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Washington Nationals' skipper Matt Williams held a private meeting with his team after an embarrassing 8-0 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals last month. He wasn't, however, willing to share the content of the message he delivered.
"That's for me and my team," Williams told a reporter who asked what he said.
"I'm not answering that question," he continued. "That's for me and my team and nobody else's business."
In his first month-plus as a major league manager, Williams has been open about what takes place on the field.
He talked at length about the decision to bench Bryce Harper for "lack of hustle" when the 21-year-old outfielder failed to run to first base on a grounder back to the mound.
If it happens on the field of play, it seems, he's willing to address it, however.
As for what happens in the clubhouse or in the dugout, the first-year skipper is not spilling any secrets to the press.
Gio Gonzalez clearly frustrated in the dugout. The CSN truck caught him barking at a teammate. #Athletics #Nationals pic.twitter.com/H2qMANzV2H
— Casey Pratt (@CaseyPrattCSN) May 11, 2014
Asked this afternoon about the shouting match starter Gio Gonzalez and an unnamed teammate engaged in after the second inning of Sunday's 9-1 loss to the Oakland A's, Williams declined to share any details.
"Sometimes within the confines of a team," he said, "they're all competing out there. It's just competition and we're not going to go any further than that with it. That's the team's business and for nobody else. But everybody wants to do well and everybody wants to win, so hopefully start that tomorrow."
On dugout spat, Gio said: "Nothing happened." Matt Williams: "It's just competition ... That’s the team’s business and nobody else."
— James Wagner (@JamesWagnerWP) May 11, 2014
The Nationals dropped their third straight game to the Athletics. Gonzalez gave up six runs on two three-run home runs by Derek Norris, who hit 3-0 pitches out each time. The Nats' infielders didn't play particularly well behind him. In their three games in the O.co Coliseum, the Nationals' offense scored just four runs.
As Williams made clear, it was not a fun weekend.
"It's frustrating," he said. "[Gonzalez is] frustrated. We're all frustrated at this point, but we have no choice tomorrow, but to show up and play at 6:40. So, that's what we'll have to do. Come out with energy. Be ready to go."
• We talked about the loss, Anthony Rendon's weekend, Gio Gonzalez's frustrating outing and more on the latest edition of Athletics Nats Nightly: