The Nationals offense has struggled to score runs all season and it is starting to look like it is getting the manager Davey Johnson. With the Nationals trailing by the score of 1-0 in the fourth inning Bryce Harper tried to steal second after drawing a one out walk and was thrown out easily by Matt Wieters. Danny Espinosa then struck out looking to end the inning. One inning later Jesus Flores would single with one out before being caught stealing on a botched hit and run with the pitcher, Edwin Jackson, batting.

As puzzling as the second of those moves was nothing would beat what happened in the bottom of the eleventh inning after Nick Markakis hit a go ahead homer for the Orioles in the top half of the inning on a cookie served to him by Ryan Mattheus. After Steve Lombardozzi led off the inning being hit by pitch Ian Desmond was looking to bunt him to second in order to stay out of the double play and give Zimmerman a chance to bat as the winning run. Desmond would pull back on his first attempt which was a ball before fouling off his next two bunt attempts on balls out of the strike zone. With the bunt sign off Desmond would proceed to ground into the double play Davey was looking to avoid.

It is understandable that Davey would want to give Zimmerman a chance to bat as the lead run, but with Strop having missed badly with his first two pitches. One of which hit Lombardozzi. It would have been understandable if he had Desmond taking early in the at bat to see if he could get ahead before attempting to settle for advancing the runner. Not to mention the fact that the Nats one run this evening came on an Ian Desmond homerun.

Zimmerman would end up getting a chance after Roger Bernadina reached on a third strike wild pitch. Zimmerman would single up the middle before LaRoche grounded out to end the game and send the Orioles fans in attendance home happy and the Nationals fans home disappointed. The Orioles are now 6-2 in extra innings game and have the early advantage in the battle of the beltways, but it didn’t have to come down to this.

Davey Johnson’s frustration is understandable and if a manager can press he was doing so tonight. After watching Edwin Jackson struggle in the first only to right the ship and end up pitching eight innings of one run ball on five hits with one walk and eight strike outs; Davey must have felt the pitcher deserved better than to watch the Nats fall to 2-6 in games he starts.

Jake Arrieta’s final line of one run in seven innings on six hits with one walk and nine strikeouts looks good, but the way Arrieta pitched was not. Arrieta left a number of fastballs up in the zone and a few were tagged by the Nats, but found their way into the gloves of Orioles fielders. The Nats also struck out looking on a number of pitches right over the heart of the plate. It is tough to say what is going on with the Orioles offense. It is hard to tell if they are simply guessing wrong and looking for the wrong pitch or if they are having trouble seeing the ball. Arrieta gave the Nats a number of chances but they either were unable to capitalize or ran themselves out of the innings.

The series continues tomorrow from Nats Park with Ross Detwiler taking on Jason Hammel before concluding on Sunday as Stephen Strasburg looks to put the hot stuff incident behind him when he takes on Wei-Yin Chen.

On the fourth batter of the game Gio Gonzalez got Casey McGehee to swing at a 94 MPH fastball. It was the fourth fastball Gio threw to McGehee and his first strikeout of the game. In the bottom of the first Harper would hit his first career triple with one out and score on Zimmerman’s RBI ground out. Gio would continue the second where he left off the first by getting Navarro to strikeout on on the fifth fastball he threw him.

Gio would not be as kind to Rod Barajas. He would get ahead of him with fastballs and then dropped in a completely unfair curve that the word filthy can’t even begin to describe. The pitch floated to the plate and appeared to pause just long enough to taunt the swinging bat of Barajas before dropping out of the strike zone. Gio would then get ahead of Barmes with a fastball and curve ball before throwing him two fastballs out of the strike zone and then with his bat sped up he dropped a change-up that Barmes couldn’t help but swing at.

The Nats would go 1-2-3 in their half of the second inning and Gio would get a routine fly out from Harrison to start the third inning. From the moment Bedard stepped into the batters box he wanted nothing more than to return to the Pirates dugout, and even tried to do so with two strikes against him. The ump instructed him to return to the batters box and Gio granted his wish by dropping a curve into the strike zone.

Desmond would lead off the third with a homer to expand the Nats lead to 2-0 and then Bedard would go on a tear in which he would get the next eleven Nats. Six of them on strikes. Meanwhile Gio would cruise through the fourth but with no strikeouts and then run into a bit of trouble in the fifth.

The first batter of the inning, Yamaico Navarro would quickly fall behind 0-2 and then battle back to draw a walk on the ninth pitch of the at bat. Navarro earned that walk, but lead-off walks are a thing in baseball that will come back to hurt a pitcher. The very next batter, Rod Barajas, would single and Navarro would take third. Gio would then get Barmes to strikeout for the second time in the game before Josh Harrison hit a single that it looked like Harper had trouble reading off the bat. The Nats now found themselves locked in a close one run contest. A position they have become quite familiar with this season.

Erik Bedard in his second at bat of the game would try to bunt, but would foul off his two attempts at it before feebly swinging at strike three. Any encouragement the Pirates may have gotten from making this a one run game and Bedard getting them quickly back in the batters box quickly evaporated when Gio struck out Walker on a tantalizing curve ball that he thought he had held up on, but the umpires disagreed. McCutchen would then ground out to Desmond, and Gio would earn his ninth K of the game by overpowering McGehee with four fastballs, tempting him with the curve ball, and then making him swing foolishly at a change-up.

In the bottom of the sixth Bedard was still in the midst of keeping the Pirates in the game, but his great pitching would end and end emphatically when Adam LaRoche and Xavier Nady took him deep for back to back homers to give the Nats a three run lead. That lead would not last however as Barajas would walk and Harrison homer to pull the Pirates back within one. With adversity mounting and relievers warming Gio made a statement by striking out Nate McLouth on a 95 MPH fastball.

With the Pirates back within one and the back end of the Nats bullpen struggling the offense still had work to do. Jesus Flores would be hit by an Evan Meek pitch to start the Nats half of the seventh before Bernadina sac bunted and Desmond struck out. Meek would then walk Harper on four pitches to pitch to Zimmerman who he would walk on five pitches before Adam LaRoche doubled on the first pitch he saw to clear the bases and give the Nats a comfortable four run lead.

Tyler Clippard would come in for the eighth and give up a run before getting Pedro Alvarez to ground out to Espinosa. Davey had double switched Clippard into the game and if Clippard had been strong and made short work of the Pirates then he more than likely would have pitched the ninth, but that isn’t how it worked out. Instead Clippard made the game a save situation and the suddenly beleaguered Nats closer, Henry Rodriguez, would find himself on the mound in the top of the ninth protecting a three run lead.

It was a place Henry had been just a couple nights ago when he had walked the bases loaded against the Padres only to be bailed out by Sean Burnett. From the moment Rodriguez stepped on the mound in this contest Davey had Ryan Mattheus warming in the bullpen. He would not need him however as the Pirates would go down in order. Barajas would hit a grounder so sharply that it carried Desmond out into the outfield as he lost the handle on it and earned an error. The next batter, Clint Barmes, would strikeout for the third time in the game, and Josh Harrison would hit a hot shot that was handled by Zim and turned into a game ending 5-4-3 double play.

It may not have felt as easy as Gio’s ten strikeouts and the final 7-4 score make it appear, but the Nats now find themselves once again in first place in the NL East with this win and a Braves 8-4 loss to the Marlins. The short two game series against the Pirates wraps up tomorrow at Nats Park as James McDonald takes the mound for the Pirates against the Nats Jordan Zimmermann.

The Nationals might have won 8-5 Monday night in the first of a short two game series against the Padres but it didn’t come without a price. Watching this Nats season feels like watching baseball in the ER waiting for the next player to be helped off the field. In the space of eight days the Nats have lost right fielder Jayson Werth, starting catcher Wilson Ramos, and making his major league debut back-up catcher Sand Leon.

In the top of the fourth inning with Yonder Alonso on third and Chase Headley on second Orlando Hudson would hit a single into the outfield. With Headley rounding third Leon got in the position to field the throw from Danny Espinosa. Espinosa fired it in and Leon couldn’t handle it, but for Headley it was too late. He had already made up his mind that he was running Leon over. Leon had blocked off most of the plate and didn’t give Headley much to slide for but if he had tried to slide in under Leon it is just as likely that he would have been safe. Instead he went for the takeout, and afterwards Leon laid crumbled on the ground until he was helped off the field by trainers.

After the play was over a somber silence fell over Nats Park and it was like the crowd didn’t even care when Hudson tied the game when he scored on a suicide squeeze by pitcher Tim Stauffer, or when the Padres took the lead an inning later on Headley’s single up the middle. The timing of the injury couldn’t have been worse. In the bottom of the third inning after three straight singles and Bernadina scoring on an error Bryce Harper hit his first major league homerun. A no doubt bomb up onto the batters eye in centerfield.

