Talking Chop

Just Win. Nationals At Braves: Slumpbuster Game Thread

2012-05-27T23:00:24Z

The Braves send their best pitcher to the hill for Sunday Night Baseball in hopes of finally stopping the bleeding. A win tonight will shatter the 6 game losing streak the Braves are on, and make the nightmares of The Great American Ballpark a distant memory. A loss, and the Braves drop to 4th place in the crowded NL East.

Braves lineup

Freddie Freeman is still waiting on his sports goggles to be able to play. Chipper had his leg drained and says it feels better - he hopes to be back as soon as he is eligible for return: June 8. Matt Diaz draws the start over Juan Francisco against a lefty. Boscan gets another start at catcher, but Fredi thinks McCann may be able to go on Monday.

Nats lineup after the jump

Nationals lineup:

I'm Going to Complain About a Great Set

2012-05-27T14:00:40Z

It was Thursday afternoon, I was sitting in my car, stuck in traffic on US–78 when I made the decision. For the past week, I had seen post after post after post online showing off box breaks of Topps newest product, 2012 Topps Archives. Topps hadn’t used the Archives brand since 2002, but the formula used this year differed from the older Archives sets. The previous sets featured a checklist of nothing but retired players. Due to restrictions in place with their current exclusive licensing agreement, a new set can only contain so many retired players. Sure, I would have preferred this set contain nothing but retired players. Still, Topps did an excellent job with the design of the set.

The first 200 cards in the base set are based on the designs of previous Topps sets. The first fifty cards are done in the style of the 1954 Topps set. This design, with the small black and white action shots juxtaposed with the larger color shots, will never grow old. Cards 51 - 100 are done in the style of the 1971 Topps issue. Over forty years later and this design remains the finest black bordered set ever issued. Cards 101 - 150 were designed to match the 1980 Topps set. The 1980 design is simple, but it remains one of my favorites, not least because it was the first Topps set I tried to put together. The non short printed section of the base set concludes with fifty additional cards using the 1984 Topps design. While not as iconic as the 1954 and 1971 designs, the 1984 design is a fine representation of the Topps design aesthetic from the mid 1980s and has not been overused, so the cards look fresh to my eyes. These 200 cards are mostly current players, but there is a smattering of retired players included as well.

It wouldn’t be a Topps retro product if there weren’t short prints, and Archives includes short prints at a rate of one in every four packs. The forty short prints have been done in the style of a set that Topps put out in 2003 through 2005, Topps All-Time Fan Favorites. These forty cards each feature a retired player on a card based on a past Topps design. Numerous designs are included in this portion of the set. It’s important to note that these cards are not reprints of previously issues Topps cards, but new cards based on numerous old designs. There is one additional short printed card, which I will discuss later. The set is complete at 241 cards.

Continuing a trend that Topps started with Lineage last year, Archives included several insert sets based on older Topps oddball sets. There is a 25 card insert set based on the 1977 Topps Cloth Stickers specialty set. These stickers use the same design as the 1977 Topps set. In 1967, Topps issues two small sets of stickers for the Pirates and the Red Sox. That design is represented with a 25 card insert set. There is also a 15 card set in the style of the 1968 Topps 3-D test issue and a 15 card insert set based on the 1969 Topps Deckle Edge set. There is a 50 card insert set featuring reprints of older Topps cards. The inserts sets are closed out by two ten card insert sets that mimic the design of cards that were included in older base sets. The first set is done in the style of the In Action cards included in the 1982 base set. The second set are Classic Combos, like those in the 1958 set. There is a wide variety of inserts with a strong mix of current players and retired players.

For Atlanta Braves collectors, the set is something of a mixed blessing. The team is well represented in the base set with 11 of current Braves featured, and three retired individuals included in the short prints. It’s good that the Braves are well-represented in the base set, because the team has been nearly completely left out of the insert sets. The lone Braves insert card is a Deckle Edge Orlando Cepeda. How amazing would a Chipper Jones card in the 1968 3-D style have looked? How about a Tim Hudson cloth sticker? As a Braves fan, it’s hard not to be disappointed.

