Good afternoon DoD readers, and welcome to today’s District Daily! Checkout some great Washington Nationals articles from around the web below.
In today’s Daily, MLB.com’s Benjamin Standig discusses Anthony Rendon‘s progress as he continues to work his way back from a sprained left MCL that he suffered during Spring Training. As Standig notes, Rendon took another step in his recovery yesterday, playing five innings in extended Spring Training and reporting no issues after the game
Needless to say, this is great news for Rendon and for the Nationals. While the offense seems to have stabilized in recent games, the Nationals still need Rendon to help lead them, both with his bat and with his glove, as they look to gain ground on the first-place Mets in the coming weeks.
With the Nationals playing better in recent days, a return from Rendon in the next couple of weeks could be exactly what the team needs to take things to the next level in 2015. The infielder is expected to begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Harrisburg on Friday.
Also in today’s Daily, Federal Baseball’s Jim Meyerriecks Discusses manager Matt Williams‘ struggles managing his bullpen late in the game. As Jim notes, Williams continues to send Blake Treinen to the mound in the eighth inning, and it continues to not work.
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When the Nationals traded Tyler Clippard during the offseason, the team and its fans knew that it wouldn’t be easy to replace his production in the ‘pen. But no one expected the bullpen to struggle as much as it has this season, as the ‘pen has cost the Nationals several games already. Treinen is clearly not the solution in the eighth inning, and Williams needs to find someone else who can get the job done until Casey Janssen returns from the disabled list.
Be sure to check out the articles below, they’re definitely worth a read. And as always, stay tuned to DoD for all your Washington Nationals needs.
Rendon reports no issues after extended spring game
WASHINGTON — Anthony Rendon‘s rehab from a sprained left MCL moves to the next step.
The third baseman played five innings in extended spring training Wednesday and had “no issues” according to Nationals manager Matt Williams.
The plan now goes as follows: Rendon will fly to D.C. and work out with the team. From there, he’ll begin another rehab assignment with Double-A Harrisburg starting Friday. After another five-inning stint and assuming no setbacks, Rendon will play seven innings Saturday, rest Sunday and then consecutive games, going seven and then nine innings. The goal involves ramping up activity where he can play nine innings without issue. Read full article here.
No magic in the eighth for the Washington Nationals
(Jim Meyerriecks, Federal Baseball)
Have you ever had a recurring nightmare? Mine is watching Matt Williamscontinue to try and manage his bullpen in the eighth inning. If it feels like you’re reading a story I’ve written before, that’s because you are. I’d love to write about something other than Williams going to Blake Treinen to face a bunch of lefties in the eighth inning, but considering the fact that he stubbornly keeps doing that, he’s not giving me many other things to write about.
…Since Williams just keeps doing this, I’ve taken the time to calculate Treinen’s minor league split totals. The 2015 stats don’t include last night’s game, when Treinen faced four lefties and three of them reached base. Regardless, including his time in the minors, Treinen has allowed an .800 OPS against left-handed hitters in his career. Read full article here.