Lopsided score and disappointing performance by Littell, but no shame in getting beat by Miller, he's probably among the best 5-10 pitchers in baseball right now
I’d agree if it were a close score, especially since I’m a pitching and defense first fan, but they were annihilated. They weren’t beaten by Miller….they were beaten because they couldn’t prevent Mariners from crossing the plate. Better pitching and defense and this could’ve been a 2-0 win.
No shame in struggling against Miller. Just shows how good Wood is going now.
Nice to see Crews get a hold of one, but he was never profiled as a real power hitter, so I am still waiting to see more consistent contact and gap hits.
Crews was projected to hit with pretty good power. These were his scouting grades on MLB.com after he was drafted: Hit: 70 | Power: 60 | Run: 60 | Arm: 55 | Field: 55 | Overall: 65. The scale on these ratings 20-80 and a 60 grade is "above average."
Maybe I just don’t get it, but why did Butera leave Cornelio in when it was obvious he couldn’t make the strike zone? This wasn’t spring training, although it sure felt like it.
The game was already largely out of reach and Butera needed as many outs as possible to avoid using up his bullpen. It’s why he sent Schultz and Varland in afterwards—the B-bullpen who helped give up the late lead in SF. Just trying to get to the end of the game with his A-bullpen (or what passes as an A-bullpen for the Nats) available for the next games.
He flew the white flag when comebacks are possible (evidenced by the Giants). But I guess he doesn’t see his team as capable of pulling it off. I say that tongue in cheek. I agree with the decision for the reasons you shared, although he does seem to do this from time to time when that’s not always the case.
“Possible” vs. “not probable” vs. going into next game more certain of your pitching options. It’s always a balance. He made the best and safest choice IMO.
Well clearly two things have occurred, they really hate playing in DC and that much is very clear and they are done as a team on this season as they left the season in San Fransisco. Butera is either so young and foolish to not see that is true or he and Toboni think gaslighting is the norm in this city.
No mind change from him. He has bad mouth Butera from the get-go and mostly only shows up during losses which he revels in. He reminds me of the MAGA boys that ignore facts for the pleasure of being ugly
On a brighter note, Willits homered again last night. That makes 4 homers in his 3 games at Wilmington. He’ll be in H’burg before the season is over as he seems to be on a meteoric rise.
A national baseball podcast I listen to (“Just Baseball”) lauded Willets even before this largest tater earlier Friday as one of the his way to #1 prospect status. Power better than expected and rest of game (defense included) as advertised or better too
I didn’t see any of the game (am in Chicago seeing the team of my youth play) but I will go back to the Dodgers last night for some “happens to the best of ‘em” comfort in trying not to over react ((which is my usual mode). Dodgers last night rocked by another American League division leading club 8-2 by White Sox, in ugly performance that was turned into a rout by shabby bullpen performance (our old pal Blake Treinan hit like a piñata in allowing 3 inherited Sasaki runners to score and then giving up a run of his own). Now, there are plenty of reasons we all know not to stress about this if one is a Dodgers fan, but the point simply is it’s baseball/sometimes it just happens no matter how good the team, BUT Nats are decidedly not the Dodgers and need to right the ship soon…
I'm convinced we will never be the Dodgers with our population but are performing above our preseason expectations and trending in the right direction. We will be joining the rest of baseball in search of competent pitching at the deadline, but hopefully our walking wounded will be riding in soon with their fresh arms.
I dont see us as buyers no mater what. Even if we are 10 games up. I just dont feel that we have the pieces to be a serious threat in the post season even we get there. They aren't going to deviate from the plan for that. Too many players ( eh pitchers) that are prone to have meltdowns to fix through trades. However I do see them being more active acquiring pieces in the offseason.
No one expected 2019 either. If this team was 10 games up in the WC race, I’d stop being a fan if they didn’t throw some chips in and try to make a run. The heck with “vision” because those opportunities aren’t guaranteed and you strive to win when they do arise. But we won’t have to worry about it…..they won’t be 10 games up at the deadline.
He’s on the fast track, for sure. I thought we’d see him in DC in 2 years, but next year is looking possible, if they play next year. BTW, if a strike cancels the season, do the minors play anyway?
When I saw how many pitches the Mariners were fouling off, I understood exactly what their plan was against Littell. Foul off enough pitches and eventually you’ll get one to hit fair. And far. Their plan (unfortunately) worked really well.
Also, Wood dropping that foul-territory catch in LF while Crews made almost exactly the same play in RF is more evidence that when both of them are on the field, Crews should be playing LF and Wood in RF.
I love James, but he’s just not good in Left. He looks awkward and uncomfortable out there. Easy fix.
