Results tagged ‘ New York Mets ’
Nats vs. Mets Spring Training Live Chat
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The Nationals take on the Mets at 6:05 p.m. Thursday night at Space Coast Stadium in Viera. It is the first Spring Training game televised on MASN this year, and will also be carried live on WJFK radio (the game is also available outside the Nationals market on MLB Network and MLB.tv). So whether you’re watching Bob and F.P. or listening to Charlie and Dave, leave your questions below and we’ll do our best to answer them as the game goes along. Here’s tonight’s Nats lineup:
1. Span CF
2. Suzuki C
3. Werth RF
4. LaRoche 1B
5. Desmond SS
6. Espinosa 2B
7. Moore LF
8. Rendon 3B
9. Tracy DH
P. Strasburg
Depth, Charging
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Before Monday night’s Nationals-Mets tilt in Port St. Lucie – the second between the two clubs in the same location in just over 48 hours – skipper Davey Johnson mused aloud that teams with good Minor League depth often posted strong Spring Training records. If the game itself was any indication, Johnson, who relishes the opportunity to see such players in person, must have liked what he saw.
Led by a bevy of rising stars, the Nationals impressed at the plate and on the mound as they notched their first Grapefruit League win, by a 6-4 final.
Karns impressed in his first action against Major League hitters.
The logic behind Johnson’s reasoning stemmed from the heavy innings that non-regulars log during the Grapefruit League season, and never was that circumstance more on display for the Nats. With a starting nine featuring just one 2012 Opening Day roster member in Steve Lombardozzi (plus Gio Gonzalez pitching), Washington’s youngsters peppered New York pitchers all around Tradition Field to the tune of 17 hits in a victory that was never as close as the final score indicated.
Outfielder Eury Perez leaned on his strongest tool – his speed – to accumulate a trio of infield singles and a stolen base, scoring from first on a double in the third and from second on a single in the fourth. Anthony Rendon, vying for a home run for the second straight day, was robbed of a longball at the center field fence, but later lined a seed the opposite way for a single. Eight of the nine starters pitched in hits, with Nationals 2012 Minor League Player of the Year Matt Skole demolishing a double to the wall in right-center in his first at-bat.
On the mound, Skole’s counterpart Nathan Karns – Washington’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year – turned in perhaps the most noteworthy performance. Following two hitless innings from Gonzalez in his first spring start, Karns fanned Ike Davis, Mike Baxter and top Mets prospect Travis d’Arnaud, allowing only a David Wright flare single over two scoreless innings.
“He’s got a great future,” said Johnson of Karns, whom he saw live in game action for the first time Monday night. “He had an explosive fastball, threw first pitch strikes. Very impressive for the young man.”
Rendon continued to turn heads with his play.
Karns overthrew a couple of curveballs early, but settled in and spun a beauty to put away d’Arnaud. He attributed the early inconsistency on the pressure of facing Major Leaguers for the first time.
“Yeah, I was a little nervous in the ‘pen, I’m not going to lie,” Karns said of the experience, but he took Johnson and pitching coach Steve McCatty’s advice between innings. “Breathe, breathe. I guess I was a little red in the face, a little sweaty.”
Karns’ stuff played just fine, his fastball sitting 93-96 with great life. When asked if that was a normal velocity range, he was non-committal, but referenced his offseason conditioning program.
“I was around there last year,” he said of his fastball velocity. “This year I felt like I did a lot in the offseason to strengthen my lower body, give me some more endurance. So if I get a couple more ticks on the radar, that’s a bonus.”
One veteran in the clubhouse within earshot took notice.
“A couple more ticks?” interrupted Ryan Mattheus, who earned the save with a scoreless ninth, incredulously from the corner of the clubhouse. “What do you want, to throw 105?”
The radar gun at Tradition Field actually misfired and flashed 143 miles-per-hour after one high fastball out of the 25-year-old’s right hand.
“Yeah, I can say I threw 143,” Karns said nonchalantly.
It’ll be a story for the grandkids.
The Nationals hit the road again Tuesday afternoon, where they will face the division-rival Braves for the first time this spring at 1:05 p.m. in Lake Buena Vista.
Record: 1-1-1
Results:
2/23 @ New York (NL) – L, 5-3
2/24 vs. Miami – T, 2-2
2/25 @ New York (NL) – W, 6-4
Weekly Review: National News
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Here at Curly W Live, we will be conducting a weekly review every Monday of all the storylines from the week that was. If you’re new to the site or have just been too busy to stay current with all the day-to-day action, this is your way to get caught up on everything going on with the team.