The joy and elation of witnessing such an event was soon replaced as the Nats Park crowd watched Leon being helped off the field, but this night was far from over. With the Padres enjoying the lead into the bottom of the sixth, after Ross Detwiler had a rare bad appearance for Nationals starters giving up five runs on four hits with three strikeouts and a walk, Ian Desmond would put the Nationals on top for good with a ringing opposite field double off of the right field wall that scored Ankiel and Flores.

The Nats bats weren’t done as they would get a pinch hit homerun from Tracy and a homer from Nady in the bottom of the eighth to take a three run lead into the top of the ninth. Davey who was adamant earlier in the day that Henry Rodriguez was his closer would allow H-Rod to pitch for the third consecutive day and after blowing the save Sunday against the Reds on a Joey Votto walk-off.

Rodriguez would walk to the mound his shoulders slumped and head down. Showing none of the confidence he had after mowing through the Reds on Saturday evening on 10 pitches. The thoughts of Votto’s grand-slam and doubt were all that appeared to occupy Rodriguez’s mind. His first two pitches were balls and his second pitch bounced high off the screen. It was clear he didn’t have it.

Rodriguez would walk the first batter he faced before overpowering Darnell on a fastball to get him to pop-up to Flores. Rodriguez would then walk both the light hitting Maybin and Denorfia to load the bases and force Davey to bring in Burnett. Burnett started last season sharing closer duties with Drew Storen, but soon lost the job and went through a bit of what Henry Rodriguez is going through now.

This time it was different for Burnett as he was able to get Jesus Guzman to bounce into a 1-2-3 double play to end the game and help the Nats reclaim first place in the NL East as the Braves dropped their series opener against the Reds 3-1. With Storen and Lidge both on the DL and Rodriguez struggling the depth of the Nats bullpen will now be tested even further.

An evening that started out with such promise turned sour right around the top of the 4th inning when Jordan Zimmermann lost his control of the strike zone and then lost his command in it. With the Nats leading 1-0 in the top of the 4th and having won the first two games of this series, to send the Phillies to last place, Jordan Zimmermann walked Shane Victorino ahead of a Hunter Pence blast that would give the Phillies a lead they would not look back from.

During that same inning Nix would score on a Polanco single, but the truly damaging Polanco single was yet to come. In the 6th inning with 2 out and none on Polanco would would hit a shallow fly ball that Werth would try to make a sliding catch on but missed with his glove caught in the turf and bent his wrist backwards. The extent of Werth’s injury is still unknown but it is fitting that a couple days before Zimmerman is due off the DL and LaRoche back in the line-up that the Nats would lose another key player.

Werth’s wrist is broken but his time table is yet unknown. Davey speculated it would be at least six weeks but he will visit a specialist. It is unknown who will take Werth’s place in the outfield but Davey figures to move Harper to right and play a combo of Nady, Bernadina, Lombo, and Tracy in left.

Jordan Zimmermann and a myriad of Nats relievers would combine to give up 9 runs to the last place Phillies who had come into this evenings game having averaged 3.61 runs a game. The worst offender of the Nats pitchers who took the mound was Ryan Perry who took a 3-1 deficit and turned it into a 9-1 drubbing.

Perry got the inning started off promising enough getting Hamels to fly out to Ankiel before walking Rollins, then forgetting he was on first to have him steal second and score on a Juan Pierre single. Perry would then give up a triple and a homer before getting his next out on a fly out to Ankiel by former Nat Laynce Nix. Ruiz would single before Harper ranged back on a deep drive by Polanco that fell off of his glove as he leaped and was ruled a double. Davey would then come out to retrieve Ryan Perry who no longer looked capable of getting an out. Gorzelanny would replace him and give up a two run single before getting John Mayberry Jr. to strike out swinging.

The Nats only run of the evening came all the way back in a long forgotten and promising first inning. After getting two quick outs Cole Hamels decided to send a message to the young Bryce Harper. The Phillies had worked hard to avoid Harper’s bat this weekend having walked him 4 times coming into the evening. Hamels not wanting to waste anymore than one pitch plunked Harper in the back. Werth followed up with a single and Harper raced to third.

What came next with Chad Tracy at the plate is one of the most amazing displays of baseball talent a fan could hope to witness. Every time Hamels threw over to first to check on Werth, Harper would creep further and further down the line. Then Hamels threw over one too many times and Harper took off for home. Nix’s throw back to Ruiz wasn’t in time and Harper had stolen home.

That would not be the last amazing thing Harper would do on the evening. In his second at bat Harper a lefty batting against Cole Hamels, also a lefty, lined a single the other way into left. Later on in the evening Harper would hit what looked like a routine single into left, but with Juan Pierre in left Harper hustled into 2nd for a double.

The Nats will have on off-day on Monday before starting a series in Pittsburgh. Even with Werth out a healthy Zimmerman and LaRoche will help assist Harper in helping a Nats line-up that has struggled to score runs all season long.

They’re talkin’ baseball in the District of Columbia, but it isn’t about Willie, Mickey, or the Duke although sports fans in the nation’s capital but want to come on down to 1600 South Capitol and say hey to the new kid in town. Bryce Harper is of course that kid and he hasn’t played like a 19 year old kid awestruck by the majors. In the evening’s contest against the Diamondbacks Harper once again showed of a number of baseball’s tools.

Before the game Davey Johnson moved Harper into the number three spot in the line-up and as he has before Harper ate up the pressure like it was a delicious side of bacon. He showed no lack of hustle or hint of being overwhelmed, and lets fact it. This is a kid who was on the cover of Sports Illustrated at the age of 16. If he was going to be consumed by pressure he would have by now.

Batting third tonight for the Nationals Harper got to the plate in the first inning with none on and two gone and hit a dribbler back to Ian Kennedy. Kennedy aware of the speed of Harper rushed a throw that sailed past Goldschmidt and Harper raced on to second. The Diamondbacks would appeal that Harper missed first base and the umpire agreed with them. Replays were inconclusive on the matter although Harper’s left foot appeared to graze the outside of the bag. One way or another it is a demonstration the Harper’s speed can make a defense rush as much as his throwing arm can make base runners stop at third.

Harper would feature more in this game, but it is important to look at the efforts of Ross Detwiler and the K Street crew who were able to help the Nationals overcome being four hit by the Diamondbacks by giving up only three hits of their own. Detwiler wound up going a total of 6 1/3 innings giving up one run on three hits with two strikeouts and three walks. Ryan Mattheus, Tyler Clippard, and Henry Rodriguez would finish the game out and the bullpen would finish the game perfect on the evening in 2 and 2/3 innings pitched.

The Nationals only got four hits on the evening but they showed that power is the difference between RBI and LOB. With the game tied at one a piece in the bottom of the sixth inning Ian Desmond would lead-off the inning with a double. Lombardozzi would follow with an out which would bring Bryce Harper to the plate with an opportunity once again to be the hero.

Baseball fans argue about the existence of clutch and while there aren’t players who magically get better in certain situations there are players who can stay within themselves when such situations present themselves. Harper so far in the majors appears to be one of these players who is going to keep their cool and hit right around their career average in clutch situations when it is all said and done. With the go ahead run positioned on second Harper would drive the second pitch of the AB the other way into left field scoring Ian Desmond.

Harper wasn’t done with the amazing feats. When Jayson Werth grounded out to third Harper froze and waited like he should, but when a normal ball player would have headed back to second content to still be in scoring position Harper took the extra base once Roberts had committed to throwing to first. It was both a beautiful display of speed and baseball IQ, and further proof that Harper is the rarest of rare breeds. He is a baseball player gifted with all the talent in the world who still works hard to learn his craft and shows it on the field.

If you don’t already have plans to get down to Nats Park this summer you might want to make some, because Bryce Harper is the type of player that has to be seen to be believed, and even then you may not believe what you just saw.

There are fives tools in baseball; hit for average, hit for power, speed, defense, and throwing arm. Bryce Harper has them all, and all were on display Wednesday night in the Nats 5-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Harper nearly had two homers on the evening and would have if the weather was a little warmer. Instead he had to settle for two monster doubles with two runs scored the final of which being the game tying run on Ian Desmond’s walk-off homer.

Not to take anything away from Desmond, who has surprisingly been the second best short stop in the NL East this season trailing only Ruben Tejeda of the Mets in overall WAR, but this was Bryce Harper’s night. Harper has shown in his short time in the majors that he has no intention of being sent back down. In order to understand the prodigious talent of Bryce Harper one only needs to look at the fourth inning of this game.

