Results tagged ‘ Nationals ’
John Lannan vs. Roy Halladay Lineups
The Nats can secure their second straight series victory with a win tonight and increase their winning streak to three games. It is a rematch of last year’s Opening Day but the Nats are hoping for a different outcome. Roy Halladay hasn’t allowed a Nationals run since he gave up a RBI double to Ryan Zimmerman in the first inning of the opener. He has a scoreless streak of 22.0 innings against the Nats. Halladay’s numbers against the Nats are usually reserved for video games like MLB 2K11 (quality commercial): 3-0 with a 0.39 ERA (23 IP/ 1 ER) with 20 strikeouts and a .198 BAA. On the other hand, Lannan is seeking his first win in 12 starts against the Phillies. Don’t they say… the 13th time is a charm? Adam LaRoche is back in the lineup after having Tuesday off.
Phillies (7-3):
Shane Victorino – CF
Placido Polanco – 3B
Jimmy Rollins – SS
Ryan Howard – 1B
Ben Francisco – RF
Raul Ibanez – LF
Carlos Ruiz – C
Wilson Valdez – 2B
Roy Halladay – P
Nationals (5-5):
Ian Desmond – SS
Rick Ankiel – CF
Jayson Werth – RF
Adam LaRoche – 1B
Laynce Nix – LF
Danny Espinosa – 2B
Jerry Hairston Jr. – 3B
Ivan Rodriguez – C
John Lannan – P
Jayson Werth and Co. take game one vs. Phillies
Right before the game started on Tuesday, Jayson Werth gave himself just a few seconds to notice the Phillies fans. When he finished completing his warm up throws with Bullpen Coach Jim Lett in the outfield, Werth turned around and looked up at the fans that had lined the first few rows of the right field seats. He simply nodded his head and turned around. He didn’t care what their signs read or what they shouted.
Werth knew what he was getting into on Tuesday night. He has been to Nationals Park before and witnessed how the Phillies faithful had infiltrated the park on Opening Day last year—something he plans on changing. The same Phillies fans that praised him last year and heckled Nyjer Morgan with vernacular that HBO might even edit, are now giving standing ovations to Phillies right fielder Ben Francisco and booing Werth. It is the life of a Phillies fan. They say hello by booing and goodbye the same way.
“They’re Philly fans,” Jerry Hairston Jr. said. “Obviously, Philly is known to be hard on their own players. I knew Jayson kind of expected it. It’s to be expected. I can’t wait until we go back to Philly.”
The Phillies fan booed every time the ball was hit to right field. They showered Werth with boos every time he walked to the plate but they weren’t quite loud enough to drown out his at-bat song “November Rain.” In the bottom of the fifth, Werth silenced his critics by hitting a home run, clearing the left field fence by a few inches.
“Was it extra special against those guys?” Werth said. “Probably a little bit.”
That is also probably an understatement. How could it not be special? He was playing his former team and was booed by Phillies fans. There isn’t anything better than silencing your critics. The Nats bullpen sat in right field and listened to the Phillies fans for a few innings and they had heard enough.
“I haven’t pulled so hard for a guy to hit a home run in my life,” Sean Burnett said, who picked up his third save of the season. “It was something the bullpen really wanted, because we had to listen to those fans out there.”
Werth doesn’t plan on those fans being out there for long. He remembers how Citizens Bank Park was full of Mets fans four years ago, now it’s only Phillies fans. He expects Nationals Park to undergo the same transformation.
“The only way to change the culture here with this team in Washington, DC… is to win,” Werth said. “It was a big win tonight, but we’ve got to continue to do it. Essentially, we’re going to have to win a lot—not just play .500 ball or not finish in last place. You’re going to have to win a division, you’re going to have to win a Wild Card, and that takes work.”
It does take work but the Nats are planning on changing it one pitch, one at-bat, one inning and one game at a time. It won’t happen overnight but you don’t eat an entire pig in one sitting either—one bite at a time is the only way to think of it. The win moved them to .500 for the first time this season but the Nats showed the Phillies—with a makeshift lineup and Livan Hernandez throwing 61 mph curveballs—this is a different Nats team. Werth still has 125 games against the Phillies over the course of the next seven years but right now the score is 1-0, advantage Werth.
One day Werth will turn around to see the fans when the Nats play the Phillies and it will just be Nationals fans. Today it’s a dream but one day it could be a reality.