The Racing Presidents arrived at Mt. Rushmore on Presidents Day, concluding “Bill and Teddy’s Executive Adventure.” Washington learned that it will have another member of The District’s Nine represent Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, as Ross Detwiler was invited to join the squad. Meanwhile, back in Viera, we introduced you to a trio of new faces to keep an eye on in camp as Nationals wrapped up the final days of practice before the Grapefruit League schedule began in earnest.
On Saturday, Washington opened its slate on the road in Port St. Lucie against the Mets. Stephen Strasburg took a Zen approach to his first two innings of work, and Bryce Harper collected the team’s first hit of the spring. On Sunday, the Nationals hosted their home opener against the Marlins at Space Coast Stadium, a contest that featured the strength of their top prospect, along with a rain delay, an extra inning, and a tie.
Weekly Record: 0-1-1
Overall Record: 0-1-1
Top Prospecting
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Top Nationals prospect Anthony Rendon showed impressive gap-to-gap power last spring in Viera, but hit just six home runs over 133 at-bats in an injury-plagued 2012.. Since his arrival in camp this year, though, the ball has been jumping off Rendon’s bat more, as was evidenced by a home run he hit in batting practice prior to Sunday’s contest at Space Coast Stadium– a moonshot that that ricocheted off the base of the scoreboard, a solid 40-50 feet up the berm behind the left field wall. Just a few hours later, he showcased that power again, off a legitimate Major League reliever in Miami’s Ryan Webb.
With the wind blowing out to left in the fifth inning – following a rain delay of over an hour – Rendon hit an opposite-field shot out to right-center field, plating Steve Lombardozzi to give Washington a 2-1 lead. It was the only run-scoring hit of the day for either team, as both Marlins tallies came via RBI-groundouts in the top of the third and ninth in a 2-2, 10-inning draw.
Rendon’s two-run blast accounted for all of Washington’s scoring Sunday.
Rendon was the only member of the Nationals starting lineup not to be pulled during the delay, as both he and manager Davey Johnson wanted the young prospect to have another opportunity at the plate.
“I told him I wanted him to have one more at-bat and he said ‘I want one more at-bat,’” explained the skipper. “He certainly made it count.”
Johnson went on to stress that Rendon is all-but Major League ready, needing just repetitions and an opening on the roster to play in Washington.
Injuries have sidetracked what appeared to be an express lane path to the Major Leagues for Rendon. The Rice University product broke his ankle in just the second game of the season last year, costing him the first half of his year. After rehab, he became the most well-traveled man in the system, making stops with the GCL Nationals, Short-Season Auburn, High-A Potomac, and Double-A Harrisburg, finally culminating his campaign with an impressive stint in the Arizona Fall League.
Davey Johnson says all Rendon needs is repetitions and a chance to play.
Entering the season as the top-rated prospect in the system according to Baseball America, MLB.com and every other major outlet assigned to such rankings, the pieces are finally coming together for the 22-year-old considered by many to have the top bat in the 2011 Draft.
“I’ve had the same approach for a while now, I guess it’s just clicking,” said Rendon of his health and his improved power, especially to the opposite field. “That’s a good thing.”
Yes, yes it is.
The Nationals travel back to Port St. Lucie to take on the Mets for the second time in three days tonight at 6:10 p.m., and will once again be televised live on MLB Network. Gio Gonzalez is scheduled to make his first start of the year for the Nats, who are searching for their first Grapefruit League victory.
Here are Washington’s spring results to date:
Record: 0-1-1
Results:
2/23 @ New York (NL) – L, 5-3
2/24 vs. Miami – T, 2-2
Getting to Know: Micah Owings
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With Spring Training games beginning on Saturday, we’re taking the final few practice days of camp to take a closer look at some of the more interesting stories among this year’s Non-Roster Invitees. We wrap up our series with story of pitcher-turned-position-player Micah Owings.
The story of Rick Ankiel’s conversion from a former top prospect pitcher to a successful Major League outfielder is well known to fans of the Nationals. Ankiel played his past two seasons in a Washington uniform, patrolling center field with his cannon arm and showing flashes of the pop that led him to 25 home runs back in 2008. But the main reason that Ankiel’s transition was so notable was how rarely it has ever been accomplished. In Micah Owings, the Nationals have another player making the leap this season.
