“Everyday Americans need a champion. And I want to be that champion,” Bryce Harper and the 2015 Nationals

Strasburg exits in 3rd inning. Oh dear.

being checked by chiropractor for "lingering shoulder blade issue"

Scherzer may get a win for his worst outing of the year (3-run Stanton HR)

and Harper might get up again

...well, probably not w/out extras now.

and the tying runs are on

I like Stanton's "G" face guard -- hadn't seen it before.

This guy is never going to pan out.

Harper must be one of the youngest to have a 3 homer game.

youngest player with 3 HR in a game since Joe Lahoud (22 yrs, 53 days) on June 11, 1969

youngest player with three straight HR in a game since Boog Powell on August 10, 1963

youngest player with at least 3 HR & 5 RBI in a game since Al Kaline on April 17, 1955

also

@jazayerli
I mean, we're all - justifiably - getting excited about Bubba Starling, who's in Double-A. Harper is 2 months YOUNGER than Starling.

Bubba Starling.

I swear you americans give weird names.

Another two today.

HR for Harper.

tbf bubba's actual first name is derek, and no one wants that

Now it's a walk of HR. Dude is unstoppable.

"I don't think 40,000 people came to watch him ump tonight. Plain and simple," Harper continued. "I really don't think they did. Especially when we're playing the Yankees. The Yankees are a good team, we're a good team and we're rolling. I don't want to get tossed. There's no reason for me to get tossed in that situation. I don't think I did anything bad to get tossed. Maybe he just had a bad morning or he didn't get his coffee."

http://www.csnwashington.com/baseball-washington-nationals/talk/harper-williams-strongly-disagree-ejections-win-vs-yankees

@JamesWagnerWP
Dan Uggla hasn't played much but he's made an impact in Nats clubhouse -- with his hugs. "A big bicep teddy bear."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/nationals-journal/wp/2015/05/29/dan-uggla-is-a-good-hugger-washington-nationals-say

homoerotic headline, or the seepage of cuddle parties into sports culture?

swept by the Redlegs! in trouble?

Rendon activated.

so I'm starting to believe that they will just keep on semi-sucking, with Werth out most of the summer and Harper, Espinosa and Escobar the only offensive threats, and the pitching all over the place.

And it's p much the Mets' only hope now, winning the divison.

Harper, Espinosa and Escobar the only offensive threats

i don't know, Rendon is back, and Span's got a 118 wRC+. pitching is obviously a strength (5th-best FIP in MLB, just behind the mets). i haven't watched them play too much this year so who knows, but i figured if they're only half a game back after underperforming for so long, they could pull away quickly if they get hot

oh i still like their odds, but it's all i have left.

I know Rendon is back, but i will blindly assume he's playing hurt til the stats say otherwise.

pepco amirite

BP odds now have NL East winner as Nats 60/Mets 40

@washingnats
Jonathan Papelbon said he wants to continue to close because he wants Mariano Rivera's saves record. #Nats #Nationals #MLB

That's MLB writer William Ladson, aka "washin gnats."

@washingnats
Jonathan Papelbon said he feels free and like starting a new life by joining the #Nats. #MLB #Nationals

@washingnats
According to Jonathan Papelbon, Doug Fister has been compensated for giving up No. 58. #Nats #Nationals #MLB

He gets to shine Papelbon's cleats? What the fuck?

https://s1.2mdn.net/viewad/2946704/300x250_ChiaPet.jpg

not sure i knew werth was back

some guys -- like werth and victorino and swisher -- are basically always rehabbing or will be shortly

Escobar nearly threw the game away, to the delight of a spectating John McCain, but not quite.

Looking at Scherzer's career box, and after seven seasons of a K/BB ratio between 2.63-4.29, he's at 8.23 this year. I would think a jump like that mid-career is extremely rare.

A couple of points of comparison that came to mind:

Koufax -- 1.07-3.79 first eight seasons, 5.28 in '63. (Different progression, though--more of a two-step spike from '61 to '63.)

Mike Scott -- Between 1.00-2.00 first six seasons, then 4.25 in his Cy Young year.

Proportionally, those two are fairly similar.

Jonathan Papelbon said he wants to continue to close because he wants Mariano Rivera's saves record.

Papelbon has 344 saves. Mariano has 652. Papelbon is 34 years old. Good luck with that.

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-collapse-of-the-nationals

a leetle premature w/ the headline

Oof

lol

I think we just saw plumber butt on national tv

i don't often say this about a Cardinal win but YEEEEEEEHAWWWWWW

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/09/02/matt-williams-puts-up-another-strong-performance-in-his-quest-to-get-himself-fired/

@NoahFrankWTOP
A friend just pointed out: #Nats have 6 walk-off losses. All were tie games. Designated closer (Storen/Papelbon) appeared in none of them

Right before Moss hit the home run, the Cardinal announcer said that when Jansen throws more than 18 pitches his ERA is over 11.

Then on his 21st pitch, 3 run homer.

But how would papelbon get the save if the game is tied? Duh!

