SATURDAY, JULY 31, 2010


KLMNO BASEBALL


The Nats’ not-so-apparent heir


After rotating positions and breaking his fibula, Class AA Harrisburg’s Chris Marrero puts it together


by Gene Wang


harrisburg, pa — These have been reflective, even humbling, days for Chris Marrero. Such is the fallout that accompanies a de- scent from the Washington Na- tionals’ top prospect to some- thing of an afterthought, even though the first baseman is accu- mulating the kind of extravagant numbers indicating he may be ready for a promotion. And we’re not talking from


Class AA Harrisburg, his current place of employ, to the next tier in the minors. Marrero’s aspirations have been far more ambitious since the Nationals selected him 15th overall in the 2006 draft. He needs permanent residence alongside the likes of Stephen Strasburg and Drew Storen, two other can’t-miss kids and former Senators teammates, to feel vali- dated. “Anyone who gets drafted al-


ways thinks they want to be in the big leagues as soon as they can,” Marrero said. “But they don’t realize that it’s a process. You’ve got to do your stuff in A ball, AA, then AAA, but you learn so much throughout those leagues that when you get to the big leagues, it’s no sweat. You do your time in the minor leagues, the bus rides and all that, so when you get to the big leagues it’s a joy.” The long-awaited call-up could


be on the horizon. Heading into Saturday’s trade deadline, the Na- tionals have had no shortage of suitors for the services of first baseman Adam Dunn. Should General Manager Mike Rizzo deal one of the game’s most depend- able power hitters, the move would leave an opening at first that Marrero presumably could inherit. “You pay attention to it,” Mar- rero said of the trade rumors in- volving Dunn, “but I don’t talk to too many guys in the organiza- tion that will let me know.” Here’s Marrero’s case for the job: a .292 average with 19 dou- bles, 13 home runs and 60 RBI in 105 games this season before Fri- day’s series opener against Port- land. Marrero has been rampag- ing lately, too, batting .330 with 12 doubles, 5 homers, 30 RBI and 27 runs scored since June 1. He has reached base 86 times, or 1.6 times per game, during that stretch. At 22, Marrero is much younger than Dunn, not to men- tion millions cheaper.


GOLF


As lottery deadline nears, fans can pay for 2011 U.S. Open


Applications to enter the ticket


lottery for the 2011 U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda must be submitted by 5 p.m. Sunday, but for the first time the U.S. Golf Association, which stages the event, will offer fans the opportunity to bypass the lot- tery and buy upgraded hospital- ity tickets — for more money. To apply for either daily or weekly grounds passes for the Open, including practice rounds June 13-15 and the four rounds of competition June 16-19, fans can enter the lottery at www.usga. org/tickets. A drawing will be held in mid-August, and winning fans will be notified by mail by the end of the month. Tickets start at $50 each. For an increased price, fans can skip the lottery and guaran- tee tickets by buying passes to the new 1895 Club, which is named for the first year the Open was contested. The tickets — $250 for practice rounds, $370 for the first two days of competition and $385 for the weekend — come with ac- cess to an air-conditioned club near Congressional’s fifth fair- way. The tickets include breakfast and a buffet lunch. The USGA established an on-


site office at Congressional last fall, some 20 months before the tournament. Top officials — in- cluding Mike Davis, the USGA’s senior director of rules and com- petition, who helped Congres- sional officials tweak the course for the Open — visited last week. The club has hosted the U.S.


Open twice before — in 1964 and 1997 — and the short turnaround between events this time is due in part to changes to the Blue Course. Those include making the former 17th hole — one of the most challenging par 4s in golf — into the 18th, which USGA offi- cials believe will result in a more exciting finish.