Owings enters his first camp as a full-time position player.
Owings showed promise on the mound, though he compiled a fairly average 32-33 record and 4.82 ERA over his six years. But the signs of his potential as a hitter have always been there. He still holds the Georgia state high school record for career home runs as a prepster, and carried that success at the plate with him into the professional ranks. Owings burst onto the Major League scene with a .333/.349/.683 line, blasting four home runs and seven doubles in just 64 plate appearances in his rookie campaign of 2007 to win the Silver Slugger Award.
In fact, despite generally receiving only a couple of plate appearances every five days, he owns a career .283 batting average and .503 slugging percentage, both marks higher than many Major League regulars. Now 30, Owings has decided to try to get the most out of what his body has left and make an honest run at converting to an everyday player.
“It was just to find out what kind of abilities I really have,” he explained of his decision to make the permanent switch. “I don’t want to look back 15-20 years from now and say ‘what if I would have tried it?’”
The idea for the change was in the works for a while before Owings finally pulled the trigger. But with a number of familiar faces from his Arizona days in Nationals camp – both on and off the field – the Nationals seemed like a perfect club to take the leap with.
Owings and the Nationals are staying open-minded about his defensive position.
“There are a lot of great guys, and they’ve been receptive,” said Owings of his new teammates easing his transition. “Even being in a different Spring Training zone. I’m used to being in Arizona for Spring Training. So totally being able to separate, being down here in Florida has been great. I’m really looking forward to it as camp develops.”
As for a position in the field, Owings is content to fit in wherever he can. Manager Davey Johnson has been impressed with what he’s seen so far, and obviously has no concerns about his new project’s arm strength. But at 6’5” and 220 pounds, don’t expect Owings to follow in Ankiel’s footsteps in center field any time soon.
“I don’t want to compare myself to him – he’s a great athlete,” said Owings of Ankiel, though he has tapped the trailblazer for his advice. “I was able to pick his brain last Spring Training, when I was kind of chewing on it. He shed some insight. I didn’t even have to say anything, he just said “Do it,” because he knew what I wanted to talk about.”
That reassurance, plus the confidence he will build with every game, every at-bat, every swing here in Spring Training has Owings optimistic about the process. He also looks forward to bringing a more mature approach to learning the other half of the game at the highest level.
“I’m just focusing in on the things I can control,” he said. “A lot of those things that we can’t control as players – umpires, calls, errors – those ate me up from a pitching standpoint early on. Hopefully I can remember that heading into this path.”
Owings won’t have to wait long for his first opportunity. He’s slated to DH, bat ninth, and play the full nine innings in Washington’s spring opener against the Mets Saturday afternoon.
Game On
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Believe it or not, Spring Training games begin tomorrow.
That’s right, in less than 24 hours, the Nationals will begin their Grapefruit League season with a 12:10 p.m. start at Digital Domain Park, the spring home of the New York Mets in Port St. Lucie. And the man slated to start that game on the mound for the Nationals? None other than Stephen Strasburg.
The lineup for hte first Spring Training game, Saturday in Port St. Lucie.
“It’s been a good spring so far, and I’m ready to play games,” said Davey Johnson from his office Friday. “I think they are too.”
The Mets will piggyback new acquisition Shaun Marcum and promising prospect Zack Wheeler (rated eighth overall by MLB.com and 11th by Baseball America), looking to break camp with the team for the first time. The game will be televised nationally on MLB Network, the first game of the spring to get the royal treatment.
As is the usual custom for road games in Spring Training, especially early in camp, when the Major League-side clubhouse is still crowded, there will be few regular position players making the trek south to Port St. Lucie. The only projected members of the Opening Day lineup (other than Strasburg, possibly) slated for the trip are Ian Desmond, Bryce Harper and Denard Span, who will be joined by Goon Squaders Steve Lombardozzi and Chad Tracy.
That will give minor leaguers like Anthony Rendon, Matt Skole and Zach Walters a chance to shine in the spotlight. Catchers Sandy Leon, Carlos Maldonado, Chris Snyder and Jhonatan Solano, infielders Chris Marrero, Micah Owings, Will Rhymes, and Carlos Rivero, and outfielders Corey Brown and Eury Perez will also make the trip.
The pitchers in the fold behind Strasburg include Craig Stammen, 40-man roster members Cole Kimball and Erik Davis, and NRI’s Fernando Abad, Bill Bray and Pat McCoy. Stay tuned to the Nationals on Twitter for updates live from Florida throughout day.
