MVN: Most Valuable Network

Fact #1: The NL East is the worst division in baseball.  The division leader would be no better than 3rd in any other division and would be 5th in the AL East.

Told you about Burnett... Joel HanrahanAt 27 he's probably older than you think so it's time to stop saying "maybe he'll be..." and starting saying "this is what he is" OK first of all he strikes out a ton of batters. 9.00+ K/9 the last two years. This isn't a fluke. Basically his minor league numbers don't drop below 7.2 K/9.  Well, how is his walk rate? Could be better. 4.5 BB/9 last year, 3.9 this year.  Still with those two ratios you'd expect a better season than the Bacsikian one he's tossing out so far. Is he giving up too many homeruns? Not really, 0.83 HR/9.  Too many hits in general?  Oh, there you go. His LD% has shot back up to 25% (same as it was in his rough 2007) and it shows; 50 hits in 32.2 innings. Thing is, that is far too many.  We'd expect a 25% LD rate to be... Read more

OK took a longer look at it yesterday and... Sean Burnett He IS getting by with smoke and mirrors.  I said that initially because his K-rate and BB-rate hadn't changed much from last year and yet his ERA drastically improved.  2008: 4.76   6.67 K/9, 5.40 BB/9  2009: 3.08   6.40 K/9, 4.18 BB/9 Ok that is an improvement and you can also point to a slight improvement in giving up the longball (1.11 HR/9  to 0.84 HR/9) but still over a run and a half improvement?   His FIP is 4.50, his opponents BABIP is .218 his LOB% is 78.2%. Basically all fancy stat indicators  say he's going to regress.   And it could be hard and fast.  A 24.1% LD rate?  That's not good. For those not into fancy stats here are some other sobering numbers 2007 ERA : 4.48. 2006 ERA : 5.16 This was in AAA.  Sure he was on the... Read more

OMGretzky! Hanrahan and Milledge for Burnett and Morgan.  I don't think I like it, probably just cause I didtrust the Nats management. Initial thoughts: Burnett  (27 in Sept)  is blah, might be getting by with smoke and mirrors this season. Morgan (29 in July)  If he can play defense, we got Endy back! Milledge (turned 24 in April) Has talent, needs to be brought along by a non-dysfunctional organization.   Sorry Lastings. Hanrahan (28 in October).  Also has good stuff but seemingly can't get it together.  May be good with a change of scenery, or with more time.  Maybe.   So, it's a band-aid for this season at the expense of a couple of talents that were getting very close to being out of the Nats plans, Hanrahan due to age and Milledge due to Milledge.  Most likely outcome is that the Nats win "small", but if Milledge or Hanrahan find themselves the Pirates can win big. ... Read more

Well, yeah it was BUT it was also the offense. The bullpen has been for the most part, consistently poor.  There have been a few fortnights (that's right FORTNIGHTS) where the bullpen has been decent but that's about it.  Of course - despite what the Germans would have you believe, it takes more than a bad bullpen to ruin a season.  For June the partner in crime has been the offense.  Don't believe me? Runs Scored : 82 in 24 games LAST in the majors. (not sure if the stats have been updated to  count last night or not and I'm too tired to look it up - I don't think they have been in fact - but unless the Padres scored -3 runs this holds up and no team has scored -3 runs since the 2007 Nationals.)So what's causing this?  What else?  A complete lack of power...OBP : .326, 6th... Read more

Here's your chance.  The Nats are bending over backward to give you an opportunity.  You were brought in earlier this year with another questionable pitcher, as part of the whole lightning in the bottle strategy. Both of you have failed miserably. He's already been DFA'd and released. The Nats aren't afraid to send you to the bullpen and they aren't afraid to drop you.  Hell, they might end up keeping you on as a pinch runner. This is a team with nothing to lose. A dangerous team. Unbalanced. What are they going to do? You don't know! They just sent a pitcher to the bullpen for a day for no reason!  I half-expect the new slogan to be "Nationals Baseball : Why so Serious?" So you need to pitch well, my young friend.    Lannan rocks, Zimmerman the All-Star looking grimmer, .253 / .337 /.363 with 1 homer and 8 ribbies in June.  Dunn looking more... Read more

No, not scoring nine runs.  Beating 63 year old John Smoltz coming off of surgery is the baseball equivalent of beating the senior citizen in the Hoveround.  No, what was impressive was Jordan Zimmermann shutting the Red Sox offense down so completely.  1 walk, no XBH, 6 Ks.   This is what the Nats fans were hoping for when ZNN was called up so long ago, and what they have so rarely seen.  Yes, I could be picky about it, Youkilis was out replaced in the line up by the shelled husk of David Ortiz, but that was the only change and the rest of the lineup is still formidable. It's not like pulling Pujols from the Cardinals where you're left with a solid AAA team.  I am pretty consistent in doubting the Nats young pitchers.  I don't see a grand future for most of them.  Zimmermann though has the stuff, so it's always... Read more

So I went to a game last night, looked up at the baseball card starting defense and realized...yes, Josh Bard was the starting catcher for the Nats. That itself wasn't bothersome, but it had been like this now for months.  Either Bard or Nieves have started for nearly two months now and likely will for two months more. Jesus Flores goes down for what looks like the season and the Nats basically give up on that position for the year.  "Oh well, best we can do are these two. Guess we just have to live with it." Nothing against Bard (or Nieves) who are serviceable back-ups who try hard and sometimes succeed, but the Nats fans deserve better than this.... Read more

By the way, if you wanted to fire Manny at home and show that you were in total control, today would be a day to do it... The National All-Star race has gotten more interesting.  Update: Ryan Zimmerman has crashed in June (.217 / .313 / .319) with 1 homer and 8 RBIs.  In the meantime Pablo Sandoval has hit .415 / .473 / .738 with 5 homers.   Mark Reynolds slugged .583 so far this month with 6 homers and 19 ribbies.  Basically June has given us the worst case scenario for Zimmerman's All-Star chances, but I'd still give him a small lead over... Adam Dunn, who hasn't hit in June either but the man can still get on-base (.258 / .410 / .403)  His initial burst of homers, still 6th in the NL in homers depsite only 2 in June, keeps him one hot slugging fortnight from taking the Nats All-Star spot from Ryan. Back-up NL OF is... Read more

No, seriously.  Break up the Nats.  Please.   Nats win. Bound to start winning sometime (as we've all said many times before - the Nats are bad but they shouldn't be record-setting bad) the Nats may just be starting a little run.  Did you know in the last 9 games / 3 series the Nats have put up a respectable 3.26 ERA?  Is it that the pitching is getting better? Or is it just regression to the mean from numbers too horrible to contemplate?  Probably a little from column A and a lot from column B.  Are they suckering the Nats fans into another second half of decent baseball giving the fans hopes and dreams that "Ok NEXT year is the one where the team will be decent"? Possibly. But right now I bet the fans would accept the suckering just to see decent ball games being played night after night.... Read more

At least that's how I feel after totally nailing the first two games of the series.  Of course I do know both these teams well so I should be able to do something like this and my abilities to peer into the future are generally already proven to be "hoverboard crappy", but what of it?  I'm on the top of the mountain now.  No Comeuppance! Tonight should be another close Yankees win. It makes no sense, really.  The Yankees should handle Stammen easily, but the Yankees don't do that.  New pitchers tend to befudlle them (which is why I recommend not getting all "Look how good the rotation is doing!" after the series is over)* I've tried to figure out why and here is my best guess: *Sure Lannan pitched well.  Lannan is a good pitcher.  If he's impressing you now, you haven't been watching the Nats the past 2 years. Martis... Read more