Interchangeable Parts... or Not

See, this is what pisses me off the most.

I was up trying to take a dump or something in the 5th inning when Craig Stammen was due to hit. All he had done was come in with the bases loaded and nobody out and bail Marquis out. With the bullpen already stretched thin this week and Strasburg up tomorrow, one would think that Riggleman would try to get three innings from Stammen. Especially since Stammen is one of the few pitchers in the NL who can be trusted to swing a bat.

Instead, Riggleman through the white towel for Sunday as well and gave Justin Maxwell a charity swing. It is very difficult to watch uninformed decisions being made at the highest level. Anyone who has watched batting practice knows Stammen is a good all-around athlete with more than a little pop. Given a fair complement of plate appearances, he may not duplicate Zimmerman's numbers, but it is fairly safe to say the following this season:

Craig Stammen is a better hitter than Nyjer Morgan;
Craig Stammen is a better hitter than Wil Nieves;
Craig Stammen is a better hitter than Willie Harris;
Craig Stammen is a comparable, if not better hitter than both Pudge and Alberto Gonzalez;
and finally,
Craig Stammen is a much, much better hitter than Justin Maxwell.

Instead, since Riggleman thinks that his roster is full of interchangeable parts, where Willie Harris = Mike... err, Michael Morse, and John Lannan = Craig Stammen. He sees P and and thinks that designation defines the player's skill set more than the player himself. Just like the disaster sending Guzman out to right field, Riggleman saw that middle infielders like Morse and Desmond play acceptably out there and figured a "32" (I don't trust those birth certificates anymore) year old career shortstop would be just fine. Everyone who had ever watched Guzman play knew that even second or third would be a stretch for him, and the outfield, was, at best, a wild gamble. Justin Maxwell getting on base (walk) against an average pitcher is a stretch, but with Kennedy throwing strikes as well as he was last night, it was a wild gamble to think Maxwell would get on against him. Just frustrating as hell, and fortunately, I was reenacting Marquis' second inning in the bathroom when it happened, so I didn't have the chance to raise hell down in 116.

Oh yeah, about that Jason Marquis...

Disaster at Nats Park

But at least we were able to scoop up the soggy nachos using the fork sticking out of Jason Marquis' back.

Was Marquis Being Squeezed?

Probably not. He cruised the first three innings, as Phils adjusted to the ball being up and out... when he did try to drive the ball down in the zone, the Phils wisely took the pitches that really were not borderline. A sinkerballer's "out" pitch is somewhat unique, but not all that different from the cutter. While pitchers who rely on their fastball to set up their pitches out of the zone (slider, curveball, splitter, changeup, or a plus fastball) to record outs, preferably of the swing and miss variety, the sinker and cutter rely on working withing the zone and playing away from the sweet spot of the bat. Right now, the Phillies know Marquis was erratic in camp, and are guessing that he will not locate multiple sinkers in a row. They are waiting for the pitch out and up.

I would expect him to pitch better at home this weekend against Milwaukee. The Brew is middle of the pack in most offensive categories, and trot out 39 year-old Greg Zaun to handle the catching duties, yet to get a hit this season.

Man, What a Beatdown

There have been a few positives that have come out of the first games. They do not even come close to outweighing some of the negatives, but there is reason to believe that the Nats have improved in a couple areas.

Left-handed relief: A few days ago, I realized that Joe Beimel was still unsigned (the Rockies since signed him to a crappy minor league deal) and was pissed the Nats did nothing to bring him back. Well, it is difficult to argue with their decision, as Burnett has produced consistent numbers with sustained "success" for two years now. The key is keeping him from having to appear in eighty games. Jesse English should be able to handle the lower leverage situations without during 5-2 deficits into 8-2 deficits, and occasionally stepping in to get a key 7th inning out.

There are many more reasons to worry. The bomb aside, Ian Desmond looked horribly overmatched with a runner on second and 2 out, hacking furiously at balls out of the zone. He should have that arrogance about him, knowing crappy relief pitchers will waste pitches to him because balls in the zone are problematic. That, and he may be after a couple dubious records in the field. The growing pains will make fans long for Guzman.

Jason Marquis looked shaky, almost Daniel Cabrera at time, but the 87 mph meatball deposited by Ryan Howard off the Acela sign was inexcusable. If anything, miss to Howard and pitch to Werth... don't let Howard mash a freebie. Just bad decision making and execution.