On the other hand, the autographed cards on the checklist might just make up for the lack of Braves cards in the insert sets. Of the six autographed Braves cards included in the set, chance are that you and I will never lay eyes on three of them. There are two different Hank Aaron autographs inserted into packs. One autograph is featured on buy back cards from a previous Archives set. The other is on a card based on the 1973 Topps design. Both will be selling in the 400 to 600 dollar range on eBay. Topps has also included a series of autographs signed onto miniature cards in the design of the 1983 Topps set. These framed cards include Chipper Jones on the checklist and the cards are selling for around 85 dollars. There are only 25, so they will be a tough pull and a tough find.

The final three autographed Braves cards are the clincher though. The autographs are based on the Topps All-Time Fan Favorites sets issued from 2003 to 2005. While these sets featured many of the great players, they focused heavily on the “hometown hero” type of player. It isn’t often that Terry Pendleton, Sid Bream and Ron Gant have their autographed cards included in a major release. If you are a long time Braves fan, you’ll want to snatch these cards up as soon as you can. Right now, you can find all three in the 8 to 15 dollar range on eBay. All three players are beloved by Atlanta fans and are rarely included in a new set. It’s even rarer for them to be asked to sign. I highly recommend these cards.

As I mentioned at the top, I had made a decision while sitting in traffic Thursday afternoon. I decided I wanted to complete this set. Before I made this decision, I had decided that I would go to Target on my way home and buy up a few blasters looking for Braves cards and trade bait. As I drove home, I kept thinking to the two Chipper Jones cards. The base card, in the 1971 style, is perfect and one of the best Chipper cards produced to date. The black border frames a great shot of Chipper’s right handed follow through. He also has an autograph card, numbered to just 25 copies, that just might be the best Chipper Jones card issued to date. The card is a framed mini of a 1983 Topps styles card. I wanted that card. I wanted four chances at that card. Instead of stopping by Target, I pulled into my local card chop and purchased two hobby boxes.

I jumped straight into the first box as soon as I got home. I knew the likelihood of getting that Chipper autograph was slim, but the box was still a blast to break. Seeing today’s players on these designs was a blast. The inserts, especially the cloth stickers and the 3-D cards, rate among my favorite cards Topps has ever used as inserts. I had planned the save the second box for Friday, but my self control was lacking and I dived right into that box as well. Here’s where disappointment set in. Despite opening two separate boxes taken from the bottom of the same case, I managed to get identical stacks of non-SP base set cards in each box. Three of the SP cards in the second box also matched SP cards I received in the first box. My disappointment here was major.

Now, I’m in a quandary. Do I try to complete this set? I find myself a long, long way from doing so. I mistakingly thought that second box would get me closer. I certainly have no wish to risk disappointment by purchasing another hobby box. On the other hand, I did spend money on two hobby boxes, and if I don’t try and complete the set, what will I do with the other cards? I’m sure I can trade some away, but do I want to be stuck with dozens of cards I’m not collecting?

One piece of news I discovered about this set while researching this post may have lowered the boom on my desire to complete the set. That 241st card in the base set is a super short printed Bryce Harper card. I get why Topps wanted to rush this guy into as many products as possible. What I don’t get is why Topps decided to include this card on the main checklist? They have made this set nearly impossible to complete. Should I really try and complete a set I know to be impossible to complete? What do you think?

2012 Topps Archives Braves Checklist

Thanks to Sports Card Radio for the checklist!

Base Set (Also available in a Gold Parallel version.)

5 Freddie Freeman (1954 Design)

19 Brandon Beachy (1954 Design)

36 Martin Prado (1954 Design)

58 Tommy Hanson (1971 Design)

61 Brian McCann (1971 Design)

63 Tim Hudson (1971 Design)

77 Chipper Jones (1971 Design)

83 Craig Kimbrel (1971 Design)

127 Jason Heyward (1980 Design)

179 Michael Bourn (1984 Design)

183 Dan Uggla (1984 Design)

224 Terry Pendleton (1992 Design, Short Print)

228 Ron Gant (1992 Design, Short Print)

240 Sid Bream (1992 Design, Short Print)

Deckle Edge Inserts

69DE-OC Orlando Cepeda

All-Time Fan Favorites Autographs

FFA-HA Hank Aaron

FFA-RG Ron Gant

FFA-SBR Sid Break

FFA-TP Terry Pendleton

Autographed Originals

Hank Aaron

Framed 1983 Mini Autographs

83M-CJ Chipper Jones

1956 Topps Relics

56R-DU Dan Uggla

56R-JHY Jason Heyward

56R-PN Phil Niekro

56R-THD Tim Hudson

56R-TH Tommy Hanson

Lipka Has Big Day, Simmons Extends Hitting Streak, And Schlosser Picks Up League Leading Sixth Win In Saturday's Atlanta Braves Minor League Action

2012-05-27T06:29:40Z

Matt Lipka, Adam Milligan, and Edward Salcedo each homered to help Gus Schlosser pick up his Carolina League leading sixth win, Greg Paiml's 3 RBI helped Todd Redmond pick up a win, and Andrelton Simmons extended his hitting streak to 6 games.

