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Yay! The .500 yo-yo'ing continues! After getting swept by Boston (and really after the Red Sox starting pitcher Rich Porcello had that bases-clearing double off of Max Scherzer in game 1, you just knew the Nats weren't winning any games that series) they welcomed in the Marlins and preceded to go down 9-0 in the 4th or 5th inning, so my thinking since I was at a tournament in PA I was happy I wasn't going to be tuned in for a few days. But they came back from that 9-0 deficit to win 14-12, won game 2 on Mark Reynolds walk off homer, had a 10 RBI game from Reynolds in game 3 before preceding to get crushed in the finale, and than lost in Pittsburgh Monday. The Pittsburgh series continues through Wednesday afternoon, and than they'll finish the first half portion of the schedule with 4 in Queens.
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Originally Posted by Joke Insurance
If we still trade for another SP, who should we get and who should we trade away?
With all the trades they've made the last few years they don't have anyone to trade that's worth a damn, plus I don't see this team doing anything in the playoffs regardless. They may not even make it out of the NL, but they certainly aren't beating whoever comes out of the AL, so don't throw Victor Robles or Juan Soto away for Cole Hamels just to lose in 6 games to the Yankees instead of 5. They can go get a minor piece (J.A. Happ from Toronto) without giving up the farm, but their best course of action is to ride it out, hope Strasburg is healthy and can stay healthy, and hope Harper & Murphy figure it out. I have no expectations at all in the second half, maybe I'll get proven wrong??
Going backwards again! I figured the last 11 games of the first half when they played 11 straight games against teams with under .500 records they had to go at least 7-4, but more than likely 8-3 or even 9-2 if they wanted to stay in the race. Through 7 of those 11 games they are "only" 4-3 and really should be lucky they are 4-3 as they should probably be 3-4, and sweeping 4 game series at home much less on the road is a pretty tall task, and that's what the Nats face in Queens.
We've played over 50% of the season, and this is a .500 team, a mediocre team at best. To quote Herm Edwards "You are what your record says you are" and the record says the Nats are an average team. With all the prospects Rizzo has traded away in the last 18 months IF they lose any more than 1 game in Queens I would put practically the entire team on the trade block. Harper?? Take him please, he's not doing a damn thing this year and not resigning here. Rendon?? Take him too! He's at least got a chance of resigning, but he's a FA after 2019, may even get a better prospect package back for Rendon since the team that gets him gets him for 2 playoff races instead of just one (unless the Cubs or Dodgers trade and he resigns there). Strasburg?? No one is going to take that contract, but I don't think he can pitch in the playoffs, and now is consistently hurt. Scherzer?? Ditto with him, but I think he's already past his prime it will be very difficult for him to keep putting up the numbers he's been putting up, especially with this delivery and the workload.
Roark basically has the same ERA, give or take .50 runs that he had last year at this time, except the win-loss record was reversed. I've said what I need to say about Roark on here before and it's worth repeating again: He's not really a strike out pitcher as he's a pitch to contact guy so I knew one of these years he was gonna have a 8-16 type season because you usually can't put up multiple straight double digit win totals when the ball gets hit into play the majority of your starts. He's another guy I'd consider shopping these next 2 weeks.
Roark basically has the same ERA, give or take .50 runs that he had last year at this time, except the win-loss record was reversed. I've said what I need to say about Roark on here before and it's worth repeating again: He's not really a strike out pitcher as he's a pitch to contact guy so I knew one of these years he was gonna have a 8-16 type season because you usually can't put up multiple straight double digit win totals when the ball gets hit into play the majority of your starts. He's another guy I'd consider shopping these next 2 weeks.
Wheeler or Lugo from Mets would get far better return than Roark, whose best IMO is behind him.
Lost 2 of 3 in Pittsburgh and than split 2 of 4 in New York to hover right at that invisible .500 barrier they can't seem to get across. Good news on the horizon though: Ryan Zimmerman & Stephen Strasburg activated off the DL (Strasburg is starting Friday) and they are still in the hunt for Realmuto as the catching position on the Nats has been a big gaping black hole in the lineup. But they should wait to hold off on any trades until after this 6 game stretch with the Brewers & Braves. If they are still at or under .500 after those 6 games than it's probably too late to do something drastic and they should just ride it out and or sell, but if they can get a 4-2, 5-1, hell even 6-0 stretch than they should pounce on Realmuto. 3 home games against the Braves (and I'll be there Saturday!!) than right back on the road 3 in Milwaukee and 4 in Miami to bring us to the conclusion of the last week of July.
With Strasburg getting hurt again and Doolittle having a set back in his rehab it's not looking promising so they should sell all the impending FA's and get what you can get. Just because you are selling it doesn't mean you can be written off, hell it happened last year with the Twins they were considered a "seller" at the deadline yet they ended up making it to the playoffs as one of the 2 AL Wildcards. Even IF they sweep the Marlins (and they probably won't) that only leaves them 3 games above .500 heading to July 31, and still likely in need of a spark. Does JT Realmuto leave with the Nats on Sunday?? If so, that could be the spark, but it would dwindle the prospect base even further, I think the spark has to come by trading a bunch of these guys.
Split 2 games with Atlanta to open the break after the middle game was postponed, lost 2 of 3 in Milwaukee, and split 2 games with Marlins having an embarrassing final 2 games of that series scoring 1 run in 19 innings combined Saturday & Sunday. Off day Monday, Mets come in for 2 games beginning Tuesday, and than Reds finish the week for 4. Time to sell some of these impeding FA's and get back something.
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