Center Field Gate

The San Diego Padres capitalized on four Washington Nationals’ errors Friday night to take the first of a three-game set from our Anacostia Boys, 6-2. After taking two of three from the Mets, the Nats reverted to the sloppy defense that had characterized the first part of their season: two errant throws to first base, a dropped pop-up in foul territory and the misplay of a rolling double in the left field corner. That’s one error on Garrett Mock, one on Jason Bergman, one error on catcher Josh Bard and one on left fielder Adam Dunn. “It was just a bad effort,” interim Manager Jim Riggleman said after the game.

Trade Winds: The St. Louis Cardinals got their man, trading three prospects to the Oakland A’s for outfielder Matt Holliday. The key to the trade for Oakland was the acquistion of third baseman Brett Wallace, who may eventually end up at first for the white elephants. The former Rockie, Holliday paid immediate dividends for the Redbirds, going four for five with one RBI in the Cardinals 8-1 win over the Phillies. Beset by uncertainty over their own financial situation — and with ownership of the ballclub undetermined — the Cubs will have difficulty matching the Cardinals’ upgrade. The Holliday trade reflects the kind of mid-season moves that both the Cards and Cubs are noted for: needing a big bat in May of last year, the Cubs signed free agent Jim Edmonds — a move that fueled their run to the NL Central flag. This year, it’s the Astros who need the bat, particularly after it was announced that Astros’ first baseman Lance Berkman was being sent to the DL for a calf strain.

 

New Redbird Matt Holliday Went 4-5 Friday (AP Photo/Tom Mihalek)

The news in the NL Central will have an immediate impact on the Nats: it effectively takes the Cardinals out of the running for Adam Dunn (whose availability they reportedly inquired about this last week), while Berkman’s injury puts Nick Johnson on the table for the Astros. Houston called up Edwin Maysonet from triple-A Round Rock to take Berkman’s place, but he’s not the answer at first. The regular first base backup is Darin Erstad, but he’s also injured. Johnson seems a perfect fit for the Astros, with his high OBP and good glove. Astros’ players say they will “step up” to replace Berkman, but it will be difficult to replicate his numbers. ”I’ll just say Lance, being honest and sincere, is a piece of our team that is going to be difficult to replace,” Astros’ outfielder Carlos Lee, who leads the team in RBIs, said. ”The quality of player and what he means to this lineup, it’s going to be difficult to replace Lance. I think we’ll have to get it together and carry all the weight.”

Trade rumors involving Nationals’ players have escalated over the last week: the Phillies are said to be interested in Josh Willingham, the Tigers in Willingham and Dunn and, most recently, the Rangers have reportedly sent scouts to look at Nationals’ hitters. The Nats are said to be looking for “prospects” — primarily pitchers. The trade of Willingham to the Phillies becomes less likely if the Phuzzies pony up a handful of their best prospects (and pitcher J.A. Happ) to Toronto for Roy Halladay. And shipping Dunn or Willingham to Detroit (where the Nats are said to be scouting the Tigers’ double-A affiliate) seems perverse — trading players who are actually performing for a bunch of 21-year-olds who might (or might not) turn into major league players. That we got. Then too, a trade of Willingham to either Philly or Detroit means that we will be forced to watch a struggling Austin “Mendoza” Kearns (.198) learn how to hit. A good decision — but only if you want to drive what’s left of your fanbase out of the ballpark.

SI’s Jon Heyman has weighed in with a detailed look at what MLB ballclubs need as teams assess their mid-summer runs. A lot of this is guesswork and some of it likely to be wrong (who would have thought that the Pirates would trade Nate McLouth for a bunch of no-names), but some of Heyman’s speculations sound about right. Heyman says the Nats are gaining the attention of teams in need of hitting to keep them in a pennant race or to replace a suddenly injured star. The Red Sox are a clear example. “The Nation” is worried that David Ortiz’s struggles at the plate are permanent. Eventually, they’ll have to admit that, and search for a bat to fill his place in the line-up. That list could include Nick Johnson, Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham. “The Nation” has a handful of impressive young arms to offer in return, including Justin Masterson and Michael Bowden. Sadly, the one “can’t miss” pitcher that a lot of teams want — Clay Buchholz – is probably untouchable.

What is notable about Heyman’s post, however, is not his speculation on Johnson, Dunn or Willingham — it’s his silence on Austin Kearns, who continues his career-long slump at the plate. You have to believe that the Nats would much sooner give up Kearns than part with Josh “The Hammer” Willingham, who is not only a Kearns-like good citizen, but who’s recent turns at the plate are as close as the Nats can come to a power surge. Willingham has started to resemble the Ryan Zimmerman of two weeks past: he’s seeing the ball well, hitting it hard and putting it over the fence. To put this as plainly (and uncomfortably), as possible: the reason that Kearns won’t get traded is not because the Nats don’t want to give him up (they do), but because other teams don’t want him. That’s not true for Willingham.