In the top half of the inning Justin Upton homered to lead-off the inning and tie the game. Kubel and Montero followed that up with back to back singles. The next batter Paul Goldschmidt would line the ball to Harper. It looked deep enough to score the runner but as Harper has done before he showed off his cannon of an arm on a throw to Wilson Ramos that held Kubel at third. Kubel would eventually score on a sac fly into the glove of Xavier Nady, but the bottom of the inning would belong to Harper as well.

After LaRoche and Nady made outs and Espinosa walked Harper would come to the plate. Facing Joe Saunders, a lefty who coming into this game led all of baseball in ERA, Harper would work the count full and then on the sixth pitch of the at bat he crushed a ball deep to right. Off the bat it had the sound and look of a homerun. It was high and deep looking for a moment like it may even be headed to the upper deck. The ball died in the air but got deep enough to ricochet off the out of town scoreboard. Espinosa would come around to score and Harper was now at second with two outs and Ramos at the plate.

The most underrated tool in Harper’s arsenal is his speed. In the second inning he had beaten out a swinging bunt for a single and now here he was on second when Ramos sharply hit a ball off of Aaron Hill that bounced into shallow left field. Harper didn’t hesitate one bit in rounding third and heading home. It looked like he would have been out had Montero held onto the ball but no one even expected Harper to try and score from second on an infield single.

The legend of Bryce Harper grew by leaps and bounds this evening and anyone that hasn’t seen him play in person yet should make sure they do. The only thing left for the Nats to do to make this night complete was to win. It is tough to have a coming out party when the home team loses. After Harper roped his second double of the evening off of the top of the out of town scoreboard Ramos and Ankiel would strikeout leaving the game in the hands of Ian Desmond.

Desmond has been aggressive at the plate all season having drawn only five walks. That approach has made Desmond at times a liability on offense because when his bat slumps Desmond doesn’t have the patience to continue to reach base. But on this evening the aggressive approach would pay off. Desmond took the third pitch he saw from JJ Putz and deposited it into the Diamondbacks bullpen in left-center field.

The evening was complete. The Nats had won and Harper ended up going 3-4 with two doubles, an RBI, and two runs scored as well as getting to once again show off his powerful throwing arm and a bit of range in centerfield. Harper is a rare talent. The type of player that has to be watched to be appreciated. The type of player who has the chance to do something amazing whenever he is on the field.

Forget the perfect season and World Series victory in 2008 for the Phillies. The most memorable image of Brad Lidge will always be him squatting on the mound with his head hung in shame as Albert Pujols admires the homerun he just sent over the train tracks in left. Brad Lidge has been a good closer for most of his career posting a 3.44 ERA in 600 innings pitched, but when it is all said and done or maybe even sooner people will remember him more for his failings than his successes.

This afternoon against the Marlins Lidge had another one of his failings. After getting ahead of Hanley Ramirez 0-2 Lidge was unable to throw another strike and ended up walking Ramirez in front of Logan Morrison who hit .247/.380/.427 with four homeruns in 108 plate appearances against the Washington Nationals coming into this afternoon’s contest, and it took him only two pitches from Brad Lidge to add a fifth.

Ramirez pumped his fist and signaled to the Marlins dugout as he rounded first but in the end it would be the Nats who would have the last laugh. After an uneventful bottom of the ninth and top of the tenth Ramos would lead of the Nats half of the tenth with a single. LaRoche in his first plate appearance of the afternoon after being double switched in would ground the ball to his counterpart Gaby Sanchez. Sanchez didn’t step on the first base bag and then rushed his throw to second. It sailed high and into center field and Ramos advanced to third with no outs.

That would bring Desmond to the plate. Earlier in the game Desmond crushed a homer over the Marlins bullpen for the first run of the afternoon. Desmond now found himself at the plate with the chance to be the hero. With the infield drawn in Desmond would foul off the first two pitches he saw with massive cuts before taking a ball. On the fourth pitch of the at bat Desmond drove the ball to center fielder Emilio Bonifacio. Ramos waited on third base as Bonifacio settled under Desmond’s drive and as soon as he caught it Ramos scampered home to score the winning run and give the Nats a 12-4 record on the season and 8-2 on the homestand.

Because of Lidge, Strasburg wasn’t able to come away with the victory but he was masterful once again. Pitching six shutout innings while scattering four hits and walk, and striking out six batters to bring his total on the season to 25 in 25 innings pitched. That is good enough to give Strasburg a 9.0 K/9 on the season which is a phenomenal number. An even more impressive number might be that Strasburg has allowed a total of three earned runs in his 25 innings pitched on the season which gives him a 1.08 ERA on the season.

As good as Strasburg was Anibal Sanchez may have been even better except for two pitches, one to Desmond and another to Werth, that both went for homeruns. Sanchez ended up pitching seven innings while giving up two runs on five hits with no walks and eight strikeouts.

The Nats will once again be going for a sweep in the final game of a series. They were unable to complete the sweep against the Reds or Astros but were able to win three in a row against both teams. After finishing up the series against the Marlins with Gio on the mound being opposed by Josh Johnson the Nats will fly out to San Diego and after an off day Monday will take on the Padres in a three game series.

It is almost the perfect formula for a vulture win. The starting pitcher, Jordan Zimmermann, pitched a masterful seven innings giving up only one run on four hits and no walks with three strikeouts. The Nationals once again weren’t going to make it easy on him as Jordan Zimmermann has given up a run in every one of his starts but only one, and before the eighth inning tonight the Nationals had scored exactly zero with Zimmermann as the pitcher of record.

That all changed in the bottom of the seventh when Ankiel hit a double after Jayson Werth had grounded out for the first out of the inning. During Ramos’ at bat the Astros pitcher, Lucas Harrell, balked to advance Ankiel to third with one out. Needing only a sacrifice fly to tie the game the Nationals poor situational hitting would continue with Ramos striking out. Roger Bernadina would pick up his teammates and tie the game by lacing a double into left.

In the top of the eighth Ryan Mattheus would come on from the pen with Davey Johnson not wanting to get into the habit of using Tyler Clippard every night. Mattheus would quickly allow a lead-off double to the catcher Jason Castro. Then he would get the next two outs on amazing plays by Ryan Zimmerman.

Marwin Gonzalez stood in the batters box with everyone knowing what he intended to do. The eighth inning of a tied ballgame is an instance where playing for one run makes since and Gonzalez was ready to bunt. What no one was ready for was that when he bunted it foul a hard charging Zim would quickly and effortlessly not only change directions but then lay out and snag the ball out of the air for the out.

The next batter Jose Altuve must have been just as surprised when he rocketed a pitch towards the left field line only to see a diving Zim pop up with the baseball. With Castro still at second and now two outs Mattheus would give up his third hard hit ball of the inning. Schafer would hit one to the right side of the infield though where a diving LaRoche couldn’t make the play and score the go ahead run. Mattheus would get the final out of the inning on a fly ball to Ankiel.

When Mattheus had entered the game the Nationals had just fought back to tie the game and suddenly they were down and Mattheus was in line for the loss, but all that was about to change. Nats fans should recognize the Astros. The 2012 Astros might be the closest thing there is to the 2009 Nationals. After just capturing their second one run lead of the game the Astros bullpen would give away the game.

Espinosa would lead off the inning with a walk and as any old baseball man will tell you, you never walk the lead-off batter. Zimmerman would then single through the hole between second and first. With two on and none gone Brad Mills would summon the lefty Wright from the bullpen to face LaRoche. Wright would get ahead of LaRoche 0-2 before allowing LaRoche to fight all the way back and draw the walk. Wright would exit the game without recording an out and Cruz would enter to face Werth.

Werth being the patient hitter that he is wouldn’t swing at the slop Cruz threw to him and ended up getting the RBI walk to tie the game. The Nats needed one more run to take the lead and still had three outs to work with. With the infield drawn in against the hard swinging Ankiel he would ground one back to the second baseman for the fielder’s choice force out at home. With one out and Ramos at the plate a fly ball would still give the Nats the lead and that is what Ramos delivered. It was his second chance of the night to come through in such a situation and this time he did.

Bernadina would then fly out to end the inning and Henry Rodriguez would make quick work of the Astros batters to end the game and give Mattheus a vulture win and the Nats their third victory in three games against the Astros and their sixth of this homestand. The Nationals will once again be going for their first four game home series sweep since moving to the Nation’s Capital when Edwin Jackson takes on Bud Norris tomorrow night.

Perhaps it was a harbinger of things to come when Tyler Clippard took the mound in the top of the 11th and then promptly fell down trying to deliver his first pitch. Clippard caught a spike and then spun to the ground without releasing the ball. On his next pitch he managed to release the pitch but it was a ball well off the plate. When everything was said and done Drew Stubbs stood on first after collecting a single off of Clippard. The next batter would pop a bunt into the air that Zimmerman would catch with an amazing diving play. One more batter would single before the Reds big threat, Joey Votto, would come to the plate with two on and one down with the score tied at 5-5 in the top of the 11th.

