District Daily: Souza Injures Shoulder After Crashing into Wall
By Pablo Roa
Aug 8, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Washington Nationals right fielder
Steven Souza(21) collides with the outfield wall as he attempts to catch a home run hit by Atlanta Braves first baseman
Freddie Freeman(not pictured) in the second inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Start off your weekend with some great Washington Nationals articles from around the web:
Souza injures shoulder after crashing into wall
ATLANTA — Nationals right fielder Steven Souza Jr. left Friday’s 7-6 loss to the Braves in the bottom of the third inning because of left shoulder inflammation. As of now, Souza is not going on the disabled list, but it is almost certain that he will not play for a couple of days.
The injury occurred in the bottom of the second inning when Souza crashed into the right-field wall. With Atlanta leading, 4-0, Freddie Freeman swung at a 2-1 pitch from right-hander Stephen Strasburg and hit a long drive to right field. Souza chased after the ball and collided with the wall at full speed as the ball went over the fence for a two-run homer. Read Full article here.
Mark Mulder traces Bryce Harper drama to Strasburg Shutdown
(Dan Steinberg, Washington Post)
When Jason Bishop asked Matt Williams earlier this week whether it was a stupid idea to suggest sending Bryce Harper to the minors, it was inevitable that before the end of the week an ESPN analyst would be prompted to rekindle the Strasburg Shutdown discussion and a MASN play-by-play guy would suggest unpaid interns not be allowed to ask questions at press conferences.
Sure enough, Williams was miffed. And then — before Harper walked off the Mets and Williams apologized — ESPN’s Mark Mulder talked about the latest Nats Town soap opera. Read full article here.
Manager Matt Williams finding his place with the Nationals
The job is relentless. Matt Williams knew that walking in.
The town is waiting. Still waiting. Forever waiting, that town. The injuries, like they do everywhere, complicate the plan. The kid, especially the kid, can be a handful. When the ballgame flexes, it brings a decision Williams has not made before, and there’s room on the top step for only one.
The job exposes a man. The team exposes a man. The schedule, too. Good or not so good, reasonable or not, accountable or not, there he is, alone. In the job, some very rational men have been reduced to behavior beneath them.
So it was with some curiosity that we got Williams, all of 111 games into this gig, not yet three-quarters through Season One, scolding reporters for a scrape – the kid, Bryce Harper, being demoted to the minor leagues or not – he created. Read full article here.