Bergmann

[shoeshineboy]

I just got back from the game, so I haven't read the game thread. (not sure I want to.) Over the first three games, Patterson had mechanics issues, Hill was ok but had a tough outing also due to some tough luck early, and Chico got rocked, but he threw a lot of strikes and at least got through 5 innings on 55 pitches. (Williams looked good during ST, but I still expect him to have his early struggles.)

As far as Bergmann goes, I had low expectations going in, especially considering how much he struggled to throw strikes leading up to this. I don't know if it was the cold or what excuse - if any - was given, but Bergmann's performance was probably the single worst I have seen other than Eichen. It's his first showing, so I am don't want to say he gets no other chances, but it is not enough to simply say a pitcher loses because they stink. I can understand a pitcher having an off day, and certainly expect guys to get hit, especially when they are just not that good. That to everyone. But a pitcher has to be able to at least make batters beat them.

As thin as this rotation is, and as bad as I expect it to be at times, professional pitchers even at he Single A level can still throw pitches that resemble something near the strike zone. He has never been this bad before, so I don't know what the heck was going on. This was not about looking like a guy who should be in AAA. This looked like a guy from another planet. I'd rather see a guy go out there and get hit than simply hand runs away because they are unable to keep a ball from sailing over the batter's head.

The Nats outhit their opponent again, and the bullpen held. One timely hit on one of the several chances they had, and they would have swiped this game. Credit the team for staying in it. This will be a common theme this year. But we have to run guys out there who are at least going to compete. No pitcher can get batters out by thowing pitches a high school kid wouldn't swing at.

[Nat of the Living Dead]

I said it last year when I saw him pitch and I still say the same thing this year : Bergmann will have a glorious career and future...in Columbus.

He just isn't good.  He isn't anywhere near consistent and gets butchered by MLB hitters.  To steal a line from Ken, "We need to stop kidding ourselves" and send this guy packing as soon as O'Conner or Simontacchi heal up or we find someone else.

[Ericas Nats]

i was at the game as well, (with many, many layers of clothes on) and he sucked. im sorry i didnt like him last year , and i have no tolerance for him now. im sorry we may have to look into seeing if bowie can become a starter or something. since we know rauch doesnt want to be a starter. perhaps we can get Micha-counter top Bowie

im still dethawing from tonights game

[shoeshineboy]

I said it last year when I saw him pitch and I still say the same thing this year : Bergmann will have a glorious career and future...in Columbus.

He just isn't good.  He isn't anywhere near consistent and gets butchered by MLB hitters.  To steal a line from Ken, "We need to stop kidding ourselves" and send this guy packing as soon as O'Conner or Simontacchi heal up or we find someone else.

I am not a huge fan of his in the rotation either. But I think it was even worse than that. It isn't like getting another guy ready to start. I would have Traber, Rauch, Speigner, Bowie, Colome, practically anyone at any level pitch the first couple of innings if this the performance. I would have preferred to see him butchered. I was prepared for that. It wasn't even that he couldn't throw strikes. He flat out could not throw anything resembling a strike. You can't do that at any level. If he pitched like that in a Single A game, he still would have given up 3 or 4 runs in the first inning.

[metssuck]

I'm not a big fan of his but the thing that irritates me the most is he actually started off good in his counts ubt then he'll a batter battle back and get the best off. HE had a lot favorable counts early on and jsut couldn't put the hitter away. he definitely can be worked on adn with enuff coaching would amke a serviceable pitcher for the NAts but atm he's jsut hard to watch, moreso than any others Nats pitcher.

[Ericas Nats]

he was afraid to throw strikes.. he was such a wussy tonight. we would get ahead of them on the count and just walk their butts...


he needs to go!!!!!!!

[shoeshineboy]

he was afraid to throw strikes.. he was such a wussy tonight. we would get ahead of them on the count and just walk their butts...

he needs to go!!!!!!!

I'm willing to be as fair with him as I would be with anyone else. But one thing is for sure. You cannot pitch out of fear, and that is part of his problem. Randy and Acta will need to work with him to see a change both mentally and physically if they expect to send him out there again.

[Dave B]

like metssuck said, he just couldnt put people away. he also didnt get the benefit of a couple of close calls.  almost everybody was walking off the field on the 3-2 pitch that walked in the first run, then the hit to score two.  could have been a different game on that one pitch.  arizona guys did battle him in the first inning

[Nat of the Living Dead]

I have the perfect man to help Acta and Randy help out Bergmann....

[Senators2005]

I hear this guy says he'd be willing to come back if Manny needs any pointers...the new job MLB gave him pretty much sucks as you can see in this photograph...

[hammondsnats]

i'm in no way shape or form ready to give up on jason bergmann.  he had great success with us in 2005 and spent his '06 season btwn AAA and MLB. 

We don't have too many better options, so you throw the guy out there in 5 games and then another 5.  If he doesn't fair well after 3 starts, then you try and get someone else in there. 

It's different than Josh Wilson's case, because we had Ronnie Belliard available to start and it's good to see that he is now.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

I forget which game it was, but I think it might have been vs the Brewers last summer, where Bergmann was being shelled mercilessly, and he looked pleadingly back to the dugout and FR just spat out some sunflower seeds and examined his fingernails.  Bergmann was made to sweat through at least another couple of innings (and 5 or 6 runs).  Ouch.