Gwinnett Braves 4, Rochester Red Wings 2

Luis Durango CF 2-4, RBI, .284 AVG
Ernesto Mejia 1B 0-4, .299 AVG
Greg Paiml SS 2-3, 2B, 3 RBI, .218 AVG
Todd Redmond 7 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 6 K, W (5), 2.47 ERA
Anthony Varvaro 2 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 1 BB, 2 K, SV (1), 2.89 ERA

Todd Redmond picked up the win for his third consecutive start, allowing 2 runs, 1 earned, over 7 innings, striking out 6. Over his last 4 starts, he has a 1.01 ERA, a 1.01 WHIP, and 23 strikeouts in 26.2 innings. Anthony Varvaro picked up his first save of the year with his fourth consecutive scoreless appearance. Over that span, he's walked 2 and struck out 11 in 6.2 innings. Luis Durango had a pair of hits and in his last 4 games he's gone 8-16 with a double, 2 RBI, and 2 stolen bases. Greg Paiml also had a pair of hits, and drove in 3 runs, including the go ahead run on a seventh inning double. In his last 3 games, he's gone 4-9. Ernesto Mejia went 0-4, ending his 13 game hitting streak.

Jair Jurrjens will start Sunday afternoon for Gwinnett.

Mississippi Braves 7, Pensacola Blue Wahoos 3

Andrelton Simmons SS 1-3, 2 BB, .300 AVG
Ian Gac 1B 3-5, 2 2B, RBI, .250 AVG
Alden Carrithers LF 2-3, RBI, BB, .321 AVG
Sean Gilmartin 6 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 4 BB, 9 K, 3.48 ERA
Andrew Russell 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 K, W (3), 2.01 ERA
Chris Jones 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K, 3.57 ERA

Andrelton Simmons extended his hitting streak to 6 games, and during that span he's gone 8-21 with 3 doubles, 2 homers, 4 RBI, and 3 walks. Ian Gac rapped out a pair of doubles as part of 3 hit day, and in his last 10 games he's hitting .375 with a 1.163 OPS, 7 doubles, a homer, 6 RBI, and 6 walks. Alden Carrithers had a pair of singles today, and in his last 2 games he's gone 4-7 with a RBI and 2 walks. Sean Gilmartin was wild today, allowing a season high 4 walks, but he also tied his season high with 9 strikeouts. In his last 2 starts, the 22 year old lefty has allowed 8 earned runs in 11 innings. Andrew Russell picked up a win with 2 perfect innings, and the Aussie hasn't allowed an earned run in his last 6 appearances, giving up 4 hits, 1 walk, and striking out 5 in 7 innings over that span.

David Hale will start the series finale tomorrow.

Lynchburg Hillcats 7, Potomac Nationals 2

Matt Lipka CF 3-4, HR (2), 2 RBI, BB, OF Assist, .244 AVG
Tommy La Stella 2B 0-3, .291 AVG
Adam Milligan DH 2-4, RBI, .273 AVG
Edward Salcedo 3B 1-4, HR (5), 2 RBI, .257 AVG
Myke Jones LF 2-4, HR (1), 2 RBI, .255 AVG
Robby Hefflinger RF 2-4, 2B, .228 AVG
Gus Schlosser 7 IP, 2 ER, 7 H, 3 BB, 5 K, W (6), 3.80 ERA
Chasen Shreve 2 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 0 K, 2.19 ERA

After going 3-35 in his last 9 games, Matt Lipka was 3-4 today, hitting his second homer of the year. Prior to this season, he had 2 homers in 738 professional at bats, but he's hit 2 in 160 at bats this season. Adam Milligan had a pair of hits, and in his last 4 games he's gone 7-17 with 3 doubles, a homer, and 3 RBI. Myke Jones had a pair of hits, including his first homer of the year, and in his last 2 games he's gone 5-10 with 2 doubles, a triple, a homer, and 4 RBI. Robby Hefflinger had a pair of hits today, and while he's hitting just .233 in his last 10 games, he has a .395 OPS and a .500 slugging percentage during that same span, working 7 walks and clubbing out 2 doubles and 2 homers. Tommy La Stella was 0-3 today, ending his 13 game hitting streak. Gus Schlosser picked up his league leading sixth win, teammates JR Graham and Cody Martin are both tied for second with 5 wins, by allowing 2 runs over 7 innings. In his last 3 starts, Schlosser has a 2.14 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP in 21 innings.

