WEDNESDAY, JULY 28, 2010


KLMNO BASEBALL


Journal 6


Nationals washingtonpost.com/nationals Dunn stays relaxed


as decision nears On Monday night, Adam Dunn felt


curious about what might happen between now and the trade deadline. All along, Dunn has stayed out of the business side of his situation. But he called his agent Monday night, and while they spoke he could not quell the temptation to wonder. “He was like, ‘Oh, now you want to


know, huh?’ ” Dunn said Tuesday afternoon. “I said, ‘You’re right, I don’t.’ Now I do want to know. It’s [ticking] me off. It’s kind of like when you’re having a kid. You kind of want to know, you kind of want to see what happens.” Dunn remains at the center of


constant trade rumors, but with a decision nearing he is still ignoring the talk, even telling those involved he doesn’t want to know. Dunn has


DUNN


purposefully kept himself in the dark about what his


future holds, a


future that will be decided within the next five days. “It’s very easy for me to block it out,” Dunn said. “I understand it’s my career, but the options are pretty good. I stay where I want to stay, or I go and probably get a chance to play for a World Series, definitely in a pennant race. That’s two pretty awesome options. I’m in a win-win situation.” Dunn allowed that he’s frustrated with the lack of a conclusion. “If you’d asked me three months ago if I thought we would have a deal worked out, absolutely,” Dunn said. “But again, that’s the business side where I don’t even want to get involved in. I don’t know what’s going to happen.”


Regardless of the result, though, Dunn will not harbor ill feelings toward the Nationals, he said. His representatives have been talking with the Nationals since the spring, and, contrary to what a team source told the Post, Dunn said his representatives have not tried to set any kind of deadline for contract-extension negotiations to be completed. His feelings toward the team, he said, have not changed. “I don’t know how to put it, man. I really don’t have a feeling, because I’ve done everything I can, expressed everything I wanted to express. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. Whatever. It’s fine.”


While Dunn believes he will benefit from either signing an extension or being traded, his preference remains to stay. Dunn believes the Nationals, despite their 42-57 record, are close to contention. The appeal of staying lies in helping transform a perpetual loser into a winner. “That’s the reason why I wanted to come here,” Dunn said. “I could have went somewhere that was already winning. Who cares? So what? I want to turn something around and be part of something special. . . . I’ve already been stuck here with 100 losses. I want to win 100 here.”


Minor leaguer suspended Nationals minor league shortstop


Pedro Lopez and three other minor leaguers each received 50-game suspensions for use of banned performance enhancing substances, the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced. Lopez, who tested positive for


Formestane, is currently with Class AAA Syracuse and was batting .216 with one homer and 11 RBI in 58 games.


— Adam Kilgore


Told minutes before the first pitch he would be the replacement starter for Stephen Strasburg, Miguel Batista walked casually to the Washington dug- out, smiling practically the entire trip from the bullpen. There was no in- dication of any unease that may have overwhelmed other less grizzled players facing this particularly odd circum- stance. Batista instead very much resembled the youthful, hard-throwing ace most of the 40,043 at Nationals Park came to see tame the Atlanta Braves, tossing five scoreless innings that included six strikeouts and just one walk in a 3-0 vic- tory. That three-hit outing was more than enough to win over an initially grumpy fan base that booed Batista when he was announced. “Imagine if you go to see Miss Uni- verse, then you end up having Miss Iowa, you might get those kind of boos,” Batista said. “But it’s okay. They have to understand that as an organization we


JOHN MCDONNELL/THE WASHINGTON POST Pitching coach Steve McCatty, left, and the Nats threw in the towel on Stephen Strasburg; Miguel Batista, right, was ready.


