Nationals Journal

* Today, the Nats are fielding their first Nyjer Morgan starting lineup. Nick Johnson is back in the No. 2 spot, mostly because Johnson's patient approach will give Morgan a better window for base-stealing. Cristian Guzman, who previously batted either first or second in every game he's started this year, was dropped to sixth.

"We want to take advantage of that .325, .330 that he's having," Manny Acta said. "We want him hitting with those guys on base, because we feel sometimes his at bat comes up after the eighth hitter and the pitcher, and right now, the way our offense is, we want to see him hitting guys with runners on base."

During today's media press conference, I mentioned to Acta that his starting lineup, excluding pitcher Ross Detwiler, had just one player (Ryan Zimmerman) under 29. I started yammering about a 'team in transition,' blah blah blah, and the question I was trying for became kind of convoluted. Acta wanted me to try again. So I cut to the chase. Question: Do you feel like you're managing a bunch of guys who might not be here in a month?

His answer: "I don't look at it that way. I hear people sometimes talk about, 'Well, this guy is 29 years old.' How long is The Plan? Why [can't] a guy who's 29 be here for seven more years? He's only going to be 36. I mean, how long is The Plan? Twenty years? I don't feel for the plan to be in order you just have to have a bunch of 22-year-old guys in here. I think if the guys prove to be part of what we're trying to do here, it doesn't matter if they're 29 or 22. Because a 29-year-old hasn't even hit the peak of his career. So I don't feel that way. I think that is gonna be determined by how a guy plays, his character, and what our front office decides to do."

Atlanta

McClouth - 8
Prado - 4
Jones - 5
McCann - 2
Escobar - 6
Diaz - 7
Francoeur - 9
Kotchman - 3
Kawakami - 1

Washington

Morgan - 8
Johnson - 3
Zimmerman - 5
Dunn - 7
Willingham - 9
Guzman - 6
Harris - 4
Bard - 2
Detwiler - 1

Yesterday, a 21-year-old left-handed pitching phenom named Aroldis Chapman defected from Cuba. "It was easy," Chapman said. One moment, he was with his Cuban teammates at a hotel in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Then he walked out. Just like that. Next step: the big leagues. He'll establish residency somewhere -- perhaps the Dominican Republic -- and welcome the bidding war. He'll be a free agent, and a left-handed prospect who happens to throw 100 mph, on the open market, just might fetch between $30 and $60 million.

It will be fascinating to discern Chapman's value, if only because it lends some clues about the current open market value of a pitcher with elite talent and assumed Major League readiness.

There are plenty of differences between Chapman and Stephen Strasburg -- Strasburg is the more refined prospect -- but the biggest difference between the two, at least when it comes to immediate earning potential, has nothing to do with talent. Strasburg is a college kid who was born and raised in San Diego; thus, he's subject to the amateur draft. Chapman, an international prospect, can sign anywhere.

Oh, to be a free agent!

If Strasburg gets that luxury before signing his initial MLB contract, it won't come easily -- probably not without an unprecedented exodus to a foreign country, as Sheinin writes about today, and a corresponding legal battle. For now, of course, only one team has negotiating rights with Strasburg. And as those negotiations have gotten started, one thing is evident:

The Nationals want to pay Strasburg like a draft pick.

Strasburg's advisor/attorney, Scott Boras, wants Strasburg to be paid along the lines of a Major League-ready international player.

The Nationals have 45 days to bridge that gap. It is believed the Nationals, who made Strasburg the first overall pick June 9, have already submitted a first offer, per MLB Rule 4(e)(1). [For explanation, see below.] "I can assure you we are adhering to the Major League Rules," Nationals President Stan Kasten said, declining to address specific questions regarding the negotiation. Both sides are dealing with, and fighting, limited leverage, which makes this a classic and intriguing bullfight. Washington's franchise credibility is riding on the signing, so in some respects they have to give in to lucrative demands. On the other hand, Boras's demands are undercut because, quite simply, Strasburg isn't on the open market.

Back in the good old days, when they were only 10 games under .500 (7-17), the Nationals began a game that never finished. Because of rain, the May 5 game at Nationals Park against the Astros was suspended in the 11th inning, the score tied at 10.

Well, that game has been tied for almost two months now.

I mention this only because today the Astros released some information about the details of that game's resolution. All along, the teams, in partnership with Major League Baseball, had resolved to finish that game before the July 9 8:05 p.m. (EST) contest at Minute Maid Park. But here are the details...

* The suspended game will resume at 7:05 p.m. (EST)

* The regularly scheduled 8:05 p.m. game will start at 8:05 p.m., unless the suspended game ends after 7:45 p.m. If the suspended game ends after 7:45 p.m., there will be a 20-minute break between games.