Dimasther Delgado will start the series finale tomorrow.

Rome Braves 2, Asheville Tourists 12

Kyle Kubitza DH 1-4, HR (7), RBI, .256 AVG
Will Skinner 1-3, 2B, .269 AVG
Ryan Weber 2.1 IP, 10 ER, 11 H, 0 BB, 1 K, 6.30 ERA
Bryam Garcia 2.2 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 2.16 ERA
John Cornely 1.1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 4 K, 3.38 ERA

Ryan Weber had the worst start of his career, allowing 10 earned runs in just 2.2 innings after only allowing 7 earned runs in 27.1 innings this season between Lynchburg and Rome. John Cornely made his fifth straight scoreless appearance, recording all 4 of his outs by strikeout. For the year he's averaging 15.4 K/9 in 18.2 innings. Walks have been an issue for Cornely, as he's averaging 6.7 BB/9 on the year, though during his 5 appearance scoreless streak he's allowed just 1 walk in 6 innings. Kyle Kubitza hit his second homer in his last 3 games, and while he's hitting just .259 in his last 10 games, he has a .400 OBP and a .556 slugging percentage in that same span. Will Skinner hit a double to extend his hitting streak to 7 games, and during that span he's gone 8-17 with 4 doubles, 2 RBI, and 4 walks.

Navery Moore will start the series finale tomorrow evening.

Minor Improves But Bullpen Implodes As Nationals Handle The Braves 8-4

2012-05-27T00:12:34Z

The Braves put up a valiant effort against Stephen Strasburg today, but the bullpen was unable to hold against a suddenly white-hot Nationals offense. Mike Minor was once again bitten by the gopherball, but pitched much better than he had in last several starts.

As the game got underway, it initially looked to be more of the same bad Mike Minor we've seen over the last few starts. He surrendered a leadoff double to Danny Espinosa, but was able to limit the damage to one run on an Adam LaRoche sacrifice fly. The second inning is where Minor got in trouble. After two quick outs, Minor gave up back to back hits to light-hitting catcher Jesus Flores and Strasburg. Minor then hung a first-pitch changeup to Danny Espinosa who deposited it in the seats for a 3 run jack. Two of the homers he allowed in Cincinnati came off the changeup as well, so that's a pitch Minor is going to have to work on keeping down in the zone.

Minor settled down over the next three innings though, allowing on two hits, both doubles. Minor seemed more poised and relaxed from the 3rd through the 5th - hopefully he use that to generate a little bit of confidence in advance of his next start.

On the other side, the Braves weren't intimidated by Stephen Strasburg, and hung 4 runs on him over 6 innings. The first two came in the second on an RBI single by Juan Francisco and an RBI groundout by recent call-up J.C. Boscan. The last two came in the 5th, when Dan Uggla took a 3-1 fastball and gave it a ride into the center field seats. That would temporarily knot the score at 4 apiece.

Unfortunately, the stoppers in the Braves' pen weren't up to the task tonight. Kris Medlen came on in the 6th and promptly gave up an RBI double to Chad Tracy and then and RBI triple to Rick Ankiel (Déjà vu, much?). Johnny Venters came in in the 7th and gave up a solo home run to Bryce Harper, followed by an RBI double to Adam LaRoche. That made the game 8-4, and that was how it would end.

One bright spot in the game for Atlanta was Juan Francisco, who went 3-4 on the day. I won't lie, I cringed at the thought of Francisco going up against Strasburg, but the third baseman handled the bat very well today. He was the only Brave with a multi-hit game today. With Chipper on the DL, someone needs to step up for Atlanta, and if Francisco can be that guy, it'll be a big boost for the club.

The Braves will attempt to avoid the sweep tomorrow night as Brandon Beachy goes against Gio Gonzalez in what could potentially be the best pitching matchup on the season so far.

