It seemed to kind turn the corner with him, when he took the pressure off of himself. He said he went out and finally said F' it and just threw his pitches instead of worrying about the result. That play to win rather than not to lose mentality.
I never wanted a more veteran manager. The two I had in mind are currently managing the Rangers (and not very well, if I might add) and still the Bench Coach in LA. As for veteran managers though, I would have been disappointed if we had hired them, but Mattingly is doing a decent job in Philly and Weiss is doing well in Atlanta. But I don’t think that’s important. The fact that I like our diaper dandies is what matters. They are surprising me, and I’m very proud of the job they are doing. I saw a guardians fan make the comment yesterday that our hitting coach was 11, when in fact, he’s one of the oldest. And what he’s doing here, he did in Baltimore before we left for Minnesota. And look at what’s happened in Baltimore since he left. I don’t think Nats fans truly realize his impact.
The question is whether they give him a start or have him keep following Mikolas. With upcoming day off falling on Irvin's day to pitch they wouldn't need another starter until next Tuesday. Tommorow is Cornelio's turn to pitch for Rochester. If he does well they may bring him up to start next Tuesday against Miami
Alvarez’s start on Sunday is hugely important to the future of this surprising team. If he’s substantially better than Irvin, I could see both Irvin and Parker being scheduled long men, as Butera seems to like that strategy.
If he can clean it up, House is still the best defender at 3B. Not sure why his error rate started to climb. He has more errors in 300 innings this season than he did in over 600 innings last season. Most of it appears to be when he has to charge in on the ball rather than lateral movements to either side. He is making the more difficult grabs, and messing up what are supposed to be the easier balls to field.
As recently as 2024, he was the Rockies #16 prospect. That's not anything to write home about, but he struggled as a starter in the high altitude of their AAA team and a very short, very bad stint in Colorado. From what I've read the Nats are thinking he can be a decent lefty reliever and profiles similarly to Lovelady. And if it never works out it cost them nothing but a little cash.
This going away win gave me a chance to study the team stats a bit during the game. One thing that jumped out was that FIVE relief pitchers have ERAs in the 2s.
The first month they had the worst bullpen in the league. What an amazing turnaround. Kudos to the coaches and players.
The bullpen, which was a question mark at best in April, has started to become a real strength.
Again, credit to Butera and the coaching staff for having confidence in these guys and being willing to put them in difficult situations. That approach doesn’t work for everyone, but so far these kids don’t seem to shy away from getting the ball.
It’s another sign that the staff isn’t just managing one game at a time. They’re developing players while still trying to win games, and lately you can see the results starting to show.
If you look at the Opening Day roster the only reliever who wasn’t shuffled to ROC was Varland. Today’s bullpen is a a different creature. I reckon it’ll be a different creature by the AS Break. Welcome Aboard the American Eagle Express.
Fair point, and I probably should have worded that more clearly. I didn’t mean it was the exact same bullpen from Opening Day.
There has definitely been turnover, but I think some of it has been injury related or just normal roster management for fresh arms. Lord has been there from the beginning, Varland has been around, Beeter and Henry got hurt, Beeter is back now and Henry should be back soon. Waldichuk also got hurt, Poulin has been up and down as needed, and Pérez was cut.
So yes, today’s bullpen is a different creature, but I don’t think that takes away from the larger point. Part of building a strong bullpen is figuring out who is effective, who can handle leverage, and who gives you the best chance on a given night. Lately, they’ve done a much better job of that.
I agree with you. I’m interested to see what they can do with Carson Palmquist. He was a top prospect with Colorado. He did well in AA but didn’t do well in AAA or in the Bigs. But I don’t put much faith in pitching stats from the PCL or Coors Field. If he turns out half-way decent then that’s a steal for the organization — because at worst he brings in pitching depth and at best he becomes a solid Left handed reliever.
The coaching staff and the current relievers certainly deserve credit for the bullpen’s marked improvement.
It’s also fair to note that addition by subtraction is a significant part of the bullpen’s turnaround. The Nats jettisoned Cionel Perez, Jackson Rutledge and Andre Granillo, who - in the most charitable formulation - were not good.
I hope Ken Waldichuk makes it back from injury and can resume his big league career, but it’s fair to note that he also struggled and had a 6.75 ERA.
To be fair, Rutledge only pitched in one game, but he got shellacked, so he deserves to be on the list. But Perez, Granillo, and Waldichuk were the main culprits for bullpen disfunction.