I agree that RF ought to be Wood's "territory". If one of them has to learn to adapt/adjust, it should be Crews, who is, after all, the "Johnny-come-lately". My opinion, for what it's worth.
Agree. Especially since Crews seems more natural as a defender. Wood has better raw tools (clearly), but those don’t automatically translate into a higher level of play.
Most people believe Crews has a better arm than Wood and that's usually the deciding factor in determining who should play right field. Those long throws to third base require a strong arm.
Wood watch: Homer #19, sixth in all of MLB (4th in the N.L.). Pretty decent shot of at least 25 by the All-Star break. Let the team record discussions begin.
No offense but please don't jinx it. We all know what happened last year in terms of 1st half vs. 2nd half for Wood. Let's just hope he does not fall off the cliff this season.
The team plays like garbage at home but don't say anything about it because the MAGA like fans will attack you because they and they alone are the only ones who can say anything good or bad. This is why nothing since 2007 really changes because nobody from ownership to operations really feel any heat from the very people who are suppose to matter the fans. I heard Toboni la de da his way thru the Jerky Boys on Friday as he explained nothing will change. The losing is the same and the complete lack of caring is so notable. The TV media is a joke and the only ones who show or sound disappointed are Charlie and Dave. They lost the season back in San Fransisco and came home to just throw up middle fingers to the fans who waited out a 2 1/2 hour rain delay. Ignoring the issues never makes them go away and this team is right at the point of a season that hey have been before as the REBUILD 3.0 looms ahead. Some fans don't have a lot of life left to wait around for yet another rebuild.
I am sure there are many political threads out there to express your political garbage. Do it there please. This is baseball. But I’m seeing a pattern with your comments, so I don’t expect it.
Ah, gotcha. Maybe under a different name the same one or two we also had on MASN. I never posted on WashPo, so I don’t know the characters there. I was always MASN, TalkNats, and Federal Baseball. Now I’m exclusively here.
A few, I think (based on what they’ve sais) went to federal baseball since it’s free. But the writers there turned me off. But it’s managed by a great young man.
Thanks to torrential rain, I wasn't able to view or listen to this game. I see that the Nats were as powerless as I was, so I guess if I had to miss a game completely, it might as well have been this one. The skies have cleared, and today's weather appears to be much better. I look forward to a much better game from the fellas, too.
Feels like last night was unusual for this season. Not unusual in losing at home, but unusual in not being able to bounce back from a setback that in previous seasons seemed to derail the team. With Littell unable to get outs hopefully that was the outlier and today is the bounce back. One other thought is not understanding how they seem so locked into keeping the roster unchanged when multiple players just haven’t delivered. Just seems to not make sense to try to swap out at least 2 or 3 of the weakest links at this point…
By comparison, the last teenage star for the Nats, one Juan Soto, in 2018 played 15 games in A, 16 games in A+, and just 8 games in AA before being called up. He did not play in AAA. Is it apples to apples to compare Willits to Soto fast track rise?
I’m gonna be honest, I actually thought Cornelio looked great all things considered. And James is WHITE HOT right now.
Needa better meteorologist too!
Lopsided score and disappointing performance by Littell, but no shame in getting beat by Miller, he's probably among the best 5-10 pitchers in baseball right now
I’d agree if it were a close score, especially since I’m a pitching and defense first fan, but they were annihilated. They weren’t beaten by Miller….they were beaten because they couldn’t prevent Mariners from crossing the plate. Better pitching and defense and this could’ve been a 2-0 win.
Ugh the Nats need to hire a shaman to get rid of the home field curse. Maybe they can hire DM to bring back the camel routine🤣🤣🤣🤣
Get over the HUMP!
Please don’t squeeze the shaman.
Well played. 😂
He brought out the camel in Spring Training and they didn’t even make the playoffs.
Sarcasm Sheldon🤣🤣🤣🤣
No shame in struggling against Miller. Just shows how good Wood is going now.
Nice to see Crews get a hold of one, but he was never profiled as a real power hitter, so I am still waiting to see more consistent contact and gap hits.
But he is trending the right way now
For sure. He was last year also before the injury. It’s refreshing to be seeing it again.
He seems to be putting more balls in the air, which is better than all the grounders he was hitting.
Crews was projected to hit with pretty good power. These were his scouting grades on MLB.com after he was drafted: Hit: 70 | Power: 60 | Run: 60 | Arm: 55 | Field: 55 | Overall: 65. The scale on these ratings 20-80 and a 60 grade is "above average."
Maybe I just don’t get it, but why did Butera leave Cornelio in when it was obvious he couldn’t make the strike zone? This wasn’t spring training, although it sure felt like it.
