Adam Dunn AB's In The WBC...

1st - Japan's starter Daisuke Matsuzaka starts Dunn with a slider at 82mph over the outside edge. Dunn fouls off a fastball inside. Dunn fights off a change outside. 0-2. Fastball inside 1-2. Slider at 81 drops in off the outside edge, strike three with Dunn’s bat on his shoulder...

3rd - Off speed pitch low, ball one. Way outside from Matsuzaka, who goes 2-0 to Dunn. Fastball just a little inside. And Dunn gets the unintentional intentional.  (ed. note - After missing the 2-0 pitch, it became an intentional BB.")

5th -  U.S. Down 6-2...Dunn’s 3rd AB...Lefty Toshia Sugiuchi comes on to face Adam Dunn. Sigiuchi starts with a ball. Bends a curve onto the outside edge. 1-1. Low fastball in the dirt, 2-1. Low, 3-1. Fouls off an off speed pitch, 84mph outside. Full count...92mph fastball right down the middle...Dunn K's. 

Takahiro Mahara vs Adam Dunn...Fastball down the pipe at 94mph. Inside fastball, ball, 1-1. Mahara comes inside and low and gets a called strike two. Dunn barely holds off the next pitch when a slider ends up in the dirt, 2-2, ...takes another one in the dirt to work the count full...and pops one up a mile over the infield...      

"Wild" Joel Hanrahan is on to pitch for the U.S. in the 8th...and he issues a leadoff walk. Hanrahan starts Kenji Johjima with a ball low. 1-0. Johjima tries to bunt a fastball, but bounces it foul. Johjima gets the bunt down on the next pitch to advance a pinch runner to second, Wright fields and throws to first for the first out. Fastball outside to start Akonori Iwamura, ball. 1-0. Hanny bounces a bender halfway to the plate that U.S. catcher Brian McCann blocks nicely. Hanrahan hangs a slider, but Iwamura grounds out to second...Runner advances to third, two down...Hanny starts Munenori Kawasaki with a low splitter...and gets a ground ball to short, Jeter comes up firing and it's high and wide, it pulls DeRosa off the bag, run crosses....Hanrahan lifted for Scot Shields...  

Yu Darvish vs Adam Dunn...Slider over the middle for a called strike. 0-1. Two sliders that don’t slide for a 2-1 count. Dunn fouls off a low bender. 2-2. Fastball outside. 96 mph. Strike three. Dunn has bat on shoulder. 

Final Score - U.S. 4 Japan 9...Japan vs Korea tonight in the WBC Final.

Final WBC Thoughts...

I think we can safely say that Adam Dunn will not be playing right field for the Washington Nationals this season. Dunn wasn't charged with any errors last night, though he probably could have been. On one throw in from right on a sac fly, Dunn cruised over to make the catch and conceded the run rather than getting in a position to catch and fire home as I'm sure Austin Kearns or Elijah Dukes would have, and on a sac fly attempt where he did try to throw in, he came nowhere close...and he's got no range to speak of...No good at first, no good in right, Adam Dunn will play left for the Washington Nationals this season...What can I say about last night?...Just check in on the WBC Semi-Final Game Thread to see what Federalbaseball.com readers thought...and find out what the title of this post was going to be right after I watched Darvish strike Dunn out...Joel Hanrahan probably would have been a lot better off staying in Spring Training with the Nationals...

Stan Kasten Talks To Washington Post About Stephen Strasburg...

Washington Nationals' Team President Stan Kasten told Washington Post writer Dave Sheinin, as quoted in an article entitled, "Kasten On Silly Strasburg Speculation", that the Washington Nationals are, "...certainly eager and planning to take the best player that we can...and we know what number-one picks get, and we intend to sign our number-one pick", but Mr. Kasten was also quoted earlier in the article saying, "whomever it may be"...? And though he's not quoted directly, Mr. Sheinin mentions at one point:

"...Kasten said the Nationals will not be deterred from taking an obvious best-player-available because of what they view as outrageous salary demands."

Of course this is all a result of a report by ESPN.com's Peter Gammons, who quoted unnamed sources that claimed San Diego State University starter Stephen Strasburg and his agent Scott "Maximum" Boras were going to ask for 6-years/$50 Million dollars from Washington if the Nationals selected Strasburg with the first pick in the 2009 MLB Amateur Draft this June...

?'s For The DC Faithful...

• Does it worry anyone else to hear the words, "Whomever it may be"? 

 

• Are the reports on Strasburg and Boras silly?

 

• Were you covering your eyes whenever the Japanese batters hit the ball to Adam Dunn? (ed. note - "I was.")

 

• Did you get to see Joel Hanrahan in the WBC at all? Was it a good idea for Hanrahan to go with the U.S. team instead of staying in Spring Training?

Monday Game Thread - 1:05 pm EST from Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida, Washington Nationals at St. Louis Cardinals.

Matchup: Scott Olsen vs Chris Carpenter 

Who's Following The Scoreboard? Cause I don't think this one is being broadcast...