pain, then he likely won't be back until as late as June 1st (considering Guzman was supposed to be back by now, you know how never say something like "back at the latest . . ."). Patterson article.
2) Guzman's season is over, back by 2007?:
Before testing his shoulder in front of Robinson and Bowden, Guzman decided on having season-ending surgery. Apparently, he might be good to go by April 2007. Guzman article.
3) The games:
Since we last met, the Nationals have played 5 games (off Monday), and are scheduled to start a series tonight against the 15-19 Braves team. In those five games the Nationals won two and lost three games, to end up with a record on May 12, 2006 of 12-23. Except for the Tuesday 7-1 win against the Reds, most of the games were relatively close, within 3 runs (three games were 1 run games).
Saturday's game: Loss
Ortiz managed just five innings and gave up 4 runs. As the Nationals were able to score 4 runs, that would seem to indicate that they should have a good chance to win that one. While they were able to take a 4-1 lead into the top of the third inning, that 3 run edge was the closest the team came to winning. The Pirates picked up another two runs in the top of the third, then another run in the top of the fourth to tie the game. The Nationals were not able to get another run, and the Pirates won in the 11th inning by scoring a run off of Felix Rodriguez.
Player of the Game: Soriano with a home-run and 2 RBI (4 total bases) for the losers and Bay for the winners (1 home-run, 2 RBI, and an another actual hit).
Dog of the game: Oritz for giving up 4 runs in 5 innings? Rodriquez for giving up 1 run in the 11th and allowing the Pirates to win? No one scored because of Zimmerman's error, so he isn't it.
Sunday: Win
O'Connor pitched his third major league start and gave up three runs in five innings, and giving up more walks than strike-outs (4 walks, 3 strike-outs). The Nationals picked up five runs in the third (their only runs), so when O'Connor left after throwing 95 pitches to 26 batters, he was the pitcher of record. The relief pitchers held the Pirates to just one additional run, and O'Connor picked up his second win of the season. He is now 2-1 with an era of 2.12.
Player of the Game: Guillen and his 2 hits (1 HR) and 2 RBI.
Dog of the Game: in a win? If I have to pick someone in such a situation, Anderson for getting caught trying to steal in the 6th.
Monday: Day off
Tueday's game: Win:
Tony Armas pitched six solid innings, giving up just one run on 2 hits and 1 walk, while striking out 4 to lead the Nationals to a 7-1 win over the Reds. The Nationals managed to get 14 hits to the Reds 4.
Player of the Game: Tony Armas (Guillen (2 home-runs, 3 RBI (2 with 2-out)) would get the nod if the Nationals had another pitcher that could last more than 5 innings (see last night's game)).
Dog of the Game: in a 7-1 win?
Wednesday's Game: Loss
Hernandez yet again got in trouble early, and yet again started to get a handle on the batters later. The Nationals gave Hernandez a 2 run cushion before he threw his first pitch against the Reds. What did he do in return? Gave up three runs. The Nationals batters immediately scored one more run in the top of the second inning to tie the game, but Hernandez promptly rejected their help by giving up another run to the Reds at the bottom of the second. After two innings, Reds 4, Nationals 3. Hernandez gave up one more run before getting pulled (after 112 pitches to 29 batters) after one out in the sixth. In the meantime the Nationals had scored a run in the top of the fifth, putting the game into a 1 run advantage for the Reds (5-4) after Hernandez left. By the time the game ended, the Nationals will have scored two more runs and given up four more runs. Final score: 6-9. Reds win, Nationals lose.
Player of the Game: Johnson (4 for 5 with 2 doubles and 1 home-run, driving in 2)
Dog of the game: Hernandez or Stanton (for giving up 3 runs with the game tied in the 8th inning).
Thursday's Game: Loss:
Zach Day faced off against the Reds Bronson Arroyo and his 5-1 record. For eight innings the two pitchers pitched a 1-run duel, with Day giving up that 1 run in the fifth and with Arroyo giving up nothing in his eight innings of work (except for six hits and 1 walk). Arroyo's innings and strike-out total matched up in this game, 8 innings pitched, 8 strike-outs. Day's innings and hits given up matched up in this game, 7 innings pitched, 7 hits given up (plus 1 walk, and 3 strike-outs). Day again lowered his era, this time down to 5.85 and now sees an era of 2.37 with the Nationals this season. This was a 1-run pitchers game through 8, so why did the game end up a 5-4 win for the Reds? Because both teams had relief pitchers give up runs, Weathers giving up 1 run in the top of the ninth in a blown save (his third of the year) that allowed the Nationals to continue the game. That one run, a home-run by Johnson, would not be the Nationals only run of the game. The Nationals batters turned over a 4-1 lead after the top of the 11th inning to their relief pitchers, but while Rauch was able to get 1 out (12 pitches to 2 batters), he also gave up 1 run to then leave with the game 4-2. Rodriquez replaced Rauch and promptly allowed two runners to get-aboard off of 1 hit and 1 walk on 16 pitches to just 2 batters. With the score still 4-2, Eischen, and his 9+ era replaced Rodriquez and his above 5 era (after the game, Rodriquez's era moved up to 6.52). The game lasted a total of three hours and thirty one minutes. How much of that time did it take Eischen to lose the game? He pitched 2 pitches (both strikes) to 1 batter. Eischen gave up a three run home-run to Griffey for a Reds victory (and a reminder to self that just because a pitcher gets a run counted against him doesn't mean that he was pitching at the time). I don't see a play-by-play on the Nationals website, so I assume that Rauch gave up 1 run, then Rodriquez put two runners on base, who then scored when Griffey hit his home-run. Two of those runners counted against Rodriquez and 1 counted against Eischen.
Player of the game: Zach Day
Dog of the day: Joey Eischen and his blown save.
Tonight: 0-3 Ramon Ortiz (5.88 era) against 2-2 John Smoltz and his 3.72 era. Game preview.
The Nationals have the chance to remain in fourth place if they sweep the Braves. After those three games both teams would have 15 wins, but the Braves would have 1 less loss (15-22 vs. 15-23). If, instead, the Braves sweep the Nationals and the Phillies win their next three games, then the Nationals and Phillies will be tied at 12-23 (and in last place). The Philies will be trying to sweep the first-place Reds in Cincinnati.
