Next Game
Washington Nationals
@ San Francisco Giants
Monday, May 11, 2009, 10:15 PM EDT
AT&T Park
Daniel Cabrera vs Randy Johnson
Partly cloudy. Game time temperature around 60.
?'s For The DC Faithful...
• Can't Let The Big Unit Stop This, Can We? You Know What I'm Talking About!!!
• Wind + Daniel Cabrera = ???
• Anyone Supporting Emmanuel Burriss!!
• How Do You Sit HAMMER After 2 HR's? (Assuming Of Course, Pending Lineups...)
• How's Dunn Against The Unit?
LINKS:
Ryan Zimmerman Hits In 28-Straight, Washington Nationals Hit 4 HR's And Lose To D-Backs, 10-8.
Complete Coverage >
Rizzo On Strasburg: Before And After...
In Washington Post writer Chico Harlan's Nationals Journal post entitled, "Two Recommendations, And A Rizzo Q&A", the "Acting" DC GM Mike Rizzo is asked by Mr. Harlan what it is the former scout and Scouting Director would be looking for from the nation's top prospect, Stephen Strasburg, as he watched what was to be the last home start of Strasburg's collegiate career with San Diego State University this past Friday night, Mr. Rizzo's response:
"'I'm here to see the pitcher in general. How he performs. The poise he has on the mound. See the command he has with his pitches. We know what the radar gun is gonna say, but believe me, there's not much difference on the radar gun between 95 and 100...You better command the stuff, your stuff better be moving, and you better be resilient enough to come back when the ball is hit and you have some failure. That's what we're here for.'"
If you think for a second that the Nationals' "Acting" GM wasn't still there scouting Strasburg even at this late date, the post game analysis, featured in MLB Fanhouse writer Ed Price's article on the Strasburg start, (which, if you haven't heard by now, ended up being a no-hitter in which the 20-year-old right-hander struck out 17 batters), entitled, "Nats' General Manager on Hand for Strasburg No-Hitter", makes it clear that Rizzo was still scrutinizing the pitcher everyone agrees will go No. 1 overall...
Side By Side: Rizzo ?'s And Answers...
• "Acting" DC GM Mike Rizzo, From Washington Post writer Chico Harlan's article:
- "I'm here to see the pitcher in general. How he performs. The poise he has on the mound. See the command he has with his pitches.
• "Acting DC GM Mike Rizzo, From MLB Fanhouse writer Ed Price's article:
- "'He really, really, really competed his butt off,' Rizzo said. 'He sniffed the no- hitter at the end of the game and went after it...
- "'It showed me a lot, how he turned it up a notch or two when he smelled it.'"
- "The pinpoint command I didn't see, but he has general control..."
• "Acting DC GM Mike Rizzo, From Washington Post writer Chico Harlan's article:
- "We know what the radar gun is gonna say, but believe me, there's not much difference on the radar gun between 95 and 100...You better command the stuff, your stuff better be moving...'"
• "Acting DC GM Mike Rizzo, From MLB Fanhouse writer Ed Price's article:
- "'He elevated the fastball at times and got away with it,’ Rizzo said. ‘He gets a lot of swings and misses outside the strike zone. In the National League East – [Carlos] Delgado and [David] Wright – those guys don't fish.’"
One more opinion on Strasburg's No-Hitter...
MLB.com's Bill Ladson quotes SDSU Baseball Coach Tony Gwynn in an article on the no-hitter entitled, "Strasburg K's 17 in no-hitter", where Mr. Gwynn is glowing in his praise of the SDSU Aztecs' ace as he describes Strasburg's work on the mound Friday night:
"'He threw all his pitches. He threw them ahead in the count, he threw them behind in the count, you know, the things good pitchers do. In the ninth inning, he closed the deal. He's what every team should be looking for.'"
WE WANT STRASBURG!!! WE WANT STRASBURG!!!!
Today's Starting Pitchers Are Going To Stare At You Now...(ed. note - "For Your Own Safety, I Wouldn't Stare At The Big Unit For Too Long, He's Ornery..."):
Randy Johnson vs The Washington Nationals...
With the 36th pick in the 2nd Round of the 1985 MLB Amateur, the Montreal Expos selected the University of Southern California's 6'10'' towering left-hander, Randall David Johnson. Randy Johnson, aka The Big Unit, debuted with Montreal on September 15, 1988, but made only 10 starts with the Expos in two seasons before he was traded along with Gene Harris and Brian Holman, to Seattle in exchange for one of Federal Baseball.com's All-Time Favorite Expos, Mark Langston.
Since leaving the Expos, Johnson's (3-3) in 9 starts against the Franchise, all of which came before the move to DC and the birth of the Nationals in 2005. Randy Johnson's never faced the Nationals, but some Nationals have stared out at the Big Unit before:
Nationals vs The Unit...
Ronnie Belliard - 4 for 21, .190 AVG, 1 2B, 1 BB, 7 K's.
Alex Cintron - 0 for 2, .000 AVG.
Adam Dunn - 0 for 9, .000 AVG, 6 K's.
DC BULLPEN COACH RANDY KNORR? - 1 for 3, .333 AVG, 1 2B, 1 RBI.
Wil Nieves - 2 for 8, .250 AVG, 1 2B, 3 K's.
Ryan Zimmerman - n/a Zim's Never Faced The Big Unit.
DC's Own DC, Daniel Cabrera...Has Never Faced The SF Giants...
Bengie Molina - 3 for 7, .429 AVG, 1 RBI.
Edgar Renteria - 3 for 9, .333 AVG, 1 2B, 2 RBI's.
Aaron Rowand - 1 for 7, .143 AVG, 1 RBI.
Juan Uribe - 3 for 15, .200 AVG, 1 2B, 1 RBI.
Randy Winn - 1 for 9, .111 AVG, 1 HR, 3 RBI's.
DC Starting Lineup...(ed. note - Courtesy of Washington Post writer Chico Harlan's Nationals Journal post entitled, "Rescheduled Game, Lineups.")
- The Guzzzzz - SS
- Nick "Two-Spot" Johnson - 1B
- THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM!! - 3B
- The Big Watchy - RF
- Elijah "Super" Dukes - CF
- THE HAMMER - LF
- Ronnie B. - 2B
- Wil "Blocker" Nieves - C
- DC's Own DC, Daniel Cabrera Throwing Hot Fire...
THE KIDS CALL IT THE STREAK...VOTE ZIM!!!
When the Washington Nationals' Face of the Franchise© Ryan Zimmerman started the current 28-game hits streak on April 8th, he was hitting .143 after 14 AB's. During the 28-game streak, Zimmerman's hitting .363 (44 for 121), with 11 doubles, 6 HR's and 22 RBI's. So far in May, Ryan Zimmerman's hitting .475 AVG, with 4 doubles, 1 HR and 6 RBI's in 9 games...Can Ryan Zimmerman Do It Again?
For A Giants Fan's Perspective, (ed. note - "And one of the best blogs around.") Check Out the SBN's San Francisco Giants Blog:
Who's Watching The Nationals?