A tale of the Capital: the Bulldog and the Nats

[Lostkiwi]

It is this time of year so welcome to my 2k9 franchise!

I wanted a big challenge this year and playing with young players so I decided to go with the worst team in the Majors: the Washington Nationals. I do not care to follow reality so allow myself 3 trades before the season starts (reasonable trades according to my real-life opinion, not the easily fooled AI trade logic).

After the first few posts about trades and season previews, I will probably only post short synopsis over here with links to blogspot where the actual franchise is stored.

Can't wait to get the game Tuesday to start playing!

so let's have a Tale of the Capital: the Bulldog and the Nats (http://nats2k9.blogspot.com/)

[Lostkiwi]

With Spring Training already underway, the Nationals ownership group made a surprising move today by firing Team President Stan Kasten, General Manager Jim Bowden, manager Manny Acta and all coaches except first base coach Marquis Grissom. The press release did not mention any replacement but a press conference was called for tomorrow morning.


Transfered from Montreal for the 2005 season, the Nationals have been marred in mediocrity since, the bottom of the barrel reached last year with a dismal record of 59 wins and 102 losses. Jim Bowden has been GM of the team since their arrival in Washington and they did not achieve a .500 record in any of his 4 seasons at the helm. Moreover, the organization has been in turmoil recently following accusations of individuals associated with the team skimming money from bonuses given to Latin America players. More recently, the discovery that one of the team’s best prospect, Esmailyn Gonzalez, was in fact not a 19 year old prodigy but 23 years old Carlos Lugo brought in question the judgment of many within the organization.


Following the announcement, rumors were numerous regarding possible replacements with many sightings noted. However, with almost half the Majors in Florida for Spring Training, most pundits agreed that it would be pure speculation to advance any names to replace Bowden & Acta though Grissom settling into the top managerial position seemed doubtful due to his lack of managerial experience at any level.

[Lostkiwi]

In a crowded room, Washington Nationals Owner Ted Lerner announced the new team president and general manager of his baseball team.

http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/9597/orelwarm.jpg (http://img520.imageshack.us/my.php?image=orelwarm.jpg)


Orel Hershiser, an ex-pitcher who holds the record for consecutive scoreless innings, was announced as team president and general manager of the Nationals and will replace Jim Bowden who was fired earlier this week following four dismal years at the helm. Hershiser did not mince words about the state of the team he was taking over: “There is not much to like about the state of the organization: we lost 102 games last year, we attracted less than 30 000 in average in our spanking new stadium, we committed the most errors in the NL, we have some good players but not enough and our prospect pipeline is barely trickling in.” Asked about the recent events that led to the firing of Bowden, the new GM stated that he “will not comment on those issues. We are moving forward from now on with honest, intense people, people who want to be here and contribute to make this franchise a success.”


“No, I am definitely not satisfied with our roster as it is. There are still a couple of weeks to go in Spring Training so hopefully other GMs will also be in a trading mood and we can find pieces to help us out” said Hershiser about his roster. “I am not looking for any particular type of player… Just good talented young guys who can grow together as a team and bring a pennant to Washington.


Following this short question period, it was now time for Hershiser to himself make his announcements for the coaching staff and old Dodgers fans were not disappointed as Kirk Gibson was announced as manager. A bench coach with the Tigers then Diamondbacks, Gibson will get his first chance as manager. Hershiser was proud to introduce his old teammate as "an extremely intense guy who knows the game, knows what it takes to make it and can mold a team into a winning group... and that is really what I was looking for, not necessarily someone with lots of experience as a manager but someone who could give the right direction to our team."


Gibson himself echoed the same sentiments: "we for sure will bunt, hit-and-run, put pressure on the other team and do all those little things you need to do to win games. Our coaching staff will be working hard with our young kids to develop them."


The rest of the coaching staff was also announced today as Jim Presley, previously the hitting coach of the Florida Marlins would take over the same duties for the Nats. Ex-Expo and previously employed as bullpen coach for the Mariners, John Wetteland, will become the new pitching coach for the Nationals.


"It's a good group" said Gibson of his coaches, "guys who have had success in the Majors and know how to communicate it to young guys."


With only 2 weeks left in Spring Training, it will be interesting to see how quickly the new coaching staff will install their new philosophy.

