The Washington Nationals had a day off on Monday and they are in Detroit tonight for the first game of a two-game set with the Tigers which features Stephen Strasburg on the mound against Anibal Sanchez. On Tuesday night it's Gio Gonzalez against Justin Verlander. The Non-Waiver Trade Deadline is just a day away, but there aren't a lot of Nationals-related rumors out there, outside of those we collected in yesterday's link post. All of the action in the organization yesterday took place in the minors where Tyler Moore went 3 for 5 with a double, two home runs and six RBIs which left him with a .321/.413/.557 line over 28 games with the Triple-A Chiefs. 2011 3rd Round pick Matt Purke earned his first Carolina League "W" with 5 1/3 innings of work on the mound in which he gave up five hits and two runs, one earned against the Salem Red Sox. In the New York/Penn League, 2013 2nd Round pick Jake Johansen threw five shutout innings to leave him with a 0.99 ERA, 14 walks and 28 Ks in seven starts and 27 1/3 IP for the Auburn Doubledays.
The Nationals are back in action tonight... Can they continue their winning ways in Comerica Park?
• THE BIG STORY!!!:
• "Changes in Storen’s pitch movement and speed have emerged, along with some different approaches to mixing his pitches, that can be at least in part attributed to the mechanical issues." - "Trying to understand Drew Storen’s struggles" - Harry Pavlidis, Washington Post
• NATS BEAT:
• "Like in many parent-child relationships, Kent Wilson and his father Richard bonded over baseball." - "Nationals Pastime: A bond strengthened over baseball and a gesture that touched a community" - Dan Kolko, MASNSports.com
• "The Nats swept the Tigers in a two game series earlier this season at Nats Park on May 8 and 9, but Detroit has been a much better team than Washington in the months since." - "State of the Nats - 7/29" - Mark Zuckerman, NatsInsider.com
• "[Stephen] Strasburg is 5-8 this season, but he's posted a 2.85 ERA. His 1.07 WHIP and hits per nine innings (6.9) are each better numbers than he posted in his 15-6 season last year." - "Washington Nationals at Detroit Tigers - July 30, 2013" - Jason Mastrodonato, MLB.com Preview
• "The Nationals offense has struggled mightily this season because several key pieces of the lineup can’t seem to get hot at the same time." - "When will Ryan Zimmerman hit his hot streak?" - James Wagner, Washington Post
• "If the Nationals cannot find another left-handed bat for the bench, they do have outfielder Corey Brown available at Triple-A Syracuse." - "In house, Brown one option for left-handed bat in Nationals search" - Byron Kerr, MASNSports.com
• "It's over-simplifying, a bit, to call Atlanta the division's only good team; it's also a pretty fair assumption to make after 100 games have been played." - "Around the NL East: Deadline time" - Steve Roney, CSNWashington.com
• "Scott Hairston first became a trade chip in 2007, and the timing could not have been much worse." - "Nationals' Scott Hairston knows impact of trades on players, families" - Andrew SImon, nationals.com: News
• "With the non-waiver trade deadline approaching Wednesday at 4 p.m., Rizzo does not see the next two days as an opportunity to blow up a struggling team or a chance to spark a late-season push." - "Washington Nationals should remain quiet at non-waiver trade deadline" - Adam Kilgore, The Washington Post
• "Is it possible that this weekend got the Nationals on track and can set them up for a final push for the postseason over the next two months?" - "Nationals Pastime: Trying to keep it rolling in the Motor City" - Dan Kolko, MASNSports.com
• Your Daily Message From The Dalai Lama On Twitter (@DalaiLama):
The key to human happiness lies within our own state of mind, and so too do the primary obstacles to that happiness.
— Dalai Lama (@DalaiLama) January 16, 2012
• NATIONAL(S) BEAT:
• "[Stephen] Strasburg made a huge impression in his first appearance in a big-league uniform in spring training three years ago by striking out Miguel Cabrera." - "MLB Preview - Washington Nationals at Detroit Tigers - Jul 30, 2013" - CBSSports.com
• "[Pete] Rose said the Nationals 20-year-old wunderkind plays recklessly, and that the Nationals need to take some action to prevent him from continually injuring himself with his style." - "Pete Rose Says Bryce Harper Plays Recklessly, Tells Washington Nationals To Play Him Deeper In Outfield [LISTEN]" - Raimundo Ortiz, Sports World News
• "The Best And Worst Beat Reporters In Baseball: NL East" - Josh Koblin, Deadspin
• "Look no further than the Washington Nationals. Last season, they were running away with the National League’s Eastern Division when they chose to shut down their ace pitcher Stephen Strasburg for fear he would get injured. We know what happened by now." - "John A. Torres: Child's birth not worth a million bucks" - John A. Torres, floridatoday.com
• "[Bryce] Harper may have dreamt about a day when he'd be a famous enough player that Pete Rose would be talking about him in an interview." - "Pete Rose says Bryce Harper plays ‘recklessly,’ offers the Nats some advice" - Mike Oz, Big League Stew - Yahoo! Sports
• NATS MINORS:
• Class-A Auburn: "Despite the loss, Auburn's Jake Johansen (0-1, 0.99 ERA) pitched another great start. Johansen dealt 5 innings of shut-out ball, giving up only 4 hits and a walk and tallying 6 strikeouts." - "Jamestown Offense Explodes In Last Inning" - Auburn Doubledays News
• Class-A Auburn: "Auburn starter Jake Johansen tossed five scoreless innings in the no-decision. He allowed four hits and one walk, and struck out six." - "Doubledays collapse in ninth: Jamestown scores seven in final frame to top Auburn, 8-4" - Jeremy Houghtaling, Auburn Citizen
• Class-A Auburn:
RHP Jake Johansen (2nd round, 2013) tossed 5.0 shutout innings for Auburn last night. He's allowed just 3 ER in 27.1 IP (0.99 ERA) this year
— Nationals PR (@NationalsPR) July 30, 2013
• Class-A Hagerstown: BlueClaws 5; Suns 4 - Shawn Pleffner 2 for 3, 1 R; Nick Lee - 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 Ks - Hagerstown Suns Scoreboard
• Class-A Hagerstown:
Nick Lee struck out 8 in while allowing 2 ER on 4 H in 6.0 innings last night for the @HagerstownSuns.
