Nationals Lose Then Make Moves

Washington--The result of Thursday's 8-4 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies was consequential only in that it was the 70th of the season for the Washington Nationals, the first team in the majors to reach that mark in 2008. But the greater purpose, as fans as team officials and fans go, was the activity after yesterday's game as the Nationals made several roster moves that could affect this organization for several years and truly begin, in earnest, the structure for rebuilding the franchise into a competitive force in the National League East.

The Nats issued a press release, without much flair or fanfare, just before 11:00 pm stating they would activate Elijah Dukes from the 15-day disabled list and newly acquired middle infielders Alberto Gonzalez and Emilio Bonifacio from the minor leagues. The corresponding moves have been much anticipated by the Nationals dedicated fan base -- some might say from the very beginning -- as the team released C/1B Paul LoDuca and MI Felipe Lopez, along with giving C Johnny Estrada his outright release after designating him for assignment last week.

Dukes, 24, went 5-for-15 (.333) with two doubles, one RBI, two walks and a .412 on-base percentage in four rehab contests with Columbus. For the Nats this season, Dukes is hitting .263/.367/.434 with six home runs, 20 RBIs and 10 stolen bases in 175 at bats.

LoDuca, 36, was the target of many fans' ire this season from the day of his signing as a free agent this winter to a one-year, $5MM contract. Many fervent Nats supporters saw the move by General Manager Jim Bowden as accomplishing nothing but blocking talented -- but young -- catcher Jesus Flores from having an every-day job in the big leagues. When Bowden went out a couple weeks later and inked Estrada, he announced that Flores would spend all of 2008 in the minors, honing his craft and working with the young pitching talent the Nats have stockpiled, in hopes of building a strong repertoire with the kids in the system. The complete opposite has happened, as LoDuca and Estrada spent much of the first half of the season injured and ineffective, and Flores has blossomed into the team's leading run producer, pacing the squad in RBIs, currently with 45, to go along with seven home runs and averages of .281/.330/.455. LoDuca finished his brief stint with the Nats hitting .230 in 46 games with no home runs and twelve RBIs.

The second release had to pain Bowden as much as any transaction he's made, as he released MI Felipe Lopez, a player he has traded for twice. Lopez, long on tools but lacking in motivation and consistency, batted .234/.304/.313 this season with two homers and 25 RBIS, stealing only four bases and playing poorly and distracted in the field, whether it was at shortstop -- his stated preferred position -- or at second base. Lopez has seen his career spiral downward the last several seasons, cumulating with his release from the worst team in baseball yesterday. The former all-star with Cincinnati is a career .259 hitter.

LoDuca, Lopez and Estrada made roughly $11MM combined this season.

GM Jim Bowden tried in vain for the last several days to find trading partners for the veterans, but to no avail. He found the market dry, and with the Nats getting worse instead of better in the standings, Bowden decided it was time to cut bait on the veterans and start swimming with young fishes he had been able to pry away from other organizations.

Thursday morning, in the sole MLB trade deadline deal he was able to accomplish, Bowden acquired SS Alberto Gonzalez from the New York Yankees in exchange for RHP Jhonny Nunez. Gonzalez, 25, was rated the top defensive player in the Yankees system. Gonzalez played in 28 games during a pair of stints with the Yankees this season and batted .250 (47-for-188) with eight doubles, four home runs and 23 RBI in 47 games with Scranton/W-B of the Triple-A International League in 2008.

The other new acquisition, Emilio Bonifacio, joins the team as well for Friday. He was recalled from Triple-A Columbus where he was tearing up the International League. Bonifacio batted .452 (14-for-31) with a double, three RBI, four walks, four stolen bases, nine runs scored and a .514 on-base percentage in eight games with the Clippers. Bonifacio, 23, came to the Nats from the Arizona Diamondback in the trade that sent Jon Rauch to the D-backs bullpen.

