The Washington Nationals announced they have traded 1B Nick Johnson to the Florida Marlins for minor league left-handed starter Aaron Thompson.

In addition, the team confirmed they sent left-handed reliever Joe Beimel to the Colorado Rockies for two minor league players.

Johnson, a free agent after this season, hit .294/.408/402 with six home runs and 44 RBIs this season for the Nats, in his sixth season with the organization.

He was the last player to wear the tri-colors of the Montreal Expos in the organization.

Thompson, 22, is 5-9 with a 4.11 ERA with Double-A Jacksonville. He was a first-round pick for the Marlins in 2005, out of high school in Texas. He was the 13th-ranked Florida prospect, according to Baseball America.

According to one scouting service, Thompson has a 87-90 MPH fastball and plus slider to go along with pinpoint command.

He posted a .268 batting average against and 1.74/1 strikeout-to-walk ratio with 75 strikeouts and 43 walks in 114.0 innings. Entering this season, he was recognized as having the “Best Changeup” in the Marlins system by Baseball America.

Beimel spends less than one season with the Nats. He was 1-5 with a 3.40 ERA and a save in 45 appearances.

The players recieved for Beimel are right-handed pitcher Ryan Mattheus and right-handed pitcher Robinson Fabian.

Mattheus, 25, was 1-3 with a 3.81 ERA in 19 appearances for Colorado’s top three affiliates this season before having “Tommy John” ligament-replacement surgery performed in early July. In 26.0 innings prior the surgery, Mattheus struck out 27—or 9.3 per 9.0 innings pitched—en route to recording a .250 (24-for-96) batting average against.

Shifted to the bullpen for the first time in 2008, his efforts were rewarded, as he represented the Rockies in both the 2008 Futures Game and the Double-A Texas League All-Star Game. He earned both citations by not only posting a 3.28 ERA in the Texas League, but also by leading Tulsa with 17 saves, striking out 8.7 batters per 9.0 innings and recording a heavy 2.4/1 ground ball-to-fly ball ratio.

Fabian was 3-6 with a 6.24 ERA in 24 games (12 starts) with Asheville of the Single-A South Atlantic League at the time of the trade. In 83.2 innings, he fanned 54 and walked just 21, good for a 2.6/1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He has been assigned by the Nationals to Hagerstown of the Single-A South Atlantic League.

The 23 year-old is 20-30 with a 5.08 ERA in 101 games (67 starts) in seven professional seasons.

Photos 2009 © Cheryl Nichols. All Rights Reserved.

"Which one?" -- Manny Acta, in response to the question "How bad did Guzman's error hurt?" in the post-game conference, July 7, 2009.

THE RESULT: The Washington Nationals lost a perfectly winnable game last night due to a veteran pitcher that couldn't throw a strike, infield errors too numerous to count, a backup outfielder falling down on the base paths, and eight runners left on base with the Nats going 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position.

Oh, and the winning pitcher for the Colorado Rockies didn't throw a single pitch.

It was a fairly normal game until the eighth inning. Sure, Jordan Zimmermann wasn't sharp, giving up seven hits and four walks in just four innings. And he certainly would have fared better if Willie Harris, starting again at second base, hadn't tried to field a ground ball in the fourth inning with his, um, private area.

But as it was, the game was tied entering the top of the eighth.

With two outs, forgotten man Austin Kearns pinch-hit for reliever Sean Burnett (two innings, one hit, no walks).

Kearns laced a single through the hole on the right side. Colorado manager Jim Tracy called upon veteran left-hander Alan Embree to face Nyjer Morgan. Kearns broke on a steal attempt, and instead of throwing home, Embree went to first. Kearns then, incredibly, just fell down in the middle of the base path and was tagged out after a short run down.

So then to the bottom of the inning. Julian Tavarez struck out Chris Iannetta to start off, but then gave four straight balls to rookie Carlos Gonzalez, hitting all of .197. Seth Smith pinch-hit for Embree, and drew a five-pitch walk. Acta had seen enough.