Votto who received a $200 million extension in the off-season demonstrated why he was worth it with a two RBI double to give the Reds the lead. Rolen would then single up the middle to give the Reds a final insurance run before handing the ball over to the shaky bullpen. Sean Marshall would allow the first two batters he faced in LaRoche and Werth to reach base via singles, but would retire the side to end the Nats threat and five game winning streak.

Before Clippard took the mound or Wilson Ramos stepped to the plate representing the final out this game was likely decided. In the first inning Ross Detwiler got in some trouble when Cozart singled off of him, but he was able to get Votto out which would bring Scott Rolen to the plate with two out and one on. Detwiler would induce a grounder to Ian Desmond and Desmond rifled a throw over to Adam LaRoche. LaRoche had to come off the bag in order to corral the throw but was able to get back to the bag in time to get the force play. However LaRoche also went for a tag on Rolen and the umps eyes may have been on the tag and missed the fact that LaRoche’s foot had found the bag.

After that missed call at first by umpire Mike Everett Jay Bruce would be the Reds batter. Bruce worked himself into a full count before taking a 3-2 slider that appeared to catch most of the plate. Home plate umpire Laz Diaz didn’t see it that way however and sent Bruce on his way to first to load the bases. Ryan Ludwick would then hit the seventh pitch of his at bat into the Red Porch for a Reds grand slam.

It is tough for a team to come back from being four runs down but the Nationals would do just that. They would rally for three runs in the fourth, another run in the fifth, and then tie the game in seventh. The Nationals should have scored more runs though. The Nationals offense has struggled this season with situational hitting. Coming into Sunday’s contest against the Reds the Nats had managed to plate a runner from 3rd with less than two outs just 30% of the time which is third worse in the NL.

In the bottom of the 4th inning with runners on 2nd and 3rd after mounting a rally that had pulled the Nats within three after an Adam LaRoche single had scored Ian Desmond and Danny Espinosa, Jayson Werth popped up. In the 5th inning after an Ian Desmond double scored Roger Bernadina to pull the Nats within one Danny Espinosa grounded out softly with the infield drawn in which failed to advance Desmond home who had advanced to third on the throw. If the Nats had managed to plate either of those runners then the outcome of the game could have been different.

The fact that the Nats were down 4-0 after the first and 5-0 after the top of the third and managed to come all the way back to tie the game and force extra innings should not be ignored. The Reds along with the Cardinals are the favorites in the NL Central. The Nationals took three of four from a good team, and made them work extra hard for that one win. There is a lot that can be debated about this game, but the one thing that cannot be might be the most important. If this Nationals can play with this much heart in all of their games then they will win more than they lose.

When Xavier Nady entered in the 8th inning of Friday night’s contest between the Nats and Reds it looked like the hard luck loser of the Nationals pitching staff, Jordan Zimmermann, was headed for another hard luck loss. The Nationals had scored nothing for Zimmermann as he pitched seven strong innings giving up 1 run on 3 hits and 2 walks with 3 strike outs. Nady would have none of it however as he rocketed a pitch over the wall of the Reds bullpen 377 feet away.

Nady’s entrance into the game was a lesson in managing 101 from Davey Johnson to Dusty Baker. With 1 out in the 8th inning Davey inserted Chad Tracy to face Bronson Arroyo. Wary of the lefty on righty match-up Dusty lifted Arroyo for former Nat Billy Bray who wouldn’t throw a pitch to Tracy as Davey immediately countered with Nady who made Dusty pay for not keeping up with the thought process of Johnson.

With the game tied chances would present themselves and both the Reds and Nationals would find ways to squander them. In the top of the 12th inning against Tom Gorzelanny Ryan Ludwick would lead-off with a double. The Reds would then send a pinch hitter Zach Cozart in to bunt. Cozart could not get the bunt down as he popped out to Wilson Ramos. Gorzelanny would then walk Hannigan before striking out Heisey and Stubbs to end the frame.

It was then the Nationals turn to bat and they would end up with just as much opportunity as the Reds. With 1 out Roger Bernadina would walk and steal second. Ramos would then hit what should have been a standard groundout to the shortstop, but Bernadina was in motion before Ramos swung and therefore didn’t just get to third and hope for a wild pitch. He tried to round third and head for home. When Cozart saw this he gunned the ball to third and Bernadina froze, turned and ran towards home, then back to third, and back home before being tagged out. And while Bernadina was doing all this running Ramos had ended up on third.

There were now two outs in the inning and although many of the fans had made their way through the exits that didn’t stop those that remained from audibly chanting for a wild pitch from Alfredo Simon. With the chants of wild pitch in the air and a 2-2 count on Lombardozzi Simon panted the inside corner and Lombo was called out on strikes.

This being Friday and 13th it is fitting that this game went into the 13th and it is fitting that Craig Stammen was the pitcher to start the 13th as he had carved up the Reds line-up the day before on just 10 pitches. Tonight he wouldn’t do quite that well as he would get Valdez to strike out on 4 pitches before giving up a single to Votto and then getting Rolen on 5 pitches and pinch hitter Brandon Phillips on 6. Stammen was once again marvelous and has now recorded his last six outs all via the strikeout.

For the bottom of the 13th the Reds would send Sean Marshall to the mound and he would not be sharp. After getting Desmond to ground out Espinosa would single and Zimmerman and LaRoche would walk setting up the final at bat of the game for much maligned Jayson Werth. With the infield and outfield drawn in Werth wasn’t to be denied in what was his third chance to walk this game off. With a 1-2 count Marshall threw Werth a curveball and he drove it back up the middle to score Espinosa from third and send the remaining Nats fans home happy with a 2-1 victory that sent the Nationals to 6-2 on the season.

This Spring Training Danny Espinosa struggled to the tune of .241/.302/.342 with 26 strikeouts in 79 at bats, and just as it looked like he was going to end the Spring on a good note things turned sour. With two outs and Desmond having walked and stolen second ahead of Espinosa’s single it looked like the Nats had either ended their last exhibition game in a tie or sent it to extra innings, but that was not to be as Desmond was thrown out at the plate by Jason Repko to end the game and give the Red Sox the hard fought 8-7 victory over the Nationals.

This last Spring Training game for the Nationals came with many twists and turns, but the biggest might have been what happened off the field. Around the third inning Davey Johnson informed John Lannan that he would not be getting on the plane headed to Chicago with the rest of the team. Instead John Lannan was sent to Syracuse. This decision was not made lightly and it wasn’t made because Lannan pitched poorly in the Spring. The decision was made because Ross Detwiler pitched that much better than John Lannan and had earned the fifth spot in the Nationals rotation.

With Wang starting the season on the DL Lannan was named the Nats fifth starter a week ago, but as it turns out the Nationals changed their minds and Ross Detwiler will open the season as the Nationals fifth starter. The Nationals are not a team unaccustomed to surprise roster moves in Spring Training. Last season Nyjer Morgan was declared the centerfielder multiple times before being traded away and the year before that the Nationals shocked their fans by cutting Elijah Dukes after Jim Riggleman had made a special effort to attend Dukes father’s funeral.

As John Lannan was absorbing the news of his demotion Edwin Jackson’s day was unraveling. Jackson started of the game by throwing three perfect innings before giving up two runs in the fourth and four in the fifth before being pulled for Sean Burnett. Down six to nothing in the bottom of the fifth the Nationals showed a bit of the fighting spirit fans grew to love in 2011 when Wilson Ramos hit a three run homer off of Red Sox starter Clay Buchholz who had his own perfect game going through his first four innings.

In fact the game started in a manner in which it looked like both teams couldn’t wait for Spring Training to be over and for the season to get under way. As the game stretched into the later innings and the runs piled up it started to look like neither team wanted Spring Training to end. The Nats fought all the way back to take the lead in the seventh inning off of a Steve Lombardozzi sacrifice fly that scored Wilson Ramos.

Wilson Ramos was the most productive Nationals at the plate going two for four with four RBI and two runs scored. It was good to see Ramos back in action at Nats Park after a tough off-season. The Nationals lead however was short lived as Ryan Mattheus entered the game. Mattheus had started the bottom of the seventh warming in the pen and by the time he entered the game he had cooled back down. Matthues surrendered a homer to the very first batter he faced, Daniel Nava, and a single to Kelly Soppach before retiring the final three batters he faced.

Henry Rodriguez would enter the ninth having given up zero runs in 11 previous appearances. The new strike throwing Rodriguez was on display for Nationals fans but the strikes he threw happened to be hit. Still the signs are encouraging as the typical H-Rod meltdown in 2011 would have come with a couple more walks and wild pitches mixed in with the singles and double down the line.

