It’s official.  Zimmerman will go on the 15 DL with Kory Casto getting the call-up from Columbus.  This is tough…not just to see the young star out, but also because the injury prognosis keeps getting worse. 

On that note, why exactly did it take Paul Lo Duca’s stint in the booth to reveal the injury?  Why wasn’t an MRI done immediately when he first noticed the pain?  Who’s responsible for dragging this out for so long and wasting his time that could have been spent getting second opinions and recovering?  Probably noone.  Afterall, noone’s at fault for the inept offense, which is about to get even uglier.

We sure hope that Zimmerman’s shoulder requires no surgery, heals fast and improves enough to get him back on the field as soon as possible.

But we’re Nats fans.  We know better, don’t we.

So, now there are 8 guys on the DL including 5 of the 9 starters from the Opening Night line-up and the team’s closer.

Here’s the team’s official update on Ryan Zimmerman’s MRI:

Ryan Zimmerman underwent a gadolinium enhanced MRI of his injured left, non-throwing shoulder today and was then evaluated by Dr. Benjamin Shaffer, team orthopedist.  The MRI exam revealed a small labral tear.  Dr. Shaffer advocated rest and anti-inflammatory medications.  The Nationals are consulting with the following renowned orthopedic physicians for additional evaluations:  Dr. James Andrews of Birmingham (AL), Dr. Timothy Kremchek of Cincinnati (OH) and Dr. Robert Cofield of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester (MN).

Words you never want to hear in the same sentence?  James Andrews.  Ryan Zimmerman.  A trip to Alabama could be even worse than this diagnosis by the team orthopedist.  Even if he just needs a few more days of rest, Zimmerman will almost have to go onto the Disabled List any day now.  

The team also provided an update on Nick Johnson:

Nick Johnson’s wrist was evaluated today by Dr. Benjamin Shaffer, two weeks after his injury occurred. Because of persisting tenderness of the Extensor Carpi Ulnaris tendon sheath in his right wrist, the wrist was re-casted for an additional two weeks.  He will be re-evaluated on June 16, at which time rehabilitation options will be determined. 

This one’s going to take longer than expected too. 

There are currently 7 Nats on the Disabled List including Paul Lo Duca, Johnny Estrada, Chad Cordero, Ryan Wagner, Austin Kearns, Nick Johnson and Ronnie Belliard.

Nats Farm Authority reports that outfielder/prospect Justin Maxwell went on the Disabled List today.  He was playing with Class AA Harrisburg.  Maxwell was hitting .233 with 35 runs scored, 28 RBIs and 13 stolen bases.  In his call-up last September, Justin hit .269 with 2 home runs in just 15 games with the Nationals. 

We speculated that with outfield troubles and an injured Austin Kearns, Maxwell might be back in Washington shortly.  Unfortunately, that definately won’t happen anytime soon.

Austin Kearns was placed on the 15 day DL yesterday.  He was having some elbow pain and is having arthroscopic surgery today to remove some loose bodies. Kearns is expected to miss 3-4 weeks. Kearns was off to his worst start this season, who knows what time on the DL will bring for him. 

In a corresponding roster move, the Nationals have optioned pitchers Matt Chico and Chris Schroder to Columbus.  This was kind of expected.  Chico was pretty good coming out of the bullpen, but he’s a starter at heart.  Hopefully some time in Columbus will help him like it helped Jason Bergmann. Looks like Chris Schroder is going to do the back and forth thing all year. 

Also in this move the Nats have selected the contracts of outfielder Ryan Langerhans, RHP Brian Sanches, and LHP Charlie Manning.   Langerhans is batting well in Columbus, hopefully he can provide a spark to the struggling outfield.  Sanches and Manning will be replacements for Chico and Schroder in the bullpen. 

Tim Redding pitched a gem of a game last night, six shut out innings, by trusting his fastball. Relievers Rivera, Ayala, and Hanrahan completed the game, and the Nats defeated the Phillies 4-0.  The guys capitalized on the pitching of Brett Myers and produced some key hits. 

It was good to finally see Milledge producing at the plate; he went 2-4 last night with a key RBI double down the right field line. Hopefully that production continues, and the other outfielders follow his lead.  Guzman continued his hitting streak and went 3-4.  He always seems to be on base. I’m really having fun watching him this season. Jesus Flores had a pretty good night behind the plate also, catching a shut out game, and hitting a double.  However, he did let a pop up fall between he and Zim during the first inning that would have been an easy out.  Catching pop ups seem to be one area where Flores could use some more practice.

Zimmerman’s fielding last night was the highlight of the game for me.  His diving stop and throw to first followed by his bare handed grab later in the game were both impressive to watch. He produced at the plate also going 2-3 with a double.  Our third baseman leads the team in hits and home runs. He is a treat to watch.

