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Assistant athletic trainer Mike McGowan (right) has been busy attending to center |
BY RICH CAMPBELL
WASHINGTON--
There were plenty of reasons for optimism on Feb. 15. General manager Jim Bowden, sitting in his temporary office overlooking the plush baseball diamond at Space Coast Stadium in Viera, Fla., declared that his Washington Nationals were "ready to win more games than we lose."For one, no baseball had been played yet--always a positive when you're talking about a last-place team. And at that time, few of his players had torn muscles or broken bones.
Back then, the Nationals' outlook was all about blossoming position players, an unheralded pitching staff eager to overachieve for the second straight year and a sparkling new ballpark in which to show them off.
It didn't take long, though, for injuries and underachievement to obliterate any hope for a winning record. Now, you hear the buzzwords of a losing team--"pride" and "spoilers"--in forecasts for the second half of the year, which begins tonight at Atlanta.
At this point, the Nationals hope that they can get healthy enough to salvage something--anything--positive from an otherwise miserable season.
"We can't be any worse than we have been this year," catcher Paul Lo Duca said. "We've had some tough breaks. We need to come out in the second half and play with pride."
The ugly numerical totals from the first half fully depict the putrid product on display on South Capitol Street the last 3 months. The Nationals have limped to a major league-worst 36-60 record, and they rank last in the majors in two critical offensive categories: runs per game (3.6) and batting average (.239).
At some point during the first half--perhaps when third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, Washington's best player, was sidelined on May 26--injuries transitioned from an excuse to the reason that Washington has played so poorly.
'IT SEEMS BIBLICAL'
Sixteen different players have spent time on the disabled list this season, forcing manager Manny Acta to field a lineup full of Triple-A players and major-league backups.
"The constellation of misfortune is striking," team orthopedist Ben Shaffer said. "It seems biblical. The reality is there are a number of different events that are not related, and most of them are traumatic and unavoidable--fit individuals that were not predisposed in any way [to injury]."
Lo Duca, for example, missed 36 games with a broken right hand after being hit by a pitch. Zimmerman has missed 44 games after slightly tearing the labrum in his left shoulder while diving into second base. Center fielder Lastings Milledge strained his right groin when his foot became wedged between the ground and the outfield fence.
The expected healthy return of Zimmerman, Milledge and others, such as outfielder Elijah Dukes, is the key to a palatable second half, players and team management said.
"If we can get some people back, get healthy it makes us a little bit deeper," Zimmerman said. "Just score some runs, play defense and ride our defense like we have all year."
Ah, the defense. It ranked third in the National League with a .986 fielding percentage before Zimmerman was sidelined on May 26. Now, the unit's .981 percentage is the second-worst in baseball--a product of players being shuffled to unfamiliar positions.
"You can't win when you lose all those people, especially your closer [Chad Cordero] and Nos. 3, 4, 5 [hitters]," Zimmerman said. "If we can get a team back on the field now and learn how to play as a team, that will be better."
DIFFERENT GOALS
Wins and losses no longer are paramount. The mountain to climb in that regard is too steep. Instead, Acta is eager to see improved play.
No more bobbles. No more swinging over top of breaking balls out of the strike zone. No more throws to the wrong base.
"I'm not putting numbers on our goals, just continue to make progress," Acta said. "Add up a couple of those guys that are hurt and just play better overall."
Perhaps the starting rotation provides starting point. For the second-straight season, the group silenced those who questioned their collective ability out of spring training.
Three of the five starters (John Lannan, Tim Redding and Odalis Perez) have ERAs under 4.00, and Jason Bergmann's in 4.02. Only Redding has a winning record, but this group is looking more and more like a building block for the future.
"I don't know where we would be without those guys," Acta said.
Collin Balester, the starting pitcher with the highest ERA (5.87), is one of the organization's top prospects. He represents Washington's other goal for the second half--continue to introduce prospects to the majors so they overcome their growing pains while the wins and losses don't impact any postseason chances.
The next 2 months likely will provide fans with some faces to put with the names that the organization has touted in its plan to build through scouting and development.
Pitchers such as Jordan Zimmermann, Zech Zinicola and Adrian Alaniz could debut in the majors, and starters Tyler Clippard and Garrett Mock could return. The reserve of position-player prospects is not as deep, but Double-A outfielder Mike Daniel is a candidate to be called up.
Space for those prospects could begin to appear as the trading deadline approaches. Lo Duca, Redding and Perez are the team's best trading chips--providing they don't dip into their pool of prospects.
And keep in mind that many of the Nationals' core players are also young. Zimmerman (23), Milledge (23), Dukes (24) and catcher Jesus Flores (23) are still developing, so the team expects to reap future benefits from all the playing time they can get down the stretch.
"It would nice if we could get [our young players] healthy so the last month-plus they're on the field preparing for next year," Bowden said. "We'll continue to watch the development of our young players and give other young players opportunities when we get to September."
Those, then, are the only consolations after such a miserable start. And as Zimmerman pointed out, there's no such thing as momentum from the end of this season carrying over to next year. The Nationals went 37-37 after last year's all-star break and look where they are.
"Does anything redeem the way we've played up until now?" Bowden asked. "No. It is what it is."
Rich Campbell: 540/735-1974
Email: rcampbell@freelancestar.com
The Nationals' first-half injury report resembled a M*A*S*H episode. Here is the extensive list of the team's walking wounded and when they're expected to return: Player Injury ETA 3B Ryan Zimmerman Left shoulder Next week CF Lastings Milledge Right groin strain 2 weeks C Johnny Estrada Right elbow neuritis Next week RHP Shawn Hill Right forearm strain No timetable OF Elijah Dukes Right knee Late August IF Aaron Boone Left calf strain Next week RHP Ryan Wagner Right shoulder Late July RHP Chad Cordero Right shoulder 2009 1B Nick Johnson Right wrist 2009 OF Wily Mo Pena Left shoulder No timetable NOTE: C Paul Lo Duca (right hand, 52 games) and RF Austin Kearns (right elbow, 38 games) have returned from injuries after missing substantial time.
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