Nats place Ryan Zimmerman on the DL
The storyline tonight will certainly center around Jayson Werth. How could it not? He is playing his former team for the first time and for some reason when a star player faces their former team for the first time, it always seems to grab headlines. It will be interesting to see how he is greeted by the Phillies’ faithful who make the trip down the I-95 corridor to Nationals Park, but the reaction will only be part of the story and only last about 10 seconds. Whether he is cheered or booed is all but irrelevant at the end of the day. The Nats play the Phillies 18 times a year—so Werth and the Phillies will have several encounters. This is the first of many—126 to be exact—games that Werth will face his former team as a member of the Nats. By game 10, people will probably have forgotten he was ever a member of the Phillies, with our current information highway, today’s story is tomorrow’s long forgotten history.
The more pressing and pertinent matter is how the Nationals will play the next few weeks without their prodigious third baseman Ryan Zimmerman. He was placed on the DL today with a strained abdominal muscle, a nagging injury he dealt with in Spring Training and aggravated when sliding into second base on Saturday at Citi Field.
Since Zimmerman appeared in his first game on Sept. 1, 2005, the Nats are 347-500 (.410). The Nats are 306-446 (.407) in games that he has appeared in and 41-54 (.432) in games he didn’t appear in, either from an injury or just a day off. In 2008, Zim missed 55 games and the Nats posted a nearly identical winning percentage with him in the lineup and on the DL. In 2010, the Nats went 60-82 (.423) in games that he appeared in and 9-11 (.450) in games he didn’t appear in. This isn’t to prove that the Nats are a better team without Zimmerman—that would be nonsensical and akin to saying the Washington Mall would be better off without the Washington Monument. Zimmerman has been a member of the Nationals for about as long as the Nationals have been a part of DC. There is no question Zimmerman is a key component to the team and will be a vital piece to the building process—he is one of the top players in the League. They won nine games without him last season but the key questions is how many additional games would they have won if he played in those 20 games?
The team performance in Zimmerman’s absence just shows that a) when he goes down, someone usually steps up—Jerry Hairston Jr. and Alex Cora will get the majority of the starts at third base b) the Nationals have been able to fill the void left by Zimmerman for a short time and c) quality pitching when a player is injured is probably more important than who the replacement is for the injured player. The starting staff will need to continue pitching well in Zimmerman’s absence.
The Nats recalled Jesus Flores to replace Zimmerman on the 25-man roster. It was a surprising move in the sense that conventional wisdom predicted outfielder Roger Bernadina or utility infielder Brian Bixler to be recalled. This will allow Pudge or Wilson Ramos to be used off the bench as a pinch hitter without the Nats using their last catcher. The 26-year-old Flores was the Nats’ everyday catcher in 2009 before a foul tip struck him in the shoulder on May 9 in Arizona. He returned at the end of the season to pinch hit three times but never fully recovered until this season.
Below is a Nats lineup that you haven’t seen before tonight.
Phillies:
Shane Victorino – CF
Placido Polanco – 3B
Jimmy Rollins – SS
Ryan Howard – 1B
Ben Francisco – RF
Raul Ibanez – LF
Carlos Ruiz – C
Wilson Valdez – 2B
Joe Blanton – P
Nationals:
Ian Desmond – SS
Rick Ankiel – CF
Jayson Werth – RF
Matt Stairs – 1B
Wilson Ramos – C
Laynce Nix – LF
Danny Espinosa – 2B
Jerry Hairston Jr. – 3B
Livan Hernandez – P
Rubber Game Lineups
Braves:
LF Martin Prado
CF Nate McLouth
3B Chipper Jones
C Brian McCann
2B Dan Uggla
RF Jason Heyward
SS Alex Gonzalez
1B Freddie Freeman
P Tim Hudson
Nationals:
SS Ian Desmond
RF Jayson Werth
3B Ryan Zimmerman
1B Adam LaRoche
LF Michael Morse
CF Rick Ankiel
2B Danny Espinosa
C Ivan Rodriguez
P Jordan Zimmermann
*In his one career outing against Atlanta, Jordan Zimmermann won, going five innings, allowing only one earned run with five strikeouts.
*Against the Nationals, Tim Hudson is 10-2 with an ERA of 1.91. However, Jayson Werth has proved to be a thorn in Hudson’s side—he’s got a batting average of .350 with a pair of doubles and a home run against the Braves’ hurler.
*Rick Ankiel, who was yesterday’s Nationals Player of the Game, has also fared well against Hudson, going three-for-six with an RBI in six plate appearances.