But then, who wouldn’t want Willingham? The hammer’s 30, healthy, hits for power and plays hard. There’s an argument to be made that his size and abilities have been consistently underrated — both here, and when he was with the Marlins. He has nine home runs this year in only 111 at bats. There’s no reason to believe that he would hit as well over a 162 game (and 600 AB) stretch, but he can easily outpower Kearns and he’s a more discriminating hitter than Dukes. Both the Red Sox and Cardinals — who now say they’re also in the market for a hitter — would likely choose Willingham over Dunn, whose big bucks contract and concrete glove out-muscle his obvious power.

Nick Johnson is a different story. When he’s healthy he can hit, has a longer history than Willingham, plays first base better than Dunn, and is known for being intensely competitive. With the apparent injury of Detroit first baseman Miguel Cabrera (who pulled up lame in the game against the Red Sox), Johnson is just the kind of ballplayer “the Motor City Kitties” will need to claw their way into the post-season. The Leyland’s can’t possibly believe that Jeff Larish is the answer at first when Johnson – a near-Gold Glove and consistent hitter – is available. The Bengals might even be willing to give the Nats one of their young arms in return: someone like (say) Ryan Perry, a former first round pick with a high-90s fastball. The Tigers have bullpen arms to give: Perry, Joel Zumaya (they won’t part with him), Brandon Lyon, Fernando Rodney (they won’t part with him either), and Bobby Seay. That’s five relievers. The Nats have one: Ron Villone.

Agreed: you’d have to think long and hard before you’d give up a 22-year-old who’s pitching like “the terminator” for an oft-injured first baseman, but if Cabrera’s limp is (as rumored) a pulled hamstring, then Detroit GM Dave Dombrowski might have little choice. And if that turns out to be the case (it’s all speculation, after all), interim Nats GM Frank “just pull the trigger” Rizzo should make the trade. Then too, dealing Johnson would clear up a lot of issues: it would put Adam Dunn back at first base (where he belongs) and return “Kentucky” to right field, where he could show off those legendary defensive skills – the skills he loses when he plays center. It would also mean that the Nats could keep Willingham. Fine by me. Sometimes, it’s the trades you don’t make that end up being important.

It took the Washington Post two days after the death of Mark Fidrych before it ran an obit, but it got it right when it called him “irrepressible.” For the youngsters in the audience, Fidrych was the wild-haired, ball-talking, mound-smoothing 21-year-old kid from Northborough, Massachusetts who won 19 games and the rookie of the year honors in 1976 for a woeful Tigers ball club. In the following four years he won only ten more games and was out of the majors by the time he was 26. An injury-shortened career such as his, given its meteoric rise, might have made another man bitter but it never seemed to bother Fidrych.

Dubbed “Big Bird” (after the affable Sesame Street character), while still riding the bus in the minors, Fidrych played the game with the arm of a man and the heart of a little boy. If anyone could be said to be simultaneously intense and joyful it was him. Fidrych would talk to the ball as he paced the mound during a tight game and a moment later would cheer for a teammate after a good play, just as any Little Leaguer would. Given the boyish exuberance he brought to the game perhaps it should be no surprise that after his ball playing career was over he went out and bought a dump truck to start a business.

A couple of months ago, on a slow Saturday afternoon in February, I decided to check out the new MLB Network to see what they had to offer. Not being much a football fan I never did understand the attraction of the “classic” games that air on the NFL network; I didn’t expect too much from whatever MLB might throw on the air in late winter either.

What I came across was the eighth inning of a game from June 28, 1976. It was an otherwise meaningless contest in Detroit with the Tigers, barely one-third of the way through their schedule already 10 games out of first, facing the World Series-bound Yankees. Ordinarily, it would have been a sleeper of a game. But on that warm summer night 30-plus years ago a skinny kid named Fidrych was on the mound for the home town team trying to nail down his eighth win of the season. It was riveting.

Bob Prince and Al Michaels were doing the play-by-play and color analysis for ABC which carried the Monday night games back then. More than once in the two innings I watched, Prince, who by that time had been a broadcaster for three decades, said “I can’t believe what I’m seeing.” What he, Michaels and the 48,000 raucous Detroit fans saw was Fidrych loping around the mound, fervently urging on his teammates and talking to the ball while putting the finishing touches on a masterful seven-hitter in an hour and 51 minutes.

After the game ended, Fidrych embraced his catcher and greeted the other players as they came off the field as if they’d clinched a playoff spot. When he finally entered the dugout the 48,000 Detroiters who ventured out on a Monday night to watch the sub .500 ball club refused to leave. They were all on their feet roaring. A few moments later Fidrych came out with a huge smile and a large wave to the adoring crowd before ducking back in. For a rookie his timing was superb — he didn’t wait too long to emerge and his bow wasn’t prolonged. But it was far too brief an appearance for the faithful. They refused to leave still and Fidrych obliged them with a second curtain call accompanied by a look of disbelief.

In the post-game interview, which was conducted on the field amidst the continuing cheers, Fidrych said he couldn’t believe the reaction he was getting or how far he’d come. “I just throw the ball,” he said with his accent revealing his Massachusetts roots. And his smile revealed a total joy for the game.