Federal Baseball: FanPosts

Updates on Anthony Rendon, Bill Bray

2013-05-26T03:59:11Z

Federal Baseball crew:

I'll try to post my game notebooks here, as I usually try to put some quality info in there about roster moves, injury updates, streaks, etc.

Here's one from Saturday night with updates on Anthony Rendon, Bill Bray, Aaron Barrett and more

If anybody has any questions or comments, I'm fairly easy to find: email is gmorrow@pennlive.com; Twitter is @RageAgainstGMo. I'm also on Google+ (for what it's worth) and Facebook.

Geoff Morrow -- Harrisburg Senators beat writer

Federal Baseball crew:

I'll try to post my game notebooks here, as I usually try to put some quality info in there about roster moves, injury updates, streaks, etc.

Here's one from Saturday night with updates on Anthony Rendon, Bill Bray, Aaron Barrett and more

If anybody has any questions or comments, I'm fairly easy to find: email is gmorrow@pennlive.com; Twitter is @RageAgainstGMo. I'm also on Google+ (for what it's worth) and Facebook.

Geoff Morrow -- Harrisburg Senators beat writer

Who Can Replace the 5 Sub .250 OBP Nats?

2013-05-24T00:04:08Z

As of now we have 5 position players (Espinosa, Lombardozzi, Tracy, Moore, and Bernadina) who have an on base percentage of under .250. Of these, only Lombardozzi is hitting above the Mendoza line. You may be thinking (as I have) that players putting up such putrid numbers have no business on the roster of a contending team. They certainly don't belong in the starting lineup. However, there are problems with replacing most of these underperformers from the standpoint of position flexibility.

An obvious candidate for AAA or the DL is Danny Espinosa. There are 3 in AA and AAA who would be likely to put up better offensive numbers (Rendon, Kobernus, and Rhymes). The problem is that Danny is also our backup shortstop. Can any of these guys give Desmond an occasional blow? I wonder if he'd still be with us if he couldn't also play short. Otherwise, Ryan Theriot might be getting a call from the 202 area code. If Danny goes, we need someone who can play shortstop. Maybe Rendon? Seems he would have enough on his plate learning to play second at a major league level.

What about sending down Lombardozzi? Even for a good field, no hit utility player his offensive numbers are pretty weak. Kobernus offers as much defensive flexibility, but would he be a better alternative? He, like Lombo, strikes out more than he walks. Still, it would be hard to walk less than Lombo. He isn't likely to hit .300 against major league pitching, but maybe he could put up good numbers until the league figures him out. It would be a crap shoot, but possibly one worth trying.

Giving Chad Tracy his walking papers would take away a left handed bat off the bench who can fill in at the corner infield spots. Who in AAA can play the corners and bat left? Will "Batman" Rhymes has played some third, and bats lefty. However, he isn't a threat to do what Tracy did against the Padres. If Lombo stays, or Kobernus is called up, they can also fill in at the hot corner. There are other options at first, including Moore (if he and his .120 average stay) and Marrero.

I was afraid Tyler Moore would be exposed if he were put in the starting lineup. It looks like he has been exposed even without starting. If he swung at one of Livo's 65 mph curves they'd probably need a corkscrew to get him out of the ground. At first I thought bringing up Marrero to replace him was a no brainer. He hit around .250 with gap power during a callup in 2011. He seems to be regaining his power stroke at Syracuse. But wait; he's strictly a first baseman. Moore can play the outfield, even if he doesn't play it that well. I think if Moore is sent down for Marrero maybe it should be after Werth returns. Another possible replacement would be Micah Owings, but he has struck out at a rate almost as high as Moore's. On the other hand, his lifetime average against major league pitching is higher.

Bernadina, even though he seems completely lost at the plate this year, is a valuable defensive replacement. I don't see this as being as complicated now that Corey Brown is off the DL. Maybe it's time to give him a shot to see if he can make it as a fourth outfielder in the Nation's capital.

As you can see, replacing our underachievers isn't an easy task. We have guys who are producing in the minors, but there are complications when it comes to filling positions. Of course there are folks who are paid a lot more than me to make these decisions. What say you?