— Barry Svrluga ROUNDUP Harding nets career-best 33 as Mystics get comeback win associated press


indianapolis— Lindsey Har- ding scored a career-high 33 points, including Washington’s final 13 of the game, and hit four critical free throws down the stretch to lead the Mystics to a 77-73 victory over the Indiana Fe- ver, snapping the Mystics’ three- game losing streak. Nakia Sanford had 11 points


and Crystal Langhorne added nine points and 11 rebounds for the Mystics (14-10), who took the season series from Indiana 3-1. Tamika Catchings and Katie Douglas each scored 16 for the Fever, and Tammy Sutton-Brown had 14 points to reach double fig- ures for the first time in six weeks. Indiana (16-8) had its sea- son-high five-game winning streak snapped. The Fever remain in first place in the Eastern Conference by percentage points over Atlanta (17-9), which crushed Connecti- cut on Friday night. Washington is two games behind in third place. The Mystics trailed by 11 in both the first half and in the third quarter, but pulled to with- in 60-59 on Sanford’s three- point play to begin the final pe- riod. The Fever answered with a 9-2 run to build an eight-point lead. Minutes later, Harding scored nine straight points to put the Mystics ahead 73-71 with 2:31 left. She had two lay- ups, a three-pointer and an- other layup during the spurt. Catchings’s jumper tied the


score at 73 with 1:07 left, but Harding hit two free throws to make it 75-73 with 29 sec- onds left. After Ebony Hoff- man’s missed jumper, Har- ding made two more free throws to seal the victory. Catchings and Douglas both scored 10 points in the first half as Indiana led 43-35.


The Fever took their biggest lead of the half, 30-19, on Jessica Moore’s jumper early in the sec- ond quarter. The Mystics shot nearly 54 percent from the field in the third quarter, compared to Indi- ana’s 26 percent, to get within 60-56. Washington tied the score at 48 on Marissa Coleman’s three-pointer midway through the period.  LIBERTY 88, SPARKS 79: In New York, Cappie Pondexter scored 20 points and the host Liberty beat Los Angeles. Janel McCarville had 15 points, Taj McWilliams-Franklin added 14 points and nine re- bounds and Plenette Pierson also scored 14 to help New York (13-11) win for the fourth time in five games. “I do feel like at the beginning of the season we would’ve lost this game,” McWilliams-Franklin said. “But now we’re pushing through.” The Liberty also moved into a tie with Connect- icut for fourth place in the Eastern Conference, three games behind first-place Indi- ana.


Tina Thompson scored 18 points and Marie Ferdinand- Harris added 17 for Los Ange- les (8-17), which saw a modest two-game winning streak end. New York capitalized on the Sparks’ mistakes and came up


with key shots down the stretch. Nicole Powell’s 3-pointer with less than 2 minutes left capped a 9-0 run and gave the Liberty an 82-72 lead, their biggest of the game.


“I thought my team played well until the last two minutes of the game,” L.A. Coach Jennifer Gillom said. “We made some cru- cial mistakes that caused us to lose this game.” The Liberty out- scored the Sparks by 10 in the fourth quarter.  SILVER STARS 101, SHOCK 85: In Tulsa, Becky Hammon scored 22 points to lead San An- tonio. Sophia Young and Edwige Lawson-Wade each had 17 points, Michelle Snow added 14, Chamique Holdsclaw 12 and Ro- neeka Hodges 11 for the Silver Stars (9-17). Ivory Latta scored 19 points and Scholanda Rob- inson added 17 for the Shock (4- 21).


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 DREAM 94, SUN 62: Angel McCoughtry scored 20 points and Atlanta went a 25-0 run midway through the game to beat host Connecticut, handing the Sun their worst home loss in franchise history. Iziane Castro Marques had 17 points and Erika DeSouza added 13 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Dream (17-9). Asjha Jones scored 16 points, DeMya Walker had 13 and Sandrine Gruda added 12 for Connecticut (13-11), which dropped into a fourth-place tie with New York. The Sun’s previous worst home loss was a 75-46 loss to Indiana on May 27, 2008. Kelly Miller’s 3-pointer capped a 13-0 run to end the first half that gave Atlanta a 53-36


DAVID J. PHILLIP/ASSOCIATED PRESS


If first baseman Adam Dunn is traded, Chris Marrero, 22, once considered the Nationals’ top prospect, could stand to benefit.


“I want to have a long career in the big leagues.”