[I0I HaVoK I0I]

Nice following

[Lostkiwi]

The Nats new GM did not wait long to leave his mark on the team by trading away their biggest star less than 48 hours after moving in Nationals Park. Orel Hershiser made a blockbuster trade with the Oakland Athletics by sending 24 year old 3B Ryan Zimmerman and 2003 1st round pick Kory Casto to the As in exchange for oft-injured 3B Eric Chavez, pitchers Joey Devine and Jerry Blevins and IF prospect Cliff Pennington.


“Reinforcing our pitching staff was a priority” said Hershiser of the move. “We are acquiring two young strong-armed guys who give us the depth to move pieces around”. This comment was interpreted by many as a sign that Devine would become the closer of the team and Joel Hanrahan who fanned 93 batters in 84IP would move to the rotation. Questioned about the financial aspects of the move, the new GM stated that “we did add some salary with Chavez (11mil per year for the next 2 years) but with Ryan getting closer to free agency, we feel we may actually increase our room to maneuver and bring more certainty to our budget.”


For his part, Oakland GM Billy Beane regretted parting with his young pitchers “but to acquire a player like Zimmerman, you will need to give up assets. We just felt we needed to improve at third base and that our bullpen had enough depth to handle those losses.” Talking about 24 year old Pennington who was the team 1st pick in 2004, Beane “wished we could have kept him as he has good speed and good footwork on defense. He may never become the prototypical masher 3B but he can be a very useful player. Beane refused to comment on the physical state of Eric Chavez who has still not played any games in Spring Training only to say that all information was given to the Nationals before the trade.


Sports Talk in the capital seemed unimpressed by the first move of the old Dodger:

- “Great! We traded our one allstar for an injured guy and 2 relievers who will break down in 2 years”

- “What does this mean?? We get a 11 million 31 year old for Zimmerman?! Who is gonna hit on this team? This was an awful trade.”

- “People shouldn't jump to conclusions. Let’s give the GM a chance! There was no way Zimm would resign here… so at least we now have a real closer and I think Pennington will surprise. I saw the guy at AAA and he reminds me of Terry Pendleton”.

- “I like Devine & Blevins but they should not have gotten broken down Chavez. This will be an excuse for the team not to spend in Free Agency next summer!”

[Lostkiwi]

Less than 12 hours after trading away their best player to Oakland, the Nationals continued their house clearing by sending 5 players to the Texas Rangers. In a definite rebuilding move, the Nats acquired highly touted 1B Chris Davis who hit 17 HRs and 55 RBIs following a June call-up and righthanded pitching prospect Eric Hurley (1-2 5.47 with 13k in 24.1IP) . In exchange, Washington sent oft-injured 1B Nick Johnson and 4 pitchers, Daniel Cabrera, Scott Olsen, Saul Rivera and Jordan Zimmermann to Texas.



http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/5461/cdavis.jpg (http://img510.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cdavis.jpg)
With a wide beam, Nats GM Orel Hershiser was happy to introduce Chris David to the media and fans as “the kid who will bat in the middle of our order for the next decade! Chris has incredible power and a great attitude. He will be the centerpiece of our roster.” Asked if putting so much pressure on a 24 year old with less than 300 at-bats in the majors was not too much, the GM said “it is of course a process but we feel Chris has what to takes to live up to the expectations. We traded some of our most reliable pitchers for him and he will show our fans already this year why we did that.” The other player in this trade is 24 year old Eric Hurley whom Hershiser “noticed during my time with the Rangers. Eric has the tools to succeed in the Majors and I really wanted to have him with us.”


Pitching was also the main thing on Jon Daniels’ mind during his press conference to announce the trade: “solidifying the rotation was our main goal obviously. We had the most relief innings pitched last year and we really needed to address that after being unable to find much during free agency. Olsen & Cabrera are good inning eaters who will really help behind Millwood & Padilla. We might not be to the level of the Angels yet but I am willing to put our rotation against the rest of the division now! Rivera is a good reliever who has had an ERA under 4 for 3 years in a row with over 60IP in each… That should help our overworked bullpen. And Zimmermann is a great prospect whom we see as developing into a good number 2 at least. His strikeout ratio so far has been phenomenal.”



While many fans were still smoldering from yesterday’s trade, the reaction seemed more favorable for this exchange:

- “That Davis kid better not turn out like another Nick Johnson or Kevin Maas or we are screwed!”

- “We got a great guy for 1B finally! I can’t wait to see him launch balls against the roof of Nats Park!”

