There were some good, bad, and interesting (GBI)* performances from the ‘pen today, surrendering eight runs in the fourth to blow a 7-0 lead, but also throwing five scoreless innings to enable a 10-8 comeback win against the Yankees in Tampa.
* For the new folks, that’s a regular-season feature in which we pick out folks that are doing well, poorly, or something unexpected. It’s named after comedian Demetri Martin’s segment from his show on Comedy Central
GOOD: Adam Carr setting down the side in order for the save, his first of the spring in as many chances.
BAD: Josh Wilkie allowing both runners he inherited to score along with three more of his own on four hits, including a double and a triple.
INTERESTING: Atahualpa Severino throwing another 1-2-3 inning for his second hold.
All three relievers are generally considered longshots to make the club, so every outing is important for them — especially after three relievers were reassigned yesterday. The “bad” for Wilkie is particularly discomforting because (A) he’s a fan favorite (B) he’s not a hard thrower.
Naturally, the day after Chris Marrero get the lead treatment, he goes 0-for-3 with a strikeout and couldn’t scoop a Ryan Zimmerman throw. But he also turned a 3-6-3 double play, which I cannot recall him ever doing at Potomac. Derek Norris got the start at DH and went 0-for-1, but also drew two walks.
And last, but not least, Bryce Harper once again came off the bench and got his second hit of the spring, an RBI single in the eighth that gave the Nationals an insurance run. In the bottom of that inning, he gunned down Austin Romine trying to stretch a leadoff double into a triple (a cardinal sin, making the first out of an inning at third).
Tomorrow, the Nationals return to Viera to host the Atlanta Braves and the game will be telecast live on MASN. It will also mark the first radio broadcast of the year and a return to FM, as the game will be simulcast on WJFK 106.7FM and WFED 1500AM. For the rest of the spring radio broadcast schedule, click here.
I have to admit that I enjoyed the Yankee broadcast team today, although I generally despise them. They had some thoughtful things to say about Washington and the team. Not all of it was accurate, but it really was an honest attempt. I am glad they were on XM today, and I am not sure whether to listen to Slowes and Jaegler or the new color guy on MASN.
1/2 street, you answered my question at the end of your post. Is there any other way to listen to the Nationals this spring? I have xm in the car but on the computer it appears the only baseball channel is 175 (at least on my computer, but I am pretty much useless)
sorry about Wilkie, I know this site loves him and I was hoping for great things
Baseball is an amazing game, Yankees were shut out in 8 of 9 innings and still had 8 on the board.
XM charges $2.99/mo. ($35.88/yr) to listen online. Gameday Audio is just $19.99/yr, and if you subscribe to MLB.tv, it’s free. Last year, the NatsTown Membership ($19.95) included Gameday, so if that deal is repeated it might just be your Elks Club pimp (the most bang for your buck *rimshot!*)
Heavily rec’d post. I’m not sure I would have sprung for Gameday. But Gameday plus a NatsTown Membership might be a bit more interesting for me.
Note to self – Be careful what you ask for in the future. I asked for Wilkie and was less than pleased by the result.
Don’t sell Wilkie short just yet @BinM. Remember, former top prospect and pick Drew Storen has looked decidedly worst. He isn’t Garrett Mock, he has a very different track record.
Wilkie didn’t get the 40-man, and he’s not getting it done right now. He looks like a AAA guy who will be trying to lurk for his chance at the bigs. There’s no shame in that. I suspect half the reason that he’s lasted in long in camp as he has is because of the visa issues with Rodriguez and Ramirez.
Given that I my head is in the ground culturally, I greatly appreciate the heads up on the GBI reference.
Now that our Twitter following is nearly double what it was this time last year, it was time to refresh folks on the reference, which is a bit obscure.