Waif wins three in a row

Well took a week off there got a little swamped with work and wouldn't you know it the Nats go and win three series in a row. Anchored by everybody's favorite super model Ramon Ortiz, well at least that was the good news. The bad news is that Zach Day who was turning in some good performances himself is on the shelf and is scheduled for surgery, and Guillen is on the 15 day DL.

The above injuries and other circumstances have caused the call-up of three minor leaguers (although some are seasoned minor-leaguers) Saul Rivera, Santiago Ramirez and Mike Vento. This is good to see, no really it is. What this means is that the organization is serious about the farm system and even if it is barren you need to show the players that there is an opportunity to get to the show. Trader Jim has been handcuffed! If JimBo had his way I am sure that we would have 1 or 2 fizzling veterans by now.

Just a plug here, Ryan Zimmerman for rookie of the year. What is encouraging about Zimm is that his average is creeping up to the .275 mark and we are headed into June. It is fine to start off hot before anybody has a chance to see you but Zimm is starting to raise his average the second time through the league which is critical because that is when the teams start too make adjustments. He has also chipped in with 32 RBI a 16 a month average which works out to a 96 RBI season. I know it's still early but these are nice numbers to see after 200 at bats. Let's see if the trend continues.

Bowden executes best move ever as a Nats GM!

In what some are calling a revelation, a stroke of genius and pure baseball, JimBo called a up .... a real catcher. With Schneider on the 15 day DL and have not played regularly for about a week the GM decided to call up Wiki Gonzalez. Now this comes after LeCroy had done an admirable job (according to Robinson) catching before Schneider went on the DL. In fact he was so good that the opposition stole 13 consecutive bases, this may have contributed to the 4 game losing streak and 4-6 record in their last ten, but we will need to wait for Elias sports bureau to confirm.

Bowden was so excited about the move that he decided to bring in another catcher, moving Robert Fick from the DL to the active roster. In the process he moved Guzman (he of the $16 million 4 year contract) to the 60 day disabled list. Unfortunately Fick, who was originally meant to be the backup catcher is not ready to catch and Robinson has already stated that Fick is not ready. So the Nats now have 3 "catchers" on the roster and only 1 who has actually been a catcher for most of his career.

JimBo is on a roll!!

In a related story the Nats won 8-1 against Atlanta this afternoon with Gonzalez catching. He actually threw a runner out and called a good game as Armas pitched 7 shutout innings. However Robinson is playing with fire as Armas threw 119 pitches, which is real good considering he has a history of arm problems and was out for most of last year. Yeah let's throw him back out there for another inning when we have an 8-0 lead. I don't care if the bullpen has already blown a 5 run lead this week you don't tax a pitcher with shoulder problems that way it is just not smart ball.

TBS blacks out the stinking Nats

Well it seems we are headed for a very long summer. Yesterday the team couldn't bounce back after a frustrating loss on Thursday with a very lackluster performance against John Smoltz. Your favorite waif was rocked again and one can only wonder how long the franchise is going to stay with him. The O'Connor experiment is going good (still the first time through the league) so why not give somebody else a shot. I do think that we could see something similar to what the Braves did when Glavine and Smotz broke ie: let them learn at the major league level.

Now tonight they get a an ok start from O'Connor (who is stringing some starts together) with the help of the pen they got it to Cordero with a 2 run lead. Cordero gives up 5 runs and they lose. Now any manager would still take this scenario any time as Cordero will normally put it away. But the guy is growing roots in the pen, they are bringing him at times just so he can pitch. Frustrating to watch this club fumble this way.

Note: Zimmerman had 3 hits and his average is now up to .261. This is good to see as he has been steadily raising his average over the past few weeks.

Note: Teams are starting to knock on the door looking for bargains, among others the Mets are inquiring about Hernandez and Vidro

Whatta ya know Joe???

The Nats loose in extra innings tonight and it was a very discouraging loss as they were leading by 3. The final blow came on a Ken Griffey's (just activated off the DL tonight) three run homer. Unfortunately it was Joey Eischen who gave it up. Now people who know, know that Joey is the epitome of tough, I remember following this guy when he was trying to make it with Expos (the first time round) in 1994. This guy was out of the majors for three years 1998-2000 and had been only getting spotty work before that. When he made the Expos in 2001 he made himself a valuable tool out of the pen for 5 years (with an injury in there as well). However this year he has not been unable to do anything and I regret to say this, but I think he is done. It's too bad because he fought so hard to make the majors. Fortunately he got one decent major league contract which he hopefully saved a bunch.