* The game will resume in the bottom of the 11th inning, with the Nats batting with one out and a runner on first base. Astros RHP LaTroy Hawkins was the pitcher on the mound, and he is allowed to continue his outing if the Astros see fit. Elijah Dukes, though, was the runner on first. Dukes was demoted yesterday to Class AAA Syracuse, so the Nats can replace Dukes with a pinch-runner. (Anybody voting for Nyjer Morgan?)

Dear Nats blogger/Twitterer/fan:

Hi. I'm Jon DeNunzio, one of the editors in The Post's Sports department, and I'm looking for some help with an experiment this weekend. We're considering a project that would capture and display Twitter posts from fans at Nationals Park during games. The primary goal is to get a feel for the stadium experience now that the park is broken in, so to speak. So we're especially interested in Tweets about food and drink (and the ease/difficulty in getting them), seats and sightlines, ticket prices and other costs, pre-, in- and post-game entertainment, etc etc etc. Anything that sheds a little light on what it's like to be at the game -- good and bad -- would be useful.

We're hoping to test this concept at the three Braves games this weekend, with much fuller implementation at the long homestand that starts July 16.

How can you help? Pretty simple: if you're at any of the games this weekend, it would be fantastic if you Tweeted a few times before/during/after (especially during) with these two hash tags attached: #natswp and #[section number]. Example: "The beer guy is offering half-price Miller Lite right now! #natswp #230"

If you really are motivated, you could also mention this on your blog or Tweets. Up to you. I'll be tweeting about it shortly on @PostSports, too, if you wanna RT the call to action.

Since we're not ready to go completely public with this yet, I set up a blog and am displaying the #natswp tweets in the sidebar. You can check it out here: http://nunztest.wordpress.com -- and add comments/suggestions, etc there, or by emailing me back, or by Twitter to @jondenunzio or @PostSports. I am really interested in feedback.

Thanks for considering helping us out, and have a great holiday weekend.

Sincerely,

Jon

Beginning today, the date where Major League Baseball clubs can sign international prospects to contracts, you're going to see plenty of examples of (alleged) teenagers receiving large sums of money. This year's top-ranked Latin American prospect is Miguel Angel Sano, a 16-year-old Dominican shortstop whose top suitor, the Pirates, conducted bone-graft tests that assign an age range based on DNA.

Maybe this all sounds familiar, because the Nats, in previous years, have played the high-risk market. Famously, in 2006, they paid $1.4 million for a Dominican 16-year-old named Esmailyn Gonzalez, who turned out to be neither 16 nor named Esmailyn. When Gonzalez's true identity was learned this spring, the resulting scandal caused Washington to part ways with Jose Rijo and GM Jim Bowden, relocate its Dominican baseball academy, and start anew on its efforts to cultivate pipelines in Latin America.

The Nats have now established a facility in Boca Chica, but they're not quite ready to reenter the high-stakes auction for top international talent. This year, the Nats will make hardly a peep. They might sign a few marginal prospects, but probably won't dish out a single six-figure signing bonus. Not all of that reticence can be attributed to the Gonzalez scandal; the Nats this year know they need to devote their resources (err, money) to a certain amateur pitcher, Stephen Strasburg. Still, the Gonzalez mess was a setback. Team president Stan Kasten has admitted as much, and said he doesn't expect much activity on the international front until 2010.

"One simply cannot make this stuff up," Amy Shipley writes from Florida, where the Nats lost yet again. Shipley also mentions the latest spate of Ryan Zimmerman errors -- three in two games, and it would have been four, if not for a postmortem scoring change. Zimmerman's glovework still dazzles, but clearly, the across-the-diamond throw has become an anxiety. His error yesterday was, again, a throwing error. Zimmerman now has 12 E's, fourth-most in baseball, and already more than his total (10) from last year, when he played 104 games.

Hanley Ramirez sets an MLB record among shortstops by driving in a run for the 10th consecutive game.

By the way, among the three MLB players with 13 errors: Emilio Bonifacio, the maddening, sometimes electrifying player whom Florida acquired this offseason.

Fangraphs.com makes the argument that Nyjer Morgan and Adam Dunn, sabermetrics be damned, "are near equals in value."

It was a good week for the Class AAA Syracuse starters, as Bill Gluvna's minor league report points out. (Yes, NJ favorite J.D. Martin again gets a mention.)

MLR 7-1-09.pdf

When the Washington Nationals play the Florida Marlins, excruciating baseball -- the kind favored by the Nats no matter the opponent -- forms an unholy alliance with cursed baseball. And so you get losses that feel outlandish, even when you know they're coming.

This afternoon, the Nats lost again to the Marlins, 5-3. They were swept in this series, and are now 0-9 against Florida this year. Each game in this series shared something beyond the end result.

On Monday: The Nats were tied at 2 entering the bottom of the eighth. (Final score, 4-2, Florida.)

On Tuesday: The Nats led 5-1 entering the bottom of the sixth, and 5-4 entering the bottom of the seventh. (Final score, 7-5, Florida.)

