Hot, but not too hot
Submitted by Jeff on Thu, 06/14/2007 - 5:10am.
- The box score will show that the Nats won the game in the 11th inning last night when Felipe Lopez hit a bases-clearing triple to break a 6-6 tie. But give an assist to manager Manny Acta, who moments before Lopez's triple stepped in to prevent the second baseman from getting tossed for arguing a low pitch that was called a strike. Lopez (and Acta) bailed out the bullpen, who blew a 4-2 lead in the seventh and a 6-5 lead in the ninth. Nats win in 11, 9-6, over the hapless O's.
- Lopez got his second clutch hit in as many games after being dropped to second in the lineup. Acta said that Lopez will get to see better pitches hitting between Cristian Guzman and Ryan Zimmerman, but will eventually move back to the leadoff spot.
- Robert Fick has been distracted by the deteriorating health of his mother, who is suffering from lung cancer. Fick is hitting only .194 this season and knows that, in other circumstances and on other teams, he might have been released. "It's kind of like a relief," he said of playing baseball. "This is where I get a break from it all."
- Dmitri Young knows that he could be wearing another uniform by the end of next month given the likely trade interest in the hot-hitting first baseman. "I don't think about it," he said. "My thought every day is to help the Washington Nationals win."
- Jim Bowden, in his weekly Examiner column, said that keeping Young "is an option, too". Bowden said that the team could be either "buyers or sellers" at the trade deadline, with a preference of trading for players on the verge of making it in the majors or "young veterans". Also: Bowden said the team would "hopefully" give Brandon Watson another chance at some point this season; Watson's hitting streak held at 39 games after an off-day yesterday.
- The Nats signed seven more draft picks yesterday, including second-round pick Jordan Zimmermann. The Nats have now signed 22 of their 53 picks.