*Today is your last day to vote for the Fans’ Choice Bobblehead. As of this posting, Danny Espinosa is in the lead with 5616 votes, and Drew Storen in second with 4400 votes.
Game No. 2 Lineups
Braves:
LF Martin Prado
CF Nate McLouth
3B Chipper Jones
C Brian McCann
2B Dan Uggla
RF Jason Heyward
SS Alex Gonzalez
1B Freddie Freeman
P Tommy Hanson
Nationals:
SS Ian Desmond
RF Jayson Werth
3B Ryan Zimmerman
1B Adam LaRoche
LF Michael Morse
CF Rick Ankiel
2B Danny Espinosa
C Wilson Ramos
P John Lannan
*The Nationals are looking to not only secure their first win of the season, but get closer to evening their franchise record against the Braves since baseball returned to DC in 2005. At home, the Nats are 31-24 against Atlanta over the last seven seasons, but 54-56 overall.
*In his career against the Braves, Ryan Zimmerman has hit for a .278 average, mashing 25 doubles and 11 home runs with 53 RBI. Jayson Werth also doesn’t mind facing Atlanta—he’s maintained a .290 batting average with a .395 on-base percentage against the division rival.
*Meanwhile, the Nationals will have a tough opponent on the mound in Tommy Hanson. He’s 2-1 against Washington with a 2.72 ERA. That being said, the Nats’ new bats will prove trouble for the Braves’ starter. Werth has maintained an OPS of .956 against Hanson, and Jerry Hairston Jr. has an on-base percentage of .571 against him.
*Against the Braves, John Lannan is 5-4 with 36 strikeouts.
The third annual NatsFest photo journal
Frank Howard told Bryce Harper he had a record that Harper would never touch and he wasn’t talking about his 48 home runs in a single season either. Howard can tell stories as detailed and captivating as a World War II veteran—you start to wish the story never ended. He talked about the doubleheader on Sept. 19, 1970 when he recorded six straight strikeouts and hit into a double play in his seventh at-bat to be the first person to strikeout six straight times and record eight outs in seven at-bats in one day. On the bright side, it was the first standing ovation he received as a visiting player.
Frank Howard didn’t just tell the story—he acted it out for his fans and his peers (Davey Johnson and Bob Boone.)
Future journalists? They showcased their interviewing skills and peppered (far left) Pitching Coach Steve McCatty, Manager Jim Riggleman, Stephen Strasburg and Drew Storen with questions.
It might not be long before Bryce Harper is calling Nationals Park home.
“I am pretty cool. I just got a high-five from Stephen Strasburg.”
GEICO Racing Presidents will join the Circus for a day
Is there anything Abe, George, Tom and Teddy can’t do? Over the last few months, they’ve been seen racing on ice during a New York Islanders game, appearing in The Washington Ballet production of Septime Webre’s The Nutcracker, and now, they’re going to the circus.
On Thursday, March 24, the GEICO Racing Presidents will make an appearance at the Verizon Center during the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, where they will entertain the crowd (showtime: 7:30 p.m.). Fans who arrive early will also be able to catch their favorite Presidents perform during the pre-circus show from 6:30-7:00 p.m.
Will Abe walk the tightrope? Can George fly with the acrobats? Maybe Tom will pile into a fully-packed clown car and Teddy… well, whatever Teddy does, let’s just hope he’s safe– as we all know Teddy doesn’t have the best of luck. Perhaps they’ll just be clowning around with, you guessed it, a bunch of clowns. One thing’s for sure: circus fans won’t know what they’re in for.
See you at the circus.
Mark Lerner says goodbye to Florida
Nationals
Principal Owner Mark D. Lerner will be blogging throughout the 2011 Grapefruit
League Season, giving Nats fans a unique perspective of the goings-on at the
Nats Spring Training home in Viera, Fla. Check back often for the latest
updates.
Good afternoon NatsTown!
Later tonight, after today’s 1:05 p.m. home game against the Tigers, my wife,
Judy, and I will fly back to DC, thus ending our three-week stay in Viera. We
talked last night about perhaps a longer stay next spring. Only time will tell,
but we both agreed that we struck the right balance between business and
pleasure during our visit. It sure was nice to cut almost a month off our
winter. We have enjoyed seeing Nationals fans all around Viera, not just at
Space Coast Stadium, and also on all of our road trips. Although it will be
good to get back into the DC routine, it will be hard not to let my mind wander
back to the ballclub.