"I am very patient, but my patience runs out when there's a veteran run who's not throwing strikes," Acta said later.

Joe Beimel came in, and on his second pitch he got Ryan Spilborghs to bounce back to the pitcher for a tailor-made, inning ending double play.

Only Cristian Guzman, who earlier failed to field a ground ball that hit his shin, was late getting to second base, and Beimel double-clutched, sending the ball to Harris, who was in short center field backing up the play. All hands were safe, and the next batter lofted a run-scoring sacrifice for the game-winner.

THE TAKEAWAY: I blame Bob Carpenter. Earlier in the game, he noted how the team defense was much better "due to better starting pitching," whatever that means. Regardless, Cristian Guzman was absolutely terrible last night, committing his 12th error of the season and contributing to Beimel's throwing error in the pivotal eighth.

Gotta hand it to thet Nats, though. It wasn't boring.

THE GOOD: Ryan Zimmerman. Actually, it was a mixed bag for Zim, as he hit his 14th home run of the year, a three-run shot, that put the Nats up 4-1 at that point. But he also ground into two more double plays, giving him 14 of those on the season as well.

THE BAD: Adam Dunn. 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.

THE UGLY: Julian Tavarez. He's now 3-7 on the season.

NEXT GAME: Today, the finale of the three-game series with Colorado, at 3:10 pm EDT. Ross Detwiler (0-4, 5.81) tries to play stopper against Jorge De La Rosa (5-7, 5.14).

NOTES: Jesus Colome rejected his outright assignment to Triple-A Syracuse and elected free agency. Via con dios, Jesus.

Photo 2009 © Cheryl Nichols. All Rights Reserved.


"We continue to put runs on the board. This is the 10th game in a row where we score five or more runs -- and we're 1-9. That tells you the story right now." --Manny Acta, May 19, 2009.

THE RESULT: The Pittsburgh Pirates scored three runs in the top of the tenth against Washington Nationals reliever Joe Beimel--working his second inning of relief--and came away with an 8-5 victory, their fifth in a row.

The Nats lost their sixth consecutive contest, and ninth out of ten. Washington became only the fourth team in history to lose six straight when they have scored five or more runs in each contest.

The Nats tied the game in the bottom of the ninth, as Nick Johnson walked home on a wild pitch after his fourth career triple. But the Nats couldn't get Ryan Zimmerman home from second base with one out, and the game went into extra innings, where the Nats haven't won all season (Now 0-5).

Ramon Vazquez led off with a single and took second on a sacrifice to Beimel on a play that looked like Beimel had time to get the lead runner. Beimel then intentionally walked Freddy Sanchez to face Nate McLouth. The move worked as McLouth flied out to center.

But that's where Beimel's luck ended, as Adam LaRoche his the next pitch for a double to score Vazquez and Sanchez, and Brandon Moss capped the scoring with a single, pushing LaRoche home.

Vazquez, LaRoche and Moss all bat left-handed, which is what Beimel (L, 0-3, 5.63) is supposed to specialize in.

This was actually a pretty decent game for much of the night. The Pirates jumped ahead 5-0 early against Nats starter Shairon Martis, but the rookie settled down to hold them there, and went on to retire the last 10 batters he faced after surrendering Adam LaRoche's two-run home run in the third.

LaRoche's shot was really the only hard hit ball against Martis, as the damage in the first inning was the result of a couple of bloop hits and a misplayed ball in center by Willie Harris that inexplicably was ruled a double and not a single and error.

Martis gave up five earned runs on five hits and two walks, with two strikeouts.

The Nats chipped away at the lead in the middle innings. Adam Dunn led off the fourth with his 11th home run of the season, which made his mama proud: she was in attendance last night.

In the sixth, Ryan Zimmerman extended his consecutive games on-base streak to 37 with a bunt single, went to second on Dunn's walk and scored on a Willie Harris single. Anderson Hernandez tripled into the right field corner to score Harris, and Wil Nieves knocked in Hernandez with a single.