Thursday's game saw John Lannan (L, 9-11, 3.61) roughed up for one of the few times this season. Jimmy Rollins and Jayson Werth both touched Lannan for home runs, and Lannan finished his evening pitching five and two-thirds innings, allowing eight runs -- six earned -- on nine hits and three walks. He struck out seven Phillies. The Nats contributed three throwing errors to the cause, Ronnie Belliard's eighth of the season, Ryan Zimmerman's third and Flores' fourth.

Kyle Kendrick got the win for the Phillies. His record improves to 9-5 with a 4.59 ERA. He went six and two-thirds, giving up just two earned runs on seven hits and one walk, striking out four.

Washington opens a three-games series with the Cincinnati Reds Friday night, minus hometown hero Ken Griffey, Jr. who was traded at the deadline yesterday to the Chicago White Sox. Odalis Perez (3-8, 4.387) faces Homer Bailey (0-4, 6.52) for the Red Legs. Game time is 7:35 pm.

NATS NOTES: The Nationals fall to 38-70 with Thursday's loss. They are 21 games behind division-leading Philadelphia, and 2.5 games behind Seattle for the worst record in baseball.

All-star SS Cristian Guzman is still sidelined with a bruised left thumb and did not play.

3B Ryan Zimmerman was hit on the right hand with a pitch in Thursday's game. He took his base after the play and his hand was immediately and visably bruised and swollen as he stood at first base. He later scored and returned to the dugout, where he then left for medical attention. The team released a statement saying that X-rays were negative, and doctors have diagnosed a contusion (bone bruise). He's listed as day-to-day.

Photo of Lopez courtesy A. Amobi, DC Sports Box.

BREAKING NEWS: Lo Duca, Lopez released

The Washington Nationals released C Paul Lo Duca and INF Felipe Lopez after tonight's game. The team issued a press release late in the evening announcing the moves.

In addition, the team will activate OF Elijah Dukes on Friday, and activate SS Alberto Gonzales, acquired from the new York Yankees on Thursday in exchange for RHP Jhonny Nunez, and 2B Emilio Bonifaco, acquired last week for RHP Jon Rauch.

Much, MUCH more tomorrow after having a chance to digest everything.

Money for Nothing?

With the Major League non-waiver trade deadline approaching Thursday, there's lots of talk about who could be switching teams int he next couple of days. The Nats have already made one trade: the highly discussed Jon Rauch/Emilio Bonifacio deal. Will there be more? Only Trader Jim knows for sure, but it sure seems like he's trying.

There have been media reports (all taken with liberal amounts of grains of salt) that say the Nats have made just about anyone on the roster over 25 available. But what's really there? And what could Nats fans expect as a return? Let's run down the current, shall we?

Paul LoDuca: Every Nats' fans favorite to be moved. The Yankees and Marlins both have injuries at catcher, making them possible trade partners. LoDuca has made it known that he'd be willing to play in NY or Miami, really anywhere closer to horse race tracks. The returns would be minimal though for a 36-year old catcher who was forced out of playing catcher on the worst team in the National League.

Felipe Lopez: He certainly has position flexibility that contending teams may find useful. Hard to believe the ghost of FLop that Nats fans have watched for the last couple of seasons used to be a pretty decent option at shortstop. Currently hitting .235/.307/.313. If the Orioles weren't desperate enough to trade for him, I can't believe anyone else will be either. First candidate to be DFA'd after the deadline. Bonifacio can't get here soon enough.

Ronnie Belliard: Belly is a streaky hitter, but some team might find his decent pop and position flexibility something to take a chance on for the rest of the season. He'd probably only return a "C" level prospect, but it's players like that the Nats have to bring into the system to take a look-see. Won't cost 'em nothin'.

Wee Willie Harris: He's never been hotter in his career, so maybe JimBow can strike while the iron's hot. Willie is a decent defensive player both in the OF and at 2B, and his speed is something that many teams covet. Again, he wouldn't bring a minor league all-star back, but could fetch a low-level thrower that the organization could try to teach to be a pitcher.

