This lack of offense is getting offensive
Submitted by Jeff on Wed, 07/04/2007 - 7:58am.
- In his first MLB start in nearly two years, Tim Redding gave the Nats about as good as they could expect from someone with a 5.32 ERA in Triple-A: three runs over five innings, including retiring the last eight Cubs he faced. However, three runs is too many to give up these days with the Nats' cold bats, who managed just a single run on a pair of walks, a hit batter, and a sac fly in the bottom of the fifth. Tough times for hitting coach Lenny Harris: "Everybody tries to do too much at one time when things are going bad. Everybody's trying to get four hits in one at-bat. It doesn't happen like that." But it would be nice. Nats lose again, 3-1. (Box score)
- Austin Kearns was upset about being left out of the starting lineup, but acknowledged that he has only himself to blame for his disappointing production. "Things bug me, and when you're not doing what you know you can, that's the worst part about this game. You don't feel like you're holding up your end, and it eats at you." Kearns did come in in the ninth in a double switch, and struck out in the bottom of the ninth.
- The Nats signed draft pick Michael Burgess, the team's third pick and the 49th overall. Burgess, who will report today to the rookie-league Gulf Coast Nationals, will get a $630,000 signing bonus. Perhaps Burgess and his family got sick of having Jim Bowden sleep over with them.
- The Nats have yet to sign the first two picks, Ross Detwiler and Josh Smoker. and Bowden acknowledged that the opening of the international signing period could put pressure on them to accept a deal. "If we decide to go forward and sign a couple of players that we're negotiating with, it might affect our ability to sign our first two picks," said Bowden. The team hasn't signed any international amateurs yet.
- Another former Nat is looking for work: the Los Angeles California Angels of Anaheim Orange County designated Hector Carrasco for assignment.
- "George Washington was one of America's greatest citizens," writes the Times' Tim Lemke, "but today he will be bestowed with arguably his most prestigious honor: immortality via bobblehead." Read on for more than you ever wanted to know about bobbleheads and their powers to put fans in seats (or least buy tickets, since some people actually take the bobblehead and leave).