Author Topic: Nationals @ Marlins, Game 1  (Read 46291 times)

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Offline sportsfan882

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Re: Nationals @ Marlins, Game 1
« Reply #950: April 06, 2009, 10:10:44 PM »
yeah did you notice how we had the shallow shift/alignment on and the light hitting bonifacio hit the furthest ball in his MLB career?!?!
he hit some deep bombs like that with us too. I remember. he had several triples here.

Offline KnorrForYourMoney

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Re: Nationals @ Marlins, Game 1
« Reply #951: April 06, 2009, 10:12:56 PM »
he hit some deep bombs like that with us too. I remember. he had several triples here.
He also had a .305 OBP. 8)

Offline hammondsnats

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Re: Nationals @ Marlins, Game 1
« Reply #952: April 06, 2009, 10:26:15 PM »
He also had a .305 OBP. 8)

haha i rest my case.  (your face is my case) 8)

Offline shoeshineboy

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Re: Nationals @ Marlins, Game 1
« Reply #953: April 06, 2009, 10:34:55 PM »
yeah did you notice how we had the shallow shift/alignment on and the light hitting bonifacio hit the furthest ball in his MLB career?!?!

Playing Milledge that shallow was just stupid, especially if the pitcher is going to groove a pitch to him. Any ballplayer no matter how light hitting is going to get some distance just by making contact. Ramon Ortiz hit a home run. If Milledge is just playing normal depth it's a can of corn.

That play was absolutely pathetic. I am not sure it beats the low point for me against the Marlins when we gave up the little-league home run on a bunt. But it was close.

Offline sportsfan882

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Re: Nationals @ Marlins, Game 1
« Reply #954: April 06, 2009, 10:35:39 PM »
Playing Milledge that shallow was just stupid, especially if the pitcher is going to groove a pitch to him. Any ballplayer no matter how light hitting is going to get some distance just by making contact. If Milledge is just playing normal depth it's a can of corn.

That play was absolutely pathetic. I am not sure it beats the low point for me against the Marlins when we gave up the little-league home run on a bunt. But it was close.
that was an awful one too. I don't know what it is about playing the Marlins that brings out the worst in us. :?


Offline nats2playoffs

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Re: Nationals @ Marlins, Game 1
« Reply #955: April 06, 2009, 10:46:36 PM »
This thread is already bigger than any of last year's game threads by several pages :lol:

Opening Day tends to attract a lot of fan interest.  Last year the Nationals opened at home in a new stadium park, so a lot of WNFF members were probably at the game.  This was an away game with a late afternoon start, so people flocked here, including those at work getting data from WNFF. 

Some of the big name pitchers around the league were shelled today, maybe because opposing coaches and players had plenty of time to study them in advance.  At least Lannan didn't get thrown out of the game, in front of his whole family, as happened in his major league debut.  And Jesus didn't look like he was ready to start, with the lousy Zimmerman-like throwing.




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Re: Nationals @ Marlins, Game 1
« Reply #956: April 06, 2009, 11:00:37 PM »
Playing Milledge that shallow was just stupid, especially if the pitcher is going to groove a pitch to him. Any ballplayer no matter how light hitting is going to get some distance just by making contact.

Let's not forget that there was also a very stiff wind at the time blowing straight out to CF, which they showed with the flags (especially the ones behind/above home plate), shortly afterward in an attempt to save face for Milledge, but that begs the question even more:  Why was he playing so shallow (with a wind like that to CF)?  Granted, he was no doubt placed there by the coaches, but it was clearly a screw-up on somebody's part. 

Offline hammondsnats

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Re: Nationals @ Marlins, Game 1
« Reply #957: April 06, 2009, 11:10:36 PM »
pretty good game story recap via nationals.com

Quote
http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090406&content_id=4138220&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=was

MIAMI -- On Opening Day, the Nationals took their lumps with left-hander John Lannan on the mound and were routed by the Marlins, 12-6, at Dolphin Stadium.

Lannan looked like the same pitcher who had problems with the Blue Jays last Thursday. In that game, Lannan gave up seven runs on 10 hits in 4 2/3 innings. On Monday, he lasted three innings and gave up six runs on six hits. It didn't help that Lannan was behind in the count throughout the game.

"I didn't execute pitches," Lannan said. "When you fall behind in the count, that's what is going to happen. You can't work with much when the count is 1-0, 2-0, 3-0 to everybody, so I had to throw fastballs."

Pitching coach Randy St. Claire looked at video of Monday's game and noticed that Lannan was having mechanical issues on the mound.

"He was just behind everybody -- you can't pitch like that," St. Claire said. "When you work behind, the hitters become patient. You have to make better pitches.

"I think he is pulling off [the mound] a little bit. He is trying to do too much. He is leaving balls over the plate and cutting off his breaking balls. I think it's an adjustment of staying aggressive and not trying to do too much."

