Tag Archives: Jesus Flores

An aside on accountability

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The difference between a five-run shutout and a six-run shutout, the latter of which seemed a definite possibility as the nightcap of last night’s doubleheader between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Washington Nationals entered the bottom of the eighth inning, is insignificant.

The difference between a 6-6 tie and a one-run lead held by the home team heading into the top of the ninth, however, is huge.

After mounting a six-run comeback in the bottom of the eighth inning last night, the Nationals took a tied ballgame – what should have been a one-run lead – into the ninth inning. The Matt Kemp home run that followed should have tied the ballgame, not won it. But because of a blown call in the top of the fourth inning, one that bestowed one of the most unearned-scored-earned runs ever upon the Dodgers, everything that should not have happened did, in fact, happen. Continue reading →

Offensive production is coming from an unlikely source for the Nationals

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The Washington Nationals, now 83-52, have made discussion of their pitching staff very easy this year. If you want to discuss the Nationals pitching staff, you simply mention how well they have pitched, pepper in some league leading stats, rattle off a few tired comments regarding Stephen Strasburg’s innings limit and move on.

After last night’s victory over the Chicago Cubs, the Nationals hold a National League leading 3.28 ERA, second only to the Tampa Bay Rays in the majors. It does not hurt that they also lead the NL in hits allowed with 1,062 – second overall to the Rays – and lead all of baseball in runs allowed (483) and home runs allowed (103). When it comes to strikeouts, they come in a pathetic fifth overall with 1,111 – 195 of which can be credited to Strasburg.

In fact, for a while, the Nationals pitching staff was performing so well that it was hard to discuss anything else. That is, until the offense caught fire and inserted itself into the picture.

Prior to the All-Star break, the Nationals ranked eighth in the NL and 14th overall in batting with a .251 average. They ranked even lower in on-base percentage with a .314 OBP, 11th in the NL and 21st overall. Since then, the team has upped their batting average to .278 (fourth overall) with an on-base percentage of .331 (eighth overall) and 61 home runs (ninth overall).

These days, it is hard to talk about the Nationals offense without mentioning seemingly routine games like last night’s, which saw 11 runs scored on 19 hits – six of which were home runs. It has been, however, easy to discuss the Nationals offense without mentioning their catchers, who have, until recently, lacked production at the plate. Continue reading →

The other Nationals shutdown

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After a post All-Star break stretch of inconsistency, Stephen Strasburg has bounced back in a big way, posting four wins in as many starts in a stretch that can be described only as brilliant and is all but guaranteed to earn him his second National League Pitcher of the Month award of the season.

In his four most recent starts, Strasburg has posted a 1.50 ERA with 29 strikeouts through 24 innings pitched. This of course includes last night’s 4-1 win over the Atlanta Braves, in which the young right-hander struck out 10 batters through six innings of one-run ball to extend his team’s lead in the NL East to seven games. More impressive is the fact that his outing was interrupted in the top of the third inning by a 51-minute rain delay.

His efforts will no doubt stoke the fires that have burned continuously through the season regarding his innings limit and his inevitable shutdown, which will presumably come after he makes another handful of starts and nears 180 innings on the season.

But as much as I would love to rehash the same news and opinions that have been circulating for the past several months, and as much as you would love to hear it, the first two games of the current three-game series with the Braves have necessitated the discussion of the other Nationals shutdown – their shutdown of the Braves’ running game. Continue reading →

Nationals acquire catcher Kurt Suzuki

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If you thought the 2012 non-waiver trade deadline could keep the Washington Nationals from making a move to shore up their defense headed into the final two months of the regular season, think again. The Nationals traded this afternoon for 28-year-old veteran catcher Kurt Suzuki, sending minor league catcher and 2010 15th-round pick David Freitas to the Oakland Athletics.

Kurt Suzuki

Washington acquired catcher Kurt Suzuki this afternoon in a trade that sent minor league catcher David Freitas to Oakland.

Just hours before Tuesday’s non-waiver trade deadline, rumors surrounding the Nationals’ interest in adding a veteran catcher to relieve a battered Jesus Flores began surfacing. Among the names mentioned were the Texas Rangers’ recently-designated for assignment Yorvit Torrealba and the Boston Red Sox’s Kelly Shoppach. Neither were acquired, however, as the deadline passed silently without a move.

The Nationals were counted among the losers of the trade deadline by Jon Paul Morosi of Fox Sports, who cited their failure to pull the trigger on a deal for either a starting pitcher or a backup infielder as a blow to the experience required for a successful stretch run.

The addition of Suzuki serves to fill a void in depth at the catcher position that has existed since Wilson Ramos went down in May with a torn ACL. Each Washington catcher that has since been called up to serve as Flores’ backup has also landed on the disabled list this year, a list that includes Sandy Leon, Carlos Maldonado and Jhonatan Solano and has left Flores without a reliable backup.

Suzuki, who is a career .254/.311/.378 hitter with 57 home runs over the course of his six-year career, is suffering an off-year. In 75 games with the Athletics, Suzuki has posted a .218/.250/.286 line with 15 doubles and just one home run.

More importantly, what Suzuki has lacked at the plate this year he has more than made up for in the field with an American League leading .996 fielding percentage. He is also at the head of the pack in caught-stealing percentage, which sits at 38.3 percent after throwing out 23 of 60 runners this season. He will no doubt be a defensive asset for the team in the remaining 58 games.

Freitas, who has posted a .271/.374/.407 line in 74 games with Class A advanced Potomac, will likely report to the Stockton Ports.

If you are still questioning general manager Mike Rizzo’s decision-making skills, perhaps it is time to rethink that as well.

One year ago…

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With the 2012 non-waiver trade deadline drawing ever closer, we are but hours away from finding out whether the Washington Nationals will be making any significant roster moves this year. But before the clock winds down on this year’s trade deadline, let us take a moment to revisit the 2011 non-waiver trade deadline, which just might be telling about what we can expect from general manager Mike Rizzo this afternoon. Continue reading →