The DH Rule

2013-05-23T22:27:14Z

I prefer the American League brand of baseball. Maybe it is because I grew up an Orioles fan and it is just what I am used to watching. I just think with a starting rotation like the Nats have they would be better served pitching with American League rules. Many times the Nats starters could be left in the game an inning or two longer but, are not because of the need to pinch hit.

Many times a starting pitcher who is on the ropes in the NL can get out of the inning with less damage because of there being no DH. Rallies can be shortened because a NL 8th spot hitter often doesn't make the lineup on some AL lineups and besides a select 10-15 or so starting pitchers, pitchers are automatic outs.

It just never made sense to me to have separate rules in the two leagues especially with the amount of interleague games now today. The NBA doesn't have different rules for the Eastern or Western Conference. The NFL doesn't have different rules for the NFC or AFC.

I would prefer if Bud Selig just made the DH in both leagues. He should too because the offensive numbers overall in baseball would go up. Which would mean more TV ratings and attendance. It more than likely will never go back to not having a DH. Players Unions in sports and in Baseball are too powerful to let that happen. Getting rid of the DH means getting rid of jobs. Some would say by putting the DH in the NL would mean getting rid of pinch hitters. Not really the preparation that it takes to pinch hit isn't that different than to DH. A DH much like pinch hitter has to keep prepared by taking swings in the cage or whatever it takes to stay in the game mentally. The DH just gets more at bats to do this than a pinch hitter.

How does everyone here feel about the DH rule?

MLB Now

2013-05-23T22:06:33Z

I don't know how many of you get the MLB Network , but it has an interesting show called MLB Now. It is a pardon the interruption style debate show. Brian Kenny and Harold Reynolds argue baseball topics based on two distinctly different positions. Brian Kenny comes from a sabermetrics "new school" point of view and Harold Reynolds comes from a scouting "old school" point of view. They seem to actually vehemently disagree on some topics not just staged to take a certain side like PTI or Around the Horn seems to do.

I tend to lean more towards Harold Reynolds point of view especially today. Brian Kenny went as far lately as saying baseball should get rid off the wins and loss records for pitcher. He also said that baseball should get rid of errors for fielders, batting titles, and the triple crown.

I think WAR is a good statistic to measure all around performance of a player, However, many people from the sabermetrics camp see it as an end all be all statistic. In 2012 Alex Gordon is the tenth best player in the majors with a 6.2 WAR. Darwin Barney would be the 23rd best player in the majors with a 4.7 WAR. Darwin Barney strictly when it comes to WAR is better than Albert Pujols, Dustin Pedoria, Prince Fielder. Joe Mauer, Brand Phillips, Adam Jones, Josh Hamilton and many more. To say that WAR is the best way to determine the overall value of a player is going way out on a limb. Baseball as much as it has always loved statistics. Is still a game where you need to use your eyes to evaluate. I am not saying one way is better than the other. A combination of both using your eyes and statistics to evaluate a player is probably the best way.

What you guys think about the show if you have seen it?

Also what do you think about sabermetrics in general?

What you guys think about the show if you have seen it?

Also what do you think about sabermetrics in general?

Monday vs Giants

2013-05-19T13:33:48Z

Won't waste my time watching this one... I will just be frustrated and throw things at my TV... It's Duke pitching and Espinosa at second... A sure combination for a loss...at least it will be to the Giants, my second favorite team. Duke shouldn't even be on a major league roster and Danny, poor Danny, just right out sucks. The only issue with Danny is which of his four game at bats will result in his two strikeouts or which will result in a weak liner for an infield out.

My question is how can two wise baseball men like Mike and Davey tolerate ESPINOSAs poor performance before getting a replacement and jettisoning him AND how can they even think Duke should be on the roster let alone start vs the Giants? While the Nats are my team, I admire the Guants because they hold their players accountable for performance, which Rizzo and Johnson clearly do not! And hate to say it, but that is the reason the Giants will SERIOUSLY contend this year and the Nats won't.

An Analysis of Adam LaRoche's May Turnaround

2013-05-19T04:28:18Z

With his three-run home run off Burch Smith in San Diego on Friday night, Adam LaRoche extended his career-long hitting streak to 14 games. Another blast a couple innings later confirmed what had been apparent for a week: LaRoche was back to the form that won him a Silver Slugger award in 2012.