Spring Training would end in the bottom half of the ninth inning with Desmond taking a fateful turn around third base to be gunned down at home plate. There was some debate after the game as to whether Desmond was safe or not, but none of that matters now as the records reset to zero as Spring Training ends, and the Nationals are ready to start the games that matter in Chicago Thursday afternoon at 2:00 PM when Stephen Strasburg takes on Ryan Dempster at Wrigley Field.

In a week and a day Stephen Strasburg will take the mound at Wrigley Field as the Washington Nationals begin their quest to have the most successful season in franchise history against the Chicago Cubs. Everyone has expectations and if we listen to Davey Johnson, Stephen Strasburg, Drew Storen, and a few other Nationals then those expectations are for the playoffs. The big question is clear: is that is realistic? On paper, the Nationals have one of the better pitching staffs in the NL, and one of the weaker offenses. That formula has worked before, but can it work for the 2012 squad at Nats Park?

This past off-season, Mike Rizzo added Gio Gonzalez and Edwin Jackson while Stephen Strasburg and Jordan Zimmermann look to give the team more innings. Add this all up and it puts the Nats in a position they are unfamiliar with. This is a team after all whose last three Opening Day starters were Livan Hernandez, John Lannan (twice), and Odalis Perez. John Lannan is now opening the season as the fifth starter due to an injury to Chien-Ming Wang, Livan Hernandez is on the Astros, and Odalis Perez was last seen headed for parts unknown.

In order to figure out what difference this pitching staff is going to make from last season’s pitching staff let’s go to the numbers. In 2011, the Nationals used 11 starters for a combined Wins Above Replacement (WAR) of 10.7. Wins Above Replacement give you an idea of the strength of a player compared with a replacement level player which is defined as a player easy to acquire on waivers of through a call-up, it’s a good measure of how much talent you’re carrying. With 200-inning pitchers like Jackson and Gonzalez added to the mix the Nationals might not only get better production from their starters but also better health.

All of the various projections* have Edwin Jackson pitching at least 180 innings, and as many as 212, while they have Gonzalez pitching anywhere from 180 to 209. The only Nationals hurler who topped 180 innings in 2011 was John Lannan. Jackson is projected to be worth 3.3 WAR and Gonzalez 3.2. Those two additions combined are worth nearly 2/3 what 11 starters were worth for the 2011 squad.

Continuing through the rotation Jordan Zimmermann is projected to pitch more than the 160 innings he did last season and according to predictions that is going to be worth 3.7 WAR. The biggest addition the Nationals are making to their pitching staff isn’t a new face but a former top prospect and amazing talent returning from Tommy Johns Surgery. Stephen Strasburg is easily the biggest upgrade the Nationals will make to their rotation. Again going to the numbers and looking at the projections Strasburg is projected to pitch around 160 innings to a WAR of 5.1.

That projection might be a bit conservative.

In his previous 98 innings Stephen Strasburg pitched to a combined WAR of 3.7. If that is taken and expanded to over 160 innings that gives Strasburg a WAR of 6.1. If there is one thing that Nats fans have become accustomed to it is Strasburg defying expectations. For this little exercise in math it is always good to go with the conservative estimate as not to raise hopes too high.

IMG_8416
courtesy of NDwas

The Nationals will have a fifth spot in the rotation that will be manned by some combination of Lannan, Wang, Detwiler, and possible minor league call-ups. The average NL starter averaged 6.0 innings a start which works out to 972 innings for the entire season for the team. If it is figured that Gonzalez and Jackson will pitch 200 innings, Zimmermann 180, and Strasburg 160 then the Nationals need 232 additional innings to get to the 2011 NL average. John Lannan is projected to pitch 175 innings to a tune of a 1.4 WAR and Wang is projected to pitch 127 innings with a 1.4 WAR.

That gives the Nationals a total of 1,042 innings from six starters. As the Nationals are projected to be a better than average starting staff, an innings number better than average should be expected. The important number though is the WAR projection of 18.1 or 7.4 wins better than 2011. If the Nationals offense can be the same as it was in 2011 and the NL run environment stays the same then the Nationals pitching alone makes them close to a 90 win team.

On paper, the Nationals have a 90 win pitching staff and a 70 win offense. There are already a few issues that have begun to show themselves in Spring Training. Michael Morse and Adam LaRoche have been MIA over the last couple weeks and if they aren’t ready for Opening Day then the Nationals would start the season with Mark DeRosa at first and either Bernadina or Lombardozzi in left.

None of this means that the Nationals offense can’t improve in 2012. Remember in 2011 the Nationals missed LaRoche for most of the season, Zimmerman for 1/3 of the season, and Jayson Werth was a disappointment to say the least. As it currently stands, both Zimmerman and Werth look both productive and more importantly healthy in Spring Training. If Morse and LaRoche can get healthy and be ready for Opening Day or miss as little time as possible then the Nationals offense should be better in 2012.

The other half of the offense being better is the run environment around the league. In 2011 the run environment continued to be depressed from a year in 2010 that was called, “The Year of the Pitcher.” With the NL losing both Fielder and Pujols while adding pitchers Gonzalez, Jackson, Buehrle, Cahill, and Strasburg, as well as Wainwright returning from injury, the run environment in the NL should continue to be depressed, and offenses could struggle even more in 2012.

The one big addition to the Nationals that could help the offense more than anything is not an addition but a call-up, and I am not even talking about Bryce Harper. That big addition could be Steve Lombardozzi who can play three infield positions and in Spring Training has been used in the outfield in anticipation of being used as a super-sub during the regular season. Like Ben Zobrist in Tampa, it is possible that Lombardozzi could play a different position every day of the week.

This will accomplish two things that could impact and improve the offense. The regular starters will get a couple extra days off during the season in order to stay fresher and more importantly it will significantly limit the use of the dreaded Sunday line-up. By using Lombardozzi in this manner it would essentially replace and everyday bat with another everyday bat, and if Lombardozzi’s minor league batting line of .298/.369/.411 can carry over into the majors then that is an upgrade over every sub that Nats used in 2011. Even his spring line of .306/.327/.388 is better than the average NL sub was in 2011 with a combined batting line of .221/.293/.319.

fl-miami-marlins11b
courtesy of hottolenghi

The Nationals aren’t the only team in the NL East that improved. The Marlins made what might be the biggest upgrades of the off-season in anticipation of their move into a new stadium, and the Phillies and Braves are still very good teams despite recent injuries. All four of the presumed contenders in the NL East cannot all win 90 games and they certainly will not all make the playoffs. At least one of those teams is going to be a disappointment and there is a one in four chance it is going to be the Nats.

Every game in a 162-game season shares equal importance when it comes to deciding a team’s final record, but with the Phillies starting the season without Utley and Howard, and the Braves starting the season without Hudson and Chipper, it is important for the Nats to get out to a hot start, and their schedule makes this very possible. The Nats start the season against the Cubs and the Mets on the road and then come home to play the Reds, Astros, and Marlins as part of an 11-game homestand before hitting the road to finish out the month against the Padres and Dodgers. April represents a great opportunity for them to get a head start on their division competition.

When it comes right down to it I would much rather watch the season play out than put expectations on it. The numbers on the pitching staff and even on the offense say the Nationals should be better than last season, but how much better is up for some debate. If I had to put a number on it I would say the Nationals will win 86 games this season and could grab the second wild card depending on what teams like the Marlins, Braves, Giants, Rockies, and Reds do.

Lurking in the wings is Bryce Harper who might be the biggest X-factor that has ever existed for a team. Not only could he solve the Nationals center field situation but he could also give the team that big left-handed bat they need in the middle of their lineup. The Nationals lineup with Zimmerman, Werth, and Morse in the middle is very right handed heavy, and Harper would help to provide some balance. Trying to figure out what to expect from Harper is close to impossible, but his presence could change everything.

Washington Nationals relief pitcher Henry Rodriguez (63)
courtesy of Keith Allison

If this sounds like a lot of hope and optimism, it should. There aren’t many people out there who don’t think this will be the most exciting season in the brief history of the Washington Nationals. The pitching staff the Nationals put together is nothing short of amazing when looked at from the top of the rotation to the bottom of the bullpen. It is one of the strongest and deepest in the NL. Even if Storen starts the season on the DL the Nationals bullpen is deep enough to turn it into a 7-inning game.

Get ready Nats fans. The 2012 season is right around the corner and if there is one certainty in the crazy world of baseball it is that 2012 projects to be exciting for your Washington Nationals.

