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Friday, June 29, 2012

I Guess There IS an "I" in "Team!"

In baseball, I've always thought that one guy does not one team make.  If one player is struggling, it is up to the other players on the team to step up and play their best regardless of whether one guy stinks or not.  That is why I have always been perplexed when sportscasters and analysts say things like "Once so-and-so breaks out of his slump, the other guys will follow" and "So-and-so is not hitting well in the third spot because he's not gettingany support from the first two batters."  Shouldn't So-and-so's teammates still perform well even if So-and-so sucks?  It was pretty cut-and-dry to me two weeks ago, but now I'm not so sure.

If you're a regular reader of this blog or if you follow me on www.prosportsblogging.com or www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/blogs/ (scroll down to Nationals Inquirer), you've surely read my rants about how the Washington Nationals had not been producing offensively, especially for the 3rd, 4th, and 5th batters.  I've also written about third baseman Ryan Zimmerman's nagging shoulder injury, and the debate whether to place him back on the Disabled List or give him a cortisone shot and let him rest during the All-Star break.  Well, apparently they went ahead and gave him the cortisone shot last Sunday, and ever since then, he has been hitting very well.  His average went up from a lousy .218 to an improved .235 in the past week, which includes 2 home runs hit in Colorado (OK, I know that even I could hit a home run at Coors Field, but still...).

Well guess what?  As soon as Ryan Zimmerman started hitting, the rest of the Nationals' bats woke up as well!  Adam LaRoche and Tyler Moore also had 2 home runs apiece, and the team had 49 hits in their last 3 games.  So what's that all about?  I don't know - I was a Sports Management major, not a Sports Psychology one so I don't have an answer.  But it seems like it is indeed true - when a normally good batter is in a slump, the rest of the team seems to struggle too.  Let's just hope that's not the case for the Phillies, who just got second baseman Chase Utley back from the Disabled List.  He had been there all season due to chondromalacia in his knee (Don't we all have some degree of grinding in our knees?  I think Chase is just a wimp!).  But anyway, Utley hit a home run in his first at-bat since his return, and first baseman Ryan Howard is starting his rehab after rupturing his Achilles tendon in the last game of the playoffs last year.  So if Utley starts out well and Howard makes a comeback, will that spark the Phillies' bats?  Gosh, I hope not!

Sunday, June 24, 2012

To go on the Disabled List or not... That is the Question!

The second and final "Battle of the Beltways" series between the Washington Nationals and the Baltimore Orioles was played over the weekend, and the Orioles took 2 of 3 from the Nats. While the Nationals' pitching remained solid (allowing only 5 runs in the 3 games), their offense continued to struggle (they too only scored 5 runs in the series). The aggressive baserunning that we saw in last week's series against Tampa Bay was not present at Camden Yards, mainly because the players just did not get on base much in the first place.  But hey, this series puts an end to inter-league play for the rest of the season - good riddance! 
One of the Nationals' players who continues to struggle offensively is former Gold Glove and Silver Slugger winner, third baseman Ryan Zimmerman. Zim started Sunday with an uncharacteristic .218 and has struck out 42 times in 55 games. One thing that baseball experts and analysts and even fans are wondering is if Ryan's shoulder injury, which sidelined him for a couple of weeks last month, is continuing to bother him. Zim is one of those players who would never admit to being in pain, but many wonder if the nagging injury is affecting his swing. Zim says he does not feel pain or discomfort when fielding, but has not confirmed nor denied if it's an issue while swinging a bat. Earlier on Sunday, before they played the Orioles, there were rumors that Ryan would be placed on the 15-day Disabled List in order for him to strengthen his shoulder some more. Others were speculating whether the Nationals would have Zimmerman receive a cortisone shot in his shoulder and let him get some rest during the All-Star break. So those two scenarios were possible; but then came Sunday's game.

Ryan Zimmerman's performance on Sunday reminded me of when my husband and I had to make the agonizing decision to put down our beloved 12-year-old Shepherd-Collie mix, CJ. She had been suffering from some pretty severe arthritis, and had developed a nerve disorder that made her lose control of her bowels. When the vet told us there was nothing else he could do for her, we made the decision to have her euthanized a few days later. But suddenly, CJ found all this energy and was vibrant and spry for a few more days, which made us question our decision. Similarly, while all these rumors and possibilities about Ryan Zimmerman's shoulder are circling around the baseball world, Ryan decides to go 2 for 4 with an RBI on Sunday, raising his batting average a little bit to .223.

