Yes, I know, with the Nats taking 2 of 3 from the Mets at home I should be discussing the team. With Eischen out 12 weeks with a broken arm, I should be discussing the team.
Am I going to discuss the team? Later. Right now I am going to discuss tarp. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, those of you in attendance Saturday night (I mean you, BKKE – I saw you leading the cheers) saw one of the funniest uses of tarp in a stadium… EVER. Going out for the 2nd rain delay (after which, they called the game) the grounds crew made a poor fold of the tarp… that lead to 45 minutes of wet and wild hi-jinx that made RFK look like a giant Slip n’ Slide. The poor guys had to enlist the help of food vendors, parking attendant, and the janitorial crew to get the tarp unfurled and placed over the field. A few fans even tried to help, which led to them being escorted off the field to the chants of “let them go, let them go”. I had almost as much fun watching the “National Tarp Pull” (as stated by the scoreboard) as I did the rest of the game.
OK, on to the team. 2 of 3 from the Mets is good. Losing Eischen is bad. That makes, for my count, 3 of the bullpen down (add in Horgan and Tucker). Eischen is easily the wizened old man of the pen, and losing his experience and steady left arm is hard. Plus, there is now no left hander in the ‘pen, let alone a proven one. Look for the Nats to be scouring the MLB unemployed for the lefty, as I don’t think they have one in AAA that’s ready for the NL east’s batters.
Downside? We may slip a few games farther back of the fish. Upside? Eischen was leading MLB relievers in innings pitched, so the rest will get him fresh for the August/September push. Let’s hope we’ll be able to make it to August and still be close.
No comments:
Post a Comment