Fortunately, NatsFest is only 10 days away, and of course the season opener is
the next afternoon against the Braves at Nationals Park. Here are a couple of
notes I’d like the share as it pertains to these two events:
NatsFest (Wed., March 30, 4-8 p.m. at Nationals Park)
*Batting Practice will begin at 4 p.m.
*Each of the 25 Nationals will be present and participate in NatsFest, with the
one exception being the Opening Day starting pitcher.
*We will also be bringing a few bonus Nationals for our fans to meet: Stephen
Strasburg, Bryce Harper, Derek Norris, Chien-Ming Wang and Cole Kimball. Also
look for Bob Boone and Davey Johnson to be in town that day and mingling.
*Fans will enjoy various Q and A sessions and opportunities to interact with
and take pictures of their favorite Nationals. Children will also be able to
attend and participate in their own event, a Kids Press Conference, which
begins at 6:50 p.m.
Opening Day (Thu., March 31, 1:05 p.m. vs. Atlanta Braves)
*We urge all our fans to come early. We are expecting a sellout crowd and want
all of our fans to enjoy their afternoon at Nationals Park as much as possible.
This will also allow everyone to enjoy the extended pregame festivities.
*By the way, earlier this week, the Braves named RHP Derek Lowe as their
Opening Day starter.
So, this will be my final Spring Training blog. Why don’t we start with some
impressions from the last three weeks:
*I have talked about this before, but this really was a well-run camp. Jim
Riggleman, Bobby Henley and a dozen or so coaches and advisors put together a
heck of an operation. I honestly feel the emphasis on fundamentals set the
stage for a successful Grapefruit League and 2011 season.
*I enjoyed getting to know Mike Rizzo’s key offseason additions (Jayson Werth,
Adam LaRoche, Tom Gorzelanny, Jerry Hairston, Jr. and Matt Stairs, among
others) for the first time. And I am more enthusiastic than ever about our next
wave of homegrown talent. What is not to like about Danny Espinosa, Wilson
Ramos, Bryce Harper, Chris Marrero, Derek Norris and Cole Kimball?
*Don’t the new home uniforms look fantastic? We’ve purposely worn them for all
of the games televised on MASN. They offer a clean look and, we believe, best
portray the tradition of baseball in DC. I have received
a lot of great comments down here not only from our players, but our fans as
well.
*Mike Rizzo has a slew of big roster decisions to make in the next 10 days or
so. Who will be the 25 players to comprise your Nationals Opening Day roster?
Sure, he will seek out and process input from Jim Riggleman and his staff, but
ultimately, it is Mike’s call as to who makes that roster. Personally, I love
that he’s grinding a bit. This means there is big league talent here. These are
the type of decisions that we dreamt about back in 2007 and ’08. But at that
stage of our evolution, we were always looking to add quality big league
talent, not pare it down, at the end of spring.
*Random highlights of my Spring Training experience, in no particular order:
Michael Morse’s scalding hot start, talking to Stephen Strasburg and seeing him
throw a baseball again, Bryce Harper’s first exposure to big league pitchers,
seeing Jayson Werth on our ballclub, Kenny G’s one-minute note, the
beyond-perfect weather, the Nationals’ Par 3 Golf Tournament, a pair of wins
over the Yankees, March 11 twilight launch of Delta Rocket (spy satellite… but
don’t tell anyone).
Again, many thanks for your interest in our ballclub. We look forward to seeing
many of you at Nationals Park this summer. And down here again next spring.
I will be in touch again soon.
Tom Gorzelanny gets back on track
Nationals Principal Owner Mark D. Lerner will be blogging throughout the 2011 Grapefruit League Season, giving Nats fans a unique perspective of the goings-on at the Nats Spring Training home in Viera, Fla. Check back often for the latest updates.
Good afternoon, Nats Town.
It’s a quiet day at Space Coast Stadium, as the Nationals have traveled inland for a matinee tilt against the Astros in Kissimmee. I, personally, did not travel west for the big league game, instead hanging back to watch the three minor-league games being played at our complex.
I love every opportunity I get to watch the minor-league games and see the young prospects we have in our system. Mike Rizzo and his crew have done a terrific job of stocking the system with talented, young players, and the future is bright. There are a lot of names you may not have heard of yet (Eury Perez, Sammy Solis, A.J. Cole, Brad Peacock, etc), but you’ll know them soon enough. Trust me.