Today: The Nats led 3-2 entering the bottom of the seventh, and were tied at 3 entering the bottom of the eighth. (Sigh. Final score, 5-3, Florida.)

The team's current record, 22-54, puts it on pace for a 47-115 season. Then again, if the Nats adhere to every pace they've established thusfar, they'll go 0-18 against the Marlins, lose at least one more game where they hit five home runs, "delete" at least two more of their Bowden-tabbed centerpiece players, and finish the season with roughly 25 bullpen-related roster moves.

Hey, I'm not sayin' it's impossible.

The Washington Nationals sent Elijah Dukes to AAA Syracuse on Wednesday morning, saying Dukes was not a "finished product" and needed to play every day rather than sit on the bench in the majors.

The move came in response to the team's acquisition of middle reliever Sean Burnett and center fielder Nyjer Morgan in Tuesday's trade that sent Lastings Milledge and Joel Hanrahan to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

"I don't think we're going to be doing him any help by just sitting him here," Acta said before Wednesday's game against the Florida Marlins at Land Shark Stadium.

Acting General Manager Mike Rizzo called the demotion of Dukes "a pure baseball decision" designed to ensure Dukes would get enough at-bats and playing time to continue to develop, but the move also seemed to signal a loss of confidence in a player once considered among the organization's top prospects.

Dukes and Milledge had, as recently as this spring, been considered Washington's outfielders of the future.

Typical. So typical. The Nats had a four-run lead last night. They blew it, in standard disreputable fashion (walks, errors, horrid relief pitching) just minutes before the skies opened up and forced everybody off the field. The game never resumed. The Nats lost 7-5.

Florida's mastery of the Nats is stunning. I know pet owners with Pomeranians that only dream of such obedience. Give the Nats a lead -- they serve it back. Give them a save opportunity -- they blow it. Give them a leadoff hitter -- they walk him. Give them Hanley Ramirez -- they give the fans in the bleachers, more times than not, a souvenir.

The Marlins have now won 23 of the last 26 games against the Nats. Go back to the start of 2008, and the Nats are 3-22 against the Fish. (And 0-8 in 2009.)

During that span, Washington has ...

* surrendered nine or more runs six times.

* encountered 13 save opportunities -- and saved just two games.

* a 6.35 bullpen ERA.

* allowed Florida to hit 40 homers, or 1.6 per game. (This would put Florida on pace for 259 HRs in a season. Only two teams in MLB history, the 2005 Rangers and the 1997 Mariners, have hit 260 or more.)

* walked 92 people, including 10 in one game and seven in two others.

* thrown 17 wild pitches.

* committed 29 errors.

Why?

"We think we got two really good ones," said interim GM Mike Rizzo after getting outfielder Nyjer Morgan and lefty reliever Sean Burnett for Lastings Milledge and Joel Hanrahan.

Maybe. More likely, the Nats just got two decent ones. The real meaning of this swap may be what it hints for the future. This is a trade you make if you want to make more deals before the August 1 deadline.

If you think you may trade Nick Johnson and move either Adam Dunn or Josh Willingham to first base, then you need a speedy lefty hitter like Morgan in the outfield. And what if you get an offer you can't refuse for versatile, bubbly 31-year-old utility man Willie Harris, too? Then it makes sense even more. Maybe Morgan, 29, plays the last couple of months as your center fielder and leadoff man. If he pans out, good. If not, then he may make a versatile fourth outfielder next year.

If you're pretty sure you're going to trade either Joe Beimel or Ron Villone, or both of them if you get offers you like, then you need a lefty reliever like Burnett -- 3.06 ERA in 38 games. Maybe he becomes the always necessary but unheralded LOOGY of the future.

As for Milledge and Hanrahgan, one was already in exile in Syracuse for an entitled attitude and the other in the bullpen doghouse for an ERA over 7.00, so the Nats didn't give away anybody that they hadn't already given up on.

Short version, the Nats just got flexibility to make more deals. Morgan's has an adequate but modest .351 on-base percenatge in 545 career at bats, a 65 percent steal rate and a history as a fast left fielder who was never trusted very long in center field. That doesn't sound like a Building Block of the Future. If he turns into a late bloomer who's Washington's version of Juan Pierre, it's a miracle. But Rizzo loves him. So it's useful evaluation of the evaluator, too.

As for the low-budget Pirates, they took a gamble that Milledge or Hanrahan will eventually turn out to to be the "high ceiling" players that the Nats, and especially former GM Jim Bowden, thought they would be...oh...90 days ago.

Hanrahan ought to be a decent part of somebody's bullpen someday. But he was out-of-options dead weight to the Nats.

As for Lastings, if this isn't his wake-up call, what will it take? Hello, you just got traded from the Nationals to the Pirates. At least you made history. Someday there may be another Milledge for Morgan trade. But another Lastings for Nyjer? That'll last longer than DiMaggio's streak. You can't get any further from Broadway.