THE TAKEAWAY: Martis is turning into a pretty good pitcher right before our eyes. The complete game last week got a lot of attention, but last night he didn't have his best stuff, but still only allowed one hard-hit ball in six innings. With a little luck and better defense, the first inning would never have happened.

He made the one mistake to LaRoche, a guy who can turn a mistake around pretty quickly.

THE GOOD: Ron Villone. He pitched two hitless, scoreless innings in relief of Martis to let the Nats have a hope of coming back, which they did.

THE BAD: Cristian Guzman and Josh Willingham were both 0-for-4. But both also walked once, so they weren't a complete loss.

THE UGLY: Joe Beimel. He hasn't been very effective since returning from his hip injury. Is it still bothering him? He should have been able to fool the left-handed batters he was left in to face last night.

Also, how little confidence does Manny Acta have in Joel Hanrahan right now? Despite being labelled the closer again, in a strikeout, closer-type situation with two outs and men on first and third, Acta left Beimel in to face LaRoche in the tenth.

I know it was a lefty-on-lefty situation, but a strikeout gets you out of the inning, and that's what Hanrahan does.

The bullpen is now 1-14 for the season.

NEXT GAME: Tonight at 7:05 pm against the Buccos. John Lannan (2-3, 4.00) hosts Paul Maholm (3-1, 3.51).

NOTES: As has been widely reported, the Nats placed Elijah Dukes on the 15-day DL after the game, DFA'd Alex Cintron (finally) and recalled Justin Maxwell and Jason Bergmann. The Nats will go with an eight-man bullpen for the first time under Manny Acta.

Also, Ross Detwiler earned another start. He will pitch Saturday against Baltimore.

THE RESULTS: Ryan Zimmerman's consecutive games hitting streak ended at 30, but Shairon Martis' win streak continued, as he gave up just one run in seven innings, as the Washington Nationals defeated the San Francisco Giants, 6-3, before 30,120 sun-kissed fans at AT&T Park.

Zimmerman fell just one short of the franchise-rec0rd of 31 games, set by Vladimir Guerrero in 1999. He finished 0-for-3, with two walks and a run. He was intentionally walked in the seventh when first base opened up as a result of a passed ball, and grounded into a fielder's choice in the ninth inning.

The Nats got big days from several hitters. Cristian Guzman went 3-for-5 with two runs, Nick Johnson was 4-for-5 with a run and two RBIs, and Elijah Dukes went 2-for-5 with three RBIs.

Martis fought his command most of the afternoon, but was effectively wild. He gave up just two hits, but walked four and struck out two. He threw 109 pitches--only 59 for strikes. He didn't give up a run until the seventh inning, the result of two walks, a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly.

As per usual, the bullpen made things more interesting than it needed to be. Joe Beimel and Kip Wells both gave up single runs in the eighth and ninth innings respectively, after allowing the lead-off batters to hit for extra bases. But they kept the damage down and ultimately did their jobs, albeit nervously.

THE TAKEAWAY: Martis has to be the least likely 5-0 pitcher in the majors, but we'll take it at this point. His ERA after yesterday is 4.10, and his K/BB rate is 21/17 for the season.

Not Cy Young numbers, but he's a testament to the fact that if the starter can keep the team in it, the Nats have a chance out out-hit the other team for the win.

THE GOOD: Nick Johnson. Four hits in five trips. Two driven in. He likes hitting in the two-spot.

THE BAD: Ronnie Belliard. He started at second and went 0-for-4, lowering his averages to .163/.200/.233.

THE UGLY: Joe Beimel. Faced three batters, all right handed (well, Winn and Sandoval switch), gave up two hits and a run.

NEXT GAME: Off today, then a four game series with the Phillies starting Friday. John Lannan (2-3, 3.89) hosts Joe Blanton (1-3, 6.82) in the opener at 7:00 p.m. from Nationals Park.