Back when WWDC was the flagship station. That was the title of Shelby’s book about life with manager Ted Williams his good drinking buddy … and other topics.
True story: I won a transistor radio in a raffle at the opening of Sport Chevrolet in Silver Spring (maybe '66?). Had a faux leather case embossed with "WWDC" on the front.
Listened to many a Senators game in bed with that one.
I don’t wanna say anything good about the Crews turnaround, you know the reverse reverse jinx and all, extremely happy to be not thinking too clearly about him. And, oh, we’re going to the Super Bowl
I like Seaver King too, and it’s encouraging that after going to the Arizona Fall League he really started to hit. From what I read, the previous administration changed his approach after drafting him, and once he got to Arizona he reverted back to what made him successful.
I’m sure he’s still developing, and the fact they’ve also played him some at second base gives the organization more options. But I wouldn’t be in a hurry to displace anyone just yet.
The team is scoring runs in bunches, the pitching staff is starting to stabilize, and if it ain’t broke, let’s not try to fix it. Having too many good players is rarely a bad problem to have.
Hey Spencer, sorry if this has already been asked, but in your opinion what's the earliest we might see Seaver King in DC. My guess has been they will be patient and we likely won't see him until September at the earliest but do you have a different view?
Spencer: Hey Tony! That's more or less the assumption I'm under. There's a world where he has a 1.000 OPS and you see him after the deadline, but I think September or even next season is a lot more reasonable. I also have seen chatter online about sending Nunez down and calling King up now, and I can say: No. Nunez, even with the mistake the other day, provides good defense on a team that desperately needs to prevent runs. They clearly do not need another hitter in their lineup. And you need more seasoning with King, or else you risk rushing and messing up his development. He's a stud, but the gap between AAA and the majors is big and getting bigger every year. IMO September or 2027 makes sense.
I love Nasim, but yeah, it would be great for him and the team if he hit better. Alexa Datt did a short commentary on him last night in Atlanta about how much he’s worried about his hitting and that his Mom was at the 2nd game there and came down to give him a pep talk. Then Sunday he drove in one of the two runs in the 2-1 game. If somebody like Seaver eventually comes up and produces, sure, Nasim might be reduced to a true utility role.
Nasim’s bWAR is currently 0.5. If he were moved back to SS it would be higher:
Shortstop (SS) is considered a "premium" position, which means it receives a massive built-in positional adjustment in Wins Above Replacement (WAR). Because it is difficult to find players who can field SS at a major-league level, an average defender at SS is inherently more valuable to a team than a great defender at an easier position.
Positional Adjustments
WAR calculates defensive value by combining a player's raw fielding metrics with a flat point adjustment based on how demanding the position is. The baseline (0.0) is typically a corner outfielder, while other positions are adjusted up or down per 162 games:
Shortstop: +4.75 to +7.0 runs
Center Field & Second Base & Third Base: +1.75 runs
JY is the perfect example of a player who was horribly mismanaged in previous years. Forced to bunt or slap hit with 2 strikes. Platooned. An elite center fielder just being wasted. He’s not the only one, but surely a good example. It’s obvious all throughout the lineup.
You’re so right. JY is the perfect example of a player who was a terrific center fielder but seemed ready for AAA due to his poor batting record. A new coaching staff, and voila’…a well-rounded player. Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.
I’m not sure he was mismanaged. He’s put in a lot of work and recently upped his power, but he was a marginal hitter before. If he hadn’t been on the Nats, he probably wouldn’t have gotten the playing time he did, despite his fielding prowess. The Nats also have a lot of other outfielders in the pipeline, who also deserved experience, such as Lile, Crews and Hassell, along with Wood. Heck, we even had others in the mix, like Wiemer.
I don’t know if he were mismanaged either. To be frank, he would have been a fourth outfielder elsewhere. JY , though, put in alot of work at DriveLine during the off-season. He worked with Travis Fitta who afterwards was hired as an assistant Hitting Coach at ROC. This is important to note because Fitta had been working with Crews when Crews was in AAA. Here’s a video of JY with Fitta. WARNING: NSFW ( foul language).
My takeaway is just how much the new coaching staff and all the supporting technology and analytics must be impacting what we are seeing on the field from the team as a whole. The improvements we are seeing not just from last year but as the season progresses are so apparent. Also, scoop of the day was Alexa with intel on the guy in the Aussie shirt who caught Mead’s HR…
I predict she will go to a national broadcast in a short period of time. She asks great questions and seems to draw thoughtful answers from the players.
A great team win. And just what the bullpen needed.