The game was already largely out of reach and Butera needed as many outs as possible to avoid using up his bullpen. It’s why he sent Schultz and Varland in afterwards—the B-bullpen who helped give up the late lead in SF. Just trying to get to the end of the game with his A-bullpen (or what passes as an A-bullpen for the Nats) available for the next games.
He flew the white flag when comebacks are possible (evidenced by the Giants). But I guess he doesn’t see his team as capable of pulling it off. I say that tongue in cheek. I agree with the decision for the reasons you shared, although he does seem to do this from time to time when that’s not always the case.
“Possible” vs. “not probable” vs. going into next game more certain of your pitching options. It’s always a balance. He made the best and safest choice IMO.
Yep. That’s why I agree also
Well clearly two things have occurred, they really hate playing in DC and that much is very clear and they are done as a team on this season as they left the season in San Fransisco. Butera is either so young and foolish to not see that is true or he and Toboni think gaslighting is the norm in this city.
2 days changed your mind? Take a deep breath.
No mind change from him. He has bad mouth Butera from the get-go and mostly only shows up during losses which he revels in. He reminds me of the MAGA boys that ignore facts for the pleasure of being ugly
When you’re right, you’re right.
Except for the politics in what should be a politics free forum. I’ll call that out every time. Go to other forums for that. There’s plenty out there.
I thought the MAGA reference was gratuitous, but you could have just ignored it. That’s what I chose to do since I understood the larger point.
My apologies. I thought you were praising the political aspect.
Ok dude. Leave the politics out of it please. That’s a very disappointing statement coming from you.
On a brighter note, Willits homered again last night. That makes 4 homers in his 3 games at Wilmington. He’ll be in H’burg before the season is over as he seems to be on a meteoric rise.
A national baseball podcast I listen to (“Just Baseball”) lauded Willets even before this largest tater earlier Friday as one of the his way to #1 prospect status. Power better than expected and rest of game (defense included) as advertised or better too
I didn’t see any of the game (am in Chicago seeing the team of my youth play) but I will go back to the Dodgers last night for some “happens to the best of ‘em” comfort in trying not to over react ((which is my usual mode). Dodgers last night rocked by another American League division leading club 8-2 by White Sox, in ugly performance that was turned into a rout by shabby bullpen performance (our old pal Blake Treinan hit like a piñata in allowing 3 inherited Sasaki runners to score and then giving up a run of his own). Now, there are plenty of reasons we all know not to stress about this if one is a Dodgers fan, but the point simply is it’s baseball/sometimes it just happens no matter how good the team, BUT Nats are decidedly not the Dodgers and need to right the ship soon…
I'm convinced we will never be the Dodgers with our population but are performing above our preseason expectations and trending in the right direction. We will be joining the rest of baseball in search of competent pitching at the deadline, but hopefully our walking wounded will be riding in soon with their fresh arms.
As much as I’d like to see it, if we are still hovering around last WC spot, I just don’t think we will be buyers at the deadline.
I dont see us as buyers no mater what. Even if we are 10 games up. I just dont feel that we have the pieces to be a serious threat in the post season even we get there. They aren't going to deviate from the plan for that. Too many players ( eh pitchers) that are prone to have meltdowns to fix through trades. However I do see them being more active acquiring pieces in the offseason.
No one expected 2019 either. If this team was 10 games up in the WC race, I’d stop being a fan if they didn’t throw some chips in and try to make a run. The heck with “vision” because those opportunities aren’t guaranteed and you strive to win when they do arise. But we won’t have to worry about it…..they won’t be 10 games up at the deadline.
He’s on the fast track, for sure. I thought we’d see him in DC in 2 years, but next year is looking possible, if they play next year. BTW, if a strike cancels the season, do the minors play anyway?
Yes, but minor-leaguers on the 40-man roster would be ineligible if there is a lockout.
If he makes it to AA by the end of the season, I think he stands a good chance of at least getting a late season call up in 2027.
When I saw how many pitches the Mariners were fouling off, I understood exactly what their plan was against Littell. Foul off enough pitches and eventually you’ll get one to hit fair. And far. Their plan (unfortunately) worked really well.
Also, Wood dropping that foul-territory catch in LF while Crews made almost exactly the same play in RF is more evidence that when both of them are on the field, Crews should be playing LF and Wood in RF.
I love James, but he’s just not good in Left. He looks awkward and uncomfortable out there. Easy fix.
I agree that RF ought to be Wood's "territory". If one of them has to learn to adapt/adjust, it should be Crews, who is, after all, the "Johnny-come-lately". My opinion, for what it's worth.