Batista wins fans, game for Nationals Initially booed as Strasburg’s


replacement, 39-year-old pitcher leads 3-0 win


by Gene Wang


have to make sure that the kid is fine. You don’t want to expose him out there and screw up his future.” By the time Batista exited to rousing applause, the Nationals (43-57) were well on their way to ending a three-game slide in their first home game in more than two weeks. Batista’s effort coupled with Ian Desmond’s two RBI and some nifty running by leadoff hitter Nyjer Morgan for the game’s first run also trig- gered a wave of optimism to start this six-game home stand after a 3-7 trip. Batista (1-2) was masterful in his first


start in nearly two years after moving past the first inning during which he hit No. 2 batter Jason Heyward, the Braves’ rookie phenom who has garnered as much attention in Atlanta as Strasburg has in the nation’s capital. Batista, 39, began to overpower the


Braves (57-42) in the second, when he struck out left fielder Eric Hinske and starting pitcher Tommy Hanson (8-7), both swinging. In the third, Batista fanned leadoff hitter Martin Prado look- ing and got Heyward swinging, then in the fourth struck out catcher Brian McCann and first baseman Troy Glaus. “I just tried to give the people what


they came to see,” Batista said. “They came to see a 20-year-old and ended up having [someone] almost 40. They were expecting 10 strikeouts on the bump, but


S


D5


NATIONALS 3, BRAVES 0 Atlanta


Prado 2b


Heyward rf C.Jones 3b McCann c Hinske lf Glaus 1b


Ale.Gonzalez ss Me.Cabrera cf Hanson p M.Diaz ph Venters p Totals


Washington Morgan cf


C.Guzman 2b


Alb.Gonzalez 2b Zimmerman 3b A.Dunn 1b Capps p


Willingham lf Bernadina rf I.Rodriguez c Desmond ss Batista p


S.Burnett p Morse ph Storen p


A.Kennedy 1b Totals


Atlanta Washington Atlanta


Hanson (L, 8-7) Venters


Washington


Batista (W, 1-2) S.Burnett Storen


Capps (S, 25)


AB R H BI BB SO AVG 4 0 0 0 0 2 .316 3 0 0 0 0 2 .273 4 0 1 0 0 0 .255 4 0 0 0 0 1 .271 4 0 2 0 0 1 .284 3 0 0 0 1 3 .249 3 0 0 0 0 0 .302 3 0 2 0 0 0 .267 1 0 0 0 0 1 .139 1 0 0 0 0 0 .252 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 30 0 5 0 1 10 — AB R H BI BB SO AVG 4 1 1 0 0 0 .259 4 0 0 0 0 3 .283 0 0 0 0 0 0 .301 4 0 1 0 0 2 .294 4 0 0 0 0 2 .278 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 3 0 1 0 0 0 .274 3 1 1 0 0 1 .271 3 1 0 0 0 1 .264 3 0 2 2 0 0 .251 2 0 0 0 0 1 .167 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- 1 0 0 0 0 0 .345 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500 0 0 0 0 0 0 .258 31 3 6 2 0 10 —


000 000 000 —052 120 000 00x —360


E: C.Jones (8), McCann (9). LOB: Atlanta 6, Washington 4. 2B: Hinske (18), Zimmerman (22). RBI: Desmond 2 (42). SB: Mor- gan 2 (27), Willingham (8), Desmond (9). S: Hanson.


IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA 6 6 3 1 0 8 88 3.99 2 0 0 0 0 2 23 1.08 IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA 5 3 0 0 1 6 83 4.09 2 2 0 0 0 1 30 2.86 1 0 0 0 0 2 8 2.73 1 0 0 0 0 1 10 2.80


HBP: by Batista (Heyward). T: 2:24. A: 40,043 (41,546).


HOW THEY SCORED


I’m too old for 10. I tried to give them the best I could, stay in the game, make the guys swing the bat because I knew I was limited on my pitches.” By the time Batista handed over the ball to reliever Sean Burnett to start the sixth, the Nationals had scored all the runs they needed in support of their emergency starter. Washington got its first run when Morgan singled in the first, stole second, then third and came home on McCann’s throwing error. In the second, right fielder Roger Ber- nadina singled with none out, and catch- er Iván Rodríguez followed with a shot down the third base line. Chipper Jones threw to second to try for the force, but the ball was off target, allowing Bernadi- na to end up on third and Rodriguez on second. Desmond then drove the first pitch he saw to left-center to score both runners. “You can’t explain how huge that is for


