Fouled-Off Bunts: In Their Own Words Edition

OMG does actual analysis as opposed to the random numbers I sprayed out there the other day.

it’s that the bottom of the bullpen is doing much worse. Or more accurately doing much worse far more often. In 2005, Horgan, Osuna, Nitkowsi, TJ Tucker, Travis Hughes (all the just bullpen pitchers with ERA > 5.00) pitched a total of 37 1/3 innings. In 2006, Stanton, Jason Bergmann, Felix Rodriguez, Santiago Ramirez, and Eischen have pitched 87 1/3 innings so far. (Even if you take out Stanton they are still at 50+ innings with half a season to go) We’ve wasted a lot of innings on pitchers who weren’t very good (X-Rod) or pitching guys the wrong way (Eischen held lefties to a .087 average, while righties hit .421 off him, yet he faced 23 lefties and 38 righties this year.)

NFA notes some positive developments in draft land:

On Friday, the Nationals agreed to terms with the first of the Big Six draft picks, signing 1st round draft pick (#22 overall) RHP Colton Willems. Willems agreed to a $1.425 million signing bonus on Friday. The Nationals also agreed to give Willems up to $80,000 for college - $10,000 for each of eight semesters. And then Monday evening, the Nationals added a second one, signing their first draft pick 3B/OF Chris Marrero (#15 overall) to a deal including a $1.625M bonus.

NTP sez "Trade (almost) Everybody!"

Everyone associated with the team has been careful to say that "building for the future" is not a synonym for "fire sale." The unfortunate truth is that the Nationals don't have enough premium talent to conduct a fire sale even if that was the plan. The clubs most attractive bargaining chips are Alfonso Soriano, Livan Hernandez, Jose Vidro and Jose Guillen. Let's look at each of them in turn:

Nats Blog tries to be the helicoptered water bucket with a scuba diver inside on the out-of-control brush fire that is Mets' hubris.

If the Mets split with the Red Sox and Yankees this week -- no small feat -- they will be 50-31, the same first-half record as our beloved nine in 2005.

Beltway Boys feels the malaise:

I don't want to complain about the Nationals' latest loss, a 6-0 drubbing at the hands of "Canada's team," the Toronto Blue Jays. Because the losses are becoming more regular, lashing out at the team's play, or desire, or even their uniforms, won't matter very much. You know the changes are coming, and they're probably coming soon.

Nationals Enquirer depresses us further:

Assume the position: That thud you heard shortly after 10 pm last night? That was the sound of the Nationals touching down in last place in the NL East as Atlanta finished off the Yankees. Nats, Braves, tied for last at 33-45.

Yesterday stunk, but the Duck goes to Daryle Ward. Don't see his name in the boxscore? Barry tells us why:

When Tuesday's lineup originally was posted in the Nationals clubhouse, Daryle Ward was listed as the designated hitter and cleanup man. Problem: Ward was in Washington. His flight to Toronto left from Reagan National Airport, but he mistakenly drove to Dulles. He tried to take a later flight, then was delayed by weather. Ward arrived around 7:30 p.m. for a 7:07 start.

Reliever Mike Stanton missed the game because he was delayed by weather leaving his home in New Jersey. Both players were permitted to fly separately from the team -- which flew up Sunday night -- so they could spend time with their families. Robinson, though, said both will be fined.

"This is still my job," Ward said, "and I'm supposed to be here."

Had the Nats won, Mike Stanton would've earned the Whip.

Finally, let's listen to Jim Bowden's words, crowing about how happy he was NOT to have signed AJ Burnett (he of the 90-pitch CG shutout):

Oh, and what if A.J. Burnett had accepted our four-year offer? Like Loaiza, Burnett hasn’t won a game for his new team, the Blue Jays, and is on the disabled list ... again. Remember, he got close to $55 million for five years.

or:

I’ve had plenty of e-mails from fans suggesting if we had an owner we could have kept Esteban Loaiza and signed A.J. Burnett, Kevin Millwood and/or Jarrod Washburn. So, for a mere $35 million for this year alone, you could have had a starting pitching rotation that is a combined 2-9.

In fact, two of our signings, Billy Traber and Tony Armas, have as many wins as those pitchers combined.