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By Steve Elliott
Historic Horlick Field welcomed the Nats for the first time Friday as the squad faced the Racine Kiwanis in a key matchup of playoff contenders. The Kiwanis entered the doubleheader holding an edge, sitting second in the standings (6-1) and having defeated the Nats 5-1 earlier this season.
The edge was quickly negated. Despite missing BP due to travel delays, the Nats bats were lively in the first inning. Mike Wajerski led off the game with a hustle double, erasing memories of Tuesday's tough loss and setting an aggressive tone for the team. Jared Stengel's single scored Wajerski, giving the team an early 1-0 lead. The Nationals threatened to break the game wide open, scoring two more runs in the inning. Gibson's aggressive attempt to score a fourth run on Kellen Haynes' single to left, however, was thwarted by a strong relay throw from the Kiwanis' third baseman. Gibson out at the plate, Tim Spata then grounded out to end the inning.
That proved to be more than enough offense for the team. Newly acquired pitcher Brandon Kellbach dominated on the mound. Kellbach showed the command, power, and poise that had earned him a professional contract for the Gateway Grizzlies in the Frontier League. Kellback shut out the Kiwanis, striking out 12 in the 7 inning complete game victory.
With a 5-0 victory neatly under their belts, the Nats were poised and ready for a sweep. After line outs by Wajerski and Jacob Paige, Jared Stengal reached on an error in the first inning of the nightcap. Chris Marks then hammered a single to right and Brian Gibson followed with an clutch RBI to give the team an early 1-0 lead. Starting pitcher Tim Spata endured some hard luck in the bottom half of the inning, though. Two infield hits and an error allowed the Kiwanis to tie the game at 1. The Kiwanis added tallies in the second and third to take a 3-1 lead, ending Spata's night.
Kellen Haynes created a run in the fourth. After reaching on an error, Haynes promptly stole second. Then, Haynes aggressively took third on Pat Bovee's ground ball to short. Haynes' play clearly distracted the Kiwanis' shortstop who rushed to make the pick. When the ball went under his glove, Haynes was able to score and put the Nationals back in the game at 3-2.
The Nats continued to battle back. Reliever Tim Ustruck averted trouble in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings, holding the Kiwanis scoreless. Brian Gibson's triple in the fifth scored Jake Paige and the Nats were back to even at 3-3.
Twice the Nationals appeared to grab the lead. Kellen Haynes blast to left field in the sixth inning was caught at the wall 330 feet from home plate. In the seventh, Jared Stengel hit a similar blast to the same location which appeared to clear the foul pole for a home run. Home plate umpire Ben May disagreed, ruling the ball foul. That would be the last gasp for the Nats.
Pat Bovee relieved Tim Ustruck to start the seventh. An infield single and a line single to right put runners on the corners with one out. The Nats pulled in CF Mike Wajerski for a 5 man infield, but the strategy was thwarted when the Kiwanis' 6 hitter lined Bovee's first offering to right field for the game winner.
The second tough loss of the week gives the Kiwanis the tie-breaking edge over the Nats and virtually assures the locals of no better than a third place regular season finish.
Next week brings three more games. On Monday the Nats travel to Simmons Field in Kenosha to face the State League Kings. Tuesday and Friday the team is back in town to battle Milwaukee McGuire's Cats and the Pewaukee Muskies.
Historic Horlick Field welcomed the Nats for the first time Friday as the squad faced the Racine Kiwanis in a key matchup of playoff contenders. The Kiwanis entered the doubleheader holding an edge, sitting second in the standings (6-1) and having defeated the Nats 5-1 earlier this season.
The edge was quickly negated. Despite missing BP due to travel delays, the Nats bats were lively in the first inning. Mike Wajerski led off the game with a hustle double, erasing memories of Tuesday's tough loss and setting an aggressive tone for the team. Jared Stengel's single scored Wajerski, giving the team an early 1-0 lead. The Nationals threatened to break the game wide open, scoring two more runs in the inning. Gibson's aggressive attempt to score a fourth run on Kellen Haynes' single to left, however, was thwarted by a strong relay throw from the Kiwanis' third baseman. Gibson out at the plate, Tim Spata then grounded out to end the inning.