[Batista] and for us,” said Drew Storen, who pitched the eighth before Matt Capps set down the Braves in order in the ninth for his 25th save. Batista “has come in tight spots all year and eaten up some innings for us. To go out there to- day and throw a shutout like he did and then turn it over to the bullpen, you couldn’t ask for anything better than that.”


wangg@washpost.com


Nationals first: Morgan singled. Morgan stole second. Morgan stole third, Morgan scored on McCann throwing error. Guzman struck out. Zimmerman doubled. A.Dunn grounded out, Zimmerman to third. Willing- ham flied out. Nationals, 1-0. Nationals second: Bernadina singled. I.Rod- riguez safe on fielder’s choice and C.Jones’s error, Bernadina to third. Desmond singled, Bernadina scored, I.Rodriguez scored. Batista struck out. Morgan fouled out. Desmond stole second. Guzman struck out. Final Score: Nationals, 3-0.


NATIONALS ON DECK


VS. BRAVES Wednesday, 7:05 (MASN) Thursday, 12:35 (MASN)


VS. PHILLIES Friday, 7:05 (MASN) Saturday, 7:05 (MASN) Sunday, 1:35 (MASN, WDCW Channel 50)


AT DIAMONDBACKS Monday, 9:40 (MASN) Tuesday, 9:40 (MASN2) Aug. 4, 9:40 (MASN2) Aug. 5, 9:40 (MASN2)


RADIO: WFED (820 AM, 1500 AM)


Read Adam Kilgore’s Nationals Journal at washingtonpost.com


Nats’ Strasburg takes a seat after struggling to loosen up nationals from D1


similar stiffness and inflammation at San Diego State. He threw a clean bull- pen session over the weekend and felt fine after playing catch Monday. Strasburg went through his typical pregame routine. Early Tuesday after- noon, Strasburg appeared calm, at ease. He sat at his locker watching video on his laptop, then moved to a clubhouse couch comfortably. He laughed when a clubhouse attendant told a joke. He long-tossed in right field of Nation-


als Park, his normal program. Things changed when he entered the bullpen. He threw four or five pitches, and pitch- ing coach Steve McCatty could sense something off. He asked Strasburg how he felt. “I feel stiff,” Strasburg said. “My shoulder’s stiff.” “I didn’t see anything,” Iván Rodrí- guez said afterward. “[But] he wasn’t looking the way that I always see him when I catch him in the bullpen.” McCatty got the attention of bullpen


coach Jim Lett, who dialed a phone con- nected to the dugout to speak with Man- ager Jim Riggleman. He and McCatty spoke briefly and decided Strasburg could warm up more and try to loosen his shoulder, but knew that would not be the prudent decision. “I didn’t hear in Steve McCatty’s voice that this has got a


chance to be something real serious,” Riggleman said. “Hopefully it’s not.” Trainer Lee Kuntz called Rizzo in his


office, and “I pulled the plug on it,” Rizzo said. Strasburg retreated into the club- house, where Nationals medical director Wiemi Douoguih administered a labral test and capsule test — he placed his hands on Strasburg’s shoulder to test the strength of the labrum and rotator cuff. He was fine. Strasburg showered and left Nationals Park to undergo the X-ray and MRI.


Rizzo intimated the problem may


have sprung from a full season of pitch- ing every fifth day for the first time. In college, Strasburg started only on week- ends, and he is only growing familiar with the routine of a professional pitch- er.


Strasburg has been scratched as pro- fessional before. In the Arizona Fall League last year, he was scratched with a stiff neck. Before the final start of his season, Strasburg heard a "pop" in his knee. Both ailments amounted to noth- ing more than temporary inconvenienc- es. That was his neck and his knee, though. This was his arm, perhaps the most valuable appendage in baseball. “I definitely was worried,” center field-


er Nyjer Morgan said. “But it hasn’t real- ly hit me yet. When we lose one of our


JOHN MCDONNELL/THE WASHINGTON POST


“He wasn’t looking the way that I always see him when I catch him in the bullpen,” Iván Rodríguez said.