*All projections and stats courtesy of Fangraphs

The question most often asked when people talk about Edwin Jackson is why has he been on so many teams. The Nats will be Jackson’s eighth team in his nine year career, and the reason is simple. Jackson has never cost much and always had top of the rotation stuff with back of the rotation results. Every new team that gets him believes they can be the ones that can finally unlock all that potential and the team getting rid of him was just tired of waiting.

The interesting thing about the one year $10 million contract that Jackson signed with the Nationals is that it is in line more with Jackson’s results than his potential, and Jackson was more than willing to take a one year deal in order to have a career year and cash in next off-season. The late Hall of Fame manager Sparky Anderson once said, “Just give me 25 guys on the last year of their contracts; I’ll win a pennant every year.”

With Edwin Jackson the Nats get one highly motivated pitcher that can’t wait to prove his value to the world. The Nats rotation has a lot of ifs but those ifs have evolved a lot in the last few years. No longer are the Nats hoping for the health of John Patterson or Shawn Hill or that a surprise can be found among a bunch of minor league free agents. The Nats have a legitimate major league rotation, and perhaps something even better.

In 2011 eleven Nats starters combined for 928 2/3 IP and 10.7 WAR. The projected starting five of Strasburg, Zimmermann, Gonzalez, Jackson, and Wang project to pitch 889 innings with 16.4 WAR. That does leave a few innings to be picked up by Gorzelanny, Detwiler, Stammen, Maya, or Lannan if he isn’t traded, but the WAR value improvement even with just those five is almost six wins better than 2011. This would give the Nats a mid-80′s win total and put them in arms reach of a wild card if they can find any offense.

The Nats have yet to add that ever elusive center fielder, but there are a few simple ways in which the Nats offense could be better in 2012 than it was in 2011. The first and most important is for the Nats to get at least 140 games out of Ryan Zimmerman. In 2009 and 2010 Zimmerman was an over 7.0 WAR player and won the silver slugger for third basemen both seasons. In 2011 Zimmerman played 101 games and was worth 2.5 WAR if Zimmerman can return to being Zimmerman then that alone gives the Nats an increase of four to five wins.

Then there is the big free agent signing of December of 2010, Jayson Werth. Werth had a bad year in 2011, but improved in the second half under Davey Johnson. Johnson put Werth back in his customary five spot in the line-up and made an effort to work with Jayson on his swing. There were rumors out there that Riggleman had lost the clubhouse before he quit and one of the main players behind that was Jayson Werth. If Werth can improve even by one win it would help the Nats greatly.

The last major thing to go wrong for the Nats in 2011 was the Spring Training injury to the shoulder of Adam LaRoche. LaRoche has never been a great player but he has never been a bad one either. He is essentially a league average first baseman. He will hit 25 homers and get on base at a steady clip, but he isn’t going to blow anyone away with his power or on base skills. His biggest attribute is his defense at first base. Think of LaRoche in this way as to how he will improve the 2012 Nats; he is a better hitter than Nix and a better fielder than Morse, and all of that is worth roughly one win in the standings.

If even one of those three things happen in 2012 then the Nats offense will improve. If more than one of them happen then the Nats could surprise a lot of people. The addition of Edwin Jackson on his own doesn’t make the Nats contenders, but it adds to what they have already done this off-season. One of the biggest issues the Nats had with starting pitching in 2011 was innings pitched by starters. Too often the bullpen was being asked to get 10 to 12 outs. Edwin Jackson for his career has averaged 195 innings pitched a season and 5.99 innings pitched a start. Add this to the 200 innings that Gio Gonzalez is projected to give the Nats and it is easy to see the value Jackson brings to the Nationals rotation.

Many of you that frequent We Love D.C. know me as the writer for the Redskins, Nationals, and other sports, but in the day time and sometimes at nights I am a licensed Realtor in the state of Virginia with Weichert, Realtors. What we have in this area is a truly fascinating market. National interest rates are low and prices are still down compared to before the bubble burst. This area is more insulated than other parts of the country because of the number of jobs in this area with the federal government or connected to the government.

The market in this area is a lot healthier than in other parts of the country but due to perception and in many cases reality people are afraid to list their homes. That has caused the market absorption rate in most places in and around the nation’s capital to be right around two months. Some areas it is even under a month. The market absorption rate is the rate in which all current listings would go off the market if no more listings were added to the market. For example there are 33 active listings and 10 that are currently under contract in my zip code of 22033. This is better inventory than most of the area but it is still low and gives us a market absorption rate of 3.3 months.

A market absorption rate of five to six months of inventory is considered a fair market. Below that is considered a sellers market and above that a buyers market. Now when you hear that our current market is considered a sellers market that might not sound right. Prices are still down from their 2006 high, but there are more buyers out there than there are sellers due to the combination of low rates and low prices, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a good time to sell.

Of those ten homes in my zip code that are under contract their average days on market was 43.6 and four of those ten went off the market in under 20 days. Three off them went off the market in five days or less. There is the perception that money cannot be made by selling*, but if someone bought their home in the mid-90′s or before 2004 then they very well could be coming out ahead on their net sheet. The average home that sold in my zip code sold for 96% of list price with two of the fourteen going for full price or above.

*Even if someone is currently upside down on their mortgage they could look into renting their current home so that they can take advantage of the low interest rates and get into the new home they want.

I have written all this about why it isn’t just a good time to buy, but also to sell and haven’t even touched on what I intended to write about. Homes in and around D.C. are expensive, but the government wants to encourage people to buy, and with an increased number of buyers and low inventory that means demand will increase. Everyone knows what happens when demand increases.

One of the programs the government has to encourage home buying and development in rural areas is the USDA loan program. There are many areas that are considered part of the D.C. area that are eligible for this loan. For an eligibility map you can click here. I am not a financial person so I cannot speak to the fine points of the loan but the basic layout is it is a 0% down loan of up to $400,000. Now think of how much home that would get you in D.C. If you are a person that would rather have a longer commute and more home in a rural area then this might be the loan for you.

A $350,000 to $400,000 home in D.C. is on average a three bedroom home. Out in Haymarket for that price a person can get a four bedroom home with larger acreage and more square footage. The story in Gainesville and Fauquier County as well as the rural areas of Maryland are much the same and all those areas are appear eligible for the USDA loan. This is an attractive loan that many home buyers might not even be aware of.

Some people might think their is nothing to do in those areas. In some ways they are right, but Gainesville and Haymarket are both growing. Their are exciting entertainment and dining options like The Lion and Bull in Haymarket, and the Wegmans in Gainesville. If a person works in D.C. their morning commute could be an adventure but that is true no matter where you live in this area. No neighborhood or housing option is going to be for everyone, but these are options people should know they have.

The last thing to return after a downturn in the economy is consumer confidence. With low rates and low inventory demand for homes is high but consumer confidence is still low. Until that returns prices will remain down and those of us that happened to by in 2005 or 2006 will remain in trouble. The good news is that this area is ahead of the rest of the country and many believe that the Capital Region will lead the country back to a strong real estate market.

There is a lot more I could share with everyone. I haven’t even discussed the issues people can run into condo fees and how much not paying that monthly payment to the association could increase purchasing power or how around a third of a people that rent could buy, but simply aren’t educated enough to know this. An educated consumer is a good consumer and the people with the knowledge in the real estate industry aren’t doing a good enough job of getting the information to the public.

If you have seen anything here that does interest you or have further questions then please visit my business site at www.SuperNoVaReatly.com.

The Nationals missed out on Prince Fielder when the Tigers swooped in at the last minute to offer a 9 year $214 million dollar contract. That doesn’t mean the off-season is over and it certainly doesn’t mean Mike Rizzo is done trying to improve the Nats. Since the Nats failed to strengthen a weakness they have concentrated this off-season on strengthening their strength. The Nationals pitching staff last season allowed 3.99 runs a game which was seventh best in the NL, and had the sixth best ERA in the league at 3.58.

Breaking that down further the Nationals starters had an ERA of 3.80 and the relievers an ERA of 3.20. The National League average is an ERA of 3.94 for starters and 3.59 for relievers. As a whole the Nationals starters were 0.14 runs per nine innings better than league average and the relievers 0.39 runs per nine innings better. The entire Nationals pitching staff was above average in 2011, but the bullpen was the strength of the Nationals pitching staff.

The addition of Lidge is important as it adds depth to what already appeared to be a deep bullpen. If Lidge can remain healthy he adds yet another weapon to a Nationals bullpen that was already full of lethal pitchers. In trying to understand what this means for the depth of the Nationals bullpen it is fun to look at the best case and the worst case scenarios.

