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July Prediction Post – Part 1

By Maggie on July 3, 2012

Time for another prediction post with Drew from Crunching Through My Day. We made predictions for both May and June…so let’s see how things go for the month of July! We’ve both got birthdays at the end of the month, so I know we’d like to see some wins on those days. I’ll present the first half of the month here, and Drew will show us the rest of the month later this week.

7/3-5 vs San Francisco Giants

Drew: Well now, the G-men have really come on lately and taken the NL West by storm. Does this scare me? Yes actually. It does. The Giants just swept the Dodgers (which killed the Nats back in in May.) In many other ways, the Nats and Giants are similar. Their pitching staffs (staves? What’s the rule here?) are about K/9 and HR/9. The Nat’s pitching staff provides a few extra WAR while the Giants offense beats the Nat’s in that category. However, with the heat and a tough road trip against the Braves, plus the bottom half of the Nats rotation coming up, I’m going to say the Giants take 2 of the three games. However, the Nat will win on the 4^th of July to support Truth, Justice, and The Natiude Way!

Maggie: There is nothing in this world that makes me sadder than missing the Lincecum-Zimmermann matchup tonight. The game should be epic. Drew has said with stats and whatnot what I see with my eyes: the Giants are a team that is coming on strong in the middle of the summer, and they should be rightly feared. Not enough where I don’t think the Nats will take a game…but appropriately feared. Nats lose the series, 1-2.

7/6-8 vs Colorado Rockies

Drew: The Nat’s took advantage of the thin air (is the humidor still on?) in Colorado to awaken their anemic offense. I have a feeling that the bats will slow a bit in the warm confines of DC but that the Nats will still beat up on the Rockies. I know the Rockies are probably better than their record indicates but I can’t be much. When Jamie Moyer is your staff ace at the start of the season, there’s not a lot good things I can (besides the 4.11 FIP and .340 opponent BABIP say enough). I’m going to say 2-1.

Maggie: Sure, we split the series with the basement-dwellers, but that was at the end of a long series of road trips and homestands against the toughest divisions (the Easts) in baseball. Can you blame them for “taking a break” and “only” scoring 35 runs during that series? I have a feeling that once the Nats are back in their stadium, with the top of their lineup that the distinction between best and worst in the NL will become quite clear. Nats sweep, 3-0.

All Star Game

Drew: As much as I like the pageantry surrounding the All Star game, I’ve got to admit that the AL is probably going to win this year. They spanked in the NL in interleague play. I want my NL to win but I’m not going to hold out hope.

Maggie: This is another place where I agree with Drew. I love that the Nats have 3 players (maybe 4?) in the fight, but when the AL spanks the NL in interleague play, it doesn’t bode well for a reversal at the All Star game.

7/13-16 @ Miami Marlins

Drew: Miami has been a real disappointment so far. I spent the offseason worried that they might steal the last playoff spot from the Nats. Of course that was before the Phillies free fell into almost nothing. Since then, the Marlins have gotten lucky. They should be about even with Houston and Colorado in terms of wins. Their pitching has been pretty awful, with the lowest K/9 rate and opponents BABIP of nearly .300. Despite that, I don’t think the Nats can sweep this series. Due to the vagaries in the tea leaves and baseball, I’m saying we split the series 2-2

Maggie: More Miami hate from me. Watching them suck it up this year has been nearly as enjoyable as watching the Phillies tank. And because the Nats seem to do well when they play in Florida, I’ll expect them to continue to kick butt and take names in Miami. Nats take it 3-1.

Look for the last half of July later…

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April 20, 2010: Washington Nationals vs Colorado Rockies

By Maggie on April 21, 2010

Game: #014 – Nationals vs. Rockies
Starting Pitchers: Scott Olsen (#19, 0-1, 11.74) vs. Jorge De La Rosa (#29, 2-1, 4.00)]
Final Score: Nationals: 4, Rockies: 10
Nats New Record: 7-7
Play of the Game: Ryan Zimmerman’s 2-run homer to the visitor bullpen. It was in that moment that all Nats fans breathed a sigh of relief that, at the very least, we wouldn’t be shut out.
Player of the Game: Christian Guzman – going 4 for 4.
Favorite Non-baseball Moment: Nyjer Morgan dove for a ball in the second inning, and put so much effort into it that he left a skid mark on the field. Our section (100) and section 143 all clapped for him and his effort.
Who was there: Ashley and Maggie (along with Maggie’s parents – who did not sit with them)
Our Records: Ashley – 1-3; Maggie – 1-3; Maggie’s Mom – 0-1; Maggie’s Dad – 0-2
Where did we sit: Ashley and Maggie took advantage of a weekday ticket deal and got seats in the Center Field Lounge. These seats are padded, have tables, lots of leg room, and in-seat service. In short – they were AWESOME. Also, you could still see the HD board, the out of town scores, while getting to admire the handiwork of Nyjer Morgan and Willy Taveras. If you have the chance to get seats there – DO IT.
What did we eat: Maggie had a chicken caesar salad, a soft pretzel with cheese, and diet coke and hot chocolate. The salad was ok, but definitely felt ‘packaged’ (though the small bites of chicken were nice). The pretzel was HEAVILY salted, but delicious with the cheese. The hot chocolate was a smidge too hot, and Maggie still can’t feel those taste-buds. Ashley had a turkey burger, a Corona and a box of popcorn. The turkey burger wasn’t bad, but she would rather have a real burger in the future. She would recommend it to someone who doesn’t eat beef – bun was good, turkey was juicy, but it needed some spice. The popcorn was waaaaay too big – even with Maggie’s help she couldn’t get through half! Next time, she would get hot chocolate or ice cream (depending on the weather).
Promotional Items: Red “NatsTown” t-shirt with white writing, with “Get Your Red On” on the back. The front is a reverse version of the “Natstown” shirt from last year.
President’s Race: Teddy was “Astro-Teddy” in honor of the Space Shuttle team who were in attendance at the game. Maggie made a fool of herself on twitter because when she saw him in the shadows, covered face and carrying a stick (which turned out to be a flag), she ‘leaked’ that it was hockey themed. Oh, the shame. Tom took the race, and the lead for the season.

Other Observations:
- We chatted for a while with @NatsTix before the game. Nicole, who tweets that account, was really nice, and we talked about potential game attendance and tweet-ups in the future.
- Apolo Ohno was in attendance and talked with Clint during “Inside Pitch”, and gave the umpires the lineups. Maggie and Ashley are FANS.
- Fans behind us bestowed the nickname “Maxi-Pad” on Justin Maxwell. And everyone was a “Froot-loop”. We…are not sure we approve.
- Ashley, Maggie and her parents all left early (at the bottom of the 6th) because it was late, and they all needed to get home. “Luckily” the game went long, so Maggie was able to listen to the game on the radio on her way home and to watch the ending on MASN.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZE_GtdScWM]

(full album from this game can be seen here)
(more videos from other games can be seen here)

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