Washington Nationals News: Desmond sits out, makes mechanical changes
By Pablo Roa
Good afternoon DoD readers, and welcome to today’s District Daily! Before tonight’s game against the Giants, get caught up on the latest Nats news and opinions with some great Washington Nationals articles from around the web below:
In today’s Daily, MLB.com’s Carlos Collazo discusses Ian Desmond‘s continued struggles at the plate and how he is trying to turn his season around. As Collazo notes, Desmond wasn’t in the lineup for yesterday’s game against the Braves—taking the day off to work on mechanical adjustments at the plate.
According to Collazo, Desmond spent the last two days working on his hand placement on the bat, which hasn’t been where he wants it to be in recent games.
Desmond has struggled mightily with the bat this season, hitting just .219 while striking out 91 times in 76 games. Hopefully for Desmond and the Nationals, his mechanical adjustments at the plate will help turn his season around.
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The stakes are high for both parties. The Nationals’ injury-depleted lineup could use a boost from Desmond, who for the last few seasons has been arguably the best hitting shortstop in baseball. Improving his production at the plate is also crucial for Desmond, who is set to hit free agency after this season and is probably seeing his value drop with every game.
Also in today’s Daily, Jefferson Hunt from isportsweb explores whether Max Scherzer is the best pitcher in baseball.
Be sure to check out both articles below, they’re definitely worth a read. And as always, stay tuned to DoD for all your Washington Nationals needs.
Desmond sits out, makes mechanical changes
ATLANTA — After a second straight 0-for-4 night on Wednesday, Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond got the day off Thursday to work on mechanical adjustments at the plate.
Nationals manager Matt Williams said that Desmond worked late Wednesday night and throughout the day Thursday on his hand placement, which had started to drop in recent at-bats.
“We’re trying to create a little bit of different muscle memory,” Williams said. “I think he’s back to where he wants to be with regard to where his hands are when he starts [his swing], which will allow him to have a better path to the baseball. Read full article here.
Washington Nationals: Is Max Scherzer the best pitcher in baseball?
It is always hard to determine if a single athlete is the best, no matter the sport. The debate between whether LeBron James is better than Michael Jordan will probably continue on into the eternities. Was Babe Ruth the greatest hitter of all-time, or does that title fall on another? And don’t even start the whole “who is the best quarterback ever” debate. That will forever be unsolved. Sports fans love to single out the very best and put them on a pedestal to compare others to. We idolize these players and we argue whether so and so will ever live up to the expectations put on them. These are debates that seem to go on as if there is no end. And so, my dearly beloved sports fans, I pose the question to all, is Max Scherzer the best pitcher in baseball?
For the sake of debate, I’m simply going to limit the discussion to only this season. It is hard to compare a pitcher who’s career is not yet finished. Hopefully Scherzer still has 10 more years left in the tank before he hangs up his cleats. But for this season, the debate can go on about who the best pitcher is in baseball. Read full article here.