Fire Matt Williams! (2015) - Standard Decision.

[rileyn]

In the hopes of Desmond turning it around and being worth a qualifying offer.

And risk not making the playoffs this season?  That would be an awful plan.  He has had 105 games to turn it around since his opening day nightmare (by the way, how much would we like to have that game back right now?).  Last night should have been the final straw in his last AB with runners on 2nd and 3rd and 0 outs in the 8th.  Desmond had already struck out 3 times and FP noted exactly what the Dbacks were going to do - throw him junk to make him chase.  What does Desmond do?  On the first pitch he takes a hellacious hack at a slider down and away.  Instead of realizing it is the pitcher in trouble and taking that pitch, he is now in the hole and in a battle.  At least he didn't take your Golden Sombrero but his at bat was awful, and was a perfect example of what we have seen all year.

[Five Banners]

And risk not making the playoffs this season?  That would be an awful plan. 

And yet, none of us would be surprised. It's never this year, always next year with this mentality. Works for the caps.

[HalfSmokes]

Yep, the window is open forever, one of these days they'll win it all

[tomterp]

Why would Rizzo do that?  Desmond rejected his contract offer and is a short-timer.  Espinosa will remain under contract.  There is no reason to try to soothe Desmond's long-term psyche anymore.  He is a dead man walking so why does Williams continue to put his name on the lineup card?

Exactly, this really has me scratching my head.

[varoadking]

And yet, none of us would be surprised. It's never this year, always next year with this mentality. Works for the caps.

QFT

[Kevrock]

When Rizzo is asked about the batting order, he says it's entirely up to Williams. I imagine they have strategic talks about who is in what roll, though.

We'll never know, but I doubt he "forces" Williams to play anyone. My guess would be that they are on the same page when it comes to stuff like that.

[PebbleBall]

Exactly, this really has me scratching my head.

Maybe they aren't protecting Desmond's role, but Espinosa's role as utility man.  Espinosa/Boras entering arbitration claiming starting SS with their top prospect coming up?

[Ray D]

runners on 2nd and 3rd and 0 outs in the 8th.  Desmond had already struck out 3 times and FP noted exactly what the Dbacks were going to do - throw him junk to make him chase.  What does Desmond do?  On the first pitch he takes a hellacious hack at a slider down and away. 

That was one of the hardest,wildest, out-of-control swing I have ever seen.  I'm sitting there watching it with my wife and son, I just shook my head and muttered "did you see that swing?".  They both laughed.

[Smithian]

My guess is Desmond gets to keep hacking until September. Eventually he gets sent to the bench for good.

At least I hope.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

In which case no one plays in October (unless you count those three junk games at Citi). 

My guess is Desmond gets to keep hacking until September. Eventually he gets sent to the bench for good.

At least I hope.

[HalfSmokes]

My guess is Desmond gets to keep hacking until September. Eventually he gets sent to the bench for good.

At least I hope.

much like fister starting, that works if you have a nice cushion, but we're chasing the mets now. Desmond needs to sit, fister needs to go

[MorseTheHorse]

In all seriousness, is this something that has any possibility of happening this season?  Is there any precedence for somethign like that? 

[Baseball is Life]

In all seriousness, is this something that has any possibility of happening this season?  Is there any precedence for somethign like that? 

I tell you what, if it doesn't turn around and the team goes down like this the last two months, I can see him losing the team and him losing his job, maybe not before the end of the season but soon after.

[Five Banners]

In all seriousness, is this something that has any possibility of happening this season?  Is there any precedence for somethign like that? 

It did in hockey when NJ dumped the coach of an underachieving team late in the season, hired a vet (Larry Robinson), and hoisted the Cup.  It happened with the '78 Yankees, coming off of a WS win and repeating with a new manager (and new closer, as Goose Gossage supplanted the 1977 AL Cy Young Award winner Sparky Lyle).  The window is now; the MW internship doesn't deserve another second wasted on it.  Paging Ray Knight, Bud Black, Larry Robinson...

[pazzo83]

He needs to go.  The BP management tonight was freaking awful.

[HattoriHanzo]

If I owned the team there's no way I could keep MW hired for another day.  This team is collapsing beyond belief and the public and the media are all laughing at the nats right now.  If I were to go  to tomorrow's game I would wear a bag over my head.

[BeltwayBaseball]

Letting Gio bat again in the bottom of the 5th just like Fister, leads to game being lost. Stupid.

[PC]

From the Post:

He wobbled toward wildness and teetered toward trouble, but pitched his way out of it. He struck out seven in five innings, all of them with runners in scoring position, four to end innings. He said later he felt good starting the sixth inning, and that all starters want to pitch longer into games. Gonzalez, normally gregarious, did not have much more to say.

“Very disappointing,” Gonzalez said. “That’s basically it.”

With his runner on first, Aaron Barrett took over, though he had not been warming up for long. Owings blooped a single to put runners on first and second. Nick Ahmed then tried to bunt. Barrett threw the ball up the first baseline. Both runners scored, Ahmed landed on third, the lead gone, a deficit there instead. The inning wore on. Barrett threw one third of an inning, allowed four hits and three runs. Tanner Roark walked in a run.

“I did the best that I could for the one batter I was able to get loose in the sixth inning,” Barrett said. “But it is what it is, and you have to find a way to get the job done.

It's even worse than we thought.

[rileyn]

From the Post:

It's even worse than we thought.

I think Williams is clueless, but Barrett has some nerve throwing him under the bus like that.  Barrett needs to bust a grape in the majors before he starts with that nonsense. 

[MarquisDeSade]

Paging Ray Knight, Bud Black, Larry Robinson...

Why not just ask for Joe Torre while you're at or Bobby Valentine.  Matt Williams is a bum but he's Rizzo's bum and he won MOTY so he's not going anywhere.  Enjoy the show, it's going to be the same show until both of these bozos are out on the streets smoking dick for lunch money.

[Minty Fresh]

In all seriousness, is this something that has any possibility of happening this season?  Is there any precedence for somethign like that? 

Didn't the Brewers just do it?  Something like in a pennant chase with only 10 games left?  Am I "misremembering" it?

[GburgNatsFan]

You're right. Could Rizzo do it, though? Who would he replace him with? Rizzo probably still thinks the Nats have a good shot.

Didn't the Brewers just do it?  Something like in a pennant chase with only 10 games left?  Am I "misremembering" it?

[GburgNatsFan]

Missed it... what did he say?

I think Williams is clueless, but Barrett has some nerve throwing him under the bus like that.  Barrett needs to bust a grape in the majors before he starts with that nonsense.

[rileyn]

Missed it... what did he say?

“I did the best that I could for the one batter I was able to get loose in the sixth inning,” Barrett said. “But it is what it is, and you have to find a way to get the job done.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

In all seriousness, is this something that has any possibility of happening this season?  Is there any precedence for somethign like that? 

Not to go all ancient on you, but it used to happen quite a bit, and teams have gone on to win divisions.  Being more of an AL fan back then, '78 Yankees (Bob Lemon) and '88 Red Sox (Joe "Snowplow" Morgan) are two that pop right to mind pretty quickly. OTOH, there's Mattingly last year who was not fired . . .