Hippity Hoppity Losing's On Its Way

Another game, another loss. What more can we expect?

What's amazing about the team at this point is how they're losing. For the most part, they're not kicking the ball all over the park. They're not really making mental errors (sure, there've been a few, but they're not infecting the team). They're getting hits. They're drawing walks. They've even hit for a smidge of occasional power.

But when you sum up the parts, what do ya have? A pretty crappy team.

They remind me of what would happen if MLB had a European soccer style system of promotion and relegation. The Nationals are playing as if they were the International League (AAA) Champion. They've got lots of talent, and they're playing well. They just don't have the talent to compete, and they're being throughly outperformed in every facet of the game.

Today's game was a perfect example. They didn't really do anything wrong. (Here's where the peanut gallery will gnash their teeth and point to the throwing error early in the game, which the terribly incompetent official scorer ruled as an error on Ryan Zimmerman!?!?)

Shawn Hill pitched well, for the most part. He made one mistake when he left a pitch high, that Orlando Hudson (playing the part of Miguel Cabrera) slammed into the right-field gap.

They hit well, for the most part. Sure, they couldn't get the big hit, but they strung together a few, and were patient enough off Livan to get a few walks. But isn't that what a AAA team would do?

They fielded well, for the most part. Ryan Church battled a few balls, but he made some tough running catches on a few balls that were tailing from him. Felipe Lopez made a number of crisp throws from short, looking better there than he did all last year. Jesus Flores allowed (well, really it was the pitcher's fault) a stolen base, but unleashed an absolute rocket of a throw, a low missile which would've decapitated any worm unlucky enough to poke its head out.

Add it up and it's another loss. Oh well.

Nationals Enquirer has taken to calling the team the NAAAts. It really seems appropriate.

Jesus Flores impressed me. Not only did he fire off that rocket, but I really liked his approach at the plate. He was very patient with Livan and was able to foul off some of his slop, working deep in the count in both his plate appearances, walking once and smacking a hard hit ball to center in the other.

Man, it was cold out there today. I didn't brave any of the night games, but I can't imagine how nutty you'd have to have been to stick through those.