- “The Rangers got hosed down! Who cares that Olsen & Cabrera pitch 200 innings a year?? They still suck! This is like Bagwell for Anderson.”

- “Davis has all the hype right now but I really hope he can do that over a full season. We will need lots of runs to win this year with no pitching… and trading away a young fireballer like Zimmermann is a bad call.”

[Lostkiwi]

In their 3rd major trade of the week, the Washington Nationals sent Austin Kearns, Joel Hanrahan & two other players to Tampa Bay in return for 3 prospects. On top of the strong defensively and adequate power bat Kearns & newly elected fireballer closer Hanrahan, the Nats are sending two no-longer-prospects pitchers Jason Bergmann and Shawn Hill to Florida while the Rays will be sending North prospects SS Reid Brignac, RHP Jeff Niemann & Mitch Talbot.


“This was really about replenishing the system with ready and almost ready prospects” said Hershiser in a teleconference. “This is a real rebuilding effort and when you rebuild from the bottom up, you need to trade away good older guys like Kearns. Bergmann & Hanrahan to make space for the younger guys. It’s not that we didn’t like those guys but we are building for the future and we need to see which kids can play and make sure they have enough playing time to develop. Niemann will definitely get a chance at the rotation this year even though the spring is almost over and Talbot probably needs more seasoning at AAA… but I see both those guys up with us in the near future. Brignac was a great prospect I have been following since he was drafted and we hope Cristian (Guzman) will be able to mentor him.” Asked about the numerous roster changes he has made since his arrival, Hershiser said that “we are pretty much done. I am still looking into a few guys out there but this is pretty much what we will start the season with.”


For his part, Rays Gm Andrew Friedman talked about opportunities, “the opportunity to obviously get back to the World Series and win it this time. We addressed our biggest issues: more pop on the bench… a bit more depth for the outfield and we bolstered our bullpen. Hanrahan is a young guy who really throws hard and it just gives Maddon another weapon for the end game. Trading away high draft picks is always sad and dangerous but we felt we picked players we could spare now but mostly in the future. Brignac is a great guy who should become a very good major leaguer but his path was blocked with us by Bartlett and Longoria As for Niemann & Talbot, we weren’t sure where they would fit in our future staff…. So we decided to see what we could get for them on the market and Orel called with a great offer.”


On top of giving the team this youngest group in the Majors, this trade also severs the remaining ties between the Nationals and Expos and Shawn Hill was the last remaining Expo on the roster. “Well, this wasn’t why we traded Hill but yes, this is definitely a fresh start” said Hershiser when told of the fact.


On Sports Talk shows, fans seemed more relieved than anything to see an end to constant moves:

- “I like this move. Hanrahan had a good season last year but I didn’t see him as that great a pitcher overall. He was just lucky.”

- “Another bad move from the rookie GM. Now we really don’t have any pitching!”“Thank God he said he was done trading! We might have ended with all the crappy prospects from every team.”

[Lostkiwi]

With the season starting tomorrow, we will continue our yearly tradition by sitting down for an in-depth interview with manager Kirk Gibson on his team and what he foresees for the season, his first as manager of the Washington Nationals. Also watch tomorrow morning for the in-depth interview with pitching coach John Wetteland and the review of the pitching staff.


INFIELD

1B: Craig Davis
2B: Anderson Hernandez/Ron Belliard
SS: Cristian Guzman
3B: Cliff Pennington


"Everybody has heard the hype about Craig Davis, about how he has great power and can send balls to the moon but what has impressed most so far is his bat speed. I think he will really improve on that .280 average and put down on those strikeouts. He can become a complete hitter if he applies himself. His defense has been good; maybe a bit tentative on bunts but he certainly won't embarrass himself on the field."


"2nd base is probably the spot I am less certain off. I really want to get Belliard lots of at-bats but I think we might be able to do that by using him as a super utility guy at 1st, 2nd, 3rd & left field. That would allow us to see what Anderson (Hernandez) can really do. His defense is very good and I like having his speed in the lineup."


"Brignac has played great (.342 in Spring Training since his arrival from Tampa Bay) but Cristian Guzman is our shortstop this year. He needs to watch his defense (17 errors last year) but his veteran presence is needed on the diamond."