Holy moly? Is this real life?
Also what a night. Keep it up, boys!
(I’m starting to think we were too hard on Zack Littell).
I’m guilty
Guilty too, but honestly he was abysmal to start. But so happy he's turning it around!
Yeah. Me too. I liked the signing though. But I was beginning to wonder if maybe his days were behind him. 😂 Glad to see him proving everyone wrong.
It seemed to kind turn the corner with him, when he took the pressure off of himself. He said he went out and finally said F' it and just threw his pitches instead of worrying about the result. That play to win rather than not to lose mentality.
So, where is the coaching in all this? Did coaching hamper him in the beginning, or helping him now?
So what do you think now about this staff. Do you still wish they had gone with a more veteran manager?
I never wanted a more veteran manager. The two I had in mind are currently managing the Rangers (and not very well, if I might add) and still the Bench Coach in LA. As for veteran managers though, I would have been disappointed if we had hired them, but Mattingly is doing a decent job in Philly and Weiss is doing well in Atlanta. But I don’t think that’s important. The fact that I like our diaper dandies is what matters. They are surprising me, and I’m very proud of the job they are doing. I saw a guardians fan make the comment yesterday that our hitting coach was 11, when in fact, he’s one of the oldest. And what he’s doing here, he did in Baltimore before we left for Minnesota. And look at what’s happened in Baltimore since he left. I don’t think Nats fans truly realize his impact.
I love this team
Instant Analysis: OH MY GOD!
Memorial Day Massacre, per Dave Jageler.
Oh man, I was listening but somehow I missed that one!
It was at the very end, and Charlie laughed when he said, "I like it!"
Nats statement win to curb a hot streaking Guardian team
This was a terrific game. Lots of power, good pitching, and no errors.
With the aquasition od Plamquist, I wonder if that maybe is a signal Alverez is staying for awhile, hope so.
With Irvin on the IL, I think that's probably a given.
The question is whether they give him a start or have him keep following Mikolas. With upcoming day off falling on Irvin's day to pitch they wouldn't need another starter until next Tuesday. Tommorow is Cornelio's turn to pitch for Rochester. If he does well they may bring him up to start next Tuesday against Miami
Alvarez’s start on Sunday is hugely important to the future of this surprising team. If he’s substantially better than Irvin, I could see both Irvin and Parker being scheduled long men, as Butera seems to like that strategy.
In agreement with Mead becoming the regular third baseman. Earned it.
Nesd = Mead. My bad.
You can edit by clicking on the three dots to the right. I have to do it all the time since I'm a terrible typist.
Thanx!
You left another typo - you can edit by cilvkinh the trhee dots to the right
And he's only 25. If... I know it's a big if, he's the real deal, I feel bad for House but he really needs to step up his game to match Mead!
I wonder if Brady should get some time at first on Rochester…
Interesting!
If he can clean it up, House is still the best defender at 3B. Not sure why his error rate started to climb. He has more errors in 300 innings this season than he did in over 600 innings last season. Most of it appears to be when he has to charge in on the ball rather than lateral movements to either side. He is making the more difficult grabs, and messing up what are supposed to be the easier balls to field.
Interested in knowing more about the thinking behind the Palmquist acquisition...
My guess is for just AAA depth
I agree, but they put him on the 40-man. That's baffling.
Unless he's a placeholder on the 40-man, but that still doesn't really make any sense.
Going to guess that they think he can do well enough to be one of the musical chairs guys.
As recently as 2024, he was the Rockies #16 prospect. That's not anything to write home about, but he struggled as a starter in the high altitude of their AAA team and a very short, very bad stint in Colorado. From what I've read the Nats are thinking he can be a decent lefty reliever and profiles similarly to Lovelady. And if it never works out it cost them nothing but a little cash.
Getting him out of Colorado is bound to help him!
Indeed, Mead should be the every day third baseman. Given the chance, look what he does! When they need another spot, I think Vivas needs to go…
This going away win gave me a chance to study the team stats a bit during the game. One thing that jumped out was that FIVE relief pitchers have ERAs in the 2s.
The first month they had the worst bullpen in the league. What an amazing turnaround. Kudos to the coaches and players.
Could you list them?
Lord, Lovelady, Alvarez, Ribalta, Beeter.
Thanks! That’s amazing. We haven’t had a good pen forever, not even in 2019. I think last season was probably the best bullpen we’ve had in years.
Three cheers for Lord, Lovelady, Alvarez, Ribalta, Beeter!