After the game, the team announced that 2nd baseman Ronnie Belliard is headed to the DL with a left calf strain.  Chris Schroder gets the call up again from Columbus.  Any chance this guy will get to stay in DC for more than one game this time around?  Poor Chris — that back and forth trek can’t be much fun.  With Ronnie now on the DL, it might be possible to fill out a full line up card with hurt guys.  We’ve got a couple of catchers, a first baseman, a second baseman, an outfielder (not officially on the DL but not playing), and a couple of pitchers.  Manny really doesn’t have much to work with these days. Some call ups might make things more interesting.

Coming off his great performance last week in New York, Jason Bergmann faces Phillies Cole Hamels tonight at 7:00.  There might be another pitchers’ duel in the works tonight…

The team has announced that Nick Johnson will be out for 4-6 weeks with a torn tendon sheath in his right wrist.  This is a sad day for Nick, who worked so hard to get back into shape and showed up at spring training ready to go.

The club has activated Dmitri Young from his rehab assignment in AA Harrisburg to play DH over the weekend and 1st base for the forseeable future.  He will share the 1st base responsibilities with Aaron Boone, who has also been a pleasant surprise.

Nick’s .415 OBP really helped the Nationals, who rank 27th as a team with their on base percentage of .315.  His 33 walks this season trail only Albert Pujols.

As expected, Paul Lo Duca will go back onto the Disabled List for the 2nd time this season, missing yet another series against the Mets in NY.  Lo Duca has a fracture in his right hand and is expected to be sidelined for 4-6 weeks.  And - finally - Estrada will join him on the DL with lingering injuries to his right elbow.

Yeah, it’s all starting to look like a waste of off season money, but now you get two healthy catchers who can actually get runners out.  Jesus Flores gets the call up tomorrow and he’ll bring outfielder Elijah Dukes with him.  All is right in the world.

Last night, the Potomac Nationals defeated the Winstom-Salem Warthogs 1-0.  Jordan Zimmermann continues to shine at Class A, giving up no runs and striking out 9 in his 7 innings of work.  Elijah Dukes played centerfield and went 1 for 4 with a double and 3 strike outs.  Paul Lo Duca went 0 for 2 with a walk.  He caught 1 runner stealing, but also allowed 2 stolen bases.  Here’s some photos from the game.

We caught up with Lo Duca after the game to ask him a few questions:

How’s everything going? How did you feel out there tonight?

So far I’m ready to go but I’m waiting for them to call me to see if I can come back.

How disappointed were you about missing the first Mets series?

[Laughter] I was real disappointed, ya know, but it was probably better off.  I’m anxious to go back and play there.  We go back on May 12th…it’s on my calendar.

How do you like DC so far and how has the experience been different than playing in NYC?

You know it’s good, I like it a lot actually. It’s a great city. I mean everywhere you go you can find some kind of monument or some kind of landmark. Very very cool, I’m living in Alexandria right now, and I really like it.

How are you adjusting to playing on a young rebuilding team vs. a strong contending team?  Do you see your role differently?

No, I really don’t see my role differently. I think were going to start winning. I think this team struggled a little early on, but the guys know that we have a chance to win and we’re gonna win now.

Has it been a challenge for you to learn the young pitching staff so quickly, since injuries kept you out of spring training?

A little bit but not that bad.  I know most of the guys now.  You know I didn’t get to do much catching during the spring and it took me a little while to get used to them, so a little bit yea, but not too bad.

What do you think has been the key to the Nats picking it up in the past week?

I think we are just doing the little things.  You know we’ve lost a lot of one run games and I think lately we are getting some breaks and that needs to happen every once in a while, but you gotta come to the ballpark believing you’re gonna win, and I think that’s starting to happen.

You caught Jordan (Zimmermann) tonight and he’s one of the top prospects.  How did he look and what do you think about his stuff?

I’ve loved him from day one. I caught him in spring training and I think he’s got a great future and he’s gonna be a big league pitcher for a long time.

Given the past week, it’s been all too easy to focus on problems and concerns, but there are some positive things worthy of mention about the organization and the new ballpark.

First of all, the Nationals announced partnerships with the Earth Conservation Corps and the Hopkins Branch of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Washington today. The goal of the Washington Nationals Dream Foundation’s Neighborhood Initiate is to support local non-profits with grants, donations and resources.

The Earth Conservation Corps received a grant of $40,000 for three years to assist with revitalization of the Anacostia River and the development of area youth. The Boys & Girls Club received $50,000. The organization supports area youth and teens, providing enrichment activities, computer labs, sports clubs, homework help and mentoring.

 Upon announcing the partnerships, Elijah Dukes and Joel Hanrahan unveiled the “Wall of Dreams,” located in the Center Field Plaza. Baseballs on the dream wall can be purchased from $250 to $5,000. Here’s our photos from the event.