"Right now, Cliff Pennington is our third baseman. Chavez has not hit well at all (.157 in Spring Training) and things are not improving physically so our doctors will shut him down for a while then do more tests. Cliff is not your usual 3rd baseman because at 5'11 180lbs, he lacks strength to swing for the fences but he brings lots to the table: good defense, good contact to all fields and surprising speed. With the style of play I want us to use, I could see him with 25-30 stolen bases at the end of the year. Ronnie (Belliard) will also play some games here."



OUTFIELD


LF: Adam Dunn
CF: Lastings Milledge
RF: Elijah Dukes


"Adam is a premier power hitter who is just hitting his stride at 30... and his play in left field isn't bad. When I got the job, I was thinking of convincing him to play first base (as Dunn has publicly stated that he does not like to play first base) but his footwork is solid and his arm is good enough."


"Lastings made big improvements in his first full season last year (.268, 14HR 61 RBI) but he has so much talent, we need much more from him. We need him to become one of the best number 3 hitter in the league."


"This has been one of the biggest battle so far. Neither Elijah (Dukes) nor Josh (Willingham) have distanced themselves (.264 and .277 respectively in preseason) so both will get playing time but Elijah is younger and has more speed so he will be in the lineup for opening day tomorrow."


"On top of Belliard & Willingham I already mentioned, Willie Harris, Alberto Gonzalez and Wil Nieves will definitely be part of our bench.


CATCHING

"The guy who has impressed me the most this Spring is Jesus Flores. The kid just turned 24 and he sounds and looks like a veteran out there! His handling of the pitching staff is great and you shouldn't underestimate a guy who had 59 RBI in 300 at-bats at age 23... There is lots of talent there and we plan to have Jim (Presley, the team's hitting coach) work continuously with him."


BATTING ORDER

1- Cristian Guzman
2- Cliff Pennington
3- Lastings Milledge
4- Adam Dunn
5- Chris Davis
6- Elijah Dukes
7- Jesus Flores
8- Anderson Hernandez


"We definitely will adjust depending on how the guys perform but I like to have a set order to make players feel comfortable and get into good habits. The spot we will watch most closely is the 5th hole: is 5th too much for a first full year player? Flores seems to have a knack for the clutch hit bringing runners home so maybe he will go into that 5th spot... Elijah has talent oozing out of him, he definitely could be in the 5th hole with Flores behind and Davis as an extremely dangerous 7th hitter to make sure the opposing pitcher never gets a worry-free 7th-8th & 9th inning."



"I know people have heard that every year since the team moved to DC but I am telling everybody to get ready for a good year! We have a very exciting group of guys out there and there is lots of enthusiasm in that dugout."


Make sure to check tomorrow's morning edition for our in-depth interview with pitching coach John Wetteland who will complete the team preview by discussing the pitching staff of your Washington Nationals.

[Lostkiwi]

Nationals' pitching coach John Wetteland sits down with us to analyze the team pitching staff and tell us what to expect of them this year.


ROTATION



Opening Day Starter: LHP John Lannan
Starting Pitcher 2: RHP Alex Cole (created player rated 74)
Starting Pitcher 3: RHP Collin Balester
Starting Pitcher 4: RHP Jeff Niemann
Starting Pitcher 5: RHP Hurley/Clippard/Martis



"The team obviously lost a huge part of our rotation when we traded away Cabrera, Olsen & Hanrahan and that will force us to use younger guys... which is really what we should do anyways in a rebuilding."


"Big boy John Lannan (6'5 220lbs) will be our opening day starter. He earned it with the great year he had in 2008. The record might not look that great (9-15) but he had 21 quality starts last year, with 2.00 ERA in those games... and he only got 8 wins out of those 21 great games. John will never be a strikeout machine but he has great control, a very deceptive delivery and knows how to spot his pitches on the corner. This year, we would like to see him pitch over 200 innings with less than 200 hits, less than 100 BB and probably around 150K with an ERA under 4.00. Those type of numbers would make me very happy for a 2nd season 25 year old."


"We all heard the stories about Alex Cole; how he came in as a non-roster invitees, how he spent the last 7 years playing ball in the army overseas, how he didn't give up a run until the last week of Spring Training... but what impresses me the most is how well he mixes his pitches, that high 80s fastball with his average changeup to his hard slider to his weirdly-moving sinker. I don't think he has thrown more than 100 innings a year so how he will hold up over a full season is a big question mark... but this is a 28 year old guy so hopefully that will help. Weird to say but this rookie is our leader on the staff; his leadership and clubhouse presence is very important."