Tim Redding: Ace of the Staff. Except for that blow-up in Atlanta, Redding's been pitching very well the last four weeks, and could be a real useful pick-up to a team that is looking to fill a 4 or 5 spot down the stretch. Could the Tigers, Mets or Phillies find him attractive? You bet. His contract is real easy to swallow too. But knowing the way Bowden overvalues his players, it would probably take quite a bit to pry Redding away. All he's done is take the ball every five days for the Nats since he got here and more often than not kept them in the game. He may be more valuable here than the return.

Odalis Perez: Here's a situation where a couple weeks make all the difference. At the all-star break Perez' ERA was around 3.50, now it's at 4.38, and rising every time up. He's lost three of his last four starts, getting hammered in two of them. He's only pitched into the seventh inning once in his last six starts. His window of attractiveness might have already closed. Still, he's a lefty who gets lefties out with a decent K rate.

Austin Kearns: The wildcard. The Mets could use a corner outfielder. Bowden LOVES trading with Omar Minaya. This could be a match in heaven. It would be like Bowden trading one of his own sons, but something tells me he'd even do that if the price were right. Kearns is hitting over .300 since his return from elbow troubles, maybe he could fetch a "B-" prospect out of Omar. C'mon, the Mets have Fernando Tatis and Endy Chavez playing left and right fields. You're telling me Kearns wouldn't be an upgrade there?

Bottom(feeder) Line: At this point, I don't think we're going to see anything of any significant value exchange hands for the Nats this trading deadline. I think the fans can expect more of the same as we've had for a while, with the eventual return of Dukes to the line-up, Bonifacio's call-up and maybe a pitcher or two making appearances after September 1. But never count out Trader Jim Bowden. He knows he's on the hot seat, and he has a propensity for being splashy anyway.

GB&U: Break Up the Nats (Two In A Row!!)

RESULT: Nats beat Braves 15-6, set DC mark for runs scored in one game.

GOOD: Willie Harris! 2-for-3, home run, three walks, five rbis from the lead-off spot. Austin Kearns! 3-for-5, home run, five runs, two rbis. Jesus Flores! 5-for-6, two runs, two rbis. Felipe Lopez?!? 3-for-4, three runs, three ribs. WOW!

BAD: Odalis Perez. It's good to have a bad day when your hitters stake you to a 12-2 lead. Perez surrendered five eraned in five innings, allowing 9 hits and two walks. He struggled just long enough to qualify for the win, though Manny had Shell warming in the 4th in case things got closer than they did.

UGLY: Paul LoDuca. PLoD went 1-for-6, stranding six base runners. I guess he didn't get the memo that today was going to be hit parade day in Atlanta.

NEWS: Meathook indeed went on the DL due to a spike in his blood sugar and overall conditioning. I'm not going to make light of Young's situation, as I am Type II Diabetic myself, so I understand better than most what Young is going through. We wish him the best and hope that someone can convince him that the best way he will get any relief from the symptoms of Type II is to really make a concerted effort to lose some weight. For three years I heard my doctor say "lose weight" and it didn't register. I then actually did lose weight (~50 pounds) and went from taking 7 pills a day to control my diabetes down to one.

But the kicker was JimBow's comments about Young when the announcement was made. Here's part of the statement:

"Well, it's a two-pronged approach. The first part is he's got get his diabetes under control, and you've got to get the blood-sugar levels right. The second thing is, we have to get him into first-class physical shape, the same shape he was in last year when he was comeback player of the year."

"First-class physical shape" like last year? You mean, like in this picture? Is that your idea of "first-class shape" Jim? It's stupid stuff like that that really fuels the fire to get rid of this buffoon. Who does he think he's fooling? And does he even believe the things he says?

NEXT GAME: Tuesday night in San Francisco, home of Huey Lewis, Jerry Garcia and Joe Montana. Jason Bergmann (1-6, 4.03) faces washed up Barry Zito (4-12, 5.62).

Photo (c) C. Nichols 2007

GB&U: Moving Day?

RESULT: Nats beat Orioles 4-2.