Top 12 of ‘12: #8 – Teenage Dream
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After splitting a rain-shortened, two-game set with Atlanta to open the month of June, the Nationals sat in a three-way tie for first place atop the NL East with one of their fellow front-runners, the New York Mets, coming to town. In the first game of that series, Washington built an early lead, only to watch the Mets surge ahead 4-3 in the eighth inning. But Ian Desmond rose to the challenge, tying the score in the bottom of the eighth on an RBI-single. Then he stepped up again in both the 10th and 12th innings, following New York scores with RBI on an error and a double, respectively. With the game tied at 6-6 and two outs in the bottom of the 12th, rookie Bryce Harper – in just his 33rd Major League game – stepped to the plate with the bases loaded.
After falling behind in the count 0-2, Harper fished a low fastball from Elvin Ramirez and flipped it to left field on a sinking line in front of Vinny Rottino. The ball had just enough top spin to fall to the turf before Rottino could snag it on his dive. As he rounded first, Harper became the first teenage owner of a Major League walk-off hit since Gary Sheffield in 1988, more than four years before Harper’s own birth. More importantly for the Nationals, they would never again forfeit their outright division lead, riding an NL-best 68-42 record the rest of the way to their first-ever division title.
What to Watch For: 9/14
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Washington Nationals (89-54) vs. Atlanta Braves (81-63)
LHP Ross Detwiler (9-6, 3.23) vs. RHP Kris Medlen (8-1, 1.64)
The Nationals are coming off an off day following their three-game sweep of the Mets at Citi Field. Tonight, they open their final regular season matchup against the division-rival Braves in Atlanta as Ross Detwiler looks to join the double-digit wins club.
NATIONALS LINEUP
1. Werth RF
2. Harper CF
3. Zimmerman 3B
4. LaRoche 1B
5. Desmond SS
6. Espinosa 2B
7. Bernadina LF
8. Suzuki C
9. Detwiler LHP
REMEMBER WHEN…
John Lannan earned his third win in three big league starts this season as Washington completed a three-game road sweep of Mets with a 2-0 victory on Wednesday night at Citi Field. After a 24-start stint with Triple-A Syracuse, Lannan jumped back into the Nationals rotation and fired 5.2 scoreless Innings. Ryan Zimmerman and Ian Desmond hit solo shots to provide the offense for Lannan and five relievers, who combined on Washington’s ninth shutout of the season. With the win, the Nationals improved to a season-high 35 games above .500 and their lead in the NL East rose to a franchise-best 8.5 games.
WHAT’S 79 YEARS BETWEEN FRIENDS?
The Nationals next victory will be their 90th of the season. The last team from the Nation’s Capital to reach the 90-win threshold was the 99-win ‘33 AL Nationals, 79 years ago.
SERIESLY NOTABLE
Washington has scored at least five runs in 10 of 15 games against Atlanta this year. Having already clinched the ‘12 season series, the Nationals are 3-1-1 in season series play against the Braves dating to ‘08. Beginning with Ryan Zimmerman’s memorable game-ending homer on March 30, 2008 to open Nationals Park, Washington is 49-38 (.563) overall against Atlanta. Since landing in D.C. in ‘05, Washington has more wins over the Braves (73) than any other club (Mets, 70). Washington has also won 17 of 28 games at Turner Field dating to Oct. 2009. Chipper Jones’ 23 homers against the Nationals (2005-pres.) rank third behind only Ryan Howard (35) and Hanley Ramirez (27).
DATE IN DC BASEBALL
September 14, 1947: In the first game of doubleheader sweep, Detroit’s Vic Wertz hits for the cycle as Detroit thumps the AL Nationals, 16-6, at Griffith Stadium.
September 14, 2011: The Nationals blank the Mets, 2-0, at Citi Field as Brad Peacock tosses five scoreless innings to garner the win in his second big league start.
What to Watch For: 9/12
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Washington Nationals (88-54) vs. New York Mets (65-77)
LHP John Lannan (2-0, 3.46) vs. RHP Matt Harvey (3-4, 3.04)
The Nationals continued their winning ways Tuesday night, as Tyler Moore’s seventh-inning, pinch-hit, two-run home run turned a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead and an eventual 5-3 Washington victory. New York native John Lannan will make his first start since his September recall as the Nationals look for a three-game sweep of the Mets at Citi Field to open the road trip.