"Balester & Niemann were in a great battle for 3rd spot and the only reason I am putting Collin first is because he has a bit more experience in the Majors... but they are very similar: both have some very good pitches but need to improve consistency and to stay within their limits. We don't really have statistical expectations for them, we just want them to establish themselves as full-time members of the rotation, keep us into games and stay in past the 5th inning."


"I really don't know who will be our 5th starter yet. Hurley, Clippard, Martis or even Mock or Shell. We don't need a 5th starter for 2 weeks; until the 20th so we will give a chance to those guys to pitch either at AAA or in the bullpen and we probably will decide a couple of days before the start. It probably will be in flux all year unless someone really steps up."


BULLPEN


Long Relief: RHP Tyler Clippard
Middle Relief 1: RHP Garrett Mock
Middle Relief 2: RHP Steven Shell
Lefhander Specialist: LHP Jerry Blevins
Set-up: LHP Mike Hinckley
Closer: RHP Joey Devine


"I'm sure lots of our fans are gonna say WHO?? about most of those guys but give them a chance! I have seen lots of relievers in my career and these guys will form a very good bullpen. I'm not gonna talk about every guy but Hinckley has a great fastball and the know-how to get out of jams that I like in my set-up guy. And Joey has awesome stuff. He can crank it up and hit 97 mph almost at will. That will make him a great closer in this league. He just need to make sure to hit his corners and let his defense do some of the work for him. Quite often, those Ks relievers just want to strike out the guy and do not realize that a great pitch creating a feeble grounder to the shortstop is as effective as a strikeout."


"So overall, we've got to have the youngest staff by a mile so we will experience growing pains for sure but there are heavy skills and great attitude in there. We will see how they react facing the music!"


Tune on tonight for Opening night versus the Florida Marlins, a good test to see the strength of the opposition in the National East.

[I0I HaVoK I0I]

Chris Davis is gonna be a monster

[November Raine]

Following, anybody who puts a lot of effort into their chise is worthy of following.

[I0I HaVoK I0I]

Following, anybody who puts a lot of effort into their chise is worthy of following.

Same here bro :thumbsup:

[Lostkiwi]

Comedy of errors on Opening Day

Things did not go well for the Nationals in their first game of the year as the team was easily crushed 13-4 by the Florida Marlins in a game punctuated by a multitude of errors. Adam Dunn with 2 and newly acquired 3B Cliff Pennington with 3 errors were the main culprit but the overall execution left much to be desired. Pitching was also an issue as starter John Lannan was left in too long and ended up giving 3 runs in the 7th and Tyler Clippard was unable to close the door, giving out an additional 8 runs (only 3 earned due to errors). The middle of the order was the only bright spot for the Nats as Dunn was 4/4 with 2 runs scored while Chris Davis scored twice and hit a towering homerun in a lost cause in the 9th.

For the Marling, damage was done without the help of any HRs, taking advantage of the relieving corps, scoring 3 runs in the 7th then 8 more in the 8th inning. Uggla (3/5 3RBI) and Hanley Ramirez (2/5 3R 2RBI) led the offense for the Marlins.

2nd loss vs the Marlins: Uggla sinks the Nationals

Spring Training invitee and surprised addition to the rotation Alex Cole had a rude welcome to the Majors last night as he was tagged for the loss for his 6 innings and 8 hits through which he gave 4 runs and struck out only 2. Lefthanded reliever Jerry Blevins also struggled giving up 3 runs in an inning of relief. Catcher Jesus Flores was the best offensive player for the Nats going ¾ with 2 doubles. Jason Johnson kept the Nats at bay all night going for 8 strong innings and only 2 earned runs.

Fish Sweep! Another blow-out

The year is not starting well for the Washington Nationals as they lost their 3rd game in a row, this time by an embarrassing score of 13-4. Youngster Collin Balester could not get past the 2nd inning as he gave 5 earned runs, things looking bleak from the start as Hanley Ramirez hit a leadoff HR and ended the night 4/6 with 4 runs scored. Chris Volstad pitched a good game with only 1 earned run in 8 innings.

