Nationals vs Phillies, Game 1

[Air Zimmerman]

the Phillies should be more of a challenge than the Dodgers/Braves. this 6 game winning streak has not been a fluke regardless of what happens this series. this 6 game winning streak is a preview of what's to come in 09.

i have EXTREME confidence in this lineup.

[spidernat]

If it were up to me, the only guys in our rotation right now that should be in the rotation next year are Lannan and Balester. 

I totally agree. However, I'm pretty sure we'll have at least one of either Redding/Bergmann around also, if not both.

[cmdterps44]

I actually think we could use a great all around bat and another power hitter to play LF and 1B and the lineup would be set. Of course with our history they'll never stay healthy. Then we need to fix the bullpen and straighten out our rotation and we're set. It's not that hard. 

Matt Holliday  lol, i really want to see what happens this off season

[sportsfan882]

I actually think we could use a great all around bat and another power hitter to play LF and 1B and the lineup would be set. Of course with our history they'll never stay healthy. Then we need to fix the bullpen and straighten out our rotation and we're set. It's not that hard. 

I'm getting scared that our first big FA signing will be Dunn. Bowden just said in the interview to Debbie that the thing he is focusing on most acquiring in the off-season is a left-handed power bat. We all know he likes his ex-Reds. Boy would that be a disaster.

[spidernat]

Matt Holliday  lol, i really want to see what happens this off season

I didn't mean just one bat. I meant we could use both of those. Holliday fills one of those needs. Then we would need another one to play 1B.

[sportsfan882]

I'm sure he sprung for the meal but I wonder how many drinks he also sprung for and consumed. 

[JMUalumni]

Dmitri is about to start a rehab stint for Vermont. Marcus Jones said he ate dinner with him last night.

Maybe he can earn some of his paycheck by "mentoring" Jones...

but in all seriousness, do you have a link to an article or did you hear it on the pregame?

[Air Zimmerman]

I'm getting scared that our first big FA signing will be Dunn. Bowden just said in the interview to Debbie that the thing he is focusing on most acquiring in the off-season is a left-handed power bat. We all know he likes his ex-Reds. Boy would that be a disaster.

co-sign.

[sportsfan882]

Maybe he can earn some of his paycheck by "mentoring" Jones...

but in all seriousness, do you have a link to an article or did you hear it on the pregame?

It was on the MASN pre-game show. Johnny and Ray were talking live to Jones via phone.

[sportsfan882]

Apparently all the call-ups are here.

Long informative post from Chico's blog:

The Nats' clubhouse felt crowded today, with just a little of that first-day exuberance. The Wash Times' Ben Goessling observed that it felt like the first day of school. Lots of hugs and good-to-see-yas. Kory Casto is back (with a beard... lots of hard miles). Roger Bernadina is back. And of course, Alberto Gonzalez is back.

The pitchers -- Shairon Martis, Levale Speigner and Mike Hinckley -- are the bigger story.

First, a comment about the one prospect who didn't get called up, Harrisburg's Jordan Zimmerman. GM Jim Bowden had an interesting comment about why the organization decided not to bring up Zimmermann for September.

"Well he had some biceps tendinitis at the end of the year," Bowden said. "Before he got the tendinitis -- this was in early August -- we were thinking about bringing him up and putting him in the rotation, but then when he got the tendinitis, with the innings he'd pitched and the fact that he doesn't have to go on the roster for Rule 5 protection, we felt like it was better to handle him like John Lannan where we shut him down (in 2007). So, we shut him down. And you know, he'll be in big league camp next spring and he'll have a chance to make our rotation out of spring training. But we felt that was best because of the innings, the biceps tendinitis and the fact that we didn't have to put him on the roster."

Now, I'll just let the comments flood. First, I'll post Bowden's thoughts on the overall group of bullpen arms. Then, I'll give you Manny Acta's thoughts on each new arm.

