Mediocre sub-.500 baseball team

[sportsfan882]

They are what their record says they are. A middling .500 club with several flaws and terrible fundamentals.

[HalfSmokes]

It's early,  the anchors on the right side of the infield will either improve or get benched,  zimmerman will be back,  the pen is looking better (hard to look worse),  and even if they sweep here,  the braves aren't exactly putting much distance between the teams

[PowerBoater69]

They are what their record says they are. A middling .500 club with several flaws and terrible fundamentals.

Only thanks to that 5-1 run against the AA Marlins, against the rest of the league we're not even that good.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

It is my duty to trot out the "37 years without baseball" unicorn pie 

[BH34Natural]

I just keep telling myself, we have Bryce Harper. We have Davey Johnson. A Bryce Harper and Davey Johnson team is never desperate.

[Optics]

Thankfully championships aren't won in April.

[Nathan]

I just keep telling myself, we have Bryce Harper. We have Davey Johnson. A Bryce Harper and Davey Johnson team is never desperate.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

I can deal with having a mediocre team, but I can't deal with rolling over for division rivals.  Beat these freakers and their blubbery crap tomahawk-chopping idiot fans tomorrow please. 

[BerkeleyNat]

I just keep telling myself, we have Bryce Harper. We have Davey Johnson. A Bryce Harper and Davey Johnson team is never desperate.

 

[Smithian]

Only thanks to that 5-1 run against the AA Marlins, against the rest of the league we're not even that good.

If not for that 0-4 mark against the Braves we're pretty good against the rest of the league.

That goes both ways.

[Smithian]

Thankfully championships aren't won in April.

Sanity!

Zimmerman will get back and eventually start hitting. LaRoche is close to starting to hit. Espinosa is reaching the end of his leash and soon we may see more Lombardozzi. Ramos being back will again make our catcher core a huge plus in the lineup. Our depth is fantastic (Lombo, Bernadina, Moore) but we really haven't seen much of them. Over the course of the season our depth will pay off.

Long season. Lots of smart people (Rizzo, Davey, etc) involved with the team. Lots of really good players around the diamond. Things will get better. We've been playing as bad as we could imagine and still .500. Not like we're 10-16 or something.

Stay calm. I'll hit panic button in June if we're still struggling.

[HalfSmokes]

If not for that 0-4 mark against the Braves we're pretty good against the rest of the league.

That goes both ways.

Except for the whole we were supposed to be the class of the division thing,  but except for the team that's constantly beats us we are?

[PC]

Watching the Angels-A’s game that went to extra, Extra, EXTRA innings, (still going on as I write this) the final and fatal flaw of the 2013 Washington Nationals became absolutely clear.  It is their lack of heart.  There is no way, completely beyond the talent of the players, this Nationals team would survive through this many extra innings.  FYI, the Nationals talent is bad compared to these teams too.

Let me tell you what’s happened in this Angels-A’s game. The Angels led 7-2 in the 8th.  The A’s scored 4 in the bottom of the 8th to make it 7-6.   They were down to their final out in the bottom of the 9th with a runner on 2nd and scored tying the game and sending it to extras.  From the 10th thru the 14th, no one scored.  Long time Nats fans remember Jerome Williams pitched five innings for the Angels in extras before giving up a run.  Jerome Freaking Williams came out of the Angels bullpen and pitched 5 innings before giving up a run whereas Tyler Clippard pitches one inning and gave up that same run.  Brett Anderson was supposed to start today for the A’s but was scratched because of an injured ankle. He came out of the bullpen and pitched 5.1 innings on that injured ankle.  Who is our Brett Anderson?  Who mans up for the Nationals like this?

The Angels scored their 8th run in the top of the 15th.  The A’s were down to their last out in the bottom of the 15th with a runner on 2nd and they get another clutch hit and tie the game again.  They came back down a run, with one out left, TWICE!  Can you see the 2013 Nationals doing this?

The benefit and curse of having MLB.tv.  I get to watch all the other teams play and, invariably, the other teams seem more talented, far more motivated, better managed and organized than the Nationals.  Other teams fight.  They come back.  They play smart, team baseball.  I don’t see these things from the 2013 Nationals.

….and the Angels-A’s game just ended on a two run homer from Brandon Moss in the bottom of the 19th.  The A’s came back from 7-2 in the 8th inning to win this game, twice scoring with two outs in the bottom of the final inning to keep the game going and finally win it in the 19th.   This 2013 Nationals team has nothing like this in them.

[Tyler Durden]

Was travelling for a bit, came back and I see we've been dumped on by the Barves.  4 straight losses to those overrated turds.

But sportsfan is right - fundamentals have been terrible.  Errors, mistakes on the basepaths, etc.