Right field is still struggling, and Cristian Guzman's cameo almost turned hilarious. Both Harris and Morse deserve about a month before searching for alternatives.

The Phillies are good, but those optimistic 78 win predictions are flying out the window quickly.

Marquis Seizes the Day, Olsen Does Not

It has become apparent that Scott Olsen is not quite ready to face major league hitting, and should be relegated to the Wang/Detwiler status. The guy needs three more weeks to see if he can stretch it out. He should be penciled into the "mop-up" role, with Stammen working the number five and Batista working leverage long relief. Detwiler should really be allowed to test his stuff for a good 2-3 months in AAA before coming back, so that buys Olsen a little time, but come June, when Wang, Strasburg, Storen, and possibly Detwiler are ready for the big club, he is probably SOL.

Marquis had better location, which will go a long way toward keeping runners off base. He still has some work to do the last week, but confidence should be riding high that he can perform at or better than league average. The rotation looks much better than it did last opening day, with Lannan and Marquis leading, Mock and Stammen throwing effectively, and Livan Hernandez keeping Strasburg's seat warm.

Other looks at players who have seized their opportunities will continue through the week.

Jason Marquis' Start Today

For all the "consistency" he is supposed to bring, so far he has been knocked around like a pinata. Because one of his starts was rained out, the sample size is small, but the 30+ WHIP will always catch someone's eye. Progress needs to be made today in locating the strike zone, as for what ever reason, Marquis seems to have lost it. Getting knocked around in the spring happens to many good pitchers, but that is usually because their velocity and movement doesn't catch up until they are loose after several throwing sessions. This is an important start, as he needs to start confidently hitting the zone before going up against major league hitters in April. He will not magically rediscover it once Chase Utley steps in on April 7th.

Remember, guys like John Lannan and Jason Marquis are only successful because of their ability to minimize home runs and walks... when one of those variables increases, they are hardly major league caliber. It happened to Barry Zito and he is still trying to figure it out.

Jason Marquis Now? The Pros and Cons

Upon seeing the Nats bring in Jason Marquis, I wondered if the team was suffering an identity crisis. Sure, Marquis is Rizzo's wet dream starter. He keeps the ball low and in the park, works efficiently, and by all accounts is a team first guy. The numbers and timing leave much to be desired, though. Here is a simple run down of the deal.

Con: Marquis is coming off a career year during which he was selected to the NL All-Star team. His candidacy, while solid, were clearly boosted by an inflated win total. This bargaining chip gave his team a leg up in any negotiations. The Nats, being really bad, did not need any further handicaps.

Pro: He can work deep into games, taking the burden off John Lannan to play stopper every five days.

Con: He posted career highs in innings pitched and batters faced, all the while tailing off dramatically in September.

Pro: The last three years, he survived hitters' paradises Wrigley Field and Coors Field, posting an ERA+ of 100 or better. He approaches the game consistently and has adjusted to his environment.

Con: His FIP in 2009 was three-quarters of a run better than his career average. Trends are nice to see; spike raise question marks. He is likely to regress closer to his career numbers.

Pro: He has pitched for a playoff team every year in his career.

Con: He is not a strikeout pitcher, now pitching for a team that desperately needs one.

Pro: An understated talent of his, Jason Marquis is not useless with a bat in his hand. He isn't a power hitter, nor can he take a walk, but his aggressive approach puts pressure on the other pitcher and can move runners from first to third and second to home on occasion. The Nats had 39 successful sacrifices in 2009; Marquis has 32... in his career (with 9 last year).

Con: Last time he pitched as many innings in a season, he stunk the following year.

Pro: He is 6 days older than me... age is not a factor.

Con: His groundball success in Denver was greatly assisted by having Troy Tulowitzki and Clint Barmes swallowing everything behind him. There are currently no such luxuries on the Nats roster.

Pro: He throws his sinking fastball early and often, staying ahead of hitters.

Con: Two-seamers tear the hell out of fingers and forearms. He may not be injury-prone, but these register a cumulative toll.

In all, it is easy to slam the deal because the Nats were forced to overpay to acquire the services of a league average pitcher. However, league average is a lofty goal for the Nats, so this could be a savvy move buy a few wins to show improvement going forward. B- for not getting him last season.