Bad Day At Blackrock
A young fan enjoying the game, but not the score
No Question. It was a tough night. We lost a game. We lost a pitcher. T.J. Tucker, an integral part of the National's bullpen, strained his right groin and will be out 2-4 weeks. This comes on the heels of losing Antonio Osuna earlier this week. Vinny Castilla, who fouled a ball off of his ankle, is listed day to day.
Final score: Florida 6 -- Nationals 3.
Wonderful news: Christian Guzman has broken out of his slump, about the way most good hitters would: with a vengeance. Guzman had three hits, including a double, in his first three plate appearances. The Jose boys, Vidro and Guillen, each had a couple of hits, and Brian Schneider socked a long homerun, but that's been about it.
Bad news: Livan. Two out of his first three starts have not been very good. Tonight, he had poor control. Although he only walked two, he went deep into several counts, and the batter waited for a grooved strike to pound, which they did all too often.
So, now we're 8-6 and likely tied for first place. This is going to happen a lot this year. Every team in the National League East is good, and come September, any one of the teams could be in first place, including us. So, chin up.
INTERESTING FACTOIDS:
- The Nationals bullpen is the only one in the NL that has yet to lose a game
- The bullpen also leads the major leagues in wins with five
- The outfield has a combined slugging percentage of .529
- Nick Johnson has an on base percentage of .453 [wow]
- The team is batting .500 with the bases loaded
- The last time a D.C. team was in first place this late in the season was May, 1951
- The Nationals have won two division series so far -- last year, they won their second in July
- The Nats are 3-0 in one run games, and undefeated in games decided by two runs or less
- 62% of the team's runs have come after the 6th inning
- The Nationals are 2nd in the league in total bases, doubles and slugging percentage
The Nats are looking good in many areas, and will continue to get better. I am concerned with the injuries, though. We might have to see a trade soon to pad the depleted bullpen.
# posted by Farid Rushdi @ 7:18 PM 
