No Relief

Where's Wagner?

Alng these lines, the comments on this MLBTR post has a nice comparison of Beimel, Reyes, and Ohmann. If a vet is wanted, Rudy Seanez is still out there, too.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2009/03/phillies-unlike.html

Chico - can you ask if they are talking to Ohmann or Reyes?

OMG - I;m TWO threads behind about Shawn Hill...

It's great that the Nats are being cautious wit Shawn Hill. And even though I've been a baseball fan for more than 40 years, I'm not one of those old farts who yearn for the days when pitchers were men and starters completed games. I know the game has evolved since the Griffith Stadium days, but as Don Sutton used to say pitchers aren't going to feel 100 percent for 35 starts a year. The Nats pitchers have been in camp at least for three weeks, and hopefully Hill is going through a "dead arm" period from throwing. I forget who first said it, but the six most ominous words to a pitcher are "Dr. Andrews will see you now..."

Posted by: leetee1955 | March 5, 2009 3:12 PM

Baseball America blogger Ben Badler has a post up about how MLB scouts weren't surprised but saddened about L'Affaire Smiley.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/?p=2376

... sorry guys. I should have warned you about Chacin. When he was with Toronto, and Blue Jays games were beamed into my very brain on a daily basis, assuming that as a Canadian, Toronto MUST be ‘my team’, Gustavo was an embarassment even then. Not much has changed.

Hi leetee1955,

... I want desperately to agree with you about Shawn Hill and his little problem. But you see, it's his forearm ... again!

Sounds like Shawn might be over the Hill, so to speak. Rather than bring in any MLB average starters, I would be inclined to sign two veteran bullpen arms to one-year deals. Our fourth and fifth starters should come from the group that includes Balester, Zimmermann, Chico, Clippard, Detwiler, Estrada, Mock and Martis. Take the two best out of ST and put the rest in the starting rotation in Syracuse (or Harrisburg). If one of the MLB starters falters, call up the one that's performing the best in the minors. But have the veteran bullpen depth to compensate for the occasional disastrous start while giving our improved offense the chance to catch up.

Youngster Justin Jones (24, LHP), and Rule 5 Terrell Young with good outings.

WAY early yet, to talk of problems.

At one point I thought we were discussed as being in on Juan Cruz and Beimel, or some others. We should be going after Ohman. The bullpen has regressed every year. Of course Bowden tried to fix it, but the evil doers and the liberal media did him in.

My god! relievers giving up runs in two innings!!!!! PANIC!!!! PANIC!!!!

Wagner is in the game now, NatsNut

and it isn't pretty . . .

And he just gave up a 3-run dinger. Four runs total. The new Opener?

Is there a slaughter rule in ST?

Geez, I go to one little doctor appt., and look what happens! Well, at least I know of a certain sports editor who is probably very happy right about now. So there's that.

Also, I heard on the radio that Dunn had a dinger for Team USA today.

Were you seeing Dr. James Andrews as well, 1a?

Yeah, looks like Wagner gave up a long ball to Mitsy May's hubby

The bullpen definitely looks worst today than a week ago. Assuming 6 spots (14 position players and 5 starters), Hanrahan and Riveria are definitely in. I think Young is too because he's rule 5, as well as Bergmann to be the long guy/spot starter. So that leaves two spots (maybe three if they go 13/12) for Colome, Mock, Hinkley, Shell, Wagner, Estrada, O'Connor, ect.

It's a little less worrying, considering all of these guys are not going to be counted on, but adding one more vet to the mix would certainly settle things down.

I think the dream scenerio would be for JZim, Bally AND Martis to all make the rotation with Cabrera moving to the back of the bullpen, by the end of the year.

Of the potential starters, I think Cabrera is the only one that could be successful (if not more so) in the closer's or set-up man's role.

ha ha, JiM!

Looking at the boxscore, it looks like JD Martin also had a wild pitch, a balk and a hit batsmen. Yeesh. Looks like JD "Wild Thing" Martin shouldn't have gotten out of bed today.

He was at Joker's House, and evidently jokers are wild.

Highly unlikely the team carries 14 position players. Normal set-up would be 5 starters, 7 relievers, 2 Catchers and 11 Infielder/Outfielders.

Of course that assumes we can find 7 relievers you would be willing to put in a game, maybe a few long reliever scrubs to eat up innings, take a beating and save the poor young starters ego.

Chico: "The bullpen is slowly developing into a problem."
Are you kidding me?
NO: it is neither developing and certainly not slowly!!!!!!! It hardly exists. There are two guys who are a seventh inning pitcher and a set-up man who serves as a closer. This is a joke! Get us some relieve pitchers – Mr. Jim Bowden – oh I forgot – you lost your Cincinnati connection - where they have no relief either – when you were fired/resigned.
Kasten, Rizzo, time to become active!
Has Kerns hit anything this spring?

john bear = jb?

I'm not too worried about the starting pitching, but again looks like these guys aren't getting any run support.

Nats in ST currently last in MLB in slugging, and not much batter in BA.

Chico - what is Eckstein doing to improve the hitting?

He was at Joker's House, and evidently jokers are wild.

Posted by: natsfan1a1 | March 5, 2009 4:35 PM

--------

Is this the first terrible pun of the season?!

I'm not in regular season form yet, 506.

Finally, we get to see a couple more STI pitchers in a game. JD Martin, not too good a first impression; J.Jones, on the other hand, posted decent numbers - I'd like to see him get one or two more appearances in with the big squad before passing judgement.
As an additional comment, did Manny REALLY have Guzman, C. at 3B today, or should that have been Guzman, Joel in the box score? Was anybody at the game that could comment on this?

New post.

Terrible puns? Sounds like your regular-season form to me, 1a.

Thanks, Scooter. (You knew I'd be back here, didn't you?)

You're welcome. (Yes. Yes, I did.)