LaRoche was awful over the first month of the season, posting a .176/.208/.257 line. He was basically hitting like Dee Gordon in a slump. Forget hitting his own weight, he barely slugged his own weight. His numbers in April were actually worse than they were 2011, when he was playing with one shoulder.

But after the rough start, LaRoche has bounced back in May, hitting a robust .365/.443/.635 to go along with four long balls. His .452 wOBA in May ranks fifth in the NL--a substantial turnaround after ranking second from the bottom in April.

Let's take a look inside the numbers to see how he turned things around.

When looking at the 33-year-old's numbers, the thing that immediately jumps out is the difference between his plate discipline stats in April and May. LaRoche is making more contact in and out of the zone. He's also swinging more often despite the percentage of pitches he's seen in the strike zone dropping from 46.3 in April to 40.5 in May.

But he's not just hacking at everything; he's swinging at pitches out of the zone at about the same rate he did during April and swinging more often at pitches in the zone. His discipline profile in May is nearly identical to his numbers in 2012, suggesting LaRoche is starting to get more comfortable in the batter's box.

His improved approach at the plate has translated into improved walk and strikeout numbers. After posting a 32.6 percent strikeout rate and 9 percent walk rate in April, LaRoche struck out in only 26 percent of his plate appearances while walking in 13 percent of them.

In April, LaRoche was taking a lot of hittable pitches but chasing poor ones. Over the first half of May, he's improved in that regard. In the chart below (h/t to Texas Leaguers), you can see how many pitches LaRoche took in April that caught the heart of the plate (Left) compared to his takes during his hitting streak (Right).

(Click to enlarge)

LaRoche's improved batting eye has led to more favorable hitting counts as well. In April, about 15 percent of the pitches LaRoche saw came in counts in which he was ahead. In May, that number has spiked to 30 percent. Over his career, LaRoche has hit .320/.481/.590 when he's ahead in the count, a situation he's been seeing more often lately.

It's also helped that he's seeing less first-pitch strikes--which has a low year-to-year correlation meaning that batters who see a disproportionately high number of first-pitch strikes are unlucky. LaRoche fell behind 0-1 over 66 percent of his at-bats over the first month of the season. During May, that number has dropped to 54 percent, thus helping him to get ahead of pitchers more often.

In 2-1 and 3-1 counts, LaRoche doesn't have to worry about breaking balls and off-speed stuff, letting him focus on timing fastballs. He's whiffed on just 1.1 percent of the four-seam fastballs he's seen in May after missing on 11.4 percent of them in April, according to TexasLeaguers.com.

Take a look at how much more comfortable he is in this .GIF of his first home run on Friday night compared to his swing-and-miss on a Shelby Miller heaterback in April.

There's a lot less wasted motion in the first one and notice how he turns over on his front ankle and loses his balance in the second one. Also, compare two screen shots taken right before the ball crosses home plate in those at-bats.

I'm not a hitting coach, but you can see in the home run picture that his top half and bottom half are working together while his hand stay inside the baseball. In the other picture, his bottom half has opened up while his top half remains closed as he flails at the ball.

To go along with a smoother swing, luck has finally landed on the side of LaRoche. After an April BABIP of just .165, he's seen his average on balls in play hit .455 during May.

But it hasn't been all luck accounting for the rise in numbers. Even if you take LaRoche's April numbers and normalize the BABIP to .300, he still would have hit only .209/.247/.333, so obviously LaRoche is making better contact to go along with his improved luck. And that has shown in his batted ball numbers:

So what happens after the luck dries up? LaRoche obviously isn't going to hit .365/.443/.635 with a BABIP in the .400s for the rest of the year; but there's no reason why he won't continue to hit the ball just as well as the chart above indicates he has been in May (granted, with some regression in HR/FB%).

If you take what he's done in May and lower his BABIP from .455 to .300, his line drops to .270/.360/.540--or about what he hit in winning the Silver Slugger Award in 2012. The Nationals will take that.

Now if only the rest of the lineup could follow suit.

Let's take a look inside the numbers to see how he turned things around.

(Click to enlarge)

Take a look at how much more comfortable he is in this .GIF of his first home run on Friday night compared to his swing-and-miss on a Shelby Miller heaterback in April.

To go along with a smoother swing, luck has finally landed on the side of LaRoche. After an April BABIP of just .165, he's seen his average on balls in play hit .455 during May.