Yep, two coaching staffs in a row now doing something that’s head scratching. They are obviously smarter than me, but I don’t get it either.
"They are obviously smarter than me" is something I keep telling myself, too, especially when I don't get it!
Agree. Especially since Crews seems more natural as a defender. Wood has better raw tools (clearly), but those don’t automatically translate into a higher level of play.
Most people believe Crews has a better arm than Wood and that's usually the deciding factor in determining who should play right field. Those long throws to third base require a strong arm.
I feel like Wood has a pretty strong arm, himself. But Crews is definitely the one with the strongest arm.
Well, if you're gonna lose 10 - 2, you might as well feel good about the 2 dingers from Wood and Crews (for different reasons). GO NATS!!
Those were definitely the silver lining in this one.
Wood watch: Homer #19, sixth in all of MLB (4th in the N.L.). Pretty decent shot of at least 25 by the All-Star break. Let the team record discussions begin.
No offense but please don't jinx it. We all know what happened last year in terms of 1st half vs. 2nd half for Wood. Let's just hope he does not fall off the cliff this season.
Tru dat.
The team plays like garbage at home but don't say anything about it because the MAGA like fans will attack you because they and they alone are the only ones who can say anything good or bad. This is why nothing since 2007 really changes because nobody from ownership to operations really feel any heat from the very people who are suppose to matter the fans. I heard Toboni la de da his way thru the Jerky Boys on Friday as he explained nothing will change. The losing is the same and the complete lack of caring is so notable. The TV media is a joke and the only ones who show or sound disappointed are Charlie and Dave. They lost the season back in San Fransisco and came home to just throw up middle fingers to the fans who waited out a 2 1/2 hour rain delay. Ignoring the issues never makes them go away and this team is right at the point of a season that hey have been before as the REBUILD 3.0 looms ahead. Some fans don't have a lot of life left to wait around for yet another rebuild.
The Nats left a fart in San Francisco. 😎
I am sure there are many political threads out there to express your political garbage. Do it there please. This is baseball. But I’m seeing a pattern with your comments, so I don’t expect it.
Back in the WashPost days, he was on "Ignore" by virtually the entire group.
Software update, anyone?
Ah, gotcha. Maybe under a different name the same one or two we also had on MASN. I never posted on WashPo, so I don’t know the characters there. I was always MASN, TalkNats, and Federal Baseball. Now I’m exclusively here.
A handful of folks (me included) posted a lot over there. I see a few familiar names here, but others have scattered.
Plenty of options, but this place is the best.
A few, I think (based on what they’ve sais) went to federal baseball since it’s free. But the writers there turned me off. But it’s managed by a great young man.
I was just looking for the "ignore" button when I saw your comment.
Ha! I first thought you wanted to ignore me! Didn’t think I said anything “ignore worthy.” But I understand now. 😂 😂
No, not you. Your contributions are very interesting.
😂 I corrected my comment. I simply misunderstood. Thanks! 🙏🏼
Thanks to torrential rain, I wasn't able to view or listen to this game. I see that the Nats were as powerless as I was, so I guess if I had to miss a game completely, it might as well have been this one. The skies have cleared, and today's weather appears to be much better. I look forward to a much better game from the fellas, too.
Go, Nats!!
I spent the day yesterday opening our pool. Hopefully we can enjoy it today. Temps haven’t been that hot here yet though.
Oh, bite the bullet - jump in! (Easy for me to say, eh? :-)
Hehe. My six year old likely will. He doesn’t care if there’s ice cubes in there! 😂 I just need to make sure the chemical levels are ok first.
Ah, kids. They really DON"T care. :-)
I hope the BEST CADE CAVALLI is on the mound today!! Scoring 6 or 8+ runs wouldn't bother me, either! GO NATS!!
Jesse Dougherty is now covering the Nationals for the Star. He recently interviewed Toboni. Here’s the link.
http://notus.org/metro/paul-toboni-nationals-rebuild
Feels like last night was unusual for this season. Not unusual in losing at home, but unusual in not being able to bounce back from a setback that in previous seasons seemed to derail the team. With Littell unable to get outs hopefully that was the outlier and today is the bounce back. One other thought is not understanding how they seem so locked into keeping the roster unchanged when multiple players just haven’t delivered. Just seems to not make sense to try to swap out at least 2 or 3 of the weakest links at this point…
By comparison, the last teenage star for the Nats, one Juan Soto, in 2018 played 15 games in A, 16 games in A+, and just 8 games in AA before being called up. He did not play in AAA. Is it apples to apples to compare Willits to Soto fast track rise?
There was such a need back then, and it wasn’t a rebuilding team, so maybe not. There’s more reason now to be patient and let him hit every level.