Chalk up another loss for the Nats. The Mets dominated last night, and the Nats suffered their third shut out in eight games, with a score of 6-0. These games are getting harder and harder to watch. Where is the scrappy team with lots of heart I loved last season? Where is the desire to be better and prove people wrong? There is a different atmosphere on the team this year. I’m not really sure what’s changed, but I’m not seeing the hustle or the fight for every out. I know it’s still early and a lot can happen, but something’s gotta give here. There are issues with offense - no one but Guz, Milledge and Johnson are hitting. There are issues with the bullpen - they are tacking on runs and not being overly effective. There are issues with the starting rotation - guys giving up four and seven runs in one inning. It’s fine if one element of the team is struggling but with all three failing, something obviously isn’t working.
Odalis Perez was ok last night. He gave up two runs on a David Wright homer, but pitched six innings. Again he wasn’t given any offensive help. Austin Kearns is having serious issues at the plate. He is 0 for his last 10 at bats with runners in scoring position. He also hit into his fifth double play last night, leading the team. So far, he’s only been a hindrance to the offensive line up. Maybe sitting Austin for a while once Dukes is healthy will help. Zimmerman is also having offensive issues. He is 1-17 with runners in scoring position. Last night with the bases loaded, he saw a good pitch but popped it up and was out on an infield fly. He’s not worried though, and still has the “it will happen soon attitude.”
“We are a lot better than what we are showing,” Zimmerman said. “It’s going to take one or two big hits and I think we’ll start rolling, but I think it’s disappointing.”
I hope that spark comes soon. The Nats left nine runners on base last night. With Kearns, Zimmerman, and Belliard not producing, those scoring chances are wasted. Guzman is on fire as the lead off guy, and Milledge is hitting solidly, but no one else is helping them.
It was tough to see former Nats Schneider and Church be successful last night. Church was hitting in the number two spot, and had a nice game. Schneider was ok also, he picked Milledge off twice. Throwing runners out is something we haven’t seen Lo Duca do effectively yet this season. Mets starter Mike Pelfrey pitched a solid game, throwing seven scoreless innings. Jose Reyes was 4-5 last night, and was a home run short of a cycle. Also, David Wright had a fantastic game, driving in 5 of the Mets 6 runs. He hit a two run homer off of Perez and cranked out a few more doubles later in the game. A 5 RBI night for David not to shabby, especially considering that Zim and Kearns combine have 11 RBI for the year.
The tribute to Jackie Robinson was a nice touch. It was pretty cool to see everyone wearing 42. I’m hoping that the Nationals found some inspiration last night from Mr. Robinson and can find that spark they desperately need. Maybe Shawn Hill potentially starting on Saturday will provide some magic.
Entries (RSS)