Walking aimlessly in the desert
Submitted by Jeff on Sat, 08/11/2007 - 8:35am.
- A minor league ballpark I went to growing up put a message on the scoreboard when the opposing team surrendered a walk: "Walks Will Haunt", along with a very low-res picture of a ghost (hey, it was the 80s, okay?) By that metric, Chase Field was a haunted house of horrors for the Nationals, who have up 10 walks, six by starter Matt Chico, including two with the bases loaded. ("The details are grisly and may not be suitable for family viewing, so shield the eyes of children before reading further," advises Barry Svrluga.) After the Nats hit three sixth-inning homers to tie the game 4-4, the bullpen collapsed (thanks, again, to walks) allowing the D-backs to take the lead for good. Nats lose to the D-backs, 11-4. (Box score)
- The pitching matchup last night was a battle of the past versus the future, as Chico labored against former Nat Livan Hernandez just over a year after they were traded for each other (with the D-backs also giving up Garrett Mock.) Despite Chico's poor performance of late (6.25 ERA since the break) the Nats are still happy with the deal. "We can't second guess ourselves. We like what we've seen out of Chico. And our minor league people are happy with Mock, too," said Manny Acta.
- Speaking of the future, Ross Detwiler pitched well but lost his Potomac debut Friday night. Detwiler allowed two runs on eight hits and no walks in 4.2 innings. "I was decent," he said after the game, adding that leaving the ball up was his one flaw.
- The current rotation for the Nats will stay intact for at least one more turn as Shawn Hill will make one more Triple-A rehab start next week before rejoining the Nats, most likely to start the August 19th game against the Mets. Team officials thought his breaking pitches weren't as sharp as they liked, and Hill turned out to be too efficient in his last start: he threw just 54 pitches through five innings, and needed to throw 20 more in the bullpen later to get his pitch count to the desired level.
- Dmitri Young sat out his second straight game with hamstring tightness and remained day-to-day. He is available to pinch hit.
- Potomac first baseman Brett McMillan felt an emotional connection with Barry Bonds after the slugger recalled his father, Thom Loverro says. "[B]oth have lost their baseball fathers and the chance to share their triumphs with them. McMillan's father, Doug, was a scout for the Nats who died of a heat attack earlier this year.
- A Long Island newspaper provides some hometown love for John Lannan, noting, "It is hard to imagine a more thrilling first two weeks in the majors."