Beltway Series 2011: Natstown Newsletter

By Tyler

     So here’s the deal, screw hyperlinks and pictures.  Us savvy real D.C. fans don’t read picture books and thus don’t need them to justify any argument as to why our beloved NATTIES will take this series.  Following our Baltimore fan that lives 50 miles away from the “epicenter of Baltimore baseball,”  we’re going to attack this point counterpoint style.  Let’s get one thing clear, both of these teams are mediocre at best and if one/both finish with a record within 5 games of .500 the season HAS to be considered a success.

  Sidebar:

     Corb just asked me, “remember when a few years ago when…..oh wait you’re too young.”  To which my retort obviously was, “when the Orioles were good?”

We’re back:

Let me first start by saying this is not nearly as big a rivalry right now as some may think.  Mainly because us upper crust D.C. folk are too busy supporting the other major sports teams in our market, or holding down jobs that require us to work more than 20 hours a week, just trying to run a country.  See in D.C. there’s a pro hockey and basketball team, our sports frenzy is a year round ordeal not just a fall and summer combination of disappointment.  It is a valid point however that the Nationals have been winning the proverbial “arms race,”  drafting earlier and more often than the Birds, but that’s yielded some decent talent you could say, that Harper guy I think has a few bombs and is hitting .350+, oh yea and he’s 18, whatever no big deal.  That Strasburg guy, yea he’s hurt but he threw 100+ with an arm ligament, now they’re taking a ligament out of his enormous legs and putting it in his shoulder, what’s he gonna throw now, 110-115?  Decent future there. 

 So let’s jump into the matchups shall we.  Marquis vs. Arrieta.  Ben was kind enough to provide the steak of why he thinks Arrieta is going to win.  I’ll provide the sizzle as to why Marquis is going to pwn him. Guy hasn’t lost a game since April 5, bit of a tear there.  Currently sports a 3.54 ERA with a 5-1 record, your read that right, 5-1.  (Reynolds just struck out after being ahead 2-0, oh and he did it on 3 curves out of the zone, nice trade McFAIL)  Back again, so 5-1, just to make everyone aware that the current wins leader in the MLB is sitting at 6, Jered (awful spelling) Weaver, and Trevor Cahill.  Marquis could join that group on Friday, 6 wins for a NATIONALS starting pitcher before June, has that ever happened? Even when they were the Expos?  Probably not, Marquis is putting an All-Star campaign together, but yea I guess he is kind of unattractive.  Also, here’s a stat we’ll revisit, the Orioles as a team are hitting .247……… .247.  4 of Arrieta’s wins are against the Twins, Mariners, White Sox and his one quality opponent the Yankees.  Even still not exactly a murderers row.  Also, I’m going to say that while Arrieta is a on a roll, he’s still young and probably cannot sustain it, law of averages says he’s due for a clunker, set to arrive Friday night at Camden Yards. 

Lannan vs. Tillman, don’t care about this one, Lannan’s a tool and Tillman can’t get his head right 5.35 ERA with 1.55 WHIP (meaning on average he allows about two guys on base PER INNING) that’s not a good number, hes sporting a mighty fine 2-3 record, (Markakis just grounded out to end the 12^th with THE BASES LOADED, just further murdering my fantasy team by the way, my fault for drafting him really)  I will say from a pure “stuff,” point of view, Tillman has it in spades, I’ll give duh Birds this one, because I really don’t care much for Lannan, see Ben’s story below.   

The Sunday matchup is the best one of the series.  Jordan Zimmerman against Zach Britton.  Britton is plain disgusting and the other Zimmerman is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, all things considered he’s pitching quite well, especially that last outing where he twirled to the tune of 11 k’s.  This is the game I would want to go see, mainly because I haven’t seen Britton in person and I think he alone is worth the price of admission.  I think Zims power arm and great stuff is enough to overcome what is sure to be another quality start from Britton.  I guess I just don’t see a decent line-up that is heating up in Baltimore as they are still hitting .247 with their 3b and the massive assclown known as Luke Scott barely hitting his weight.  You’re probably wondering, why is that conservative, anarchist, ass-clown within 20 feet of this glorious blog.  Because I never miss an opportunity to bash someone that thinks his opinion is worth a shit when it comes to talking about where our president was born and continues not to drop the subject, sweet .233 average by the way.   Nats take this one, and the series because they get to play with the DH, something they’re not accustomed to, works more to their advantage to pick up another hitter than it is for the Orioles to proceed with business as usual.  

Buck Showalter and Jim Riggleman.  Ok really quick, does anybody else find it as funny as I do that, Orioles management, knowing they don’t have any really marketable talent this year, (keep in mind this year, I think a lot of these guys will take the leap next year) figured they’d market their new manager, that hasn’t been able to stay with a team for more than 4 years, has only finished on the top of his division twice in a 13 year career, with no world series rings?  Funny right, he’s a 54 year old gray haired manager that you see on the field for about 30 seconds a game.  It’s actually pretty savvy, wonder why no other teams do it, yep, laying the sarcasm on pretty thick.  Listen I’m not here saying that Jim Riggleman is a genius or is going to take the Nationals to the next level, but I do think he manages in the NL which any baseball fan will tell you is tougher to manage in.  Hitting for the pitcher, double substitutions is just more difficult to deal with then trotting out 9 professional hitters and seeing what happens. (Luke Scott just popped out, finishing 1-6, surprisingly that won’t help his .233 average)

Overall I think by Sunday evening we’ll be able to put two curly W’s in the scorebook.  Can’t wait for the rematch in D.C.