That proved to be more than enough offense for the team. Newly acquired pitcher Brandon Kellbach dominated on the mound. Kellbach showed the command, power, and poise that had earned him a professional contract for the Gateway Grizzlies in the Frontier League. Kellback shut out the Kiwanis, striking out 12 in the 7 inning complete game victory.
With a 5-0 victory neatly under their belts, the Nats were poised and ready for a sweep. After line outs by Wajerski and Jacob Paige, Jared Stengal reached on an error in the first inning of the nightcap. Chris Marks then hammered a single to right and Brian Gibson followed with an clutch RBI to give the team an early 1-0 lead. Starting pitcher Tim Spata endured some hard luck in the bottom half of the inning, though. Two infield hits and an error allowed the Kiwanis to tie the game at 1. The Kiwanis added tallies in the second and third to take a 3-1 lead, ending Spata's night.
Kellen Haynes created a run in the fourth. After reaching on an error, Haynes promptly stole second. Then, Haynes aggressively took third on Pat Bovee's ground ball to short. Haynes' play clearly distracted the Kiwanis' shortstop who rushed to make the pick. When the ball went under his glove, Haynes was able to score and put the Nationals back in the game at 3-2.
The Nats continued to battle back. Reliever Tim Ustruck averted trouble in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings, holding the Kiwanis scoreless. Brian Gibson's triple in the fifth scored Jake Paige and the Nats were back to even at 3-3.
Twice the Nationals appeared to grab the lead. Kellen Haynes blast to left field in the sixth inning was caught at the wall 330 feet from home plate. In the seventh, Jared Stengel hit a similar blast to the same location which appeared to clear the foul pole for a home run. Home plate umpire Ben May disagreed, ruling the ball foul. That would be the last gasp for the Nats.
Pat Bovee relieved Tim Ustruck to start the seventh. An infield single and a line single to right put runners on the corners with one out. The Nats pulled in CF Mike Wajerski for a 5 man infield, but the strategy was thwarted when the Kiwanis' 6 hitter lined Bovee's first offering to right field for the game winner.
The second tough loss of the week gives the Kiwanis the tie-breaking edge over the Nats and virtually assures the locals of no better than a third place regular season finish.
Next week brings three more games. On Monday the Nats travel to Simmons Field in Kenosha to face the State League Kings. Tuesday and Friday the team is back in town to battle Milwaukee McGuire's Cats and the Pewaukee Muskies.
The primary responsibility of a leadoff hitter is to set the table for the bats which follow. It is an added bonus when your leadoff hitter knocks in runs as well. Stat heads have a statistic to measure one's offensive performance related to this area: Runs produced.
Last week in games versus Milwaukee McGuire's, Pewaukee Muskies, and the Green Bay Billys, Mike Wajerski was particularly effective in producing runs. Not only did he score 4 times, he also knocked in two runs himself. His runs-produced average of 1.5 runs/game led the team and earned him Player of the Week honors for the first time this year.
In addition to producing runs, Mike maintained a hot bat. He hit .400 (6-15) to raise his season average to .333.
Congrats to Mike on achieving last week's honor.
Angels Steal Victory from Nationals
Posted by Steve Elliott at Jul 6, 2004 5:00PM PDT
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By Steve Elliott
There are usually warning signs before an earthquake. Scientists have observed entire ant colonies migrate in the weeks preceding major seismic activity. Larger and measurable tremors often happen as well. Those who are wise take precautions. Those who don't risk catastrophe.
Backed by the strong mound work of Joe Kissler, the Nationals entered the bottom of the ninth inning with a 3-0 lead against the division-leading Milwaukee Angels on Tuesday night at Zirkel Field. For the first seven innings the only thing shaking were Angel heads as each batter returned to the bench in frustration. The battery of Kissler and Jared Stengel effectively kept them off balance, mixing a dominant fastball and changeup with a timely curve.
In the eighth, the earth began to move. Kissler began to tire, losing command of the strike zone. Unable to place his change and curve, Kissler walked the bases loaded to bring powerful ex-pro, Bill Posteluk, to the plate. With a 3-2 count, though, Kissler caught him looking at a changeup, negating the rally. The tremor subsided. The Nats retained their hard-fought 3-0 lead. The ants were no where to be found.