Sports talk shows were abuzz following the loss:
- “This will be the longest year. We are on track for a 10.00 ERA and not even enough firepower to score 5 runs a game.”
- “What a bunch of bull Wetteland gave us. This rotation is the worst in the majors! Cole & Balester belongs in AAA and none of our relievers would make the team with the KC Royals!”
- “Why did we get Devine??? We wont even need a closer all year!”

Nats hit hard and quickly, win first game of the year

The first victory of the year was not an easy affair for the Nationals but they did pull through last night in Atlanta by winning 5-4 against the Braves. The Nats came ou8t strong in the first as Guzman and Pennington singled before Lastings Milledge doubled to send them home then Adam Dunn doubled the lead by smacking his 2nd homerun of the year. Japanese import Kino****a last 5 innings for the loss, giving 10 hits and 5 runs. Acquired from the Tampa Rays during Spring Training, 6’9 Jeff Niemann got the win with 6.1IP giving out 2 runs on 8 hits, striking out 3 batters. Joey Devine did give 2 runs in the 9th but struggled out of the jam for his first save of the year.

5-1 loss; Glavine masterful

John Lannan has been compared to Tom Glavine by many scouts but the veteran Braves pitcher showed the younger lefty how to get the job done. While Lannan gave 4 runs over 10 hits in 7 innings, Glavine threw a complete game while allowing only 5 hits. Brian McCann, 2 for 4 with 2RBI, provided all the offense Atlanta needed to win.

11-2 debacle: 3 games out of 6 with over 10 runs allowed

For the 3rd time in this short season, the Nationals have given up 10 runs to an opponent, this time losing 11-2 to a Braves team led by Brian McCann (2/5 3RBI) & Chipper Jones (4/5 & 3 runs) . Derek Lowe easily cruised through 6 innings for the win. Alex Cole did pitch well despite the loss, giving up 2 earned runs in 6 innings with 4 strikeouts.

Sports talk lines were fiery following the 5th loss of the season:
- “2 series down, one win. We have looked competitive in only one game this far. The defense of this team is awful. The pitching is awful. The offense is crappy.”
- “Niemann and Cole have looked good. Guzman, Dunn, Davis, Dukes and Flores have been hitting nicely. Now if we could find actual players to put around those guys, we could have a real team.”
- “I heard that Gibson was yelling for 20mins after the game. I don’t know if the coach will last the year with this group of nobodys getting slaughtered!”

Balester goes the distance for Nats’ 2nd win

After an awful first start, Collin Balester came back strong in his 2nd start of the year, spreading out 10 hits over 9 innings while fanning 6 batters. Brett Myers took the loss for the Phillies by allowing 4 runs in 4 innings of work. Midinfielders carried the offense for the Nationals as Guzman ended up 3/5 with 2RBI while Anderson Hernandez was 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

Phillies win 5-4 despite Dunn’s two homeruns

A difficult first inning sank the Nationals this afternoon. The 4 runs in the first put the Nats in a hole they could not get out of. Jeff Niemann did not receive any help from his defense as only 2 runs were earned but the tall righthander did get back under control to throw 7 innings with only those 2 earned runs on his record. Jamie Moyer got the win for his 6 innings of craftiness and Raul Ibanez led the offense with 2 runs scored and one RBI.

Carnage at Nationals Park: 19 runs for the Phillies

The pitching staff seemed unable to prevent any runs last night for the locals as the Nationals lost their 7th game of the year by a score of 19 to 4. Eric Hurley started his first game of the year and lasted only 2 innings, giving up 11 hits and 8 runs including 3 homeruns. For Philadelphia, Joe Blanton had a difficult game giving up 4 runs in 4 innings of work but Durbin, Eyre, Romero & Madson closed the door in relief. The whole Phillies lineup hit the Nats pitchers hard but Jayson Werth with 2HR and 3RBI , Ibanez had a 5/5 day with 4 runs scored while Ryan Howard ended up 3 for 6 with 3R & 3RBI.

Following the game, Garrett Mock was placed on the 15 day DL with a hamstring injury. The Nationals took that opportunity to make some changes to their relief corps by recalling Matt Chico and Jesus Colome. Struggling lefthander Jerry Blevins who had an astronomical ERA of 31.23 in 4.2 innings of work with 18 hits was sent to AAA.

- “This is crazy! We are getting slaughtered out there. I was at the game and there wasn’t more than 5000 people in the stands.”
- “I thought Hershiser said Hurley was great?? My mom throws better than that guy. Send him back to AAA and call back a real prospect.”