Author Topic: Worst offensive performance in Nationals history - 2012 edition  (Read 14364 times)

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Offline Sharp

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Clipp in high leverage + crap closer coming in with bases empty over clip as closer, crap coming in and securing loss every tine


Well, that's why the management didn't immediately make him closer when Storen went down in the first place.  It's too bad that H-Rod and Lidge made it impossible to keep him in the setup role.

Online Slateman

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lol, a week and change removed from HRod and people are clamoring for him

Offline nobleisthyname

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Well, that's why the management didn't immediately make him closer when Storen went down in the first place.  It's too bad that H-Rod and Lidge made it impossible to keep him in the setup role.

What's the real shame is that there has to be a set closer at all. Ideally you would use your best relievers in the highest leverage situations, regardless of whose inning it "belongs" to.

Offline Sharp

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What's the real shame is that there has to be a set closer at all. Ideally you would use your best relievers in the highest leverage situations, regardless of whose inning it "belongs" to.
I think the real pressure isn't coming from management, honestly, but from the players.  As long as the league pays for saves nobody who's got a taste of closing and been successful at it is going to be satisfied in any other role.  I half-expect Clip to bolt as soon as he's an FA for that very reason.

Online Slateman

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I think the real pressure isn't coming from management, honestly, but from the players.  As long as the league pays for saves nobody who's got a taste of closing and been successful at it is going to be satisfied in any other role.  I half-expect Clip to bolt as soon as he's an FA for that very reason.

The league pays for saves because coming in with a one run lead in the 9th is stressful.

Offline nobleisthyname

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The league pays for saves because coming in with a one run lead in the 9th is stressful.

Not very more stressful (if at all) then coming into a tied game bases loaded jam with less than two outs in the 7th. But you won't use your best reliever in that situation because it isn't the 9th. You put a lesser guy in, lose the tie, and thus never end up using your best reliever at all as now there's no possibility for a save situation.

And yes I agree that players love the closer designation. As Clip has stated several times, as a pitcher, if you're not a starter, you want to be a closer.

Online PowerBoater69

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lol, a week and change removed from HRod and people are clamoring for him

Not really clamoring, but he's certainly got more upside than Lidge.  HRod should never have been in the closer role but when he was on he was unhittable.  Lidge's career is over.

Offline mitlen

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Not really clamoring, but he's certainly got more upside than Lidge.  HRod should never have been in the closer role but when he was on he was unhittable.  Lidge's career is over.

+1

Offline PC

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That four pitch, half inning.  We almost achieved 3 pitch, 3 out perfection.

Online RobDibblesGhost

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Bump.  We had another four-pitch inning tonight, but that's only part of the story.  After a good first inning, the offense totally disappeared.  24 of the last 25 retired, the one who did reach via a walk was erased two pitches later on a DP.  Our #2 hitter only batted three times!  I don't know how we won...

Offline PC

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Bump.  We had another four-pitch inning tonight, but that's only part of the story.  After a good first inning, the offense totally disappeared.  24 of the last 25 retired, the one who did reach via a walk was erased two pitches later on a DP.  Our #2 hitter only batted three times!  I don't know how we won...

He's 6-5, wears size 15 shoes and his initials are SS.

Offline NatsDad14

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The leadoff hitter had 3 PA all game. Are you freaking kidding me. Get some help Rizzo

Offline Coladar

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This was really embarrassing, and I, non-hyperbolically, do have to say it should be one of, if not the worst offensive performance of all-time. A: we basically got no hit. We've never been no-hit, so this ranks there. B, we had one base runner all game, and that was via a walk, which was erased via a DP, by the Zimmzman, who should have a Z- grade at this point.

Now as to why I ignore the first inning, this was a dude making his ML debut. He wasn't anything special in AAA. But here's the kicker. That first inning! It made this even worse than if you erased the first inning and replaced it with a nine pitch, three K inning. Kid is making his first ML start. He's nervous as hell, and he gives up a crapton of doubles and crap without getting even one out. Then they make an embarrassing as hell error, letting the ball roll into the dugout as Harper shows his inexperience and stands there. He couldn't have a worse start to the game if he tried. And after our third AB, go watch the replay, he was nervous AND frustrated as hell, and he wasn't even able to hide it. He was visibly shaken. Then we get two quick, pathetic outs with a man on third!!! No outs, dude on third, that runner should always score before you get two outs. Mercifully, he scores on a single, and that ends up being the only reason we win the game.

Then, not like he has a half hour to sit there and calm down, Stras pitches a quick second inning giving up only a sole HR. And this kid was making his ML debut!!! I'm sorry, but the aforementioned recap really does, considering that, make this game worse than if we had been shut down lights out in the first on nine pitches. And excluding that, again we just had that one walk erased by a DP.

I don't want to sound like SF, particularly since we freaking won and scored three runs. And I'm sure some will think its hyperbole at its finest to say this, although hopefully some agree. So I'm sorry, but this was definitively the worst offensive performance in the eight season history of the Nats. But worse than that, short of us getting tossed a perfect game by Daniel Cabrera, this is likely to remain the worst offensive performance in the seasons to come. Considering the background of the game, and that first inning, this was as bad as I ever want to see it get. I'll end with the exact same words I started this rant with: this was really embarrassing.

Offline Jordanz Meatballz

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You know their pitcher really did settle down and start commanding his pitches. Some Nats put good swings on the ball right at guys, too. It's just baseball.

Granted, Zim, Flores and Espinosa looked horrible, but that's par for the course this year.

Offline JdoubleU

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I wonder how Nats Nation would have reacted to last night's game if Harper would have been thrown out? That's the worst hitting I've seen from the Natinals since they got here. The questions should be who gets no-hit first: the Nats or their opponents?

Online Slateman

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I wonder how Nats Nation would have reacted to last night's game if Harper would have been thrown out? That's the worst hitting I've seen from the Natinals since they got here. The questions should be who gets no-hit first: the Nats or their opponents?

You mean if Lombo and Harper had been thrown out? Because they should have been

Offline spidernat

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This has to be considered.

Offline Lintyfresh85

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If Flores's liner finds a hole, we win the game. Not worried at all. Bats will come around.

Offline comish4lif

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If Flores's liner finds a hole, we win the game. Not worried at all. Bats will come around.
When?

Offline Lintyfresh85

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Sometime before October.

Offline mmzznnxx

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This has to be a strong candidate. One run on an errant throw by Mark Reynolds? Only two runs given up against one of the best hitting teams in the entire league? Embarrassing.

Offline PC

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I again noticed that we had a number of players go 0-fer last night so I got curious and did a little research.  I wanted to know how often we’ve had our leadoff and #2 hitters go hitless and walkless and our #3 and #4 hitters go hitless.  I included walks for #1 and #2 because they are supposed to get on base and a walk is just as good as a hit, for that purpose.  I didn’t include walks for the #3 and #4 because they’re supposed to drive in runs, not just get on base.

Well, I found that with the leadoff hitter, we’re tied for 9th worst with 15 hitless and walkless games.  The worst team is Cincinnati with 22 and the average is about 14.  For the #2 hitter, we’re tied for 11th worst with 16 hitless and walkless games.  The Angels are worst with 20 and the average is, again, about 14.   A little worse than average for both of these but nothing dramatic…then I looked at the hitless games for the #3 and #4 positions in the batting order…

For the #3 hitter position, we’re 26th worst, just five teams with more hitless games than our #3 position.  We’ve had 28 hitless games from the #3 position in the batting order.  Atlanta is worst with 35. The average is about 22.  Not good.  And then I went to #4…ugh…

For the #4 position in the batting order, we’re 28th worst, ahead of just two teams, Seattle and Atlanta.  We have 29 hitless games from the #4 batting position, Seattle is worst with 32.  The average is about 23. I checked to see who the #4 hitless hitters were.  There were a couple of Werth games, a few Morse games and one Tracy game.  All the rest were LaRoche, needless to say.

I concluded that we could use a little more production out of #1 and #2 but #3 and #4 are really hurting us, which isn’t much of a surprise.  We know Ryan Zimmerman is having a rough season so #3 is expected but Adam LaRoche is hurting us pretty badly too.  We need to see more Tyler Moore and see him batting cleanup until Morse bat comes around.  Right now, I have more confidence in Moore at #4 than LaRoche.

Offline tomterp

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Nice research PC.

More Moore! 

Online Slateman

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Offline tomterp

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Re Nady, does DeRosa replace him?