GOOD: Kory Casto. He's getting beat up a little bit for lack of production, but he came through last night with a big hit to break the tie in the seventh inning off the bench. Blastings was 2-for-4 again too. Looks like he's shaken his mini slump.

BAD: Wily Mo. 0-for-3, lowering the average to .215. with yet another outfield error leading to a run. Will Kearns' return spell his demise?

UGLY: Felipe Lopez. He failed to cover second base as a defensive substitute in the eighth inning, making Guzman go the long way to first to get the third out of the inning. That's not a physical error, it's a mental one, one that Lopez has been guilty of quite a few times this season. His name has been in the paper the last couple days, with rumors swirling that after this series with the Orioles he may be headed 45 minutes up the road on a more permanent basis.

Lopez has some interesting things to say in an article by Steve Yanda in the WaPo. Acta's reply at the end of the piece speaks loud volumes as to how frustrated the organization is with him right now. They'll only get pennies on the dollar for him in trade, but it appears they'll be happy to get a bag of balls--and send some salary--just to remove him from the equation.

NEXT GAME: Tonight in game two of the "Battle of the Beltways" at 7:10 pm from Nationals Park. The Nats' John Lannan (4-8, 3.34) hosts Garrett Olson (5-3, 5.01) for the Orioles, which means the Nats will manage to score only two runs tonight, as Lannan has the lowest run support in the Majors. Will that be enough to win?

P.S. Sorry this was late today. I was out at the Baseball 101 clinic for the Nats female fans. It was a well attended event and I'll have pictures and a round-up tomorrow. Big props to all the coaches that came out to give instruction this morning, and all the ladies in attendance that hung on every word.

Photo (c) C. Nichols 2008

By The Way...

One more thought about the Nats negotiating with Guzman: If JimBow gives Guz a Meathook deal (2 years at $5MM per), he should be strung up.

FYI, Rumors floating around that the Nats and O's are talking about FLop. I guess Manny didn't like the fake dreads. From Chico's off-day Chemistry Lesson today:

Second baseman Felipe López thought a sight gag might help. So, during warmup drills in Minnesota last Thursday, López wore a Rastafarian-style wig. As he loosened up, his fake dreadlocks bounced under the brim of his ballcap. Like that, the poorest team in the National League prepared to lose its third straight game. Nobody expressed displeasure to López about the antics, but still, the second baseman felt a vibe of disapproval. "I'm sure people were like, 'We're losing. What is he doing?' But what does it matter if you're losing? You can't have fun? You're supposed to be bitter and not have fun?"

He dropped his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "There's a lot of uptight people in here," he said.

All Quiet Again, Nats Lose to Pirates 3-1

Pittsburgh, PA--On a day when Manager Manny Acta, General Manager Jim Bowden and right fielder Elijah Dukes remained mum on the subject of their closed door meeting after last night's confrontation in the dugout, the Washington Nationals bats observed the code of silence as well, managing only one run and seven hits against four Pittsburgh pitchers, and fell to the Pirates 3-1 before 15,439 at PNC Park.

The incident in the dugout -- where Acta confronted Dukes after Lastings Milledge's home run in the ninth inning giving the Nats the lead and eventual win -- was widely talked about in the media journal pages and had the "Natosphere" on fire throughout the day. It unfortunately overshadowed what should have been a cherished come-from-behind win, as the Nats broke loose for five home runs, two by Ronnie Belliard.

Unable to savor the victory, instead a pall hung over the Nats offense Wednesday night, who never really threatened against starter Ian Snell (W, 3-6, 5.33) and a trio of relievers, finishing with Matt Capps earning his sixteenth save, the pitcher victimized the previous night by Milledge. Snell pitched six innings and allowed one earned run on six hits and three walks. The Nats had their chances against Snell, getting runners on base in each of the first three innings, but never drawing blood in the early going.

