It’s Friday, and I was basically gone for a week, so I decided to key in on a few things I’ve picked up on but wasn’t able to write about.
Lannan Looks Good Again
In his last 4 starts, since he’s returned to the team, John Lannan has given up exactly 2 ER in each start. He’s pitched at least 5 innings in all of them, and more than 6 in 2 of them. He’s got an ERA of 3.09. He almost looks like the Lannan of old except for one thing: He’s struck out 15 and only walked 5. Of course it’s a small sample, but a 3:1 K:BB ratio is not typical Lannan. Typical Lannan is around 1.4 or 1.5 to 1. His 15 K in 23 1/3 innings (5.8) is actually exactly what he did in 2008, so it’s really about keeping the walks down. If he continues to do that, perhaps he’ll continue to have such good starts.
More Housing Near the Stadium
The Washington Post has a pretty interesting article up today on the housing that was being built near the stadium. The area known as the Yards, which was supposed to make the surrounding neighborhood much nicer, has basically been stalled. Everyone I go to a game with comments that the neighborhood is pretty bad still, I always have to tell them just wait, things will be built. Well this apartment complex is a good start, and hopefully it will make that area a destination for more than just baseball. Unfortunately funding is still tough to get, so we’ll have to wait and see before more development begins. We can all hope that it will some day look like this.
Ian Desmond is Hitting
Alright, I’ve actually talked about this as recently as last week. But it’s worth noting that Desmond’s OPS is the highest it’s been since June 13th, sitting now at .719. He also continues to be on a tear since July 1, and he’s hit .305/.347/.481 in that time. He’s been walking here and there, too, which is important. In his first 74 games, through July 30, he walked 1o times not counting the intentional ones. Since then he’s walked 7 times non-intentionally in only 41 games. It may have something to do with not being stuck in front of the pitcher – he has 5 non-intentional walks this year in 98 PAs batting 2nd in the lineup as opposed to 8 of them in 148 PAs batting 8th – or it may be some more recognition of the strike zone as he is seeing major league pitching more. He has also walked 4 times in the last 4 games, which may skew the numbers a bit, but it is a good thing that he’s doing it, sitting in the 2nd spot.
Bernadina isn’t Hitting
He started out so strong playing full time, Roger Bernadina hit .291/.351/.456 from May 1 to June 30. Since then, from July 1 through today, he’s only hit .241/.282/.361, but it’s been even worse in August, in which he’s hit .220/.291/.320. He’s a hot streak away from a recovery, like Desmond did, but until he does it, we don’t know if it can happen.
I’m Going to Philly
I’ll be at the Sunday Phillies-Nats game in Philadelphia. I’ve never seen the ballpark there, so I’m excited to check it out. I expect that people will give me alot of crap for cheering for the Nats, I just hope nobody tries to throw up on me, or any of the other tactics that Phillies fans use to voice their displeasure.