After Successes In California, Nationals Head To Desert To Take On Diamondbacks And Brandon Webb
Nats Head to Diamondbacks Lair Tonite
Yesterday's game was just one of "those" games, wasn't it? It wasn't the kind of game that kept you glued to your tv or radio. No, you just kind of went about your business, and checked in on the Nats from time to time. I went to church. I came home from church. I checked the score. I celebrated Mother's day with my wife. I checked the score. From about the 9th inning on, I played baseball with my son, listening to the game through the open window overlooking the backyard. By the 11th inning or so, I knew, I just knew that the Nats were going to lose. They left too many runners in scoring position over too many innings to stand a chance.
A record of 4-2 on the hardest road trip of the year is a great sign. They only need a single win against Arizona to come back with a .500 record on this trip, all that we could ask of the team at this point.
The Diamondbacks are certainly a surprise team this year, although yesterdays game wouldn't indicate that. Ahead 4-2 going in to the 8th inning, the Pirates scored 12 runs in the last two frames to take a 16-2 win. However, the D-Backs are 18-14 so far this season, a half game better than the Nationals. Most on-line polls show fans think the Nats are the biggest surprise this year, and I would agree with that. The Diamondbacks added stars Troy Glaus, Shawn Green and Russ Ortiz. The Nats added only mid-line level players. No, the Nats are doing much more with far less.
Arizona lineup:
1B]Chad Tracey
2B]Craig Counsell
SS]Royce Clayton
3B]Troy Glaus
LF]Luis Gonzalez
CF]Quinten McCracken
RF]Shawn Green
C ]Chris Snyder
Of these players, I'd take Troy Glaus over Castilla, and that's it. Chad Tracey is going to be an all star, but so is Nick Johnson. Gonzalez is great, but so is Wilkerson. Green is good, but Guillen is better at this stage of their careers.
Tonight, it's Brandon Webb [4-0, 3.20] against Livan Hernandez [4-2, 4.04]. Should be a great
# posted by Farid Rushdi @ 8:32 AM 
