Game Diary, 6/5, vs Cincinnati

Blogger Day at the Park. Pictures and analysis to follow tomorrow.




7:05: And the first boo of the game goes to... Joe West! And they haven't played anything off his album yet.

7:08: E-5... let's hope this isn't a pattern.

7:12: Wait, Joey Votto is Canadian? This explains that whole anxiety thing last year. He responds by smacking a double down the line... Cabrera scores the unearned run.

7:17: Wil makes a nifty catch along the dugout rail, minimizing the damage. Atilano could be in for a long night if he can't keep the ball low.

7:21: Guzman hustles down the line, denying Cabrera of a great first out... these are the types of plays he HAS to make to stay in the lineup.

7:22: Plush pops up a bunt, nearly makes it a twin killing, then slams a couple water bottles in the dugout... not sure how to interpret this development.

7:27: Nats strand two as Hammer rips a full count fastball a little too deep to center. Listach held Guzman on Dunn's rip to the corner, despite a poor throw toward second by Jay Bruce. Could have been tied, but the Nats go conservative early.

7:34: Textbook 6T-3 double play turned by Desmond. The guy has range.

7:40: Bernadina wastes a lead off single by trying to steal against Hernandez, on a fastball, no less. Desmond singles on the next pitch.

7:43: Mike Leake went straight to the Reds after being drafted last season... he leads off this inning, batting .381. Now he is batting .409.

7:50: Wait... is Billy Hatcher the Reds' first base coach?

7:55: Flippin Pizza may be the new kid on the concourse, but Nyjer brings back Slice Down the Line for a standing double... he hasn't had many of those this season and seems to feed off his own success, and drown in failures.

7:57: Press box doesn't give the best view for ball/strike judgments.

7:59: Storms looming... stay tuned.

8:18: Back from the production room... Teddy did not win.

8:19: And Mike Leake is now hitting .435... the "hitting pitcher" philosophy is a debate for another time.

8:21: Leake scores on a meatball blistered by Cabrera. Atilano has escaped unscathed up until now, but Votto is likely to come up with a RISP.

8:25: Don't understand the pick off posturing... get the second out at the plate!

8:28: Clutch effort rebounding to retire Phillips weakly and Votto swinging.

8:30: Looks like they filled out to 28K or so. Even the Presidential (the seats, not the vodka) looks populated.

8:31: Ugh... Slappy with another weak infield ground out, followed by some good work by Votto on a foul pop. Very impatient right now, and actually surprised Atilano hit given the quick hook some of the pitchers have been shown

8:32: 5 pitch inning.

8:34: Of course Zim makes that play... of course.

8:36: Even at second base, it appears Guzman just doesn't move as well to his left as he does his right. There must be a stat for this.

8:41: Epic at bat here by Bruce... must be the tenth pitch.

8:42: A beauty to end the inning, strike out-throw out on the five hundredth pitch of the at bat. Great job by Wil sticking with the play despite nearly getting decapitated by the previous foul tip with the runner going.

8:45: And the last four batters have seen six pitches.

8:49: Willingham comes up to "Your Love"... good things can only follow.

8:50: Pat Listach gets an ovation for flashing some of his defensive prowess from days of yore.

8:53: Bernadina takes three straight borderline pitches... the box is in shock Joe West didn't ring him up just for the sake of ringing him up.

8:54: The sixth pitch destroys his bat, but Votto mishandles the ball as ash falls to the earth around him. Zim scores from second. This is Desmond's bread and butter... but he chases to out of the zone and grounds out weakly to third.

8:58: 2-1 in the seventh... in other words, Nationals Baseball!

8:58: Absolutely stunned Atilano is still in the game. 107 pitches and counting... Leake on deck.

9:02: Hernandez down again. 78 strikes on 112 pitches. Huge effort from the rookie. And he retire Leake on a well struck to second. Arguably one of the three best starting performances this year, Livo's shutout and Olsen's near no-no withstanding. (Final count- 114 pitches, 80 strikes)

9:05: One of the dugout dancing girls just bitch-slapped another... highlight of the night.

9:07: Attendance listed at 23K... I was a little off.

9:07: I know Willie was brought in to face the righty, but Morse was crushing the ball in BP. Doesn't that play into the decision making?

9:10: Errant throw between innings clocked a fan in the first row... medical staff on the scene.

9:12: Cabrera absolutely crushes a ball to left-center, second hanger he has seen tonight.

9:14: Long conference to get Burnett warm to face Votto.

9:16: More posturing toward the runner at second. Are the Reds known for stealing third?

9:18: Phillips puts a two-strike pitch up the middle... not Walker's finest hour.

9:20: Burnett comes out of the pen to Whitesnake. Last season, "Here I Go Again" would be taken in completely different context regarding the bullpen.

9:23: Phillips dead to rights at third base trying to take two on the wild pitch, but Desmond called for baseline interference? I didn't see any contact or attempt to impede the runner... Riggleman gets tossed arguing the play. Votto completes the disaster by drawing a full count walk from 0-2.

9:28: Desmond comes home instead of turning two. With Scott Rolen hitting and Phillips on third, the play was to concede the run and turn two. Phillips destroys Nieves at the plate with a forearm shimmy and he loses the ball. Phillips shows everyone up after the play and will likely see a ball in the back tomorrow.

9:31: Single, 5-1. Not a storybook finish right now, as the error count is at three again.

9:41: Old-ass Arthur Rhodes in to work Morgan and Dunn around Zimmerman... 0.39 ERA on the season.

9:44: Predictably, the inning starts K-BB. It's up to Dunn to extend this one.... not even close on the slider, though. 1-2.

9:46: GIDP... no chance to be saved by the Hammer.

9:48: Is there any excuse for this game to be pushing three hours?