NATIONALS LINEUP
1. Werth RF
2. Harper CF
3. Zimmerman 3B
4. LaRoche 1B
5. Desmond SS
6. Bernadina LF
7. Suzuki C
8. Lombardozzi 2B
9. Lannan LHP
GREAT 8
With another RBI on Tuesday at Citi Field, Ryan Zimmerman has now plated at least one RBI in eight consecutive contests. That is the longest such streak posted by a Nationals player since the club landed in D.C. in 2005. Zimmerman is 21-for-65 (.323) with five home runs and 16 RBI during his 15-game hitting streak, which is tied with Kansas City’s Salvador Perez for the longest current streak in MLB.
LANNAN’S CANNON
John Lannan, a native of Long Beach, NY and a Chaminade High School graduate, will take on the Mets in his third start of the season for the Nationals. He is 2-0 with a 3.46 ERA in his two starts, with his last one coming August 3 in a 7-4 victory over the Miami Marlins. In his final two starts for Triple-A Syracuse, Lannan tossed complete-game shutouts August 25 at Gwinnett and August 30at Charlotte. Lannan has not pitched at Citi Field since earning the win there on April 10, 2010.
HARPER GETTING CLOSE TO THE HAMMER
After going 4-for-5 with a double and an RBI last night vs. New York, Bryce Harper now has 11 RBI against the Mets this season, the most by a rookie against the Mets since former National Josh Willingham posted 12 in 2006 as a member of the Florida Marlins.
DATE IN DC BASEBALL
September 12, 1962: At Memorial Stadium, 27 year-old Senator fireballer Tom Cheney sets a major league mark for K’s in a single game by striking out 21 batters in complete-game, 16-inning, 2-1 victory over the Orioles.
What to Watch For: 9/11
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Washington Nationals (87-54) vs. New York Mets (65-76)
RHP Jordan Zimmermann (10-8, 2.99) vs. RHP R.A. Dickey (18-4, 2.64)
The Nationals won the opening game of the road trip, 5-1 over the Mets, for their 10th victory in their last 13 games. One of only four teams to have beaten R.A. Dickey this season, they will try to do so again tonight with Jordan Zimmermann on the hill.
NATIONALS LINEUP
1. Werth RF
2. Harper CF
3. Zimmerman 3B
4. LaRoche 1B
5. Morse LF
6. Desmond SS
7. Espinosa 2B
8. Suzuki C
9. Zimmermann RHP
STREAKS-A-PLENTY
With two more RBI on Monday at Citi Field, Ryan Zimmerman has now posted at least one RBI in seven consecutive contests. Since the club landed in D.C. in 2005, the only other National with an RBI streak to reach seven games was Cristian Guzman, July 24-Aug. 1, 2009. Zimmerman is also in the midst of a 14-game hitting streak, the longest hitting streak by a National this season and the longest active streak in the National League.
DESMOND SETS A NEW STANDARD
With his 22nd home run last night against New York, a two-run shot in the fourth inning off Collin McHugh, Ian Desmond established a new single-season high for home runs by a D.C.-based middle infielder, encompassing 79 years of modern baseball (1901-1971, 2005-present).
OH…YOU AGAIN?
Jordan Zimmermann faces off against his most frequent foe tonight, as he has made 10 career starts against the Mets. He is 3-2 with a 2.95 ERA (18 ER/55.0 IP) in those 10 starts. In his last outing, Zimmerman earned the win in Thursday’s 9-2 victory over the Cubs. He struck out nine in 7.0 IP, allowing two runs on five hits. The nine Ks were the most for J-Zimm since he struck out 11 on August 9 at Houston.
DATE IN DC BASEBALL
September 11, 1886 – At Washington’s Capitol Park, backstop Connie Mack makes his major league debut as the Nationals edge the Philadelphia Phillies, 4-3.
September 11, 2006 – Jose Vidro’s bases-loaded walk in the ninth plates the decisive run in a 7-6 victory at Arizona. The Nationals are out homered by the D-Backs, 4-0, but earn 10 walks to help offset the power differential. In the third inning, Alfonso Soriano becomes MLB’s first 40-homer, 30-stolen base, 20-outfield assist player by gunning down Orlando Hudson trying to stretch a single into a double. By season’s end, Soriano caps his lone season in a Nationals uniform with 46 long balls, 41 stolen bags and 22 outfield assists.
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