Now if only the rest of the lineup could follow suit.

In search of a more perfect offensive metric

2013-05-18T00:21:22Z

One of my pet peeves, when examining offensive performance metrics or debating player comparisons, is the lack of accounting for when a hitter makes an out that moves runners versus an out that does not. The so called productive versus unproductive out assessment. Recently, after making a comment about Espinosa's very poor offensive performance this season, which no one challenges, I also mentioned his performance in previous years which included a high strikeout rate. Further, I threw in a comment about Adam Dunn in which I stated that the Nationals were better off without him, for a similar reason that, in my opinion, even a career average season by Espy is not good. That reason is a very high strikeout rate which a relatively high home run rate and/or walk rate may not compensate for. Well, mention of Dunn in an unattractive manner brought on the wrath of RobBob, a strong defender of Dunn previously. That got me motivated again to think about developing an offensive metric that takes into account both the value of hits, and weighs extra base hits more, but also factors in productive outs, which move runners. Here is a rather half-baked formula that I present for comment and revision, with the further hope that any new metric can be calculated with easily available statistics.

Offensive Production Statistic = A + B + C where

A = (total bases) / (# of at bats) = traditional slugging pct

B = (total bases advanced by runners due to at bats of individual) / (total # runners on base summed over all ABs)

C = (runs batted in) / (total # runners on base summed over all ABs)

Explanation and examples

Term A: the slugging pct., is independent of runners on base, so it gives ample credit to a player on a weak offensive team

Term B : a measure of how productive the batter is with runners on base, including via walks, HPB, hits, errors, and outs. The denominator normalizes for the number of opportunities to advance runners.

Term C: extra credit for advancing runners to score, and also normalizes for the RBI opportunities.

A player walks with bases loaded, so for this AB the contribution to each term in the formula is:

A = 1 / 1 = 1

B = 3 / 3 = 1

C = 1 /1 = 1 so OPS contrib. for this AB is 1 + 1 + 1 = 3

A grand slam home run, gives

A = 4 / 1 = 4

B = 6 / 3 = 2

C = 4 / 3 = 1.33 so OPS is 7.33

A strikeout with the bases loaded (along with a DP, the ultimate rally killer)

A = 0 / 1 = 0

B = 0 / 3 = 0

C = 0 / 1 = 0 so OPS for this AB is 0. Note that the denominator of term B (3) will contribute to raising the denominator when the formula is used for a sample of ABs, thereby lowering the term B contribution to OPS and penalizing the player for freezing 3 base runners via his strikeout.

I look forward to comments and proposed revisions to the OPS formulation. It has at least minor flaws, which may not be correctable with easily available player statistics. The hope is that the final version of OPS will improve our knowledge of player offensive ability beyond what is available now, which does not add in productive outs or hitting with runners on base to the slugging percentage.

Offensive Production Statistic = A + B + C where

A = (total bases) / (# of at bats) = traditional slugging pct

B = (total bases advanced by runners due to at bats of individual) / (total # runners on base summed over all ABs)

C = (runs batted in) / (total # runners on base summed over all ABs)

Explanation and examples

Term A: the slugging pct., is independent of runners on base, so it gives ample credit to a player on a weak offensive team

Term C: extra credit for advancing runners to score, and also normalizes for the RBI opportunities.

A player walks with bases loaded, so for this AB the contribution to each term in the formula is:

A = 1 / 1 = 1

B = 3 / 3 = 1

C = 1 /1 = 1 so OPS contrib. for this AB is 1 + 1 + 1 = 3

A grand slam home run, gives

A = 4 / 1 = 4

B = 6 / 3 = 2

C = 4 / 3 = 1.33 so OPS is 7.33

A strikeout with the bases loaded (along with a DP, the ultimate rally killer)

A = 0 / 1 = 0

B = 0 / 3 = 0

Bryce Harper and Nationals Fandom...from a Cardinal fan

2013-05-14T06:48:56Z

This isn't the reason I am making the post, but it did jog my memory, but let me say that I hope BH will be okay. Man, that was brutal. Besides the fact that I will absolutely pull for Harper to fail against El Birdos, I really do like watching him play, not to mention the human factor of not wanting someone to get hurt, so I do hope he turns out fine.