guys, it kind of sucks, especially a talent like that. He’s definitely a big part of this piece we’re trying to get built here.” When emergency replacement Miguel Batista was announced as the starting


pitcher, the large crowd at Nationals Park, expecting to see the 22-year-old phenom, booed. The only thing missing was the sound effect after a Whammy appears on the game show “Press Your Luck.” Batista gave them a show, shutting out


the Braves for five innings before hand- ing it over the bullpen to finish off a 3-0 victory. Before the second inning, though, some fans could be seen exiting Nationals Park, walking up Half Street to the Metro. A chant arose: “We Want Strasburg! We Want Strasburg!” “A lot of people come to see Stephen


Strasburg pitch,” Rizzo said. “Disap- pointed that they’re not going to see him. Unfortunately, I can’t worry about that. I need to worry about the long- term longevity of the pitcher and what’s good for the franchise.” Before the end of the night, Strasburg


returned to Nationals Park from the hos- pital where he had received his tests. He walked into the entrance of the club- house for a moment, then turned around and walked briskly away with Douoguih down a corridor to avoid a reporter. Strasburg had not pitched, but the Na- tionals had avoided a nightmare. kilgorea@washpost.com


Staff writer Dave Sheinin contributed to this report.


Blue Jays continue to dominate Orioles Losing for the fourth straight time, the


Bautista hits two homers, drives in five runs


in Toronto’s 8-2 victory by Jeff Zrebiec


toronto — It’s getting harder and harder these days to decipher what statis- tics are the most embarrassing, what numbers best exhibit how awful the 2010 Orioles have played. There are so many to choose from, but here is one that is going to be very tough to beat: With their 8-2 loss to José Bautis- ta and Toronto Tuesday night at Rogers Centre, the Orioles are now 201


⁄2 games


behind the Blue Jays for fourth place in the American League East. Only two oth- er teams in baseball – the Pittsburgh Pi- rates and the Arizona Diamondbacks – entered yesterday more than 20 games out of first place. “That sounds awful,” said Orioles cen-


CHRIS YOUNG/ASSOCIATED PRESS


Blue Jays shortstop Yunel Escobar tags out the Orioles’ Jake Fox at second during the eighth inning of Toronto’s 11th win without a loss against Baltimore this season.


ter fielder Adam Jones. “It’s just how our season has been. We’re playing the game hard. It’s just not happening our way.”


10th time in 12 games since the all-star break and the 11th consecutive time to the Blue Jays, the Orioles hit the 100- game mark with a mind-numbingly bad 31-69 record. They are pace to finish with a 50-112 mark, which would represent five more games than any Orioles team has ever lost in a season. The 1988 squad, the much-maligned group that started 0- 21, went 54-107. It stands to reason that things will


change for the better at some point, even if it is for a small period of time. After all, even the worst teams in the league histor- ically have one or two decent stretches. However, it’s hard to imagine these Ori- oles putting anything positive together over the last 62 games with the way the starting pitching continues to implode. Last night, it was Kevin Millwood’s turn to put his team in a huge hole as the Blue Jays had a 3-0 lead before the Ori- oles’ starter had even gotten an out, and a 6-0 bulge by the fourth inning in a game that looked like so many others between the two teams this season. The Orioles have been outscored 34-13 in their four-game losing streak. During


that span, Orioles pitching has allowed 48 hits, including 20 extra-base hits. In their 11 victories over the Orioles, their most ever over one team to start a season, the Blue Jays have outscored the AL East cellar dwellers by a 63-23 margin. They’ve outhit them, 112-86, including a 55-18 advantage in extra-base hits. They’ve also hit 23 homers to the Ori- oles’ four, with the big blow Tuesday night coming courtesy of Bautista’s three-run blast in the first inning. It was the 10th time in his last 11 starts that Millwood has given up at least two runs in the first in- ning and he’s now given up 31 total first- inning runs during that span.


Bautista, a former Oriole, then hit a


two-run shot in the eighth inning off Al- fredo Simon, giving him three in the past two games. Bautista finished 4 for 4 with five RBI and a walk as the Orioles contin- ue to struggle to get anybody out. “It’s unbelievable. I haven’t seen any- thing like this,” said the Orioles’ interim manager, Juan Samuel. “You hope that things will play out differently. We’re try- ing everything possible to do and the out- come is the same.”


—Baltimore Sun


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