If everything works out perfectly then Storen and Clippard won’t miss a beat from last season, Henry Rodriguez will memorize the location of the strike zone, Brad Lidge will stay healthy and pitch like good Brad Lidge, and Sean Burnett will return to 2010 form. The worst case scenario is Storen and Clippard regress badly, Henry Rodriguez decides that every pitch should hit the bull, Brad Lidge can’t get healthy, and the real Sean Burnett was 2011 Burnett.

As with anything the truth is going to manifest itself somewhere in the middle. Not everything is going to go right and not everything is going to go wrong, but just looking at the two scenarios the best case seems closer to reality. In order for the best case to play out all that has to happen is for guys to be themselves. This best case scenario is a lot different than when Mike Rizzo took over in 2009 and the best case was that maybe the Nats find a closer out of the ragtag bunch Bowden assembled.

From the instant Mike Rizzo took over he has done a good job of improving the Nats bullpen. What was once the biggest weakness of the team is now one of its greatest strengths. Combining the improved bullpen with the health of Stephen Strasburg and Chein-Ming Wang and the addition of Gio Gonzalez the Nationals pitching staff might be one of the best in the game in 2012.

The improvement to the starting pitching when combined with the addition of Lidge should help the Nats bullpen to cut down on their league leading 28 blown saves. One of the issues the Nats faced in 2011 was starters not going deep enough into the game. With a top three of Strasburg, Zimmermann, and Gonzalez that should not be as much of a problem.

What will still be an issue is that the Nationals bullpen may very well still be protecting small leads. It is easier to blow a lead of only one or two runs than it is a lead that is greater. The Nats offense as currently constructed should be better than 2011 if LaRoche and Zimmerman can stay healthy and Werth and Desmond can build off their strong second halves, but that isn’t enough to make the Nats offense anything better than mediocre.

The Nats still have work to do to get the team ready for Opening Day and while this is already the best roster the Nats will put out on the field since they have been in DC it might not be enough to contend. 2012 should be a very fun year for Nats fans but true contention may not arrive until a certain big left handed bat arrives in and is fully acclimated to the major leagues.

Time moves much slower in the off-season. It hasn’t even been a month since the Nats traded Brad Peacock, Derek Norris, Tom Milone, and  AJ Cole for Gio Gonzalez and not Gonzalez has a fresh five year extension worth $42 million that includes two option years that could push the value to $65 million.

Since the trade went down Gio Gonzalez has expressed his happiness and desire to win with his new team. This is a deal that give Gonzalez long term security and the Nats a team friendly deal if Gonzalez pitches to expectations. If Gonzalez improves on his walk rate like many young strikeout lefties have in the past then his average value of $8.4 million a year will look like a bargain.

CJ Wilson in his first year of starting walked an AL leading 93 while striking out 170. Last season Wilson lowered his walk total by 19 to 74 and his ERA dipped from 3.35 in 2010 to 2.94 in 2011. In 2009 Clayton Kershaw walked 91 then lowered that to 81 the following season and finally got it all the way down to 54 in his Cy Young winning 2011 campaign. If Gio Gonzalez can make the same type of improvement then his new contract will make Mike Rizzo and the Nats look very smart.

The news of Gio Gonzalez’s extension comes as a surprise as many Nats fans have been watching and waiting for the Prince Fielder rumor mill to churn out something substantial. Scott Boras has engaged in this type of staring contest with teams before. He did it with Matt Holliday and the Cardinals in 2009/2010, Adrian Beltre and the Rangers in 2010/2011, and Manny Ramirez and the Dodgers in 2008/2009. The Manny Ramirez contract wasn’t signed until March 4th. While it is expected that a resolution to the Fielder drama will come sooner Boras has a history of waiting teams out.

People joke about the clandestine operations of Mike Rizzo and the Nats but there wasn’t even a whisper of a Gonzalez extension until the Nats sent out the press release. The average value of $8.4 million a year already looks like a value if Gonzalez can continue to be who he has been the previous two seasons. There are concerns about him moving out of a pitcher friendly park in Oakland to a neutral park in DC, but that could be offset by no longer having to face a DH.

For the past two seasons Gonzalez has pitched to a 3.2 and 3.5 WAR level respectively and is projected to be worth 3.2 WAR in 2012. That places his current estimated value at around $15 million a year. By signing this contract now Gonzalez gets long term security in case of injury, which is all too common for pitchers, and the Nats have potential to not just get a bargain but an outright steal.

The Gonzalex extension comes at a time when the entire baseball world is waiting on Fielder and it gives Nats fans a little something to talk about while everyone awaits to next Nats’ move which could come as soon as later this week. There are thoughts that Fielder’s destination hinges on whether or not the Rangers can secure the services of Yu Darvish and that decision must be made by Wednesday the 18th at 5:00 PM EST. Stay tuned for this could either be a busy or disappointing week for the Nats.

Lamont Peterson winning the WBA and IBF light-welterweight titles in DC was big news when it happened, but not the ongoing controversy threatens to overshadow what was a great fight. Yesterday there was a press release from the Peterson camp responding to the accusations of Amir Khan that the fight should be overturned and was not a fair fight. The way Khan tells it it should have been clear to anyone in attendance that he not only won the fight but that he dominated. That was not the fight I saw.

The fight I saw could have gone either way and was extremely closely contested. Both fighters fought a great fight and it is a shame that this controversy has drug on. If Khan had filed the protest and kept his mouth shut then he could still come out of this looking good, but at this point he is starting to look like a sore loser who might not want to get back in the ring with Peterson. If Khan feels he is such a superior fighter to Peterson he will work to smooth things over and get a rematch as soon as possible and prove his ability in the ring.

As a fan of the sport this type of controversy and insistence to have the decision of a sporting event play out in a courtroom is frustrating. The Khan/Peterson fight was one of the best the sport has seen in a long time. Boxing needs less controversy and more fighters willing to challenge the controversy in the ring and not the courtroom. Below is the press release from Lamont Peterson’s trainer Barry Hunter in its entirety.

Statement of Barry Hunter

Unfortunately, we are in this process of dealing with these unfounded protests. It would

be an understatement to characterize Lamont as being disappointed in the

unprofessional manner in which Khan is attempting to discredit his performance in the

ring and victory. We were raised to conduct ourselves where Champions display

professionalism, both in victory and defeat. Lamont previously tasted defeat and handled

it the way it should be handled – - he worked harder on areas that needed improvement

to maximize his performance in the ring. Now, he is World Champion.

Khan blames everyone and everything but his performance and lack of ability to make

adjustments in the ring for his loss. He claims that the Ring Announcer privately stated

he won, then that the referee’s discretionary actions should be overruled, then a mystery

man in a black hat with no association to the Peterson Camp somehow affected the

outcome of the bout, and also that the judges did not score the Bout correctly.  Each

claim is boldly false, but because Golden Boy and Khan have the financial resources to

file protests and lawyers to create questionable accusations we are forced to address

these issues. .We will not let these foul tactics take away from Lamont’s hard work,

dedication and monumental victory. Furthermore, since Khan continues to focus on a

man at ringside I want to be very clear– Mustafa Ameen is in no way, nor has he ever

been affiliated or associated with anyone within Team Peterson. That includes myself,

Lamont and Anthony Peterson.

If the media reports are true, the WBA President personally believes there should be a

direct rematch of the fight. This was oddly stated before an official review had taken

place, as well as an official response or decision from the WBA review committee had

been presented regarding the various protests and our formal submission. That makes

me wonder what procedures were actually followed before the WBA President made

these public statements? The Rules should be followed by everyone.

Khan complains that the referee’s decisions should be overturned even though he

continued to push Lamont throughout the fight. We believe the knockdown against

Lamont was questionable but the rules give the referee that discretion on that call and

we respect it.

When Zab Judah filed protests for Khan’s repeated low blows in their July 2011 bout

Golden Boy and Khan argued that a referee’s decisions should be honored. Now,

Golden Boy and Khan are flip flopping on the referee’s decision when it’s not favorable

towards them not the actions of a true champion.

Immediately following our bout Golden Boy and Khan requested a meeting among us

with the sanctioning organizations and the Boxing Commission. When we left the

meeting Oscar De La Hoya, Bernard Hopkins and I agreed with the commission that the

scorecards were correct and Lamont won the fight. Real Champions don’t continue to

come up with various excuses and false accusations in hopes that something will stick to

cover up for a loss.

The bottom line is that after we decided not to accept Golden Boy’s offer for a rematch

only days after the fight and said that Lamont wanted to enjoy the Holidays with his

family and have time to make the best decision for his career and the future of his family;

they started filing protest letters and trying to spin the media as some form of retaliation.

If the media reports are true, then the actions of a few will put every close decision in

boxing in jeopardy of being overturned. We will not let that happen.  We will continue to

fight for what is just and proper.