After Dave Kosvuta worked around Joe Reisinger's ninth-inning triple, the Angels took one last stand against Kissler. After retiring the first hitter, the tremors started again. Two batters reached and Kissler was done for the night. Nationals management had pinpointed the epicenter (or so they thought) to an area 60 feet 6 inches in front of home plate. Their solution? Super rookie Corey Berndsen. Unfortunately for Corey, the epicenter had been misidentified.
6 feet behind home plate was a monolith, a man of superior experience and wisdom. This impartial arbiter, still struggling to reconcile his admitted blown call on the eighth inning ending 3-2 pitch to Postulek, had become weak-kneed. He was at the epicenter of the quake. Vision blurred by shaking of his legs, Lee Hardee had lost all confidence in his "ability" to differentiate balls and strikes. Patient, resourceful, and talented Angel hitters capitalized. Corey stood no chance against this force of nature. Strikes became balls. Balls hit batters. Sharp-breaking curves found the earth, bouncing away.
The scoreboard survived the quake. Flashing 4-3 in favor of the Angels, it served as a painful lesson to the Nationals. The difference between victory and defeat is small. Opportunities lost by one side is opportunity gained by the other.
Earthquakes can and do happen. Though they cannot be prevented, their impact can be mitigated if the warning signs are recognized and precautions are taken.
The Nationals will recover well. Our structural engineers had ensured that our buildings' foundations were built upon rock, not sand. Though a few windows broke, the infrastructure remained in tact, swaying with the earth.
There are usually warning signs before an earthquake. Scientists have observed entire ant colonies migrate in the weeks preceding major seismic activity. Larger and measurable tremors often happen as well. Those who are wise take precautions. Those who don't risk catastrophe.
Backed by the strong mound work of Joe Kissler, the Nationals entered the bottom of the ninth inning with a 3-0 lead against the division-leading Milwaukee Angels on Tuesday night at Zirkel Field. For the first seven innings the only thing shaking were Angel heads as each batter returned to the bench in frustration. The battery of Kissler and Jared Stengel effectively kept them off balance, mixing a dominant fastball and changeup with a timely curve.
In the eighth, the earth began to move. Kissler began to tire, losing command of the strike zone. Unable to place his change and curve, Kissler walked the bases loaded to bring powerful ex-pro, Bill Posteluk, to the plate. With a 3-2 count, though, Kissler caught him looking at a changeup, negating the rally. The tremor subsided. The Nats retained their hard-fought 3-0 lead. The ants were no where to be found.
After Dave Kosvuta worked around Joe Reisinger's ninth-inning triple, the Angels took one last stand against Kissler. After retiring the first hitter, the tremors started again. Two batters reached and Kissler was done for the night. Nationals management had pinpointed the epicenter (or so they thought) to an area 60 feet 6 inches in front of home plate. Their solution? Super rookie Corey Berndsen. Unfortunately for Corey, the epicenter had been misidentified.
6 feet behind home plate was a monolith, a man of superior experience and wisdom. This impartial arbiter, still struggling to reconcile his admitted blown call on the eighth inning ending 3-2 pitch to Postulek, had become weak-kneed. He was at the epicenter of the quake. Vision blurred by shaking of his legs, Lee Hardee had lost all confidence in his "ability" to differentiate balls and strikes. Patient, resourceful, and talented Angel hitters capitalized. Corey stood no chance against this force of nature. Strikes became balls. Balls hit batters. Sharp-breaking curves found the earth, bouncing away.
The scoreboard survived the quake. Flashing 4-3 in favor of the Angels, it served as a painful lesson to the Nationals. The difference between victory and defeat is small. Opportunities lost by one side is opportunity gained by the other.
Earthquakes can and do happen. Though they cannot be prevented, their impact can be mitigated if the warning signs are recognized and precautions are taken.
The Nationals will recover well. Our structural engineers had ensured that our buildings' foundations were built upon rock, not sand. Though a few windows broke, the infrastructure remained in tact, swaying with the earth.
Weekend Results Mixed; Reisinger MIA
Posted by Steve Elliott at Jun 27, 2004 5:00PM PDT
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By Steve Elliott
Three games. Two quality opponents. Extreme results, and, of course, a little bit of rain. This weekend's results were a microcosm of the first half of the 2004 season.