But yeah, Williams might be the only manager who makes worse on-the-field decisions than matheny (who made some terrible moves himself last night). Does he balance it with being a good "clubhouse manager", keeping players happy, dealing with clashing personalities, etc? I don't know anything about it but based off of his benching Harper for not hustling enough (lol) it seems like he isn't.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/COEcwuoUwAAKM8v.png

Goid mprning

@pgammo
Scherzer frustration:10-7, 2.11, 10.71 K-BB 1st half; 1-4, 5.12, 5.12, 6.25 K-BB 2d half. ERA bv month:1.26, 1.67, 2.33, 3.40, 6.43, 5.25

“[Papelbon’s] our closer,” Matt Williams said Wednesday morning in his weekly spot with “The Junkies” on 106.7 The Fan, speaking of Papelbon, idle the previous two nights. “He’s the one that closes the game.”

that is almost, almost, but not quite, as dimwitted as matheny and "non-save situation. we're on the road."

ha, well it's obviously anecdotal, but every game i've attended there has been dismal. i chalk it up to DC being such a transient place. feels like the nats are everyone's second favorite team there.

better that than real-life hatcats/caps/terps fans

not sure how the nats are going to finish this game without their closer

don cherry is weighing in on the papelbon affair; i'll bet you (canadians) can guess where he stands

given that papelbon has authority as judge and deliverer of punishment, and that he judged harper to be guilty of not hustling enough, the only question left was whether the sentence would be an immediate choking, a suckerpunch in the locker room, or a spinning Zangief-style piledriver into a pile of empty fragile crates in the corner of the room.

(xpost) Ditto Don Cherry Jr., Gregg Zaun, who says that Harper would have lost his MVP vote over this incident. You read that right the first time.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CQFbOIJVAAA1fDX.jpg

judge lee judge

CJ Nitkowski has opinions. as usual, they're terrible

I've been focused on the what and not the why about Pap/Harp, so it's been interesting to figure out that this wasn't really about hustle but about Harper criticizing Papelbon in public Thursday night for beaning Machado.

baseball's juvenile self-governance horseshit is outdated and stale.

For the headline--the piece itself is just okay.

https://medium.com/sportspickle/jonathan-papelbon-arrested-after-strangling-man-with-17-grocery-items-in-15-items-or-less-line-b4af48685383

see that would be totally justifiable

matt williams, buried: https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nationals/trade-for-jonathan-papelbon-had-disastrous-results-for-the-nationals/2015/09/30/0aef1564-66ee-11e5-8325-a42b5a459b1e_story.html

daaaang

matt williams, fired

too bad rizzo couldn't have joined him

he was the manager, he was the one who managed the game

Guess he won't be a repeat manager of the year...

'contacted' Dusty Baker YESSSSSSSSSSS

Jim (on the ledge): Okay, Keith. Washington’s first managerial interview is with Dusty Baker. I’m hoping it’s just a “courtesy” interview, although saying he’s “better than Williams” doesn’t reassure me. Granted the Prior/Wood issues were over 10 years ago, and lineup construction can be overrated, but still, how worried should I be?

Klaw: He’s absolutely not worth hiring. It would be a dumb PR-oriented move that would be more likely to set the franchise back rather than forward, and with the Mets ascendant and only likely to improve from here – it’s pretty easy to forecast them as a 95-win team in 2016 with only marginal changes – the Nats would be shooting themselves in the face by hiring someone so regressive.

also heard bud black was in the running for the spot

http://www.federalbaseball.com/2015/10/18/9563981/washington-nationals-rumors-will-the-nats-consider-trading-stephen-strasburg

Larry King @kingsthings
Congratulations to my pal @dbaker_12, he's the new manager of the @MLB @Nationals. Play ball!

some choice quotes from ol' Dusty:

"I don’t think of myself as 66 years old. I don’t know how old I am sometimes...not to sound cocky or nothing, but I don’t see a whole bunch of dudes out there that look better than me now."

"Adapation is no problem for me. My friends call me a chameleon because they think I can adapt any place, any time, anywhere. I would like to think that I transcend different generations - like some musicians. I mean, Stevie wonder still sounds good"

my eyes are watering. please tell me you made that last one up.

I accidentally cut some off, I encourage you to read this

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2015/11/05/dusty-baker-wins-the-press-conference-with-one-terrific-quote-after-another/

“I do know quite a few politicians, from the president down,” he said. “It’s a perfect fit because of the culture here, the educational system here, I’d like to turn my son on to the diversity that’s here. Last night I went to a Wizards game and I saw people from all over the country and all over the world. I used to call myself back in the day International Bakey, even though I wasn’t international yet. Now I have an opportunity to be international and feel as such. I’m used to diversity, and this is probably the most diverse setting and the most diverse town that I’ve been in.”

this isn't a Clickhole article, believe it or not

is he doing this intentionally? like - is he just throwing shit out there to mess with us – or are these all earnest blatherings?!

dusty's just l-i-v-i-n

Dusty supposedly smoked a J with Jimi Hendrix.

Ol' Bakey indeed! ==~~

http://deadspin.com/dusty-baker-once-smoked-a-joint-with-jimi-hendrix-1737726562?trending_test_a&utm_expid=66866090-62._DVNDEZYQh2S4K00ZSnKcw.1&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fsearch.yahoo.com%2F