But the Nats offense going silent is not an unusual occurrence, particularly when John Lannan is on the hill. Lannan "leads" the majors in lack of run support, receiving less than 2.7 runs per start from his hitters, and they lowered that average in this game. Lannan (L, 4-7, 3.43) turned in another quality start, as he went six full innings, allowing two earned runs on seven hits and no walks, striking out three. He surrendered Jason Bay's RBI double in the first inning and Ryan Doumit's eleventh home run -- his third of this series -- in the fifth. He flirted with trouble in other innings, but managed to keep the Pirates to two runs during his tenure.

The Nationals got their run in the seventh, as Felipe Lopez doubled to the gap in right, Willie Harris walked and Dukes singled to center, driving in Lopez. But there would be no home runs, no celebrations and no confrontations in this game -- a game where the Nats seemed devoid of energy from the very beginning.

The rubber match of the series is Thursday afternoon at 12:35 pm EDT. Jason Bergmann (1-3, 5.23) looks to rebound from a sub-par performance last time out against Tom Gorzelanny (4-5, 6.83), who has been a major disappointment for the Bucs this season.

NATS NOTES: The loss puts the Nats record at 26-41, thirteen games behind division leading Philadelphia.

The team announced Ryan Zimmerman will be out another four to six weeks -- at least. After being evaluated by Dr. Tim Kremcheck of Cincinnati, the team said that Zimmerman has about a "70 percent" chance of avoiding surgery. Zimmerman will continue with a strength and conditioning program for his injured left shoulder.

GM Jim Bowden commented on the matter, "We will know at the All-Star break if he will [need surgery]. If in fact he's not better at the All-Star break, then at that time we'll operate so that he's 100 percent for next year. We will not wait until the season's over to risk going into next year."

GB&U: Still Drying Out My Sneakers

RESULT: Nats lose to Cards 6-1.

GOOD: Jesus Flores hit another double. His average is at .333. The bullpen, after Colome's ineptitude, pitched five scoreless innings. Sanches, Manning, Rivera and Rauch all threw unblemished. Of course, this was after the competitive portion of the evening was over.

BAD: Felipe Lopez. This was as uninterested as Lopez has looked all year long. He dropped a double play ball in the first inning, which set the tone. Even if he'd caught it he wouldn't have had the force. He was several feet in front of the bag when he took the throw. After Molina's home run, he lazily played Aaron Miles' routine ground ball into single. He failed to cover second later on a force play, forcing Boone to make the longer throw to first to end the inning. He performed terribly on the double-steal. AND he went 0-for-4, lowering his average to .242.

UGLY: The weather. I know you can't do anything about it, but it was absolutely ridiculous to be playing those first three innings. It was POURING. I have no doubt the ball Langerhans misplayed was due to water on the field. LaRussa was correct in lifting Pujols after he was hit coming back from the first rain delay. It was a miracle no one was hurt last night. More of the same on the way tonight unfortunately. Wear your galoshes.

NEXT GAME: Tonight against the Cards. John Lannan (4-5, 3.52) faces the remarkable Todd Wellmeyer (6-1, 3.16).

Photo (c) C. Nichols 2008

GB&U: Lopez Dogs It To First

RESULT: Nats lose to Phillies 1-0.

GOOD: Jason Bergmann. Where did this come from. All he's done since returning to the rotation is throw 14 innings of shout out ball against two of the better hitting teams in the National League. Totals: 14 IP, 0 runs, 8 hits, 5 walks, 14 Ks.

BAD: Jon Rauch. Charged with pitching the ninth and holding the Phils to a tie to give the home teama chance to win, Rauch came in and got smoked for three hits and a run--and it could have been more if not for a tremendous relay from Guzman and outstanding effort from Flores to block Dobbs off the plate and keep him from scoring.

UGLY: Down 1-0 with runners on first and third with two outs, and having just watched the previous two batters reach via walk--including several balls in the dirt--Felipe Lopez swung at a slider on the first pitched and rolled it over to second base. That's bad enough--TAKE A PITCH FELIPE!!! But as he jogged out of the box, Utley bobbled the slow bouncer. Had Lopez run hard from the start, it would have given Utley something to think about instead of calmly noticing that he had time, settle, and throw out the barely jogging Lopez. Bad baseball.