The roller coaster season continued Friday night in a key league matchup versus the Pewaukee Muskies. Having won the first game between the teams, Friday's game afforded the Nats an opportunity to win the season series early, and lock up a playoff tiebreaker. Those brave souls in attendance at Harden Field were not disappointed.
Continuing a season-long trend, the Nationals pre-game preparations were marred by distraction. No, it was not the late, though dramatic, appearances of starting players shortly before the first pitch. "Pre-game is overrated," noted one veteran .189 hitter. No, it was not the newly-instituted drug and alcohol screening enacted to ensure that the sober players are identified prior to the game. "Beer makes me a better player and driver," observed one Huber candidate. No, it was not the sleep deprived team members napping at inopportune moments. "Why can't we start at 7PM Pacific Time?" queried one narcoleptic. No, it was none of these things. The team was distracted by a voice and face from seasons' past. Laura Zimmer was back and the PA microphone was calling her name.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, a game was to be played. Pewaukee fielded its "Friday 9" and was ready to punch the locals in the teeth. The early rounds went Pewaukee's way. 44 year-old veteran catcher- turned-pitcher Steve Schulte held the Nationals bats at bay through five innings as the Muskies jumped to a 7-2 lead. Bleak, it looked. However, this year's squad again demonstrated a resilient spirit, posting a crooked number (7) in the sixth to take the game back. "Wake Up" has becomes the team's rallying cry. One can only imagine the potential of the squad if all players were in attendance, awake, sober, and ready to play prior to the sixth inning. Well, one out of four ain't bad.........unless........
Sunday morning......10AM.......Parents, do you know where your children (and car) are? #29 is nowhere to be found. Evidence of a struggle exists at the Reisinger household. Cash and credit cards are scattered. A voice message from Joe at 2:29am is the only hard evidence. Joe, where are you? Baseball rules state that a team must field 9 players to be considered a "team." Damn baseball rules. Damn purists.
Who says the Nationals need 9? We're the Nationals for gosh sakes. We'll give you 5 Nationals, a washed up GM, one White Sock, and three street free agents who have gloves. Take that Green Bay! And, oh yeah - we don't need infield or BP. We're the Nationals! We'll take our merry band of misfits, drive two hours, skip lunch, and take you on on your home field within minutes of arriving at the ballpark. Go ahead, throw a couple of homer umpires at us. We don't care.
Dateline..... Green Bay: Billys 9,4......Nationals 7,0. Highlights are a bit difficult when you don't know all the players' names. Stengel did hit a bases- clearing double and Wajerski collected 4 more hits. Ustruck and Berndsen gave valient and gritty efforts on the bump. New guys #1, #17, #18, and #21 all battled hard and are to be commended and thanked for assistance in the team's time of need.
With the mid-season break at hand, the Nats GM has a lot to review. With the mid-season break at hand, the team has 11 days to evaluate its past performance and decide whether it wants to be mediocre, good, solid, or great. The issue is not a "me" issue. It is not about individual performances, good or bad. The issue is a "we" issue. Is this year's squad willing to make individual sacrifices and come together as a collective team? Will leaders emerge and mandate this standard?
I leave with two questions that each of us must contemplate: "Why do I play?" "Whom do I play for?"
Three games. Two quality opponents. Extreme results, and, of course, a little bit of rain. This weekend's results were a microcosm of the first half of the 2004 season.
The roller coaster season continued Friday night in a key league matchup versus the Pewaukee Muskies. Having won the first game between the teams, Friday's game afforded the Nats an opportunity to win the season series early, and lock up a playoff tiebreaker. Those brave souls in attendance at Harden Field were not disappointed.