---

Bowden: "Each guy is different why they're here. Most of our call-ups have been up. Our September call-ups were here in June. So, you've got 22-year-old Collin Balester already here. Our call-ups are here. The rest of these guys are each different. In the case of (Shairon) Martis, he is a guy that deserves the opportunity. (Levale) Speigner came on at the end; we've got to make a decision on him. Mike Hinckley, who since I've been here has never performed... prior to being here, he was the one guy I was told I couldn't trade when I first got here. So, I got a call three weeks ago saying he's now throwing 90-93 mph. We sent four guys in to see him at different times. All four came back with the same response: This guy is going to be a lefty in the bullpen, good curveball, his stuff has come back. We want to see him. Speigner threw great; he was up to 94, and his breaking ball is getting better. We need to see it so we can make a decision on the 40-man for him.

---

and now Acta...

(on Hinckley's role) He's going to come in and pitch out of the pen and mostly face left-handed hitters so we can see how much progress he made in the minor leagues. That was something we told him when we sent him down: Go down there and try to get every lefty out who comes across your path. He might have a future doing that, so that's what he is going to do. I left for a few years, and that's when he kind of fell off the chart in prospect status here. But when I got over here last year, he was already not the same guy. We just decided this year to put him in the bullpen, and he has that good breaking ball. He has gotten some of his velocity back, and all he needs to do is throw strikes and see if he can take it to this level.

(on Martis) He's going to pitch out of the pen, too, and get some innings, which he hasn't done much in the minor leagues. Nobody has labeled him as either (a starter or a reliever); he's only 21 years old. He pitched well in the starting rotation down (in Class AAA), but the fact is, we do have our five starters right here, and we're just going to give him some innings anywhere we can.

(on Speigner) It wasn't easy (for him last year). It was a tough one, because you can hide a Rule 5 guy if you have a first division club and a starting rotation that can go deep in games. Last year for us obviously everybody had to be out there on almost an every-other-day basis out of the 'pen, and we couldn't hide anybody. You either had to contribute or you were going to get spanked around a little bit. And that was his case. At the beginning he pitched later, and then obviously he couldn't make the adjustment up here and we couldn't hide him. It was tough. But you have to give him credit, because we didn't bring him to big leagues camp this year. He went down there and did a very good job - he went all the way down to Class AA and never complained. He pitched his way to Class AAA, put some good numbers up, and he found himself up here again.

(on a change of philosophy with Sept. call-ups this year... last year they had more top prospects) It is a different group of guys, because the other guys were on a lower level. They were more down-the-road future guys for us. (Ross) Detwiler, we knew he wasn't going to be part of our immediate future, and (Justin) Maxwell actually impressed us, but we didn't think he was that close. But these guys are guys that are either going to contribute to this club next year, or we're going to find out that they're not going to be part of it. So these guys, it will be easier to read for us.

[JMUalumni]

Interesting bit on Zimmermann

[PANatsFan]

Woohoo tv game

[sportsfan882]

Nationals are 3-0 on Labor Days. Hope that streak continues.

[PANatsFan]

co-sign.

This is not worth rehashing - but you can't fill a team with Bonfacios. You need a top OBP guy who can mash.

[PANatsFan]

Nationals are 3-0 on Labor Days. Hope that streak continues.

Was there for 2 of them. Placido Polanco did the Star Spangled Banner!!!

[PANatsFan]

The contrast on my feed is atrocious

[sportsfan882]

bum bum bum. Throw strikes you idiot!

[sportsfan882]

Was there for 2 of them. Placido Polanco did the Star Spangled Banner!!!

I was there for all 3 of them. This is the first one I didn't go to.

[JMUalumni]

This is not worth rehashing - but you can't fill a team with Bonfacios. You need a top OBP guy who can mash.

I agree that the argument isn't worth rehashing, but I would like to go on the record as saying I would prefer if we did not go after Dunn.

[spidernat]

Woohoo tv game

Are you getting the philly announcers?

[PANatsFan]

houston-nat, you have MLB Extra Innings but "no" internet?

[PANatsFan]

Are you getting the philly announcers?

Yup. I like Gary Matthews Sr actually.

[sportsfan882]

freakin Redding. Can't stand em.

Can't stand Utley either for that matter.

[JMUalumni]

Redding's pitches look like crap so far.  The inevitable could happen today....

[spidernat]

I wouldn't mind having Utley in our lineup actually.