— Chris Marrero “I know from what I’ve seen


he’s got the bat to do it,” said Sto- ren, who played with Marrero in Harrisburg earlier this season. Now for the unbecoming real-


ity: Marrero has a distance to go defensively. While Dunn isn’t go- ing to make anyone forget about Don Mattingly, he has put in yeo- man’s work to sharpen his glove and expand his range. Regard- less, the Nationals can make do with Dunn’s fielding deficiencies because he has been so robust at the plate. Marrero, on the other hand, is not a slugger who can keep com- pany with Dunn, so becoming a capable fielder must take prec- edence. For his part, Marrero has made upgrading defense a priori- ty — he performs drills daily, he said — but only two other Harris- burg players have more errors this season, and they are middle infielders. Last season, Marrero committed 20 errors while play- ing for Harrisburg and Class A Potomac.


In many ways, the fielding bug has been a consequence of Marre- ro’s lively bat. Getting Marrero in the lineup was the mission when he joined the Nationals organiza- tion; establishing a position, not so much. In high school, Marrero played third base, but he wasn’t about to displace Ryan Zimmer- man, so he tried outfield in 2007. When that experiment went awry because of Marrero’s lack of foot speed, he shifted to first base — his third position in as many sea- sons — in 2008. That was the year in which Baseball America ranked Marre- ro the No. 1 prospect in the Na- tionals’ farm system, fueling speculation his ascent to the ma- jors would be swift. Then there was what could


have been perceived as exclusive treatment from the Nationals’ front office a season earlier, when owner Mark Lerner and then-GM Jim Bowden attended a Hagers- town game to inform Marrero of his promotion to Potomac. But in 2008, Marrero’s season was done after 70 games when he broke his fibula sliding into home. It was the first time Marre- ro had incurred an injury of that scale, and initially, the uncertain- ty surrounding the rehabilitation was unsettling. “I didn’t know how to take it,”


said Marrero, who had surgery in late June that year and needed just four months to make it back to instructional league ball. Now fully recovered, Marrero,


at 6 feet 3, 210 pounds, continues to treat baseballs with hostility. Entering Friday, he was tied for fourth in the Eastern League in hits and seventh in RBI. His pow- er numbers stand to swell if he can add some girth. There remains plenty of time


for Marrero to fill out, even if it isn’t with the Nationals this sea- son. Because he’s been in the pipeline for four years, some- times it’s easy to forget Marrero is the same age as many college sen- iors.


“I just turned 22,” Marrero


said. “I’m still young. Most people get to the big leagues [at] maybe 24, 25. I’m still on a good pace. The thing is to get up there and stay there because I don’t want to get up there at 22 and have to come back down. . . . I want to have a long career in the big leagues.”


wangg@washpost.com


Staff writer Dave Sheinin contributed to this report.


S


D3 Nationals trade Guzma by Adam Kilgore The Washington Nationals


traded their all-star closer for their catcher of their future late Thursday night, and they fol- lowed up Friday by trading Cris- tian Guzmán to the Texas Rang- ers for a pair of Class AA right- handed starting pitchers. Both deals may serve only as a prel- ude to their most momentous decision before Saturday’s 4 p.m. non-waiver trade deadline: what to do with first baseman Adam Dunn, this year’s premier prize. After shipping Guzmán, the last remaining continuous Na- tionals player from the 2005 opening day roster, the Nation- als remained intent on either signing Dunn to an extension or trading him. On Friday after- noon, shortly after Guzmán agreed to the Rangers trade, General Manager Mike Rizzo reiterated his vow to trade Dunn on his terms only. “The closer to the deadline it


gets, the more pressure is on the teams to come to me with some- thing that makes sense for me to trade one of the best offen- sive players in baseball,” Rizzo said. “I will come to the price where I originally said I’m go- ing to go, or I won’t trade him. The price won’t come down.” “There’s quite a bit of inter-


est” in Dunn, Rizzo added. “Suf- fice to say, he’s a very popular player right now.” Scouts from the Tampa Bay