The View From Your Seat

2012-05-26T22:18:29Z

Turner Field, Washington Nationals vs. Atlanta Braves, 5/26/12, bottom of the fifth

Nationals At Braves Game 2: Open Thread

2012-05-26T19:05:08Z

After taking a hard 7-4 loss last night, the Braves are back at it again this afternoon. Things could be even rougher for our Bravos today though, as Washington sends fireballing right-hander Stephen Strasburg to the mound. The Braves counter with Mike Minor, whose struggles have been well documented. The Braves haven't won since Minor lost his last start, and they need him to play the roll of stopper today. A turnaround for Minor could be coming however - his strikeout and walk rates are both very good still. If Minor can harness his control a bit better and not leave as much up and over the plate, I think he could have a solid start.

Braves lineup:

J.C. Boscan was called up today after Chipper was DL'd. Since McCann is still a bit sick (and caught most of last night's game) and Ross is nursing his groin strain, Boscan will start and bat 8th. Francisco will play 3rd for an injured Chipper. Prado moves down to the 3 hole while Freeman is bumped from there to 5. Pastornicky moves up to hit in Prado's normal 2 hole.

Nats linuep after the jump:

Here's how the Nats lineup today

Danny Espinosa, 2B
Bryce Harper, CF
Ryan Zimmerman, 3B
Adam LaRoche, 1B
Ian Desmond, SS
Xavier Nady, RF
Tyler Moore, LF
Jesus Flores, C
Stephen Strasburg, P

Atlanta Braves Place Chipper Jones On Disabled List, Possibly More To Follow

2012-05-26T18:43:06Z

The bruise on Chipper Jones shin has gotten so bad that it has prompted the Atlanta Braves to place the future Hall of Fame third baseman on the disabled list. The move came after last night's loss to Washington, and will be retroactive to Wednesday, the last time he appeared in a game.

To replace Chipper on the roster, the Braves have recalled catcher J.C. Boscan from Gwinnett. This move was necessary due to the injuries to both Brian McCann and David Ross. McCann is still suffering from flu-like symptoms, and Ross was removed from last night's game with an apparent groin strain.

Boscan is hitting below the Mendoza line this year at Gwinnett, struggling even more of late, while the other catcher at Gwinnett, Jose Yepez, has been hitting well of late. Yepez has hit .321 in his last 10 games, including hits in six of his last nine at-bats.

The Braves are familiar with Boscan, and Boscan is likely more familiar with the Braves Major League staff, but if this replacement catcher is to start for several games, it would have greatly helped the offense to call up the hot hand. Oh well.

Depending on how Ross responds this morning, and the severity of McCann and Matt Diaz's viral-like symptoms, the Braves could choose to place any or all of these players on the disabled list. This would be necessary to replenish bench bats and provide enough healthy bodies for backups.

First baseman Ernesto Mejia has been one of the hotter hitters in the International League, and Jose Constanza has held his own most of the year. These are likely the best options in the Braves system right now to serve as replacements for any of the above mentioned injured players. Not ideal, but that seems to be all there is.

Around the NL East - Giancarlo's epic slam, Nationals turning to the committee, questioning Roy Halladay, and David Wright's flight for .400

2012-05-26T14:30:02Z

You know something, I haven't watched a Braves game in over a week now, since I was out in California for last weekend and part of the week, which I'll eventually talk about sooner rather than later. Less than two days home, I'm off again this weekend, as I'll be up in Raleigh, North Carolina for Memorial Day. And there stands to be a good chance that I won't get to see any Braves games the holiday weekend too, unless I ditch my friends and find a bar or something that's televising the games.

I'll keep it short because I'm sleep depraved and travel weary. My internet connectivity over the weekend might be spotty, so this is going up a day in advance. Have good holiday weekends, everyone. Welcome back to the basement.

Giancarlo Stanton hits pretty much the everything home run - Fish Bytes
Let's see, this home run by Giancarlo off of Jamie Moyer did the following:

Came from behind
Took the lead
Grand Slam, cleared the bases
Clocked at 122.4 mph, the fastest, well ever
Hit the scoreboard
BROKE THE SCOREBOARD

I'm pretty sure this will be the marquee highlight for Giancarlo's entire career. It's like when Shaq broke an entire basket on a dunk in his rookie year; as many scoring titles, MVPs and championship rings he won, it always goes back to him breaking the entire basket.