A few things I wanted to touch on…
* It was great catching up with Tim Kurkjian and John Kruk yesterday, as ESPN’s Baseball Tonight bus stopped at Space Coast Stadium to feature the Nationals. For those of you who didn’t catch Baseball Tonight yesterday, Tim and John did a great job assessing our club, even taking the opportunity to sit down with Jayson Werth and Stephen Strasburg as part of their tour stop.
I had an opportunity to check out the bus. What an impressive vehicle. Although, here’s some insight: they aren’t really traveling around Florida and Arizona on the bus. It’s pretty much just a mobile studio. They have been sleeping in hotels and following the bus in a more-traditional vehicle. Not exactly roughing it.
* Last night’s game… despite the loss, there were a lot of bright spots in yesterday’s game vs. the Mets in Port St. Lucie. Tom Gorzelanny, acquired from the Cubs this offseason for a trio of minor leaguers, twirled 4.0 solid innings and held the Mets to just a run. Keep an eye on Tom. He was slow out of the gate this spring, hampered by the flu, but could be a key arm in our rotation this year.
Another bright spot yesterday, and really all spring, has been right-hander Brian Broderick. We acquired Brian from the Cardinals via the Rule 5 Draft in December, and he has posted an impressive 1.04 ERA in 5 appearances. What’s most impressive about Brian is his presence and demeanor. At 6-foot-6, he is as cool as a cucumber on the mound.
* Monday night, I played in the players’ par-3 golf tournament at the Duran Golf Club (about a mile down the street from Space Coast Stadium). Had a great time, and even won the ‘closest to the pin’ competition. My foursome (with Cole Kimball, Chad Gaudin and Matt Eiden – one of our strength and conditioning guys) finished 5th of 6. Congrats to the winning team of Rick Eckstein, Davey Johnson, Pudge Rodriguez and Scotty Paquin (assistant equipment manager for our minor-league operations).
Since I won’t be blogging tomorrow, I want to take this opportunity to wish everybody a Happy St. Patrick’s Day. Let’s hope we have the luck of the Irish on our side when we battle the Braves in Orlando.
And, remember, just 15 days until Opening Day at Nationals Park.
The List: 50 things to look forward to in 2011
Nationals Principal Owner Mark D. Lerner will be blogging throughout the 2011 Grapefruit League Season, giving Nats fans a unique perspective of the goings-on at the Nats Spring Training home in Viera, Fla. Check back often for the latest updates.
Hey NatsTown. Thanks for again stopping by.
Big weekend down here. Two more wins, including Saturday’s 6-5 comeback win over the Yankees in front of a packed house at Space Coast Stadium. We are now 10-5 on the Spring. Only the Braves (11-5) have a better record in the Grapefruit League. Feels good! We lost today’s home matchup with the Tigers, 4-1, but Jason Marquis continued to pitch very well. I think we are beginning to see the “real” Jason Marquis now.
Want to change things up today. Peek just about anywhere on television or at your favorite newsstand and you’ll quickly notice that our society is fixated on lists.
Honestly, who does not appreciate a good list after all? They are fun, thought provoking and stir debate.
With this in mind, I am going to list 50 “things” I am interested in, excited about or intrigued by entering the 2011 season.
This list is in no particular order, but I hope this spurs some dialogue and/or discussion among your fellow Nationals fans and friends.
Please feel free to send along your own admissions.
Let’s get started …
1. Opening Day. Packed house, a big win over the Braves. I had to list this first, right?
2. Jordan Zimmermann’s evolution in first complete season since having Tommy John surgery.
3. The buzz at Nationals Park when Henry Rodriguez hits triple digits on the radar gun.
4. The number of ways Jim Riggleman can pencil in Zimmerman, Werth, LaRoche in the 3-4-5 slots. Or will it be just one?
5. Witness day-to-day Pudge’s march toward 3000 hits.
6. The new food options opening up during the season at Nationals Park. This won’t be a small list.
7. How much has Screech worked out this offseason? Will he again be svelte Screech?
8. Our outfield defense. You have to think it will be really strong under almost every alignment Rizzo and Riggleman come up with.
9. Ian Desmond’s defense. With a year of maturity and experience under his belt, and LaRoche’s vacuum-like glove at first base, how many fewer errors will he make without compromising his elite range.
10. Will Sean Burnett continue to be as good a left-handed middle reliever as there is in MLB? I bet he will be with continued good health.