— Nationals PR (@NationalsPR) July 30, 2013
• Class-A Potomac: "[Matt] Purke (1-3) pitched through 5.1 innings in which he allowed two runs, but only one earned, on five hits with one walk and six strikeouts." - "Purke Earns First Win as Nationals Roll Red Sox 5-2" - Potomac Nationals News
• Class-A Potomac:
LHP Matt Purke earned his first Carolina League win last night at Salem. He allowed 2 R (1 ER) on 5 H with 6 Ks and one BB in 5.1 IP.
— Nationals PR (@NationalsPR) July 30, 2013
• Double-A Harrisburg: "Nathan Karns tossed a complete game, but the Harrisburg Senators fell to the Portland Sea Dogs 3-2 at Hadlock Field and split the four-game series." - "Karns Goes The Distance But Sens Fall 3-2" - Marshall Kelner, Harrisburg Senators News
• Double-A Harrisburg: "Though his numbers need to improve to justify promotion to Harrisburg, 1B Kevin Keyes has enjoyed some big moments with the P-Nats." - "Steve Lombardozzi, Cole Kimball, Kevin Keyes, Nick Lee featured in this week's Nationals/Senators organizational glance" - Geoff Morrow, PennLive.com
• Triple-A Syracuse: "Left fielder Tyler Moore clubbed a pair of home runs and drove in six runs in the win, with Moore's second homer breaking a ninth-inning tie. The Chiefs won despite blowing a seven-run lead in the game." - "Moore drives in six as Chiefs sweep" - Syracuse Chiefs News
• "Tuesday’s News & Notes" - Luke Erickson, NationalsProspects.com
• NATSTOWN:
• "Look through the rosters of the teams that are winners right now and you'll see that these teams are by far mixes of draft picks and free agent signings." - "Trade Soriano?" - Harper, Nationals Baseball
• "Nats Talk On The Go: Episode 59" - The Nats Blog
• "It was a perfect day in D.C., almost too perfect, like one of those television shows that paints a Washington political scene so much more appealing than the real one." - "Nationals Buzz: A bull market analysis" - Ted Leavengood, MASNSports.com
• "After the war he was purchased by the Cubs. His big break came on 10 November 1947 when he was acquired by Washington." - "Len Okrie Coach, Catcher, Spy" - Karen and Kevin Flynn, D.C. Baseball History
• "Well, of course he’ll get a chance to compete for the rotation. He’s pitching a hell of a lot better right now than $13M man Dan Haren, for approximately 1/30th of the cost. What GM doesn’t want that??" - "Taylor Jordan: Never too soon to think about the future…" - Todd Boss, Nationals Arm Race
• "Photo: So, how about these pitching match-ups?" - Red Porch Report (Nationals Podcast and Blog) : Red Porch Report (Nationals Podcast and Blog)
• "For posterity, Ryan Zimmerman’s walk off" - William F. Yurasko, William World News
• NL EAST UPDATES:
• Mets: "After five straight losses against the Marlins, the Mets last night refused to take 'L' for an answer, using a three-run rally in the seventh to secure a 6-5 victory at Marlins Park." - "Ike Davis has game-winning hit, Daniel Murphy has 3 RBIs as New York Mets snap five-game losing streak to Miami Marlins in 6-5 victory" - Mike Puma, NYPOST.com
• Marlins: "It was hardly a pristine outing for Marlins starter Jacob Turner. Turner threw 94 pitches, only 51 of which were strikes." - "Miami Marlins relievers falter in loss to New York Mets" - Clark Spencer, MiamiHerald.com
• Phillies: "[Cliff] Lee was scratched from his most recent start with what the team described as a stiff neck. As of Saturday they did not expect him to land on the disabled list." - "A buyer's guide to the Phillies" - David Murphy, Philadelphia Daily News
• Braves: "The Braves only thought they traded for reliever Scott Downs for his veteran presence and his know-how in getting left-handers out." - "Downs greets new teammates with win" - Carroll Rogers, www.ajc.com