[sportsfan882]

Watching the Angels-A’s game that went to extra, Extra, EXTRA innings, (still going on as I write this) the final and fatal flaw of the 2013 Washington Nationals became absolutely clear.  It is their lack of heart.  There is no way, completely beyond the talent of the players, this Nationals team would survive through this many extra innings.  FYI, the Nationals talent is bad compared to these teams too.

Let me tell you what’s happened in this Angels-A’s game. The Angels led 7-2 in the 8th.  The A’s scored 4 in the bottom of the 8th to make it 7-6.   They were down to their final out in the bottom of the 9th with a runner on 2nd and scored tying the game and sending it to extras.  From the 10th thru the 14th, no one scored.  Long time Nats fans remember Jerome Williams pitched five innings for the Angels in extras before giving up a run.  Jerome Freaking Williams came out of the Angels bullpen and pitched 5 innings before giving up a run whereas Tyler Clippard pitches one inning and gave up that same run.  Brett Anderson was supposed to start today for the A’s but was scratched because of an injured ankle. He came out of the bullpen and pitched 5.1 innings on that injured ankle.  Who is our Brett Anderson?  Who mans up for the Nationals like this?

The Angels scored their 8th run in the top of the 15th.  The A’s were down to their last out in the bottom of the 15th with a runner on 2nd and they get another clutch hit and tie the game again.  They came back down a run, with one out left, TWICE!  Can you see the 2013 Nationals doing this?

The benefit and curse of having MLB.tv.  I get to watch all the other teams play and, invariably, the other teams seem more talented, far more motivated, better managed and organized than the Nationals.  Other teams fight.  They come back.  They play smart, team baseball.  I don’t see these things from the 2013 Nationals.

….and the Angels-A’s game just ended on a two run homer from Brandon Moss in the bottom of the 19th.  The A’s came back from 7-2 in the 8th inning to win this game, twice scoring with two outs in the bottom of the final inning to keep the game going and finally win it in the 19th.   This 2013 Nationals team has nothing like this in them.

so true. The Nats don't have the heart.

[sportsfan882]

Sanity!

Zimmerman will get back and eventually start hitting. LaRoche is close to starting to hit. Espinosa is reaching the end of his leash and soon we may see more Lombardozzi. Ramos being back will again make our catcher core a huge plus in the lineup. Our depth is fantastic (Lombo, Bernadina, Moore) but we really haven't seen much of them. Over the course of the season our depth will pay off.

Long season. Lots of smart people (Rizzo, Davey, etc) involved with the team. Lots of really good players around the diamond. Things will get better. We've been playing as bad as we could imagine and still .500. Not like we're 10-16 or something.

Stay calm. I'll hit panic button in June if we're still struggling.

You can't win the division in April but you can surely lose it.

[Glockypoo]

You can't win the division in April but you can surely lose it.

Not when you're playing .500 ball.

Stop confusing the first month of 162 game baseball season with the first round of a four day golf tournament.

[Glockypoo]

FYI, the Nationals talent is bad compared to these teams too.

[wpa2629]

OMG my team has no heart! Being a baseball fan is HARD! WHAAAA - LOL

For cripes sakes, what is this - Romper Room? It's like you all have the attention span of a 5 year old.

It's APRIL

This thread is pitiful, quit being a bunch of Sallies

[OldChelsea]

so true. The Nats don't have the heart.

Seems that way - every time one of them makes a fielding miscue they seem to unravel, and start surrendering hits and runs in bunches.

---

But still...this isn't the NFL where a two-match losing streak or dropping three of one's last four can really set a team back. Still plenty of time for the Nats to sort out their problems and get winning.

[PowerBoater69]

Not when you're playing .500 ball.

Stop confusing the first month of 162 game baseball season with the first round of a four day golf tournament.

Sounds like you're confusing April with March.

[HalfSmokes]

Even if the braves sweep, we're still within 6 games, that's not concerning. What is concerning is the absolute crap play of some of the veterans 

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Well, I'm usually SSS, and I'm a long view, no panic guy when it comes to the Nats, but I do think they are playing very tight.  They are making a lot of mental mistakes now.  Undisciplined PAs, dumb throws, overthrowing by the relievers, thinking about turning 2 before catching the ball, etc. . .  Too many of the players are trying to win games themselves rather than doing their part in a chain of events that leads to runs and prevents opponents from scoring.   It's too  much to call them "no talent," and I don't think it is apathy.  At most, it is a hang over from Game 5, trying to avenge the shutdown, dealing with image of being a leader on a favorite, etc. . .  Mental.

[Glockypoo]

Sounds like you're confusing April with March.

Ya, no.

[sportsfan882]

Sounds like you're confusing April with March.

This.

Look at the Jays. They have lost the AL East already and it's not May yet.