9:51: Slick move from Billy Hatcher, dissing the kids fighting over the foul ball and flipping it elsewhere.

9:53: Zim sticks with it and makes a good throw... nice to see his focus late in a mostly over game.

9:54: And there is the plunking!! Apparently Joe West did see Phillips trash talking and knew it was coming, because the ejection was immediate. He has now tossed 4 Nats in two games... what are the chances Wil moves for a pitchout on a fastball down the middle?

9:56: Slaten in to face Votto... I think the Nats are getting ready for tomorrow, as the bullpen is getting thin.

9:57: "And Miguel Batista was ejected from the game... for those who didn't notice." The Nats won't be supporting Joe West's upcoming tour.

10:01: Always a fielding adventure with Adam Dunn.

10:09: Two-out single by Desmond. No pitch hitter for Nieves, which is a little short-sighted. Kennedy should hit for him, then Morse for the pitcher. A rally is unlikely, but much less likely with Nieves taking cuts. I know they don't want Burke to get into the game, but how likely was that scenario?

10:11: Strikeout, game over. Three games this week of three errors. Apparently they do come in threes.

Tuesday Game Diary

Hadn't had a chance to either write, nor sit down and watch much baseball period, so I decided to do a running diary. I will try to collect some thoughts over the next few days and weigh in on the team's mirage second place standing.

7:12: Ugh... there is a instance for the head-first slide into first base, but that is not it. The only way Plush beats that is if the ball is dropped, and that only adds the injury risk.

7:13: Nice walk by Guzman... and the announcers are all over it. May 11th and that is #4 on the year.

7:15: Heady baserunning by Guzman, runners on the corners, 1 out.

7:16: Pop fly to right... and it's a home run! Killer instinct from Dunn, sitting fastball all the way on 3-0, and that is now the score.

7:20: Though it was a ball, great first pitch from Olsen. Nice downward plane, low and away.

7:23: Olsen getting in the umps ear after a great first inning... this guy is never satisfied.

7:29: Never a fan of the sac bunt with an out. Especially when the next batter has the hitting skill set of Nyjer Morgan.

7:32: Yes! Dibble is talking about Pushing Tin.

7:32: Great at bat from Morgan.

7:34: Another walk from Guzman.... Holy Crap!

7:37: Disappointing at bat from Zimmerman, not sure what seemed off. He hit the crap out of the ball.

7:43: Ouch... rocket off Olsen's ankle... can't imagine that will not affect him.

7:45: Great work turning two.

8:02: Another timely double play to get out of the inning. Olsen has kept the ball low and gotten out when he needed them.

8:08: Another base hit for Taveras... it must be Opposite Day or something.

8:22: Just when it looks like Olsen is going to crack, he gets a much needed strikeout of an overmatched Ike Davis.

8:23: No, the Rays did not break any unwritten rules during the perfect game... this is a bs media controversy. The game was in the 5th inning. If it's the 7th inning, maybe we have an argument.

8:25: And Olsen rolls on, turning the double play himself to get out of the inning, punching out Francouer as well. Still a long way to go, but clearly the Mets offense is a little stale.

8:30: 3-0 to Zimmerman... Dunn will likely be Niese's last hitter, barring a double play.

8:31: Righty in the Mets pen.

8:33: Adam Dunn can be downright frustrating to watch... what percentage of his K's are inverted?

8:37: Pudge delivers, buying Olsen and and the bullpen an extra inning or two. With a large lead, Riggleman has the option to extend Olsen to 110+ pitches, or roll out a low-leverage guy and rest Burnett, Clippard, and Capps. Olsen is hot, so it wouldn't be a bad idea to ride the hot arm... it won't stay hot forever.

8:40: Good point... on-base percentage, or the ability to not make outs, is the best weapon a batter can have. Sure, the home run is more demoralizing, and fans like the ball in play, but walks are free bases, no chance be thrown out.

8:45: Safety squeeze? That is actually Dibble's mistress on the side.

8:48: Somebody get Acosta a map to the strike zone!

8:49: Bases left loaded again... never sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. The fact they were loaded is always a good sign.

8:50: The Mercury chick... still hot after all this time.

8:53: Absolutely a terrible mental error by Nyjer Morgan. Never want to give the opponent momentum like that. Up 6-1, everyone has to maintain focus.

8:58: Bases Loaded, 1 out, Glee starting in 90 seconds... CRAP! Olsen will prevail. Keep the ball low.

10:01: It is official. The Brian Bruney era can end now... now fingers pointed, no questions asked. There wasn't a sure thing in the Rule 5 draft, so the trade wasn't a complete disaster. However, time is up. Bruney is completely unable to pitch at the major league level. Time to cut ties and move on with someone else.

10:09: I was going to try and coin the name Brian "low-leverage" Bruney, but let's face it: Bruney will not be on the roster June 1st... he may not even be on the roster May 15th.

10:12: Clippard again inherited runners and let them in, but this the first time he looked rattled. Hopefully regression to the mean is a little more kind.

10:18: Batista throws more gasoline on the fire... this looks more like 2009. Somehow Riggleman took a 6-1 lead and burned nearly everyone in the pen... not sure how that is even possible, but at least lessons can be derived from this disaster.

10:24: And the bottom of the 8th just entered its 30th minute, so I surrender. The early removal of Olsen (82 pitches) extended the game for the Mets and Bruney was called into action. Either Olsen finishes the sixth or Walker returns for the seventh... at least the umpires didn't botch the replay.

10:32: Not expecting a win anymore... but hoping the bats don't roll over and play dead. Scott Olsen didn't have his best stuff, and the Braves were probably right saying he didn't have "no-hit" stuff last week, but he pitched well enough to let the bats determine the team's fate.