NEXT GAME: Tonight, the rubber match against the Phillies. Matt Chico (0-5, 6.07) takes Shawn Hill's scheduled turn and faces ageless Jamie Moyer (3-3, 4.89).

Photo courtesy of A. Amobi, DC Sports Box

Nats, Lopez Slam Mets

Washington, DC--On a night in the national's capital that was created for playing baseball, the Washington Nationals offense finally opened up like the cherry blossoms in the left field plaza, and sent the Mets on their way with a 10-5 loss for their troubles.

The Nats' Felipe Lopez, recently named the starter at second base after spending most of the spring as a nomad without a set defensive position, went 2-for-4 on the evening, with the first grand slam in Nationals Park history and six RBIs. The Nats' thirteen hit attack tied a season high, and six different hitters had multiple hits for the home team. Left-handed pitcher Mike O'Connor (1-0) was the recipient of the offensive good fortune, pitching one scoreless inning in his first appearance of the season after being recalled from Triple-A Columbus earlier in the day.

Lopez hit his 'big fly' in the sixth inning, to this point the bane of existence for the Nats. Before last night, the team had been outscored in the sixth innings by a combined 28-3. But not on this night, as Wily Mo Pena and Aaron Boone singled off of Mets' starter Oliver Perez (2-1) to start the inning and were moved up to second and third on a groundout by catcher Wil Nieves. That's when Mets Manager Willie Randolph called for reliever Aaron Heilman, and after an intentional walk to Lastings Milledge loaded the bases, the scene was set for Lopez' heroics. With the count 3-2, Lopez got a change-up from Heilman, and deposited it deep into the right field grandstand, all but cementing this victory for the Nationals.

Since taking over for Ronnie Belliard at second seven games ago, Lopez is hitting .357 and driving the ball with as much authority as he ever has in a Nationals' uniform.

The Nats scored all ten of their runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings, taking advantage where all season those benefits had been passing them by. In the fifth with the bases loaded, Lopez singled hard to center scoring Willie Harris, who had walked, and Wil Nieves, who reached on a single. After Cristian Guzman lined out, Ryan Zimmerman drove in Belliard, who also had walked, on a groundout to second. The scoring in the seventh all came via the single, as Nieves, pinch-hitter Johnny Estrada and Guzman all drove in runs with their safeties.

Shawn Hill started for the Nats and was generally effective, allowing three runs--two earned--in five innings. Each run allowed by Hill came on a two-out hit. He allowed plenty of base runners, giving up six hits and three walks, striking out five along the way. The Mets just weren't able to get the big hit early this evening and the Nats persevered until their lumber finally awoke from their spring slumber.

The Nationals begin a three-game series with the Chicago Cubs, in town for their only visit of the year, on Friday night as Odalis Perez (0-3, 3.38) challenges Ryan Dempster (3-0, 3.00) at 7:35 at Nationals Park.

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NATS NOTES: Before the game, the Nats optioned lefty reliever Ray King to the minors and recalled left-handed pitcher Mike O'Connor from Columbus. King has 72 hours to decide whether or not to report to the Triple-A club. There are reports that if his agent can't find a team willing to take him from the Nats, King may retire rather than accept the assignment.

Former Nats catcher Brian Schneider was a late scratch for the Mets and was sent back to New York and hospitalized for an infection in his left thumb. The Mets recalled Gustavo Molina to back up Raul Casanova for the time being.

Center fielder Lastings Milledge was held out of the starting line-up for the first time last night. Milledge reported to the clubhouse late and Manager Manny Acta punished him for his tardiness. "He showed up late to work," Acta said. "[H]e's got things to learn, and some of that is being able to know how to handle 24 hours in the day."

Austin Kearns, hitting clean-up, was hitless in five at bats, lowering his average to .193.

Nats, Lopez Slam Mets also posted at DC Sports Box