Anyway, if I may, understanding that as Nats fans your attention is probably on the condition of BH, I wonder if I could ask a question and get some stories and/or feelings? At this point I want to make clear this does not come from a trolling, condescending point of view, but one of genuine curiosity. During the NLDS last year, I saw the lively, packed house in DC. I became curious.

Long story, short, I began to wonder where the Nats fans were, pre-Nats, in allegiance. I have generally assumed former/current Oriole and/or former Bravos fans, perhaps some never-was-a-baseball-fan-until...I am guessing there are some interesting stories to be told. I would be interested in hearing them. Occasionally on VEB, there are posts along the lines of "how did you become a Cards fan" type of thing. I usually enjoy reading those.

I wanted to ask this question of you all just after the NLDS, and asked for advice from the Viva El Birdos community. The general consensus, almost without exception, was, "yeah, maybe wait a bit on that one." As great as that fifth game was for Birdos backers, I can't imagine a more painful, sudden, what-the-hell-just-happened way to lose a playoff series. That was hard-core, flukish (is that a word?), even. The advice was well taken. There were a couple of Nat lurkers on VEB who shared their opinion, but, again, I am guessing there are some interesting stories.

Personally, I am a Cardinal fan from a family of Cardinal fans, going back generations. In fact, I was openly a Cardinal fan, de facto anti-Cub fan, before I fully understood baseball, to say nothing of understanding how MLB works. Maybe that's where my curiosity comes from. I don't know. Doesn't matter.

So, quick recap...I hope Harper is OK, I respect (fear) your team, especially the pitching, but I would find it meaningful to read stories of how people came to back their boys, the Nats, in this case.

I hope this post is taken in the we're-all (mostly)-Americans-spirit in which it is offered.

Go Birdos/get well BH!

I hope this post is taken in the we're-all (mostly)-Americans-spirit in which it is offered.

Go Birdos/get well BH!

Seems like there is a complete meltdown

2013-05-13T17:54:02Z

Not only are the players losing it-- Zimm can't throw, bullpen stinks,Espinosa strikes out way too much-- but now davey takes out Gio who had a really nice outing giving up only two hits with less than 90 pitches?!?! What was he thinking. I am now disappointed not only in Zimmerman, Espinosa, Duke, Larouche, Storen for their sloppy play, poor hitting or poor pitching, but with Davey for poor judgement taking Gio out and apparently not holding players accountable for non-performance. Y'all will say its still early in the season and it maybe; but if this goes on much longer, the season of hope will be a big disappointment

Zack Duke

2013-05-11T22:05:05Z

Send him to the minor leagues, sell him to some team in Japan or just release him. He is pathetic. Reason he's been released by just about every major league team. Looked pathetic against Cubs 5/11 capping a run of garbage appearances. Really, against the cubs!?!? Come on Rizzo, dump this joke. How much is this guy making... Whatever, it's highway robbery. I think what has me so pissed is that Edwin Jackson is going to win this game ... Thank you Ryan and zack for blowing what should be a win but thanks to you two is an ugly loss to a bad team

Really getting tired off Zimmerman

2013-05-11T21:38:00Z

What's up with a third baseman who can't throw the ball? If this were anyone other than Zimmerman, he would be benched. It's really outrageous that he is playing everyday at third base. If this keeps up, he will be the third base equivalent of the former St. Louis pitcher who couldn't get the ball over the plate(forgot his name). It's not what you have done in the past; it's what have done lately and lately Zimmerman just sucks

Wins all around in the Nats minors. 5/9/13

2013-05-10T02:40:48Z

It was an almost perfect night in the Nationals organization with all but one Nats team picking up a win on Thursday. Here's a minor league round up..........

Triple-A: Syracuse Chiefs.

Final: Syracuse 2, Durham 4.

Ross Ohlendorf tossed 8 innings, allowing 4 runs on 7 hits, while walking 4 and striking out 4. Micah Owens hit his 3rd homerun of the season in the 3rd inning, to pick up RBI #15 on the year. It was a solo shot, yet not enough to help back Ohlendorf. Eury Perez also went 3-for-4 in the game.

Double-A: Harrisburg Senators.

Final: Harrisburg 6, Binghamton 1.