Gaby Sanchez optioned to Triple-A - Fish Stripes
Like Jair Jurrjens, if you're young(ish) and have options available, a demotion to the minor leagues is never impossible. Nobody ever pegged Gaby Sanchez to be a superstar one day, but at the same time, Marlins fans were expecting someone better than a .238 wOBA. Chris Coghlan was recalled to take Sanchez's spot on the roster, with the general idea of Logan Morrison or Greg Dobbs playing first in the interim.

Ricky Nolasco becomes Marlins all-time winZ leader - Palm Beach Post
With 69 wins, Nolasco passes Dontrelle Willis to become the all-time leader in WINZ for the Fish. Compared to the other 29 franchises' all-time win leaders, Nolasco is three away from Colorado (Aaron Cook, 72), nine away from Tampa Bay (James Shields, 78), 49 away from the Dbacks (Randy Johnson, 118), and just 287 away from the Braves (Warren Spahn, 356).

Emilio Bonifacio put on DL with sprained thumb - Fish Stripes
This is a kind of move that might derail the Marlins' hot May momentum. He was excellent at getting on base, and was pretty much a super utility guy that was for the most part, their starting center fielder.

Leoviedo receives visa to return to the United States - Fish Bytes
Leo Nunez, or Juan Carlos Oviedo, whatever you want to call him, is finally allowed to return to the United States after being deported, jailed and suspended for falsifying his identity. Regardless, now that he's allowed back in the U.S., he's still required to serve his eight-week suspension from MLB, so don't expect him to actually pitch in the majors until almost August.

Omar Infante leaves team after passing of grandfather - Palm Beach Post
In unfortunate news, old friend Omar Infante left the Marlins for a few days to go back to Venezuela to attend the funeral of his departed grandfather. Hearts go out to Omar and his family for their loss.

Nationals employing closer-by-committee - Nats Insider
With Drew Storen and Brad Lidge on the shelf, the Nats have been relying on Henry Rodriguez to close out ballgames. It was okay at first, but it's all come undone lately. Davey Johnson can't really take any more of it, and has declared that closing duties will be done by whomever seems like the best choice.

Brad Lidge is ahead of schedule in rehabilitation program - Nationals Journal
Since having surgery for a sports hernia, Brad Lidge appears to be ahead of schedule with his throwing. If all goes well at his current pace, he could re-join the Nationals as soon as June 12th.

Tyler Clippard wants his chance to close - Nats Insider
Despite his spotty track record in actual last-three-outs save situations, Tyler Clippard feels that it's his time to get a shot at an official closer's role. In fact he doesn't just feel it, he wants it. Badly.

But Ryan Mattheus won't get any chances - Nats Insider
Because he's going on the DL for a foot injury, plantar fasciitis to be precise. Conveniently, this opens up a roster spot for Chien-Ming Wang to return to the 25-man roster, where he will likely be coming out of the bullpen until the team figure out what they wan tto do with him otherwise.

Read Cole Hamels backpedaling - The Bog
After causing a massive sh*tstorm and getting suspended for declaring the HBP to Bryce Harper intentional, Cole Hamels claims to have accidentally said that he deliberately plunked Bryce Harper, and that in the end, HARPER STILL SHOWED HIM.

Bryce Harper scouted Roy Halladay better than most scouts apparently do - Nats Insider

"This is what he's going to do," Harper told Eckstein that morning. "And when he does it, this is where it's gonna go."

"I've been watching him for about three years," the 19-year-old outfielder said. "He throws a first-pitch curveball to so many people, and they just let it get over the plate.

Sure enough, Halladay's first pitch to Harper in the top of the third inning was a "get-me-over" curveball. And sure enough, Harper was waiting for it and sent it on a beeline to right-center field for the two-run triple that put the Nationals on top and set them on their way to an impressive, 5-2 victory.

Citizens Bank Park issued extra security in right field for Bryce Harper - Nationals Journal
Isn't this, well, kind of sad?

Philly magazine asks Philadelphians if it's now time to hate the Nationals - The Bog
The Nationals are now 4-2 against the Phillies this year, and have pretty much had their way at Citizens Bank Park over the span of the last nine games. Despite all the taunts of waiting for the Nationals to deliver, now that they are currently in the process of doing such, and well at that, is it now time for those in Philly to start recognizing a rivalry?