Barry Hunter

At the end of the first half the Redskins had the chance to get on the board after being handed a gift of a possession after a Brian Orakpo sack led to a fumble recovery by Perry Riley deep in Eagles territory. The Redskins couldn’t help but be the Redskins though. The first issue came on a incomplete pass to Santana Moss were he was in the belief that the defender deserved to be called for pass interference. Unable to keep his emotions in check he ripped off his helmet to better scream at the officials. It resulted in a fifteen yard penalty and a loss of down.

The Redskins still had time, but not much and were out of timeouts. Rex Grossman either needed to throw the ball into the end zone or out of bounds. He did neither and completed a short pass over the middle. The kicking unit had to scramble onto the field to attempt a last second field goal. They never made it and the half ended in the most Redskins fashion that it could.

The entire season has been one of disappointment, but would it have felt that way without the 3-1 start. The Redskins weren’t predicted to be good at anything. They were thought to be a 2-14 team that would be in the running for Andrew Luck. They have been better than that, but not by much. It is hard to call any of the Redskins wins flukes and they had a few loses that could have been wins. The Redskins were not an unlucky team during the season, but if luck had been on their side in those games they could have finished 8-8.

Better luck and a better record doesn’t change the number of holes they have to fill, and it might have made it slightly harder. As it stands the Redskins appear to have the sixth overall pick in the draft, and with the biggest need being quarterback they should be able to get one.

Against the Eagles all the Redskins strengths and weaknesses were once more on display. When a quarterback gets protection against the pass rush of the Redskins the secondary is not hard to pick apart. The Redskins need a shutdown corner back that can take a team’s top receiver out of the game. 

The Redskins defense is a lot better than it was in 2010, and needing a shutdown corner is improvement over where the Redskins ended last season. The Redskins front seven is good and most will be returning. the contract of London Fletcher is up in the air, but few people believe he will end up anywhere but back with the Redskins.

The Redskins biggest off-season need besides quarterback is a big wide receiver who can catch passes in traffic. Not enough was seen of Hankerson to know if he could be that guy. It is still an area of weakness though and it is one the Redskins should look to solve by trading for or signing a known quantity. The Redskins have been trying to draft a wide receiver for what feels like forever and it might just be time to give in and pay for one.

Most of the other Redskins needs can be filled through the draft and with the sudden emergence of Evan Royster, who once again rushed for over 100 yards, and Roy Helu the Redskins backfield situation is no longer the mystery it was to begin the season. The Eagles exposed all the weaknesses of the Redskins, but they also let them display their few strengths. This final game of the season should drive home the point of what the Redskins needs are in the off-season. It is now a wait and see to find out how and if those holes are filled.

If you have made it to this point in the Redskins season then it might feel like you deserve a prize. It is unfortunate that there is no prize given out to Redskins fans that make it all the way to the end of the season. Perhaps they have bragging rights, but that is like bragging about eating all of Aunt Briana’s rotten green bean salad at Christmas dinner.

The fans aren’t the only people to make it to the end of the season. The Redskins players have as well, or at least some of them. There are quite a few Redskins that won’t be playing in this game; Cooley and Landry and others are hurt, Fred Davis and Trent Williams would have played but then they got high, and Ryan Torian has been cut. The Redskins that are playing will be ready to play and have more to prove than an Eagles team that was picked to run away with the NFC and couldn’t even manage to make the playoffs.

The Redskins are playing for next year. This season was about finding football players and for the most part the Redskins have done that. They look like a team with a good base that is a few star players away from being a good football team. The entire front seven has been impressive on the pass rush sacking opposing quarterbacks 39 times which is in the top ten in the NFL. They need some work on stopping the run as opposing teams have averaged 120.6 yards a game against them, but they have the personnel to be able to improve on that. Remember this is a team that ranked next to last in defense in 2010.

The last time the Redskins played the Eagles the defense wasn’t the problem. They did struggle at times to stop Vick, but Vick would have spent more time on the sidelines and had a longer field if it wasn’t for Rex Grossman’s four interceptions. Rex Grossman is another player that might think he needs to prove himself this weekend, and while it is true that Grossman is a known quantity he still isn’t a very good one. After this game the Redskins will know where they are picking in the draft and have some idea if a quarterback will be available to them or not.

The Eagles have been effective at stopping the pass and have allowed the 8th fewest yards per game in the NFL averaging 210.0 yards allowed a game. The Redskins strength in the last few weeks has been their running game and it hasn’t mattered if it was Roy Helu or Evan Royster who has carried the ball. The last time the Redskins played the Eagles the Eagles were struggling to stop the run, and now that has changed. The Eagles now rank in the top half of the league allowing 111.4 yards a game.

In order to beat the Eagles the Redskins defense is going to have to play better than they did against the Vikings. LeSean McCoy might not be Adrain Peterson but he is still very good and has averaged 4.8 yards an attempt, and can also catch the ball out of the backfield and has averaged 21.0 yards a game receiving. Combining the running prowess of McCoy with the unpredictability of Vick makes the Eagles offense a dangerous one.

The reason that the dream died in Philly is because of mistakes, and with a season full of disappointment for the Eagles it is questionable on how prepared they are for this game. When the Giants won against the Jets last weekend the death of the Eagles playoff chances was official. Their season ended last week. The Redskins have more to prove in this game. The Redskins are playing for next year and some Redskins are playing for their jobs. This is a winnable game for the Redskins and if the Eagles aren’t ready to play it becomes even more winnable. Of course the Eagles could be angry and just want someone to beat up on. If that is the case then the Redskins are in for another long day.

There are a lot of plays in from the Vikings 33-26 defeat of the Redskins that sum up how the game went. It was a game of mistakes for the Washington Redskins. The Redskins had a Rex Grossman fumble that led to a Vikings field goal, a off-sides call on a Vikings punt that led to a Vikings touchdown, allowing a two play scoring drive after taking the lead in the third quarter, retaking the lead and subsequently allowing another quick Vikings scoring drive, the holding call on what should have been a Brandon Banks touchdown run, and worst of all immediately following that with a Rex Grossman interception leading to a Vikings field goal.

Saturday against the Vikings was the first time in a long time the Redskins had been favored to win a game. It was a competitive match-up between two defenses that seemed completely unable to stop offenses that are not highly regarded. The biggest issue for the Redskins came when Joe Webb entered the game. All season long the Redskins have been unable to stop running quarterbacks. Two of the Redskins defense’s worst performances came against Cam Newton and Michael Vick.

Joe Webb was able to run all over the Redskins and when he needed to complete a pass he did. The Redskins secondary and linebackers were confused as to whether to come up to stop a scramble or to drop back into coverage. Too many times they were caught in-between on a either a run or a pass.

The third quarter was the decisive quarter in the game and it is where most of the Redskins breakdown’s occurred. After a Grahm Gano field goal gave the Redskins the lead the defense should have been ready for a shutdown performance. With Adrain Peterson on the sidelines Toby Gerhart was given the ball and rushed up the field for a 67 yard gain that placed the ball on the Redskins eight yard line. On the very next play Joe Webb took the ball himself and ran it in to give the Vikings the lead.

Rex Grossman was able to lead the Redskins back and completed a four yard touchdown pass to Jabar Gaffney to cap off a six play drive for the Redskins. Once again needing to shutdown the Vikings the Redskins defense took the field and allowed Toby Gerhart, Joe Webb, Percy Harvin, and Lorenzo Booker to all run it down their throats as the Vikings scored another quick touchdown on a five play drive that featured no passes.

There were positives for the Redskins in this game. Since the season began the make-up of the offensive line has changed drastically. Rex Grossman now has time to go through his progressions and Redskins running backs have had more 100 yard rushing games in the second half of the season than the first. Evan Royster was the man carrying the ball on Saturday with Roy Helu out for precautionary reasons. Royster rushed for 132 yards on 19 carries and looked dominant at times.

In the early part of the season the Redskins would play a team that had allowed an excessive number of rushing yards and then be completely unable to run the football due to the lack of push by the offensive line. That has all seemed to change and between Helu, Royster, and a returning Hightower the Redskins running game could set-up nicely for the next few seasons.

The biggest problem the Redskins have had all season long is offensive turnovers. Even with Rex Grossman looking more competent and putting more points on the board he still turns the ball over. If Grossman doesn’t fumble or throw an interception in this game there might have been a different outcome. Those are six points that come off for the Vikings and who knows what would have happened if the Redskins had not lost those offensive opportunities.

The Redskins have shown progress as the year has gone along. The off-season is close at hand and it will be interesting to see what moves are on their horizon. Next years Redskins shouldn’t look much different from this years Redskins especially with the high probability of a new quarterback learning to run the offense and work at NFL speed. There is one more game left for the Redskins this season and it happens to be against the team they played when their season fell apart.