Paul Demny and Ian Krol combined for a no-hitter as the Senator beat the Binghamton Mets, 6-1. Demny went 8 string inning, allowing one runs on three walk, while striking out 5. After throwing 113 pitches, he was relieved for Krol, who was able to finish off the no-hitter for Harriburg. The Sens were able to tally up 6 runs, all in the 1st (2), 2nd (1), and 6th (3) innings.

Single-A Advanced: Potomac Nationals.

Final: Potomac 3, Wilmington 2.

On a wild pitch in the 10th inning, the Nats were able to claim victory to get themselves above .500 on the season. Potomac only collected four hits by four different player on the night, while Wilmington on the other hand was able to muster up nine with only two runs to show for. Brian Dupra pitched 6 innings surrenderin 2 runs on 6 hits, while striking out one. Matt Grace and Derek Self combined for 4 shutout inning with only 3 hits allowed. The Potomac pitching staff didn't issue a single walk on the night.

Single-A: Hagerstown Suns.

Final: Hagerstown 3, Delmarva 1.

The Suns were able to claim victory 3-1 over the Shorebirds, behind the solid bullpen performance and an offensive comeback. After trailing 1-0 in the Suns were able to score three unanswered runs in the later innings to win the 1st game of the series. Dixon Anderson went 6 inning, allowing one run on seven hit, he didn't walk a batter and struck out 5. From there, 5 Suns pitchers combined for four shutout innings of effective relief, surrendering only 1 hit. Wes Schill, Khayyan Norfork, Pedro Severino, and Stephen Perz each had two hits in the game.

For more Nats minor, check back here daily on FederalBaseball.com.

It was an almost perfect night in the Nationals organization with all but one Nats team picking up a win on Thursday. Here's a minor league round up..........

Triple-A: Syracuse Chiefs.

Final: Syracuse 2, Durham 4.

Double-A: Harrisburg Senators.

Final: Harrisburg 6, Binghamton 1.

Single-A Advanced: Potomac Nationals.

Final: Potomac 3, Wilmington 2.

Single-A: Hagerstown Suns.

Final: Hagerstown 3, Delmarva 1.

For more Nats minor, check back here daily on FederalBaseball.com.

Updated minors recap: 5/8/13.

2013-05-08T21:23:54Z

While Strasburg, Harper, and the rest of the big league Nats get set to greet the Tigers to the nations capital, let's take a quick look at whats happening around the Nationals minor league system.........

Triple-A: Syracuse Chiefs.

Syracuse (13-19) R H E

0 2 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 5 9 2

Durham (20-13)

0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 3 8 1

W: Rosenbaum (3-2, 2.27) ; L: Colome (1-5, 3.13) ; SV: Davis, E (4)

HR: SYR: Costanzo (4) , Perez, E (1) .

Player Pos AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG

Eury Perez CF 5 2 1 0 0 1 1 0 2 .330

Jeff Kobernus LF 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .375

Will Rhymes 2B 4 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 1 .333

Chris Marrero 1B 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .301

Micah Owings DH 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 .265

Zach Walters SS 4 1 2 2 0 0 0 0 2 .237

Mike Costanzo 3B 4 1 2 1 0 1 3 0 2 .211

Carlos Maldonad C 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .105

Erik Komatsu RF 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 .118

Totals 36 5 9 3 0 2 5 1 17 .266

Player IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA

Daniel Rosenbaum (W, 3-2) 7.0 4 2 1 1 7 0 2.27

J.C. Romero (H, 2) 0.1 2 1 1 1 0 0 2.84

Jeff Mandel (H, 2) 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 6.06

Fernando Abad (H, 3) 0.1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1.59

Erik Davis (S, 4) 1.0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1.20

Totals 9.0 8 3 2 2 8 0 4.80

Backed by a strong performance by Daniel Rosenbaum and a couple early runs, the Scyracuse Chiefs were able to defeat the Bulls 5-3 for their 3rd straight win and will now go for the series sweep on Thursday.

Double-A: Harrisburg Senators.

Altoona (13-20) R H E

0 0 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 7 12 2

Harrisburg (15-18)

0 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 6 9 3

W: Kasparek (1-0, 3.78) ; L: Lehman (1-3, 6.23)

HR: ALT: Lambo (7) , Cunningham (5) . HAR: Howell (1) , Rendon (3) .