Continuing a season-long trend, the Nationals pre-game preparations were marred by distraction. No, it was not the late, though dramatic, appearances of starting players shortly before the first pitch. "Pre-game is overrated," noted one veteran .189 hitter. No, it was not the newly-instituted drug and alcohol screening enacted to ensure that the sober players are identified prior to the game. "Beer makes me a better player and driver," observed one Huber candidate. No, it was not the sleep deprived team members napping at inopportune moments. "Why can't we start at 7PM Pacific Time?" queried one narcoleptic. No, it was none of these things. The team was distracted by a voice and face from seasons' past. Laura Zimmer was back and the PA microphone was calling her name.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, a game was to be played. Pewaukee fielded its "Friday 9" and was ready to punch the locals in the teeth. The early rounds went Pewaukee's way. 44 year-old veteran catcher- turned-pitcher Steve Schulte held the Nationals bats at bay through five innings as the Muskies jumped to a 7-2 lead. Bleak, it looked. However, this year's squad again demonstrated a resilient spirit, posting a crooked number (7) in the sixth to take the game back. "Wake Up" has becomes the team's rallying cry. One can only imagine the potential of the squad if all players were in attendance, awake, sober, and ready to play prior to the sixth inning. Well, one out of four ain't bad.........unless........
Sunday morning......10AM.......Parents, do you know where your children (and car) are? #29 is nowhere to be found. Evidence of a struggle exists at the Reisinger household. Cash and credit cards are scattered. A voice message from Joe at 2:29am is the only hard evidence. Joe, where are you? Baseball rules state that a team must field 9 players to be considered a "team." Damn baseball rules. Damn purists.
Who says the Nationals need 9? We're the Nationals for gosh sakes. We'll give you 5 Nationals, a washed up GM, one White Sock, and three street free agents who have gloves. Take that Green Bay! And, oh yeah - we don't need infield or BP. We're the Nationals! We'll take our merry band of misfits, drive two hours, skip lunch, and take you on on your home field within minutes of arriving at the ballpark. Go ahead, throw a couple of homer umpires at us. We don't care.
Dateline..... Green Bay: Billys 9,4......Nationals 7,0. Highlights are a bit difficult when you don't know all the players' names. Stengel did hit a bases- clearing double and Wajerski collected 4 more hits. Ustruck and Berndsen gave valient and gritty efforts on the bump. New guys #1, #17, #18, and #21 all battled hard and are to be commended and thanked for assistance in the team's time of need.
With the mid-season break at hand, the Nats GM has a lot to review. With the mid-season break at hand, the team has 11 days to evaluate its past performance and decide whether it wants to be mediocre, good, solid, or great. The issue is not a "me" issue. It is not about individual performances, good or bad. The issue is a "we" issue. Is this year's squad willing to make individual sacrifices and come together as a collective team? Will leaders emerge and mandate this standard?
I leave with two questions that each of us must contemplate: "Why do I play?" "Whom do I play for?"
Few players have had seasons like Joe Kissler did in 2003. Last week Joe set out to prove that it was no fluke. Teammates honored Joe accordingly for his performance during the extended-to-ten-day period. For the first time in 2004, Kissler was voted the Nationals' Player of the Week.
Kissler earned two starts on the bump during this period. In an eight inning stint against the White Sox, Kissler showed grit and leadership as he overcame several defensive errors and miscues. Of the 4 runs he allowed, only one was earned. Nonetheless, the Nationals found themselves in a tight, extra-inning contest against their cross town rivals. Time and again, Kissler made critical pitches to get out of tight situations, allowing his team to eventually prevail 5-4.
Against Racine, Joe again demonstrated fine stuff. Unfortunately, the bats were not to come alive on this day. A single run allowed did Joe in.
For the "week" Kissler threw 15 innings, allowing 13 hits, 2 earned runs, 3 walks, and struck out 10. Congratulations to Joe and the others who earned votes from teammates.
Kissler earned two starts on the bump during this period. In an eight inning stint against the White Sox, Kissler showed grit and leadership as he overcame several defensive errors and miscues. Of the 4 runs he allowed, only one was earned. Nonetheless, the Nationals found themselves in a tight, extra-inning contest against their cross town rivals. Time and again, Kissler made critical pitches to get out of tight situations, allowing his team to eventually prevail 5-4.
Against Racine, Joe again demonstrated fine stuff. Unfortunately, the bats were not to come alive on this day. A single run allowed did Joe in.
For the "week" Kissler threw 15 innings, allowing 13 hits, 2 earned runs, 3 walks, and struck out 10. Congratulations to Joe and the others who earned votes from teammates.