THE RESULT: The San Francisco Giants rallied for three runs in the bottom of the ninth and defeated the Washington Nationals 9-7. Closer du jour Joe Beimel surrendered a three-run home run to 3B Pablo Sandoval for the dagger.

The home run followed a single and walk, all after two outs.

The now-routine ninth inning collapse followed a comeback of their own for the Nats, as they scored three int he seventh and three more in the eighth to take a 7-5 lead.

But a single run in the eighth off Kip Wells--a Bengie Molina home run--cut the deficit to one before Sandoval's blast in the ninth.

Ryan Zimmerman went 2-for-5 to extend his hitting streak to 30 games, tying George Brett for the second longest hitting streak for a third baseman. Pete Rose has the longest for 3B's at 44. It's the fourth-longest streak in majors since 2000, and the 26th streak of at least 30 games since Joe DiMaggio's 56-game record in 1941.

THE TAKEAWAY: Lifetime, Beimel holds lefties to a .265/.329/.390 line and righties to .287/.368/.431. This season, the splits are much more significant.

Lefties: .214/.267/.286
Righties: .333/.389/.545

I'm just sayin'.

THE GOOD: Nick Johnson. 2-for-4, home run, five RBIs. Should have been the hero instead of writing about another goat.

THE BAD: Jordan Zimmermann. He was not particularly sharp against a weak-hitting lineup. Seven hits and two walks in six innings, giving up five earned runs. He did strike out eight along the way, so it wasn't all bad.

THE UGLY: Beimel. He is not built to be a closer. Period. As a situational guy and seventh/eighth inning set-up guy, great.

Also, two more errors, including Beimel's throwing error in the ninth.

NEXT GAME: Today at 3:45 p.m. Shairon Martis (4-0, 4.67) faces the resurgent Barry Zito (1-2, 3.57). Plenty of good seats still available.

Posted by Cheryl Nichols, Contributor and Photographer to Nats News Network

Despite being the only bullpen pitcher to go lights out yesterday, Saul Rivera has been optioned to AAA Syracuse. Rivera seemed to be getting his groove back, however, he has options and was sent to Syracuse. Unfortunate in my opinion. Hang in there Saul!

Welcome back Joe! Beimel has been greatly missed in the last two weeks. He is back just in time to pitch against his old Dodger team (2006-2008).

Photos 2009 © Cheryl Nichols. All Rights Reserved.

OTHER INJURY NOTES: Ladson reports that right-hander Garrett Mock hyperextended his right knee catching a popup by Michael Bourne in the eighth inning. Acta said that Mock is OK and will be ready to pitch on Wednesday against the Dodgers.


Press Release:

NATIONALS REINSTATE JOE BEIMEL FROM DL, OPTION SAUL RIVERA TO TRIPLE-A SYRACUSE

The Washington Nationals today recalled from rehab and reinstated left-handed pitcher Joe Beimel from the 15-Day Disabled List and optioned right-handed pitcher Saul Rivera to Syracuse of the Triple-A International League. Nationals Assistant General Manager and Vice President of Baseball Operations Mike Rizzo made the announcement.

Beimel missed the last 13 games, after going on the DL with a left hip flexor strain, April 21. In eight relief appearances this season, he owns four holds and a 1.23 ERA. The 32-year-old signed with the Nationals as a free agent on March 18.

Rivera, 31, is 0-3 with a 8.49 ERA in 10 relief appearances with the Nationals.

From the press release:

The Washington Nationals today recalled right-handed pitcher Saul Rivera from Syracuse of the Triple-A International League and placed left-handed pitcher Joe Beimel on the 15-Day Disabled List with a left hip flexor strain. Nationals Assistant General Manager and Vice President of Baseball Operations Mike Rizzo made the
announcement.