Player Pos AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG

Brian Goodwin CF 4 3 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 .264

Josh Johnson SS 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 .294

Anthony Rendon 3B 3 1 2 1 0 1 4 2 0 .303

Justin Bloxom 1B 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 .256

Jerad Head RF 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 .263

J. Van Ostrand LF 5 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .467

Jose Lozada 2B 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .243

Pat Lehman P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

b- D. Hood PH 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .235

Jeff Howell C 5 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 2 .158

Blake Treinen P 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000

M. Broadway P 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000

a- Rick Hague PH 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .206

Pat McCoy P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Sean Nicol 2B 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .197

Totals 37 6 9 1 0 2 5 7 7 .242

Blake Treinen 3.1 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 2 BB, 3 K, 4.89 ERA.

M. Broadway 2.2 IP,0 H,0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 1.50 ERA.

Pat McCoy 2.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2.84

Pat Lehman (L) 2.0 4 1 1 0 5 1 6.23

Totals 10.0 12 7 7 2 12 2 4.10

Even after a game tying 2-run homerun in the 9th inning by Anthony Rendon, the Senators fell to the Curve 7-6 in 10 innings. The Senators now head on the road for four games in Binghamton to face the Mets.

Class-A Advanced: Potomac Nationals.

Final/5: Potomac 3, Wilmington 2.

In a rain shortend affair the Nats were able to take an early 1-0 lead before losing it in the 4th. They were ablt to take the leade in the 5th when a wild pitch scored Randolph Oduber. After a 49 minute rain delay the gamewas called and the Nationals got the win, 3-2.

Robbie Ray earned his 3rd win of the year as he went to distance tossing 5 inning, allowing 2 runs on 2 hit, while walking 2 and striking out 7.

Class-A: Hagerstown Suns.

THU, MAY 9, 7:05 PM ET @ Municipal Stadium

Matt Taylor (1-2, 1.19 ERA) vs TBD (Suns)

The Suns slpit a double header with the Rome Braves on Tuesday and will begin a 4-game home set with the Delmarva Shorebirds on Thursday.

Triple-A: Syracuse Chiefs.

Syracuse (13-19) R H E

0 2 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 5 9 2

Durham (20-13)

0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 3 8 1

W: Rosenbaum (3-2, 2.27) ; L: Colome (1-5, 3.13) ; SV: Davis, E (4)

HR: SYR: Costanzo (4) , Perez, E (1) .

Player Pos AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG

Eury Perez CF 5 2 1 0 0 1 1 0 2 .330

Jeff Kobernus LF 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .375

Will Rhymes 2B 4 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 1 .333

Chris Marrero 1B 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .301

Micah Owings DH 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 .265

Zach Walters SS 4 1 2 2 0 0 0 0 2 .237

Mike Costanzo 3B 4 1 2 1 0 1 3 0 2 .211

Carlos Maldonad C 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .105

Erik Komatsu RF 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 .118

Totals 36 5 9 3 0 2 5 1 17 .266

Player IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA

Daniel Rosenbaum (W, 3-2) 7.0 4 2 1 1 7 0 2.27

J.C. Romero (H, 2) 0.1 2 1 1 1 0 0 2.84

Jeff Mandel (H, 2) 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 6.06

Fernando Abad (H, 3) 0.1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1.59

Erik Davis (S, 4) 1.0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1.20

Totals 9.0 8 3 2 2 8 0 4.80

Double-A: Harrisburg Senators.

Altoona (13-20) R H E

0 0 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 7 12 2

Harrisburg (15-18)

0 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 6 9 3

W: Kasparek (1-0, 3.78) ; L: Lehman (1-3, 6.23)

HR: ALT: Lambo (7) , Cunningham (5) . HAR: Howell (1) , Rendon (3) .

Player Pos AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG

Brian Goodwin CF 4 3 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 .264

Josh Johnson SS 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 .294

Anthony Rendon 3B 3 1 2 1 0 1 4 2 0 .303

Justin Bloxom 1B 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 .256

Jerad Head RF 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 .263

J. Van Ostrand LF 5 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .467

Jose Lozada 2B 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .243

Pat Lehman P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

b- D. Hood PH 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .235

Jeff Howell C 5 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 2 .158

Blake Treinen P 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000

M. Broadway P 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000

a- Rick Hague PH 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .206

Pat McCoy P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Sean Nicol 2B 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .197

Totals 37 6 9 1 0 2 5 7 7 .242

Blake Treinen 3.1 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 2 BB, 3 K, 4.89 ERA.