It didn't take long for the Marlins to take the lead. In the first inning, Emilio Bonifacio led off with a single. John Baker followed and hit a line drive to left field. It looked like a catchable ball, but it went past Adam Dunn for an RBI double.

"I didn't know the ball was hit as good as it was hit, and the wind was blowing out," Dunn said. "I froze and decided not to charge it. That was not the right move."

Baker would later score on an groundout by Jorge Cantu.

By the third inning, the Marlins had a 6-0 lead. Cantu highlighted the scoring with a two-run homer off Lannan. Asked if there was cause for concern regarding Lannan, Acta said, "Not at all. It's just the first game of the season. He pitched behind all day. He threw five first-pitch strikes out of 21 hitters he faced. The Marlins are a good hitting ballclub. He pitched behind and got hurt."

The Nationals were on the scoreboard the following inning, thanks to RBI hits by Dunn and Austin Kearns. But Bonifacio, whom the Nationals traded to Florida last November for outfielder Josh Willingham and left-hander Scott Olsen, came back to haunt them by hitting an two-run inside-the-park homer against reliever Julian Tavarez.

Bonifacio hit the ball to deep center field. Lastings Milledge, who was playing shallow because the scouting reports told him to do so, went back on the ball and fell to the ground as the ball rolled close to the wall. Milledge didn't realize how quick Bonifacio was. Milledge thought Bonifacio would get no more than a triple.

"He kind of got a hold of one -- I couldn't make a play on it," Milledge said. "I did the best I could to get the ball in. I thought he was fast, but I didn't know he was that fast to get an inside-the-park home run. I thought I got the ball in pretty quick and [second baseman] Ronnie [Belliard] made a good throw."

Bonifacio ended up going 4-for-5 in the game and said he doesn't have any ill feelings toward the Nationals.

"Right now, I play for the Marlins -- I try to do my best for my team," Bonifacio said.

Said Acta about Bonifacio's performance: "Good for him. He deserves a lot, because he is not only a great kid, but he also works hard. He has a lot of abilities."

The Nationals made the game interesting in the sixth inning, when Dunn hit a three-run homer off starter Ricky Nolasco to make it an 8-5 game. If there were any positives in this game to Dunn, it was the way the Nationals battled back offensively.

"I don't really remember facing Nolasco, but he has some really good stuff -- I think we battled him," Dunn said. "When you score five runs off a guy like that, It's pretty good I think."

But Hanley Ramirez put the game away by hitting a grand slam off reliever Steven Shell in the bottom of the inning.

"Opening Day is over with. Now let's concentrate on winning the series. You will see a different team tomorrow," Dunn said.

Re: Nationals @ Marlins, Game 1
« Reply #958: April 06, 2009, 11:13:15 PM »
Quote
You will see a different team tomorrow," Dunn said.

Why? Will they be wearing another one of their new uniforms?

Offline sportsfan882

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Re: Nationals @ Marlins, Game 1
« Reply #959: April 06, 2009, 11:13:49 PM »
Why? Will they be wearing another one of their new uniforms?
:lol: I hope he's right though. It's mainly on the pitching. We need a great outing from Olsen in the worst way.

Offline NatsAddict

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Re: Nationals @ Marlins, Game 1
« Reply #960: April 07, 2009, 12:52:11 AM »
From a Nats perspective, the 6 runs was a good thing, and there is another game tomorrow.  Nolasco wasn't his best, but his mediocre beats most guy's best, he was better than mediocre and the Nats punished him pretty well (though it did look like Kearns doubled in a run on strike 5 - I want to see that on the replay tonight since I was off to the side a bit at a stadium without a decent seat).

Same pitching, different year.  I'm guessing 80% fastballs to the Fish, and most of those very poorly executed.  The plate does have corners that can be painted.

Defensively, the Nats looked like the Fish of last year.  Dunn and Milledge looked lost out there.  Zimmerman did the Full Uggla.  At least Zimmerman will not have many games like this.  Nor will Bonifacio.

Speaking of Danny Boy, 0-4, only 1 K, and only 2 LOB.  No Errors?!?  A hellish day for his objectives - he's a full K, LOB, and an E behind his quota, though the Huevo Whiffer Swing showed some signs it is getting close to mid-season form.

Offline cmdterps44

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Re: Nationals @ Marlins, Game 1
« Reply #961: April 07, 2009, 12:53:30 AM »
Zimmerman did the Full Uggla.

I agree with what you said in your post but I had to quote this because it made me laugh.

Offline sportsfan882

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Re: Nationals @ Marlins, Game 1
« Reply #962: April 07, 2009, 01:04:17 AM »
natsaddict, how come you guys always play flawless D against us and poor D against the rest of the league? :?

Offline shoeshineboy

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Re: Nationals @ Marlins, Game 1
« Reply #963: April 07, 2009, 06:38:11 AM »
Quote
Milledge didn't realize how quick Bonifacio was.

How is that possible?

And is the advanced scouting still being done by Debbi Taylor's husband? Because it still stinks.