11. Jayson Werth’s professionalism and its affect on our clubhouse. And how his presence in the middle of our lineup will positively affect our run production.
12. Roger Bernadina or Nyjer Morgan, who will have more bunt hits.
13. Who will lead the team in hustle hits (aka infield hits)? My bet is on Ian Desmond. But watch out for Danny Espinosa, plus he gets more than half his at-bats from the left side.
14. When will we see Rick Ankiel’s legendary outfield arm pay dividends for the first time. Cannot wait.
15. Will Tyler Clippard stick with “Peaches” as his intro song. Hope so.
16. How will Jim Riggleman use his bench, which is as talented and as deep as we have known here.
17. How many pinch homers will Matt Stairs hit? How many of those will be game-changers.
18. Does Michael Morse put it all together? His prospects look good, don’t they?
19. How noticeable and tangible will our renewed emphasis on baserunning be? Should be really fun seeing a lot of first-to-third, first-to-home on a double, etc.
20. See Livan throw a ‘Bugs Bunny’ changeup that registers in the low 60s on the radar gun?
21. Will Ryan Zimmerman win his 3rd straight Silver Slugger?
22. Can Ryan rightfully reclaim his Gold Glove? I bet “yes.” Having Mr. LaRoche as a target won’t hurt.
23. Interested to see Wilson Ramos’ arm and, for kicks and giggles, ask Bob Boone how it compares to Pudge’s when he was 23 years-old.
24. With his new mechanics in mind, watch Ross Detwiler take the next step in his career (so far, so good this spring)
25. Watch who gets the majority of our saves.
26. Good weather, maybe highs in the 70s with plenty of sun, for Nats Fest on Wed., March 30.
27. Want to watch the Mel Antonen, Tom Davis, Dave Johnson and Phil Wood pre pre-game show on MASN from 5-6:30pm weeknights. Also excited about Charlie and Dave on 106.7-WJFK FM. Good to be back on FM again!
28. Multiple All-Stars for the Nationals for the first time since 2005 (Livan, Chad Cordero).
29. With a small lead in hand, see who will pitch the 9th inning on Opening Day against the Braves.
30. Can Collin Balester clone his Sept. 2010 performance and reproduce it in 2011?
31. How many home runs will Bryce Harper hit in the minor leagues?
32. See who Mike Rizzo and his talented network of scouts pluck with the 6th and 23rd-overall selections in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft.
33. Excited to experience F.P. Santangelo on MASN 10 times in 10 days during a May road trip.
34. Time (via a stopwatch) how long it takes our fans to fall in love with Jayson Werth and Jerry Hairston, Jr. Oh, and Todd Coffey and his sprint?
35. Further good health and prosperity for Jesus Flores, who deserves both.
36. Fewer trips to the mound for Steve McCatty as our starting pitchers consistently go 7 innings.
37. Danny Espinosa and Ian Desmond become the best and most athletic middle infield tandem in the NL. Heck, why stop there. Let’s say best in MLB.
38. Adam LaRoche to be named as one of the sneaky-good signings of the 2010-11 offseason.
39. Perhaps have a young opposing player swing twice when seeing a vintage Tyler Clippard changeup for the first time.
40. With most of Taiwan watching, have Chien-Ming Wang make the first of his 20+ starts for us in May.
41. Read about an opposing player like Chipper Jones, Chase Utley or David Wright lauding the consistent hustle and effort of your 2011 Washington Nationals.
42. Require a calculator to tally the number of errorless games we string together in 2011.
43. Watch to see how we grow as a franchise through the prism of social media.
44. See if Nyjer Morgan can regain his 2009 Mojo.
45. Watch Danny Espinosa homer from both sides of the plate in the same game.
46. Have Livan Hernandez rightfully claim his first Gold Glove.
47. See Tom Gorzelanny make 30 starts and regain his status as a double digit-game winner.
48. See winning records and postseason berths in Syracuse, Harrisburg, Potomac, Hagerstown, Auburn, Viera and the Dominican Republic.
49. Be present as Stephen Strasburg pitches in mid-September, a la Jordan Zimmermann in Sept. 2010.
50. Will Teddy win? I sure hope so! Maybe I’ll ask Todd Coffey if he can work with Teddy on the fine art of sprinting.
Again, please don’t hold back. Send in some of your own ideas.
Thanks so much for your time and continued enthusiasm for the Nationals.
17 more days until the opener…
I will be in touch again soon.
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