[PC]

If it ever takes 50 pitches to get three outs, something HAS to be "reconsidered".  I don't think I've ever seen a fifty-pitch inning before last night.

[Senators2005]

Hey didn't anybody notice the picture of Frank Robinson with the mop on his head?!?  I thought it was kind of funny...but nobody even gave it a comment!  LOL!   

[shoeshineboy]

Hey didn't anybody notice the picture of Frank Robinson with the mop on his head?!?  I thought it was kind of funny...but nobody even gave it a comment!  LOL!   

It was great. Nice pic from his days as judge in kangaroo court. I wonder if they will give Dmitri a wig to wear when he is judging.

[shoeshineboy]

i'm in no way shape or form ready to give up on jason bergmann.  he had great success with us in 2005 and spent his '06 season btwn AAA and MLB. 

Like I said, all these guys should be able to learn from one start and make adjustments, so I believe in second chances. Nevertheless, it was not like he was getting shelled. He threw 91 pitches and 49 were strikes. But any pitch that is hit or fouled off counts as a strike as well. With the movements he generates, he needs to be more aggressive and have the ball find the zone. Not throwing strikes is either a sign of someone who can't control their pitches or is afraid to throw them. With a 50 pitch inning, where only two hits were given up, I would have to say he suffered from both.

Something must change for him, and quickly. We do have other options if we are looking at trying to avoid a first inning like that.

[kimnat]

I understand what y'all are saying.  but we only gave up 4 runs!  We outnumbered the D-Backs in hits 2-1 and we still LOST!  So, the pitching isn't the full picture of last night's game.  I saw it too, at home.  We consistently stranded players on base.  That's where the bigger problem is!  You can't win if you can't produce RBIs and every one of you knows that better than I do.

[UMDNats]

Dear Mike O'Connor,

Please get healthy soon so I can stop proving to everyone I am nowhere near major league caliber pitching.

Thanks,

Jason Bergmann.

[nats2playoffs]

When you lose by one run, it wears you down to think about how Bergie walked a runner home.  There are 8 other players on the field.  He has to stop being afraid to put it over the plate.  They hit grounders and fly balls...

[Nat of the Living Dead]

"Fear leads to Columbus, padawan Bergmann."

[iluvryanzimmerman]

(Image removed from quote.)

"Fear leads to Columbus, padawan Bergmann."

haha nice.
i know bergmann is a wuss in every way, i rather see a fan pitching then him, he is afraid to pitch the ball, im pretty sure if he was soo scared e could get something done, he needs to think bout it he has deffence behind im pretty sure they can get the out if he would pitch the ball instead being scared, its jsut going to make it worse for him, more people will hate him =]

[xposbrad]

Unfortunately it does not look like SP is going to be our strength this year. I think we knew that in the offseason, and Bergmann doesn't like he's going to amount to a strong pitcher in the majors.

[kimnat]

Does a wuss practice through much of the off season and work to try to get the mechanics right?  Does a scaredy cat allow himself to be placed in a starting role vs. being a reliever?  Does a timid person continue to play even when he hasn't been treated consistently by his manager in past seasons?

Come on!  Give the guy a little slack.  Patterson allowed more numbers on the board than Bergmann did!  From the other site:  "Patterson lasted 3 2/3 innings and gave up six runs on seven hits. He threw 80 pitches; 46 of them were strikes."   "He (bergmann) lasted 3 2/3 innings as he walked six batters. The first inning was his worst, when he threw 50 pitches and walked three batters. Overall, he threw 91 pitches."  Patterson's game final score 9-2.  Bergmann's game final score 4-3.  At least he didn't give the "tired arm" excuse.  Berg. did state that he needs to throw the strikes .  He doesn't look much different than what we've seen in Patterson, so give the guy a chance and a break.  I don't hear y'all saying that Patterson shouldn't be in the majors!

I don't think he threw a stellar game at all.  But neither did Patterson or Hill.  I think we need to let them settle into their own grooves, work out the opening of season jitters (if any) and just watch and wait.  Give the team a chance to get their issues and mechanics settled.  After a few weeks, then we can revisit the issue.  Plus, I don't hear anyone griping about the players we're leaving stranded on the bases.  We could have won last night if we had the rbi's.

[nats2playoffs]

In 2006 Bergmann had 6 starts, an 0-2 W-L, 54 K's and 27 Walks (and in 2005 21 Ks and 11 BBs.)  42 of his 91 pitches last night were balls.  Who knows, maybe it was the cold.  He is capable of doing better.  Our starters can't get out of the 1st inning unscathed.  Bergmann's next start is against Chuck James at Atlanta.  If Bergmann can pitch 6 innings and win half his games, he'll be doing more for us than most #4 or #5 pitchers. 
 

[kimnat]

Yes, I completely agree.  Thank you!  Here's another thing to remember, for a pitcher it's hard to go back and forth between starting and relieving and that's what was happening last year.  So, I'll write off last night and the rest of this series to the cold and see what happens in the next few games that Bergmann is starting.  Plus, all of our starters need to be pitching at 5-6 innings, not just one.  Let's give them all a chance to get in their grooves and get it together.

Hey N2P, what in the world are your smiley's doing?