Lost in all this was a brilliant performance by Zach Day who pitched 7 innings and only gave up one run. You can't ask for much more than that from your starter. This was Day's 3rd quality start in a row.

Right now everything seems to be 1 step forward 2 steps back.

Nats Ace spotted working in hardware store

Ok maybe that title is a little harsh but Livan is not getting it done so far this year. He pitched 5 1/3 innings tonight and gave up 5 runs, not exactly ace like. The sad part is the team scored 5 runs and when that happens you should win. The Reds were hittin' and runnin', Lopez had 4 stolen bases and Freel 2 while Hatteberg, Phillips, Kearns and Dunn each had 2 rbi's. For the Nats the big bat was Johnson who had 4 hits including a home run and 2 rbi's. Next up is Zach Day against Bronson (I use heat activated Loreal for my beautiful locks) Arroyo for Cincy.

This team is not looking good and another bad road trip could put them in a serious hole which will hasten the re-building process. If the team is in last or very close to last place come June 1 look for changes by June 15th. You read it here first folks!!

New Day rising on the farm?

Zach Day pitched 7 shutout innings for the Nats tonight, one day after Frank chewed out the team for playing bad ball yesterday. The final score was 6-0. Johnson went deep twice and Vidro had three hits which combined accounted for five of the six Nats hits.

On a another positive note Kasten stated that there would major investment in the farm system. That is good to hear since Minaya used the system to forward his own career. Imagine Sizemore and Bay in the outfield, Phillips chipping in a 2nd or SS and Cliff Lee on the mound. Don't get me wrong Minaya did it on the up and up but it was just another example of how crooked this whole situation was. Minaya was trading like there was no tomorrow, which was very unlikely since the owners knew there were cities willing to give them a sweetheart deal and owners who would pay far more than they would ever spend running the franchise. In the end it worked out great for MLB and it screwed over the fans. Hopefully now that Selig/Dupuy are no longer involved the franchise will be able to get the ship moving in the right direction.

BTW: Guzman decided to shut himself down and opt for surgery, nice job Jimmy B. Guzman was signed to 4yr $16.8 million contract, the payback so far... 1st season a .219 average only because he batted .300+ in September, 2nd season whipped out. In the Nats release Guzman is quoted as saying that the shoulder was hurting last year, what the hell? Was this another case of not checking the medical records before acquiring a player? How does JB keep his job? I hope Kasten is reviewing this as we speak and looking for someone who actually knows what they are doing and not just cowboy flying by the seat of his wranglers.

Lerner's to buy Nats

Well like I said earlier the Lerners' are going to be the owners of the Expos. I am glad this is finally settled however I am disappointed that Colin Powell will not be associated with the Nats but having Stan Kasten could be good news, if for nothing more than his vast experience. He was part of the management team that helped build the Braves into a powerhouse for 12 years before he left in 2003. He should provide the vision, stability and direction for the franchise that has been missing that for the past several years. Given his track record look for more investment into scouting as well as a GM change and most likely the end of the Robinson era although I am not so sure that Frank will just fade away. I think he will be offered a job within the organization.

According to MLB there will be a vote during the owners meeting May 17-19, this really should be a formality since I am sure all the teams will be happy that this is over. Especially somebody like the Yankees who could care less about the game and wouldn't be bothered if there was only 6 teams, just as long as they won.

On another note: O'Connor won his first game by pitching seven solid innings, with six k's and one ER. It is good to see someone else pitching well for the franchise. Byrd lead-off again and had three hits, apparently Church had the flu and will sit out at least one more game. The flu, are you serious??? You just got back from the minors, some in the organization question your heart and willingness to play at less than 100% and then you go and prove them right in less than three weeks back in the bigs. Man what I wouldn't give to play, I used to play little league with stitches, scrapped elbows / knees and thumbs so sore I had difficulty holding onto the bat. Talent does not equal heart!!