The bullpen, which was a question mark at best in April, has started to become a real strength.
Again, credit to Butera and the coaching staff for having confidence in these guys and being willing to put them in difficult situations. That approach doesn’t work for everyone, but so far these kids don’t seem to shy away from getting the ball.
It’s another sign that the staff isn’t just managing one game at a time. They’re developing players while still trying to win games, and lately you can see the results starting to show.
If you look at the Opening Day roster the only reliever who wasn’t shuffled to ROC was Varland. Today’s bullpen is a a different creature. I reckon it’ll be a different creature by the AS Break. Welcome Aboard the American Eagle Express.
Fair point, and I probably should have worded that more clearly. I didn’t mean it was the exact same bullpen from Opening Day.
There has definitely been turnover, but I think some of it has been injury related or just normal roster management for fresh arms. Lord has been there from the beginning, Varland has been around, Beeter and Henry got hurt, Beeter is back now and Henry should be back soon. Waldichuk also got hurt, Poulin has been up and down as needed, and Pérez was cut.
So yes, today’s bullpen is a different creature, but I don’t think that takes away from the larger point. Part of building a strong bullpen is figuring out who is effective, who can handle leverage, and who gives you the best chance on a given night. Lately, they’ve done a much better job of that.
I agree with you. I’m interested to see what they can do with Carson Palmquist. He was a top prospect with Colorado. He did well in AA but didn’t do well in AAA or in the Bigs. But I don’t put much faith in pitching stats from the PCL or Coors Field. If he turns out half-way decent then that’s a steal for the organization — because at worst he brings in pitching depth and at best he becomes a solid Left handed reliever.
The coaching staff and the current relievers certainly deserve credit for the bullpen’s marked improvement.
It’s also fair to note that addition by subtraction is a significant part of the bullpen’s turnaround. The Nats jettisoned Cionel Perez, Jackson Rutledge and Andre Granillo, who - in the most charitable formulation - were not good.
I hope Ken Waldichuk makes it back from injury and can resume his big league career, but it’s fair to note that he also struggled and had a 6.75 ERA.
To be fair, Rutledge only pitched in one game, but he got shellacked, so he deserves to be on the list. But Perez, Granillo, and Waldichuk were the main culprits for bullpen disfunction.
It is telling that CNL found no other team willing to put him in the majors. I think he continues to flounder now with Mets AAA.
Crews 2 hits
Littel 7 innings over 100 pitches
6 Homer's
Wow..
Exciting
Wood, Meade, abrams, Young and Garcia as the announcer said
"Kiss it goodbye"
Thank you Shelby (Whitfield, the Senators’ late play by play guy.)
Partner was Ron Menchine.
Back when WWDC was the flagship station. That was the title of Shelby’s book about life with manager Ted Williams his good drinking buddy … and other topics.
True story: I won a transistor radio in a raffle at the opening of Sport Chevrolet in Silver Spring (maybe '66?). Had a faux leather case embossed with "WWDC" on the front.
Listened to many a Senators game in bed with that one.
I don’t wanna say anything good about the Crews turnaround, you know the reverse reverse jinx and all, extremely happy to be not thinking too clearly about him. And, oh, we’re going to the Super Bowl
😶😮🙂⚾️⚾️⚾️🙋🏼♀️
I know there are lots of Nunez fans out there. And he did get a hit tonight. But Seaver may show up in DC sooner than later. Good problem to have.
Seaver King. Deep sigh.
Yes, Seaver has continued to rake during his short time in Rochester. Hit a dinger tonight. Great SS and 2nd base combination in our near future.
I like Seaver King too, and it’s encouraging that after going to the Arizona Fall League he really started to hit. From what I read, the previous administration changed his approach after drafting him, and once he got to Arizona he reverted back to what made him successful.
I’m sure he’s still developing, and the fact they’ve also played him some at second base gives the organization more options. But I wouldn’t be in a hurry to displace anyone just yet.
The team is scoring runs in bunches, the pitching staff is starting to stabilize, and if it ain’t broke, let’s not try to fix it. Having too many good players is rarely a bad problem to have.
Someone asked Spencer Nusbaum about King and this was his response. (I can't just copy/paste from my phone or I would.)
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/mlb/game/discuss/cleveland-guardians-vs-washington-nationals/sgJSyJpvU7nTAknG/#comment-28342617
Thanks Spencer had a great article on Foster Griffin today. He's giving pointer to Irvin and others. He's really a thinking man's pitcher.
