Rest Guzman; start Harris

by shaw on Jul 7, 2009 1:42 PM EDT

Cristian Guzman is hitting .186 over the last ten games. He was looking great (in the .330s) until a couple of weeks ago, but now he's beat-up and struggling. But Alberto Gonzalez isn't doing any better lately (.188 over his last ten games). The solution: Willie Harris to the rescue! He's been relegated to the bench since the trade (and rightly so, since Nyjer Morgan is awesome in center field), but remember how well the Nats were playing when Harris was in the starting lineup? It could be that way again -- give Guzman a few days off, and give Harris (who is hitting .375 over his last ten games) some at-bats. Harris has started at short before. It seems so obvious.

And for heaven's sakes, don't vote for Guzman for the All-Star Game; he clearly needs some time off.

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P.S. It worked for Jimmy Rollins. Look how well he's doing after a few days off.

by shaw on Jul 7, 2009 1:53 PM EDT reply actions

It worked for Jimmy Rollins, but only after half a season off, not just a few days. I’d be interested to see if switching in Harris would work; at this point, it really can’t get any worse, so why not?

by John Quinn on Jul 8, 2009 8:32 AM EDT up reply actions

Guz is disgruntled with batting 6th....... really?....I think you have to earn being disgruntled.

Good thing they didn’t keep this guy…….

Anti All-Star team
Left field: Alfonso Soriano, Cubs

“Soriano has succeeded in pulling off the unexpected. After disappearing in the playoffs against the Dodgers last October, he’s become virtually invisible in 2009. Hitting just .182 over his past 40 games, Soriano was benched Wednesday for the third time in the Cubs’ past eight games. On Monday, he was moved out of the leadoff slot for the first time since he signed with the Cubs.

Soriano was angered when he arrived at the park Wednesday after collecting a couple of knocks Tuesday, finding himself on the bench with no heads up from Piniella. “That’s why I’m mad,” he told the Chicago Tribune’s Paul Sullivan. “If he had told me yesterday, then I wouldn’t come today ready to play.”

Sorry, Sori, but you appear to have come not ready to play on many days this season."

Dunn's bat, Nyjer Morgan's speed, skills, Dukes' arm, bat, that's an OF...(sorry, Hammer!) - EC

by cat daddy3000 on Jul 10, 2009 12:25 AM EDT up reply actions

Saw an article on Fangraphs the other day about Sori...

…apparently, he can’t hit breaking balls. It took big league pitchers this long to figure it out?

"It's not a secret, you don't need to be an expert on math to know that walks plus errors equals runs...." --Mannyger Acta

by Doghouse on Jul 10, 2009 10:27 AM EDT up reply actions

I thought that was figured out back in the playoffs with the Yankees...when pitchers went away, further away, out of the zone away to get him K'ing time and again...

Vivian Jaffe: "Have you ever transcended space and time?"
Albert Markovski: "Yes. No. Uh, time, not space... No, I don't know what you're talking about."

by Patrick Reddington on Jul 10, 2009 11:46 AM EDT up reply actions

Apparently it took the NL until this season to rediscover it...

"It's not a secret, you don't need to be an expert on math to know that walks plus errors equals runs...." --Mannyger Acta

by Doghouse on Jul 10, 2009 1:29 PM EDT up reply actions

And in year 3 of his 8 year contract, there will be season after season for pitchers to finetune this discovery..

I still don’t get this non-communication culture. If Lou wanted him to relax, tell him he’s got the day off.
How many times have we heard that a player doesn’t know what’s going on in the Nats’ clubhouse? Zim thought he was in trouble being called into the office to be told he made the All Star team… Stammen finds out from reporters that he’s back in the rotation. Why are team meetings such a big deal? I don’t get it.

Dunn's bat, Nyjer Morgan's speed, skills, Dukes' arm, bat, that's an OF...(sorry, Hammer!) - EC

by cat daddy3000 on Jul 10, 2009 1:43 PM EDT up reply actions

Hey, I just got free MLB.TV for voting for Guz........ I'm sure the games this weekend will be blacked out, though......

So, Soriano dunned and guzed a grounder into the LF corner at Wrigley for an RBI triple by Pujols….. Albert was at second before Sori got to the ball (how does that happen?), and then he dropped it twice before throwing it in…..

But poor Dunn’s are more spectacular and calliope worthy…

Dunn's bat, Nyjer Morgan's speed, skills, Dukes' arm, bat, that's an OF...(sorry, Hammer!) - EC

by cat daddy3000 on Jul 10, 2009 4:13 PM EDT up reply actions

Soriano dunns fielding a single and short hops a throw to third. Runner safe.

Calls off the SS on a popup and drops it. Run scores. WP behind the batter scores another…
The Nats aren’t the only circus on the road…….

Dunn's bat, Nyjer Morgan's speed, skills, Dukes' arm, bat, that's an OF...(sorry, Hammer!) - EC

by cat daddy3000 on Jul 10, 2009 5:00 PM EDT up reply actions

Rollins found his old steroid bottle under the seat of his car and his hitting returned

"What you know is often the enemy of what you can learn" Bill James

by PhDBrian on Jul 10, 2009 4:12 PM EDT up reply actions

Thats a really stupid thing to say

by Parks Smith on Jul 15, 2009 12:23 PM EDT up reply actions

agree

oh god do I agree… how the man hit 330 for two months swinging at balls over his head and at his feet ill never know

by martins on Jul 7, 2009 4:53 PM EDT reply actions

Willie Harris is the man!

Manny has to keep finding ways to get Willie Harris in the line-up. Maybe not everyday but at least 3 or 4 days a week. He could start at SS one game every week or every other week, and maybe 2 days a week at 2B, and possibly a late-game defensive replacement for Dunn in LF. He can also give Zimm a rest at 3B a few times a year.

-------------------------------------------------
Washington, first in war, first in peace, last in the NL East :(

by Potomac Fan on Jul 7, 2009 9:40 PM EDT reply actions

TAWH is a bad defensive SS

Belliard is actually better… shiver at the thought!

"What you know is often the enemy of what you can learn" Bill James

by PhDBrian on Jul 10, 2009 4:14 PM EDT up reply actions

Harris in LF every day will win more games than Dunn in LF. Willie isn't an IF anymore.

Signing Dunn was more for PR to show the FO was doing something (and Bowden giving his friend a job). They can make that a smart decision by trading him.

Dunn's bat, Nyjer Morgan's speed, skills, Dukes' arm, bat, that's an OF...(sorry, Hammer!) - EC

by cat daddy3000 on Jul 10, 2009 4:55 PM EDT up reply actions