So is Ryan feeling OK? Did he just have a stroke of good luck at the plate? We'll have to see how he does in the upcoming series against the Colorado Rockies - if he can hang in there, I would opt for the cortisone shot and rest during the five-day All-Star break. Because really; if they place him on the 15-day Disabled List, who are they going to bring up to take his place? It's not like Syracuse (the Nationals' AAA affiliate) is brimming with red-hot batters who are going to single-handedly wake up the Nationals' offense. After the Colorado series, the Nationals end the first half of the season against the Atlanta Braves and then open the second half against the other NL East teams. That's when the real contenders will come through, and that's when everyone - not just Ryan Zimmerman - needs to step up and start hitting. Yes, the Nationals continue to lead the Majors in ERA (and for the first time since the 1980s there is a Major League team with 4 of its 5 starters with ERAs of less than 3); but if their batters don't start hitting, the Mets and Braves will kick their butts. Yes, I know I sound like a broken record - but until the Nationals start hitting consistently, I'm going to keep harping on them.

So there you go, Nationals; if you want me to stop picking on your offensive woes, do some hitting and shut me up!

Monday, June 18, 2012

Oh, Those Darn Yankees!

So, what can I as a Nationals fan say about this past weekend's series between the New York Yankees and the Washington Nationals? In one word: Frustrating.

As a baseball fan, I loved going to the game at Nationals Park last Saturday. The weather was perfect, parking was a breeze, the sellout crowd was pumped up, and despite some issues at the Ben's Chili Bowl stand, we ate well and had fun (and we stayed for all 14 innings!).  Oh, and my wonderful husband arranged for us to meet Bob Carpenter and F.P. Santangelo (the MASN Sports broadcasters), which was a great experience!  But as a Nationals fan, the series was not fun to watch - neither in person nor on TV.

The Yankees did what they normally do - the batters worked their counts and made Nationals pitchers throw a lot of pitches, they played a solid defense, and they had clutch hits when they mattered most. Even when A-Rod and Jeter didn't produce, you had Granderson, Teixeira and Canó contributing (Teixeira got the 2RBIs in the top of the 14th at Saturday's game). The Yankees undoubtedly have the best lineup in Major League baseball, and they sure proved it this past weekend.

Despite losing all 3 games though, the Nationals hung in there and did not allow themselves to be completely humiliated. In Friday's game, Gio Gonzalez had a decent outing, Saturday's game went 14 innings, and on Sunday the Nationals lost 4-1. No 10-2 games, no major embarrassments (other than Bryce Harper striking out five times in Saturday's game - Andy Pettite, old enough to be his father, completely dominated Bryce), and no loss in the standings (the Nationals are still 4 games above the Braves in first place, thanks to the Orioles taking their series with the Braves this past weekend).

So what was the major problem in the Yankees series? I would like to place the blame on 3 guys - the ones who bat 3-5 in the batting order. In the 3-game series against the Yankees, the 3, 4, and 5 hitters went 7/39, which is completely unacceptable. Former All-Star, Gold-Glover and Silver Slugger third baseman Ryan Zimmerman (the #3 batter) is batting a lousy .229 with only 3 home runs. Outfielder Michael Morse, who has only played in the last 14 games after spending the beginning of the season on the Disabled List, has gone 12 for 57 with no home runs, despite having hit 31 homers for the Nationals last year. And Adam LaRoche, who was hot at the beginning of the season, has been sliding down the leader boards, currently batting .264. If these guys in the middle of the order don't start producing soon, the other teams in the NL East may catch up pretty quickly.

What will hopefully save the Nationals from continuing to lose is the upcoming series against the very injured Tampa Bay Rays. While this is normally a very solid baseball team, they are currently being Band-Aided together and have 9 players on the Disabled List (including Evan Longoria and Luke Scott). The Nationals need to take at least 2 of 3 from the Rays before going to visit the red-hot Orioles, which means that Zimmerman, Morse, and LaRoche need to step up their game.

So I believe our next trip to Nationals Park will be in early August to watch the Nationals host the Miami Marlins.  I'm looking forward to seeing Ozzie Guillen for the first time (hopefully he won't get ejected from the game!) and hopefully the Nationals will still be in first place.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Roberts and Strasburg and A-Rod - Oh my!

If the only baseball news you get come from my blog (because you only read my blog to be nice, not because you're a true baseball fan), there are a lot of newsworthy items that you may have missed.  First of all, the Baltimore Orioles' second baseman, Brian Roberts, returned to his team last night after being on the Disabled List for over a year due to recurring concussion symptoms.  Not only did Roberts get a standing ovation from the fans at Camden Yards, but he went 3 for 4 with one RBI.  Welcome back, Brian!
Another noteworthy event is that the Washington Nationals' Stephen Strasburg became the first pitcher in the Majors to reach 100 strikeouts this season.  He did so in 76 1/3 innings pitched and now has a record of 8-1.  If Strasburg is not selected to be a starting pitcher for this year's All-Star Game, I swear I will run my next marathon in my bare feet with my hands tied behind my back.  The Nationals, by the way, just finished a six-game road trip where they swept the Red Sox and Blue Jays, and are now headed home to face the Yankees this weekend with a franchise-best 38-23 record. 