Yes! I read that this morning. Griffin is quite a find, and he has the makings of a great pitching coach someday too.
Hey Spencer, sorry if this has already been asked, but in your opinion what's the earliest we might see Seaver King in DC. My guess has been they will be patient and we likely won't see him until September at the earliest but do you have a different view?
Spencer: Hey Tony! That's more or less the assumption I'm under. There's a world where he has a 1.000 OPS and you see him after the deadline, but I think September or even next season is a lot more reasonable. I also have seen chatter online about sending Nunez down and calling King up now, and I can say: No. Nunez, even with the mistake the other day, provides good defense on a team that desperately needs to prevent runs. They clearly do not need another hitter in their lineup. And you need more seasoning with King, or else you risk rushing and messing up his development. He's a stud, but the gap between AAA and the majors is big and getting bigger every year. IMO September or 2027 makes sense.
I love Nasim, but yeah, it would be great for him and the team if he hit better. Alexa Datt did a short commentary on him last night in Atlanta about how much he’s worried about his hitting and that his Mom was at the 2nd game there and came down to give him a pep talk. Then Sunday he drove in one of the two runs in the 2-1 game. If somebody like Seaver eventually comes up and produces, sure, Nasim might be reduced to a true utility role.
Nasim’s bWAR is currently 0.5. If he were moved back to SS it would be higher:
Shortstop (SS) is considered a "premium" position, which means it receives a massive built-in positional adjustment in Wins Above Replacement (WAR). Because it is difficult to find players who can field SS at a major-league level, an average defender at SS is inherently more valuable to a team than a great defender at an easier position.
Positional Adjustments
WAR calculates defensive value by combining a player's raw fielding metrics with a flat point adjustment based on how demanding the position is. The baseline (0.0) is typically a corner outfielder, while other positions are adjusted up or down per 162 games:
Shortstop: +4.75 to +7.0 runs
Center Field & Second Base & Third Base: +1.75 runs
Left Field & Right Field: -4.25 runs
First Base: -9.25 to -9.5 runs
Designated Hitter: -9.25 runs
Great teaching piece! Thanx.
JY is the perfect example of a player who was horribly mismanaged in previous years. Forced to bunt or slap hit with 2 strikes. Platooned. An elite center fielder just being wasted. He’s not the only one, but surely a good example. It’s obvious all throughout the lineup.
You’re so right. JY is the perfect example of a player who was a terrific center fielder but seemed ready for AAA due to his poor batting record. A new coaching staff, and voila’…a well-rounded player. Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.
Yes he is very fan friendly and acknowledges the fans
I’m not sure he was mismanaged. He’s put in a lot of work and recently upped his power, but he was a marginal hitter before. If he hadn’t been on the Nats, he probably wouldn’t have gotten the playing time he did, despite his fielding prowess. The Nats also have a lot of other outfielders in the pipeline, who also deserved experience, such as Lile, Crews and Hassell, along with Wood. Heck, we even had others in the mix, like Wiemer.
I don’t know if he were mismanaged either. To be frank, he would have been a fourth outfielder elsewhere. JY , though, put in alot of work at DriveLine during the off-season. He worked with Travis Fitta who afterwards was hired as an assistant Hitting Coach at ROC. This is important to note because Fitta had been working with Crews when Crews was in AAA. Here’s a video of JY with Fitta. WARNING: NSFW ( foul language).
https://youtu.be/JLJFCMzZFQQ?si=UfNH_Z3ehym7bX4U
I’m hopeful that Crews listened and we’ll start seeing dividends by the AS break.
My takeaway is just how much the new coaching staff and all the supporting technology and analytics must be impacting what we are seeing on the field from the team as a whole. The improvements we are seeing not just from last year but as the season progresses are so apparent. Also, scoop of the day was Alexa with intel on the guy in the Aussie shirt who caught Mead’s HR…
Absolutely a huge difference maker!
I listen to Charlie & Dave, but I try to listen when Alexa gets mic time. She is extremely talented.
I predict she will go to a national broadcast in a short period of time. She asks great questions and seems to draw thoughtful answers from the players.
Agree, has the “it factor.”
Charlie and Dave are the absolute best.
If she would want to do so, football sideline reporting probably the most opportunities. She would be good at anything she seeks to do.
Regularly gives great update/insights
Mad I missed this game. But I’m over the moon about the result!
Nationals.TV replays some games after the postgame show ends. I'm guessing this one will be shown again.
Yeah, I see those on the channel listings. Thanks!
It’s on again right now.