Rivera, 31, has pitched in six games this season with the Nationals and has been a workhorse in the team’s bullpen since his big-league debut in 2006. His 221 career relief appearances and 45 holds rank third in club annals (2005-current). Rivera signed with Washington as a minor-league free agent on November 18, 2005.

Beimel suffered his injury while making an exceptional defensive play during the eighth inning of Monday’s game against Atlanta. In eight relief appearances this season, he owns four holds and a 1.23 ERA. The 32-year-old signed with the Nationals as a free agent on March 18.

This has to be considered a big hit to the bullpen, since Beimel has been the most effective component and Rivera arguably the least effective. If Rivera's struggles continue though, he'll make the Nats decision really easy. Rivera simply has to perform better or he risks losing his job--for good.

And it's really too bad about Beimel. The play he apparently hurt himself on was a nice one, but you have to wonder if the field had been dry if he'd gotten injured. We'll never know, of course, but let's hope this hip flexor strain doesn't keep him out longer than 15 days.

Photos 2009 © Cheryl Nichols. All Rights Reserved.

The Nationals held a telephone media availability today at 11:45 am with team President Stan Kasten, Manager Manny Acta, and players Ryan Zimmerman, Adam Dunn, Joel Hanrahan and Joe Beimel. The event was apparently for smaller papers and internet writers, as the Post, Times and MLB.com were absent from the call.

My recorder was dead (naturally) so I don't have a full transcript, but I took notes and will paraphrase, give some impressions and quotes.

Mr. Kasten went first.

He gave a short statement centered on the optimism he personally, and the team in general, feels about the upcoming season. He made particular mention of the general health of the team, the additions to the rotation of Olsen, Cabrera and the youngsters, the addition to the lineup of Adam Dunn and the recent veteran additions to the bullpen.

He said he feels the team is "really falling into place."

With that, he took questions.

Q: Is the team going in a new direction with Jim Bowden gone?
SK: No, the opportunity has always been there for a collaborative effort. People are stepping up. The operation in "the Dominican is smooth." "We're right on track," for opening day.

Q: With the Braves moving out of Richmond, is that somewhere you'd like to see the Nats get into?
SK: Couldn't comment specifically, but "I love the city." Richmond has issues with the stadium and needs a franchise before the Nats could get involved.

Q: How are ticket sales? Is opening day sold out?
SK: Wouldn't comment specifically. Said he'd have "more to say the week before opening day." Described how the team lowered some ticket prices, developed smaller ticket packages and family plans.

Q: Was this off-season your most challenging?
SK: It was "something different" but now the team is "all on the same page."

Q: How did his day-to-day routine in spring training change?
SK: "Never in my career," did he spend more time in Florida in spring training.

Q: What's the deal with Dmitri Young? Since he's missed so much time and only playing in minor league games, was adding him to the 40-man roster a way to DL him for the beginning of the season?
SK: The DL will certainly be an option for him. But, "he's made a lot of progress", "dropped a lot of weight", and you could "blindfold him and he can hit", so he didn't dismiss the idea of Meathook appearing on the active roster.

Q: Is the team going in a different direction in the community relations department?
SK: They've expanded and there's been some "coordination" between departments, but the DC community is very important to the organization.

The comedy stylings of Zimmerman and Dunn took over.

Zimmerman thinks the team is closer this year than last. He said there was a "more comfortable" atmosphere in the clubhouse. He feels that adding Dunn to the lineup doesn't necessarily mean "more fastballs for me," but helps the lineup one through eight.

He believed his off-season training was easier and quicker this season as experience has let him know what he needs to get ready for the season. His mental approach is getting more refined as he gains experience as well. Rick Eckstein has helped many of the players with his serious approach and extensive video study.

Dunn loved his WBC experience, and thinks it helped him get ready for the season, getting a full game's worth of at bats in a game and adjusting to pitchers during in-game situations. "Every at bat was serious." He doesn't care whether he plays "first, third or the outfield."