We applaud the organization’s dedication to enriching the lives of area youth and taking pro-active steps toward cleaning up the environment.

Second, last night after the 3-0 loss to the Braves, the organization launched a massive fireworks display. It sure would have been better had it followed a win, but it was certainly a nice touch. We watched the fireworks from the President’s Club seats directly behind home plate. Upon leaving, we got a little disoriented and accidentally tried to exit through the President’s Club area. Crowds had died down, so it was fairly easy to tour the area quickly before finding a real exit. Here’s the photos from that experience.

Third, being a big PB&J fan, I was really looking forward to checking out the PB&J bar in the Strike Zone area for kids. I wasn’t sure if they’d let me order there, but there seemed to be no problem. For $5.00, you can choose your bread (wheat or white), your peanut butter (chunky or smooth) and your toppings (grape jelly, strawberry jelly, honey, bananas and/or chocolate chips). I’m a little too excited about this. We all have our things.

Fourth, Wily Mo Pena is coming back tomorrow! Pena should add some serious pop in the lineup and help the other guys see better pitches. We noticed at spring training that Pena is a natural leader as well. He’s always jumping around, talking to everyone, laughing and getting his teamates pumped. I think we’ve been missing more than his bat. We hope his leadership, personality and bat help crack this 9 game skid.

Fifth, attendance was great today, even through the rain delay! 32,532 was the announced attendance. Misery loves company. Thanks for coming out today. Please keep it up.

Sixth, Jon Rauch and his wife Erica welcomed into their family a new baby girl on Friday. Congratulations Jon!

Paul Lo Duca really talks a big game. He seems to have something to say about everything, yet he hasn’t delivered much in the way of offense or defense since arriving in DC. In fact all he’s done is run his mouth. Before last night’s defeat, Lo Duca was quoted with this gem: 

“We need to realize [we can win], we need to show and play with that cockiness and play with that edge. That’s how we are going to win ballgames.” 

Paul went on to say that he doesn’t think the Nats have that edge yet: 

“We need to go out there with a little attitude and play with attitude and keep fighting – run balls out. Even when you are getting beat, those are the times you need to hustle even more. That’s what we need to do.” 

Hmm I don’t know Paulie but, I think that maybe trying to actually throw a runner out at second, or trying to catch a ball at the plate that might save a run, or maybe even running through first base, would help the team a little bit.  Lo Duca can point fingers and talk all he wants, but the reality is, he hasn’t done much at all, and he seems to be the only one freaking out about the team’s performance. 
 
If the theme for the team is patience and learning, then why not let a young catcher – who at this point is just as good offensively, if not better than Lo Duca or Estrada – learn in the big leagues.  Our centerfielder is still learning, our pitchers are still learning, heck our third baseman is still learning. What is the harm with letting Flores get experience in the majors? Sure he isn’t major league polished yet, but his power is already better than Lo Duca’s. He can catch, hit, and run unlike Estrada currently, and he tries with success to throw out the runners, something Lo Duca hasn’t even attempted yet. At this point, a platoon with Flores and one of the vets has got to provide more offense (and defense) at the plate than we are getting right now.
 
I guess the only problem with keeping Flores in the majors is the type of mentor he would have in Paulie. I’m not sure what advice Lo Duca would have to offer the young guys. He isn’t catching well, can’t throw, can’t run, can’t stop gambling, and can’t stay faithful to his wife, sounds like a great role model. The team is young; they need patience, support, and time to be successful. Things will click, sooner rather than later, but Lo Duca’s constant yapping isn’t going to make it happen any faster.

On top of all this, what’s up with Manny lately? I realize he is dealing with a short supply of players, but a couple of his decisions in the last few games have left us with a bad taste in our mouths. He left Bergmann in way too long on Wednesday. He’s taking Felipe out of left field in the 7th, which wastes our bench. He put Tim Redding (a top starting pitcher) in to run for Estrada last night.  What kind of decision is that?  Last season we lost Bergmann and Hill to injuries on the base paths.  I can’t believe Manny needlessly exposed Redding to that last night.

I’m not so quick to blame the pitching (GM Jim) or the lack of offense on our team’s struggles as of late.  The bullpen has certainly had its fair share of problems too. It seems like a lot of things are out of place and that starts at the top and trickles the whole way down.  

It’s going to be a fun series against the Braves isn’t it? Hudson, Smoltz and Glavine, aren’t we lucky.
 
Lastly, on a positive note, we have attended now five games at Nationals Park. At each game, I have been nothing but impressed with the services and the people. I am greeted like a friend every time I enter. My food has been served in an efficient and pleasant manner. Everything from the amenities offered, to the employees and services are a huge upgrade from RFK and I couldn’t be happier.