M. Broadway 2.2 IP,0 H,0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 1.50 ERA.

Pat McCoy 2.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2.84

Pat Lehman (L) 2.0 4 1 1 0 5 1 6.23

Totals 10.0 12 7 7 2 12 2 4.10

Class-A Advanced: Potomac Nationals.

Final/5: Potomac 3, Wilmington 2.

Robbie Ray earned his 3rd win of the year as he went to distance tossing 5 inning, allowing 2 runs on 2 hit, while walking 2 and striking out 7.

Class-A: Hagerstown Suns.

THU, MAY 9, 7:05 PM ET @ Municipal Stadium

Matt Taylor (1-2, 1.19 ERA) vs TBD (Suns)

The Suns slpit a double header with the Rome Braves on Tuesday and will begin a 4-game home set with the Delmarva Shorebirds on Thursday.

2013 Nats Park Concessions and Neighborhood Details

2013-05-07T15:30:09Z

Hi Federal Baseballers,

I know this comes up every year, so to suit my own needs and to provide for the community throughout the rest of the season, here is thread for concessions etc around Nats Park. I don't see one in the Fan Post list yet.

Some of us poor Nats fans don't live near the district, and so cannot regularly attend the games. I'm coming to DC this weekend for what will likely be my only chance to see the Nats this year other than when they come to Denver. I know that the ballpark and its surrounding neighborhood change every year, so perhaps some of you fine folks can share some insight about food and beverage options both inside and outside the stadium. I'd like to eat before the game so it's not all Hard Times chili for me all weekend. No offense to Hard Times, I do love that place.

If you ever find yourself out here in Colorado, I'm happy to provide any knowledge you need about attending games at Coors Field. It really is a great place to watch baseball, unless you like pitching duels.

Hi Federal Baseballers,

Werth Contract Revisited

2013-05-02T00:16:19Z

I don't understand the logic of having to overpay a player so much to be taken seriously in free agency. I was highly against the 7 year 126 million dollar contract given to Werth. He never hit .300, had a 30 HR, 100 RBI season ever. That is with having his best years playing half the season in one of the best hitter parks in Philly. Just because the Learners had their feelings hurt by people calling them cheap in blogs; that means you MUST overpay someone to be taken seriously. I think not.The cubs will have a better chance at moving Alfonzo Soriano's contract before the Nats can move Werth's contract. At least Soriano still had a 30+ homerun season at almost 40 years old.

The Rays are taken seriously as a winning ball club. They don't reach for players in Free Agency. They develop within just as well as any team in baseball. They developed Ben Zobrist who has some of the best WAR stats every season. They have him signed for 4 years/18 million. I would have much rather the Nats have not reached for a player like Werth and kept building. The point being because the Rays don't reach for players they were able to develop a similar if not better and much cheaper player than Werth.

Free agents are persuaded by winning as well as money. Jayson Werth was injured the majority of the Nats 2012 season. So it is possible without Werth the Nats would have had just as good of a season, maybe a couple of wins less without Werth and that massive log jam contract.

instead of signing Werth in 2010. The Nats could have passed on signing any big free agents in 2010. They could have signed Jason Kubel in 2011 who has actually hit 30 HR in a season. They could have tried to sign Carlos Beltran. They could have even signed Coco Crisp. Who was one of the more valuable players on that magical A's team from last season.

At the very last the Nationals would have the option to trade for a better LF or RF(Being that Harper could play either position) if Werth's contract wasnt handcuffing them.

I know many are going to say the Nats weren't winning. Yeah well they did last year. Not signing Jayson Werth doesn't change the fact that the Nats had that pitching staff from last year. Which outside of Gio who was brought in a trade and Edwin Jackson was built from within. Harper, Desmond, Zimmrman, Espinosa, Lombo, Moore were all from within. Morse came in a trade. All of those important pieces would have been here regardless of signing or not signing Werth. Those pieces were more important than Werths 81 games of above average baseball last year

At the very last the Nationals would have the option to trade for a better LF or RF(Being that Harper could play either position) if Werth's contract wasnt handcuffing them.