Also of note (though I wish I could skip this item, but it would be irresponsible of me to do so) is that the New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez tied Lou Gehrig with the 23rd grand slam of his career.  Now, I don't see this as a particularly great individual feat, because it is out of your control as a batter whether the bases are loaded or not when you hit a home run.  Now, if the bases are loaded, no pitcher in his right mind would intentionally walk a batter to walk in a run, so of course they're going to pitch to A-Rod.  On other occasions, pitchers either intentionally walk him or pitch around him ("unintentionally" intentionally walking him), so when they're forced to pitch to him, yes, he's likely to hit a home run.  Not because there are 3 guys on base, but because they don't want to walk him in this case.  So because I'm an A-Rod hater, I'm going to pooh-pooh this otherwise-wonderful feat and hope that someone with the grace and dignity of Lou Gehrig passes A-Rod on this list someday.

Let's see... what else? Oh, sorry Scott, but I have to mention how the Phillies are in LAST place by 10 games in the NL East.  Their 29-24 record is a far cry from that of victorious years past, - maybe their fans will stop being so obnoxious when they visit other ballparks.  And how about those Pirates?  They're only one game back of the Reds in the NL Central, and as much as I like the Cardinals (for having Beltrán and Molina), it's nice to see someone else in the top two spots for a change. 

So yeah, this has been an interesting week so far, and it will only get better on Saturday, when my husband and will I go down to Nationals Park for our second game of the season.  Yankees and Nationals - Jordan Zimmermann against previously-retired Andy Pettite; Harper versus A-Rod; Jeter versus Desmond; the "Curly W" versus pinstriped uniforms that haven't changed since the 1800s.  I'm looking forward to seeing Robinson Canó in person, though I hope he goes 0-4 that day.  I can't wait to tell you all about it!

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

"Well I'm Proud to be a Puerto Rican, Where at Least I Know we can Play Baseball!"

The 2012 Major League Baseball Player Draft is upon us, and while it doesn't get the hype that the NLF draft does, it's still an exciting time for sports fans.  This year's draft has been a particularly thrilling one for us Puerto Ricans, since seven Puerto Rican baseball players have been selected so far.

The first overall player to be drafted by anyone went to the Houston Astros (that's the perk you get for finishing dead last and having the worst record in baseball last season).  They drafted seventeen-year-old Carlos Correa, a shortstop who just graduated from the island's Baseball Academy High School and is so young he still has traces of acne on his face.  He hails from the small town of Santa Isabel, where they gave him a hero's welcome yesterday.  He had already signed a commitment letter to play at the University of Miami, but I think the only trips he'll be making  to Florida will be to play for the Gulf Coast League.

Other Puerto Ricans selected in the first round of the draft include the fourteenth player, Nick Travieso (he wasn't born on the island but his grandparents were, so we'll gladly claim him as a "native"), who was picked by the Cincinnati Reds and pitcher José Berríos who was thirty-second and picked by the Minnesota Twins.

In the second round, Jesmuel Valentín was picked 51st by the LA Dodgers (speaking of Dodgers, did you hear that Tommy LaSorda had a mild heart attack yesterday?  He's 84 years old, though to me he's looked old ever since I was a kid); Edwin Díaz was picked 98th by the Seattle Mariners, Avery Romero was selected by the Miami Marlins as the 104th player, and Bryan De la Rosa was the Atlanta Braves' selection at 116th.

This is a very exciting time for us Puerto Ricans, because baseball talent on the island had been dwindling in the past few years.  Major League teams have spent millions of dollars in training facilities in both the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, where labor laws are more lenient and "buscones," or scouts, can easily groom little boys to believe they can make it in the big leagues (though many of them don't).  So while there had been a slight lull in the development of Puerto Rican baseball players in the Majors, hopefully in the next few years we will see a new batch of talent comparable to that of the Alomar and Molina brothers, Benito Santiago, José Oquendo, Iván Rodriguez (you knew I had to fit him in somewhere in this post!), Orlando Cepeda, and who knows - maybe a new Roberto Clemente-like Puerto Rican will emerge in the coming years.  So "play ball, fanáticos" - it's going to be a fun and exciting time to follow Puerto Ricans in baseball!

(Also worth mentioning is the second-round draft pick for the Baltimore Orioles, right-handed pitcher Branden Kline out of the University of Virginia.  Kline was a 2009 graduate of Governor Thomas Johnson High School, which happens to be the school where I work.  Hopefully we will see Branden play for our local Orioles' minor-league affiliate, the Frederick Keys, in the next year or so).