Our Hero

I don't care if this is true or not, but I'm glad he is staying topical.  I'll be looking to match up with him next month.

Post 300

Is huge as Wil Nieves is doing EVERYTHING to help get Lannan back on track tonight. Career Bomb #4!

Injuries Piling Up

This is where the Nationals are exposed, when one or two injuries can really hamstring them. Olsen's absence can be manipulated via travel days, and the Nats may not even need the fifth starter until June 4th.

The literal back-breaker may be Pudge, if he is out more than a couple weeks. He calls a far superior game to the three catchers who took turns last year, and is an above-replacement hitter. The time off may actually be beneficial to him, as his performance at the plate was starting to swoon. He cannot be expected to catch more than 4 times a week without showing the wear and tear of having been in the bigs since 1991.

Wil is a serviceable backup, but should be trusted for more than two starts per week without stalling the lineup. Remember, with the pitcher's spot, Nyjer, and Guzman, the Nats have four batters in a row good for not much more than singles. Not having a viable offensive catching option in the system is disappointing and something the organization really must have planned for, but where is that plan now?

BOMBS AWAY!!

Off Chris Carpenter, no less. Considering Lannan gave up the hanging meatball to Felipe Lopez, of all people, I'd consider this the Twilight Zone.

Time to wake up and start retiring some hitters, Clip.

I'll Take AAA Lineups for 500, Alex... Looks Like a Daily Double!

The Nats top 4 much of the night looked like this:
Nyjer Morgan
Willie Harris
Cristian Guzman
Alberto Gonzalez

Yet 9 innings later, the Nationals walk away with a 5-3 victory. The game ball tonight goes to our boy Wil, despite his inability to catch any of the Brewers' base stealers tonight. Slappy got it started with a slap to the gap and scoring later, then tacked on the insurance run with a poke to left. Everything you could want from the backup backstop. Adam Kennedy did spark the comeback, and Josh Willingham continues to do his best Ted Williams, but John Lannan finally got comfortable and pounded the bottom of the strike zone, recording 16 ground balls to just 3 balls, mixing in 5 strike outs just to keep the fielders fresh.

A good way to start the home stand.

The Beast Awakens...

Blogspot has apparently been blocked by my place of work, making it more difficult to post timely responses.

Gotta love the Winter Meetings

The Nationals filled one of the openings on their roster at catcher by replacing Josh Bard with Ivan Rodriguez, and opened another by trading for Brian Bruney.

Let's start with Pudge. The value for the deal is fine, but the truth of the matter is that he isn't here to push Wil out; he is in as insurance for Jesus Flores. If Flores can't make it back for the start of the season, a viable (although below average) 1-2 punch behind the plate exists. Nieves could probably move on, but is still a good clubhouse presence and the team. Rodriguez does not offer much of an offensive upgrade over Nieves (and I could easily extrapolate that he will be worse), but the biggest weakness the Nats had behind the plate in 2009 was experience. The pitchers were not well managed, baserunners were able to run at will, and there was no major league credibility off of which to build confidence.

The pressure is going to still be on Flores to match his hot 2008 start, and Rodriguez represents a mentor, not competition. The Nats probably could have driven a harder bargain, but losing out on Pudge and bringing in a younger backup represents pressure.

The Bruney trade will be covered later, as it reveals more about the philosophy of the front office moving forward.

Going, Going... GONE!!!

And the citizens rejoiced, alcohol was consumed in vast quantities.

Jest, we know, Garrett Mock pitched OK, but Wil hit a bomb!

Hooked Just Foul

Wil got ahead of an Ollie Perez fastball and JUST missed a bomb to left. He has mastered the blistering slap to right, though. Is it about time he inherited the nickname "Slappy"?

You May Not Have Known Who Wil Nieves WAS..

...but you know who he is NOW!!

The 3-2 Changeup...

Whoever called the pitch should be more accountable than whoever threw it. Trevor Hoffman may not have been able to get his HOF change by Ortiz there.

Much has been made about Ortiz' diminished skills. He didn't suddenly time travel back to 2004. He is the same hitter with the same bat speed from April and May, he has just made a couple of adjustments to his pitch selection and approach. This has allowed him flip a couple into the stands at Fenway, only one of which was "well hit" (y'know, Adam Dunn-style). But the one thing that had him failing before was guessing on fastballs. Stammen needed to continue to pitch the fastball low and away, where Ortiz' slow bat would have no choice but to defend. The changeup gave him a chance to attack, which he did with his first road bomb of the season. It was arguably the best ball Ortiz has hit all season, and all the more reason to believe it was a horrible, horrible mistake.

Wil at SportsZone Tomorrow

High Noon.

I think tomorrow wil be a mobile lunch.

Why Wil Nieves?

And why are we passing time between his home runs?

Honestly, the first game I saw at Nats Park was this Bad Jackson. It was great, because I was mocking the Cubs for bringing in Howry, then our hero struck a massive blow about two minutes later, leaving me saying, "Wil Nieves? That guy NEVER hits home runs!"... fireworks were had by all. It wasn't until I got home that I realized that was indeed his first career home run. In fact, the Nats sport a sweet 6-0 record in games that I attend, and a slightly less than sweet 66-135 when I do not attend (OK, 35-62 in home games). Apparently the organizational cure-all isn't to fire anyone... just give me season tickets.

Wil has dropped 51 balls over the fence in the minors, so it isn't as if he cannot do it. And he almost came up Ron Jeremy-huge in the 8th inning Monday night. Hence, as the team moves forth during 2009, and I continue to pick apart every decision and booted play, remember that Wil may strike at any time and fireworks will be had.

All Star Picks... NL C

I decided to change up the order here, as the Nationals offense is really struggling and this is one of the reasons why.

Catcher: The National League has watched breakout candidates Russell Martin and Geo Soto struggle to start the season. There have been two catchers who have hit the ball consistently and with authority: Brian McCann and Jesus Flores. Their offensive numbers are similar in almost every category, though the Nationals pitching woes have affected Flores defensive numbers. Head-to-head, McCann gets the nod now for the all-star pick, though it should be noted that since Flores and Dukes went on the DL for the Nationals, offensive production has collapsed like a house of cards.

Flores should make immediate contributions as soon as he is off the DL. Our boy Wil, despite the average, doesn't scare opposing pitchers, and Bard is still clearly AAA material. Jesus Flores looks like a legitimate threat if he can continue to draw walks and hit for modest power. The 134 OPS+ is probably a temporary mirage, but 120+ over the course of a season is outstanding for a catcher hitting 6th.

Section 130

One of our contributors here at the bombs, F. Leesburgh Pike, a native of Fairfax County and owner of several large tracts of land around the area, happened to get these shots at the game last Wednesday.







The contributions are much appreciated.

Wil also had a nice deep shot last night, but came up about eight feet short. Six more feet and he may have gotten the Sheffield treatment.