He said the Sports Illustrated article didn't bother him and that his laid-back style and attitude wouldn't be a big deal if the press didn't keep bringing it up.

He closed by saying that he had high expectations for the team, that they were going to "have a lot of fun" and "win a lot of games."

Joe Beimel and Joel Hanrahan took over.

Even though he didn't sign until recently, Beimel said he never worried about not having a job this year, that he had "quite a few teams" interested, but that he needed "a decent offer" and that the "market vanished" a bit this off-season. He says being the eighth inning guy is easier than being a specialist because it defines the role and he doesn't "have to worry about adjusting" to different roles throughout the season like last year.

The left-hander likes the makeup of the team, that it's a young team, especially the starting pitchers and that there is "a lot of talent." He doesn't think of himself as a lefty specialist, and his splits are good because his mechanics help him "hide [his] sinker against lefties."

Joel Hanrahan said the WBC was a "great experience" and gave him a chance to talk to other closers, specifically the New York Mets' J.J. Putz, about how to get his WBC teammates out. He said that he likes the idea of being closer, and that he "talked to Chad [Cordero] quite a bit" about the role. He thought he got enough work with the USA team to prepare for the upcoming season.

He said he has a "short-term memory" which will allow him to not let things get to him, and his goal is to "put up a zero" every time out. He's not really happy with his spring training performance so far, that his "walks are down" but he's "getting behind" and needs to throw more first-pitch strikes.

Manager Manny Acta was the closer for the day.

Q: Why will the team do better?
MA: Simply, because "It's a better club" than last year. Adding Dunn to the middle of the order helps the batting order and that this year they didn't have to go into spring training trying out guys for the 3-4-5 spots in the rotation.

Q: What about playing time in the outfield?
MA: "Nice try, but I'm not going to give that up yet." He did go on to say, however, that Dunn was his left fielder and Milledge his center fielder, and Dukes, Kearns and Willingham would all get at bats, and that "no one is breaking Ripken's record" in this outfield.

He went on to say that the competition was a good thing, and that it gives the team depth they didn't have last year and gives the front office a "chance to make a deal if the right one is there."

Q: Is there any negative carry-over from last year's 102-loss season?
MA: Last season's "not gonna carry over at all." And it wasn't all bad: they had an opportunity to develop Jesus Flores, Elijah Dukes, John Lannan, Collin Balestar, etc.

Q: Are you concerned with Dunn's strikeouts?
MA: It's more important to get on base than to hit for a high average. He'd rather have Dunn "strikeout than hit into a double play." Dunn's walks more than make up for his strikeouts (ed. He's absolutely correct. The defense though...)

Q: Is Milledge the best choice for lead-off?
MA: He's the best option right now. His OBP and speed is suited for it, Milledge is growing into the role. Guzman's skills play better in the number two spot. It doesn't bother him that Guzman is a free-swinger, that his contact will help Milledge when he's on base. He also said he doesn't want to waste running opportunities in front of Zimmerman and Dunn.

Q: How closely will the team watch Jordan Zimmermann and Shairon Martis' innings.
MA: The team will limit their innings and pitches. They "aren't going to jeopardize their careers" for the benefit of rushing them into the big leagues.

------------------

With that, the call promptly ended. In the end, there were no earth-shattering developments or quotes, but there was some good basic knowledge imparted by the skipper. Every time he gets the opportunity, he stresses the the point about on-base percentage and the idea that you can't score runs if you can't get on base, and he's absolutely correct.

Many pundits harp on Dunn's strikeouts and say he's a bad hitter. It's not true. You don't walk over 100 times a year if you're a bad hitter. You don't get on base at a .380 clip if you're a bad hitter. Average is a lousy way to evaluate a batter, yet the mainstream media clings to it like it's the only thing that matters.

Anyway, the 35 minute telephone conference was a good outreach by the team to the smaller newspapers and the internet writers. It was a good opportunity to get some background and "face time" with some of the decision-makers and key players in the organization.