Nats Lose Sixth Straight
Really, this is not a rewrite from this morning...
The good news is that the Nats appear to be in midseason form. The bad news is that season appears to be 2008.
Like Jordan Zimmermann yesterday, Jason Marquis came into the game on a string of good outings and had it cut sharply with a four-run first inning. He would be chased with two outs in the fourth, charged with six runs on nine hits and three walks. But also like yesterday, the bullpen was mostly effective after Tyler Clippard teetered out of the fourth with a walk-triple-strikeout sequence.
In terms of prospects…
- Brian Broderick pitched another solid inning of relief, a 1-2-3 inning with three infield groundouts.
- Danny Espinosa returned to the starting lineup and went 1-for-4 with a strikeout.
- Derek Norris followed Pudge Rodriguez behind the plate and went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.
- Matt Antonelli went 0-for-1 in the ninth as a pinch hitter, flying out to center.
The loss drops the Nats to 10-11 for the spring. They return to Viera for a MASN-televised game against the Tigers tomorrow afternoon.
If Storen and Clippard didn’t make the team I would not be sad. Surprised, but not sad.
And despite Boswell’s reassuring words, Desmond does not seem to have learned a thing about playing Shortstop. He still tries to make the impossible play and makes things worse by throwing the ball away. I just don’t see him as a long term part of the infield if they want to become a winning team
The big difference here is Storen has options left and Clippard does not. You have to believe Clippard gets snatched up, bad spring and all, if the Nats try to sneak him through waivers.
Although I’m a fan of Boswell’s, he’s definitely drinking the Kool-Aid about Desmond. I agree that Desmond’s best position is probably 3rd, since there’s no time to think there.
What a difference a week makes. Last Sunday they were flying high at 10-5. Now they are floundering at 10-11. Almost all of the pitchers they were counting on are suddenly struggling mightily. It’s looking more and more like its going to be another LONG season. 🙁
What bugs me is that Kimball is already sent down and Balester will likely follow. Balester has been one of the most consistent pitchers in relief, (one bad outing) but has options just like Kimball. Meanwhile, the Nats will be stuck with Clippard and Coffey. I’m assuming that Storen will likely be sent down to get straightened out–otherwise we’ll be in even more trouble. The bullpen has definitely been the biggest disappointment of the spring because expectations were so high. At least mine were.