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Hill gets hammered, likely heads to the DLPosted by: Kristen in Game Recaps, Injuries, News on June 25th, 2008 9:07 amWe missed much of the beginning of the game last night. Sometimes, it’s better that way. The Angels batted around in the first, sending 10 men to the plate and securing a 6 run lead. When they scored 2 more runs in the third, Manny handed the game over to the bullpen. The combination of Shell, Colome, Hanrahan and Manning put up 6 zeroes with 5 strike outs, 3 hits and only 1 walk. But the damage was already done. Errors proved costly in the game and yielded 2 unearned runs to the Angels. Hill balked and Lo Duca, Young and Harris all had a hard time making routine plays. Lo Duca’s left field experiment was cut short by a bout of light-headedness. He left in the second and was taken to the hospital for precautionary reasons. His replacement, Wily Mo Pena, surprised everyone by going deep in his first at bat to give the Nats their first run. It was only his second home run of the season. An inning later Elijah Dukes would collect his third, a homer to left field. The only other run came in the 5th when pinch hitter Kory Casto singled to score Ronnie Belliard. As if it couldn’t get any worse, there’s more injury news. Nick Johnson underwent surgery at the Mayo Clinic and will likely be out for the season. That’s a big loss and very disheartening because he worked so hard to get healthy for this season. Shawn Hill, who has been experiencing pain all season, will also head to the Mayo Clinic for another evaluation. Hill will likely end up on the disabled list and probably should have been put on it awhile ago. We admire his desire to battle but wonder if the Patterson release motivated Hill to fight through the pain more than he should have. When he’s sharp and effective, he’s a treat to watch. We wish him a speedy recovery, but you know how those things go. Some other news: Zimmerman has a new blog post up, but it’s rather dull. The team announced a partnership with the Spanish Beisbol Network. Games will debut on WZHF 1390AM on Friday, June 27. Select games will be broadcast on WMET 1160AM and XM Radio Channel 174, MLB en Español. The team also announced plans to build a Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy. From the release:
Chico Harlan’s chatting at 2 pm, Mark Zuckerman’s chatting at 1 pm and Jim Bowden’s chat yesterday was utterly useless. Tim Redding (6-3, 4.12 ERA) takes on Ervin Santana (9-3, 3.17) tonight. You gotta feel for John Lannan. His 3.36 ERA in 14 starts is respectable. His 4-8 win/loss record, on the other hand, belongs to his teammates. They have averaged 2.5 runs a game when John takes the mound. Last night, Lannan went 7 innings and gave up 2 runs on 5 hits. In the 6th inning, he gave up a home run to Morneau that would be a costly mistake. The Nats managed to collect only 5 hits against former Nat Livan Hernandez. Lo Duca re-joined the team and played DH. He did hit a double and he scored the only run. Belliard, Young and Lo Duca all grounded into double plays over the course of the game. The Young vs. Young brotherhood showdown was strikingly uneventful. Both brothers went 0 for 3. News: Upcoming Promotions: Friday, June 20 Second Annual Stitch N’ Pitch Bang, Zoom Go the Fireworks - after the game Sunday, June 22 There will be GREEN LINE delays this weekend, both Saturday and Sunday. There will be a complimentary bus service provided by Metro. It runs from Nationals Park to Federal Center, Eastern Market and Union Station (post-game only). For more information on transportation and parking options, visit nationals.com/waytogo. The line-up remains the same for today’s afternoon game. It starts at 1:10. Tickets from last night may be used for today’s make-up game or exchanged for the same priced seat to a future Nationals home game during the 2008 regular season. All rain check exchanges are subject to availablilty. Ladies Night will go on as scheduled, though the location has changed to the Grand Plaza, located at 1st Street & Potomac Avenue, SE. Player appearances will include John Lannan, Luis Ayala and Jesus Flores. You can still get tickets here. Today is pretty busy with two games, Ladies Night, the draft - and normal life. Please visit Nats Farm Authority for draft related news. Jerry Crasnick from ESPN is reporting that Bret Boone has retired for good.
Boone, a three-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove Award winner, played for 14 seasons. Boone first retired from the Mets in 2006, but came back this spring to play with his brother Aaron and for his father Bob Boone, Assistant GM to Jim Bowden. Boone hit .261 in 13 International League games in April with the Columbus Clippers. Boone cited the long bus trips for minor league teams and the difficulty of staying in shape at 39 as the primary reasons for his departure.
We wish Bret all the best. Here’s a nice feature story on Jack McGeary’s ability to juggle college and pro baseball. Bob Boone and Mike Rizzo recently traveled to Stanford to watch McGeary throw a simulated game. McGeary has a full class load and a 3.5 gpa, but also tries to keep the “same schedule of a pitcher on a five-day rotation.”
The author, Jake Curtis, and Stanford’s baseball coach, Mark Marquess question whether Jim Bowden’s experiment will work but McGeary certainly seems disciplined and dedicated. Oh, and in case you’re curious — his freshman class schedule: Here’s a great ESPN story about Mike Bacsik.
As just a heads up, game notes for tonight’s game indicate that Chico was moved to the bullpen for Mike O’Connor to start on Saturday. Probable pitchers on the Nats website still say Chico against the Marlins this weekend, so we’ll see what the professionals tell us a bit later. Chico has never appeared as a reliever. It’s unclear whether he will actually work out of that role or be moved to Columbus for some polishing. He is 0-5 with a 6.87 ERA. |
You gotta have heart, all you really need is heart. When the odds are sayin' you'll never win, that's when the grin should start.






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