Stephen Strasburg hits his first career HR, delays game drastically running the bases - Nats Enquirer
After acting as the role of the stopper with his arm, he acted the role of the stopper with his bat as well, clocking his first career home run, to help prevent the Baltimore Orioles from sweeping the Nationals.

Ian Desmond is flourishing batting fifth - The Nats Blog
Reading this, it kind of reminds me of when the Braves moved Yunel Escobar to batting fifth, and then he exploded for a period of time. But then I remember when Yunel Escobar exploded in a different way, and it ultimately led to the Braves having Alex Gonzalez for two years.

Mike Morse will be back by June 8th "for sure" - Nationals Journal
Swinging the bat hasn't been a problem for Morse, who suffered a lat injury. It's simply throwing the ball that has been problematic. Thank goodness for Interleague; DH instead of just one PH, and he can still contribute.

I have to admit, Gio seems like a really cool dude - Nats Enquirer
Custom headphones with name and number emblazoned on them? That's actually kind of sweet looking.

The Roybot admits to feeling nonexistent duress - Phillies Nation
In other words, Halladay shows glimpses of being human and admits to feeling pressure. This admission came after he was rocked by Bryce Harper and the Nationals and saw him give up multiple home runs and five earned runs.

Can the Phillies still rely on Roy Halladay? - Beerleaguer
Velocity is down, he's making the same mistakes multiple times, etc, etc.

In short, yes, he'll be fine - Crashburn Alley
Utilizing rate stats of this year versus the rest of his career, Doc looks to be right around his usual norms. It also doesn't help that the Phillies just aren't scoring runs, either.

Mostly because much like many teams, the Phillies stink at hitting with RISP this year - Beerleaguer
I'm feeling too lazy to cross-reference the actual league average slash, but .259/.326/.377 doesn't sound very promising overall.

Congratulations, J-Roll - Phillies Zone
On Sunday night, Mrs-Roll gave birth to the couple's first child, a baby girl. According to new MLB rules, fathers of newborns are entitled to missing up to three games to tend to their new children. Rollins missed all three of them.

Vance Worley does not need Tommy John Surgery - High Cheese
Someone should get him a sticker that says he survived a trip to Birmingham and Dr. James Andrews without needing Tommy John Surgery.

Instead, he has bone chips - Phillies Zone
Food for thought; Derek Lowe had a bone chip in his elbow in 2010, and he took a start off. When he came back, he pitched like nothing Braves fans saw from Derek Lowe ever again.

Placido Polanco is getting better, whether people realize it or not - Phillies Nation
An interesting article about how the numbers don't exactly reflect it, but Polanco is showing a lot of improvement at the plate. Line drives have been increasing, and he's simply making better contact with the ball. If things manage to stabilize, he won't exactly be at his career numbers, but a respectable total could be in sight.

Terry Collins believes David Wright could .400 all year if he can make it to All-Star Break - NY Daily News
As cool as it would be to see someone actually manage to bat .400 throughout an entire season, in my lifetime, I'm going to have to be that guy and say that I wouldn't bet on it. Braves fans went through this back in 2008 when Chipper Jones was batting .400 all the way up until mid-May, and although Wright has already surpassed that time frame, it's going to take some torrid hitting to keep that average up until the All-Star Break, let alone the remainder of the season.

Ike Davis no longer safe from demotion like he was last week - NY Post
Ahh, how quickly the tides turn in this beautiful sport of ours. Despite having the personal endorsement from Terry Collins last week, nobody's piping up to quell the ideas of sending Ike Davis back to Buffalo amidst his prolongued slump. Especially having seen guys like Jair Jurrjens and Gaby Sanchez get exercised, sometimes you have to demote a struggling player. The decision looms soon, because Jason Bay will have to be activated, eventually.

What an Ike Davis demotion means - Amazin' Avenue
Leave it to the folks at AA, whom despite their propensity to put R.A. Dickey's face on and MSPaint everything, have to go and inject a whole lot of logic and thought into what it would mean if Ike were demoted.

F*&# Majestic - The 7 Line
You know, I'm with this guys. Shirts that blatantly slam other teams should be reserved for the fans to create for other fans. Not Majestic. They're supposed to be official, legit, and vanilla. Not blatantly abuse their licensed ability to put team logos and identity on apparel and then make slander.

Back to more important matters at hand - Amazin' Avenue
That's more like it. Stuff that people really care about. I voted for Nickeas.