Rays and Tigers, two teams ru- mored to be interested in Dunn, were at Nationals Park on Fri- day night. By likely landing left- handed Lance Berkman in a trade with the Houston Astros, the New York Yankees probably eliminated themselves from the Dunn sweepstakes. The Chicago White Sox also


have interest in Dunn, and their trade Friday afternoon for Ari- zona Diamondbacks starter Ed- win Jackson — said to be a tar- get of the Nationals — sparked speculation the Sox would flip Jackson to Washington for Dunn. Dunn, for his part, said “I haven’t heard anything” about either a trade or a contract ex- tension. Asked to guess the chances


he’s a National when he wakes up Sunday morning, Dunn said: “50-50. Maybe 51-49. I really don’t know.” Which way? “I don’t know. You pick.”


turn deadline focus to Dunn ´n,


JONATHAN NEWTON/THE WASHINGTON POST


The Nationals traded second baseman Cristian Guzmán to the Rangers on Friday for a pair of Class AA right-handed pitchers.


Dunn clarified several mean- ingful details. He would not mind serving as a designated hitter if traded to an American League team. “It’s only two months,” he said. “It’s not like if I make this move, it’s career- ending.”


Dunn declined to speculate as to whether he would be will- ing to sign with the Nationals this offseason should he get traded and then declare for free agency. “I don’t know,” Dunn said. “I’ve got to get traded first. We’re still trying to work things out here.” The Nationals have already altered their roster. They will receive Class AA right-handed starters Ryan Ta- tusko, 25, and Tanner Roark, 23, from the Rangers in exchange for Guzmán. “Two young, good AA prospects that will help our inventory,” Rizzo said.


Guzmán, in the second year


of a two-year, $16million con- tract, is hitting .282 with a .327 on-base percentage, a .361 slug- ging percentage and two home runs. The Rangers acquired him to fill the vacancy created when Ian Kinsler went on the dis- abled list.


Guzmán left the Nationals


with “some sadness,” his agent, Stanley King, said. But Guz- mán, because he has played more than 10 seasons overall and five with the Nationals, had to approve the trade. “It has seemed like the team has been moving in a different direction for the past year or so,” King said. “Cristian will go somewhere he feels more want- ed. He hopes he can help win a title and end up on top of a pile” in celebration.


Wilson Ramos, the Class AAA


catcher the Nationals received in exchange for Matt Capps, will be “at least” a September call-


PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL


up, Rizzo said. “We feel like he’s major league-ready.” The Na- tionals and Twins had been dis- cussing a Capps trade for some- time, and it progressed rapidly once Ramos became involved. Despite Ramos’s substandard


stats at Class AAA, Nationals scouts like the power potential of Ramos’s swing and his pitch selection at the plate. “We feel like we got ourselves an immediate everyday catcher in the major leagues,” Rizzo said. “Those are very hard to come by. To trade a good, solid reliever for a 22-year-old, every- day, major league-ready catch- er, we thought that was a deal that we had to make.” Ramos will likely start next season alongside Iván Rodrí- guez as the Nationals’ two catchers. “When I was young,” Ramos said in a conference call, “he was my favorite player.” As Ramos begins his career with the Nationals — he’ll start with Class AAA Syracuse — Dunn’s tenure here may be com- ing to an end. Dunn wanted to sign a contract extension dur- ing spring training, to avoid precisely what he is enduring in the final hours before the dead- line.


“I would say frustrated more than disappointed,” Dunn said. “I know it’s the business side of it. But I really did expect to get something done and at least make a little progress. Just hasn’t worked out that way. It’s no fault for anyone. It’s how it goes, man.” For now, like most everyone in baseball, Dunn is guessing. He was asked if he believes the point where he and the Nation- als could reach a deal before the trade deadline has passed. “I don’t know,” Dunn said. “Do you?”


kilgorea@washpost.com


RICHARD LIPSKI FOR THE WASHINGTON POST


Mystics guard Lindsey Harding scores two of her career-high 33 points against Indiana.


lead at the break. The Dream then scored the first 12 points of the third quarter.


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