Washington Nationals News: How Nats will manage Shawn Kelley in the ninth
By Pablo Roa
Today’s District Daily has more on Shawn Kelley taking over as the Washington Nationals’ closer, with Jonathan Papelbon on the disabled list.
Good evening DoD readers, and welcome to today’s District Daily. Get caught up on the latest Nats news and opinions with some great Washington Nationals articles from around the web below.
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In today’s Daily, the Washington Post’s Chelsea Janes discusses how the Nationals will manage the ninth inning in Jonathan Papelbon’s absence. As Janes writes, manager Dusty Baker has named Shawn Kelley as the interim closer while Papelbon is on the disabled list.
Of course, having Kelley in the ninth inning isn’t simple. As Janes writes, the right-hander has undergone Tommy John surgery twice in his career. Given his injury history, Baker will have to be careful with how he uses Kelley in the next couple of weeks.
Here’s what Baker had to say about how he’ll manage Kelley’s outings, via Janes’ article below:
"“We’ll see how he feels, how he warms up a couple times in the bullpen — that counts as an appearance. A couple of the same things you’ve been doing forever and ever,” Baker said. “A lot of times, people only see the consecutive days that a person’s pitched, but you have to take into consideration how many times a guy gets up and how many times he gets up and ready to come in and warmed up and we score some runs and he has to sit down and get back up. We just do the same thing that we’ve done from the beginning.”"
Also in today’s Daily, MLB.com’s Bill Ladson discusses how Ryan Zimmerman has enjoyed the challenges of fatherhood. As Ladson writes, Zimmerman and his wife, Heather, had their second child earlier this month.
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.
How the Nats will manage their interim closer and his surgically rebuilt arm
(Chelsea Janes, Washington Post)
SAN DIEGO — Dusty Baker revealed Shawn Kelley will close until Jonathan Papelbon returns from injury on Thursday. Kelley pitched two thirds of an inning in Thursday’s series opener against the Padres to earn the save, and he has now pitched 2 1/3 innings over the last two days. A guy with two Tommy John surgeries to his name probably should not go three.
In fairness, and Baker echoed this before Friday’s game, most relievers should not pitch three days in a row. But Kelley’s injury history seems to require particular caution. How will Baker manage his interim closer? The same way he always has. Read full article here.
Challenge of fatherhood rewarding to Zimmerman
WASHINGTON — First baseman Ryan Zimmerman has accomplished a lot during his 12 years in the Major Leagues. He has won two Silver Slugger Awards, won a Gold Glove and guided the Nationals to the postseason twice. But Zimmerman’s biggest accomplishment in life is raising two daughters: Mackenzie and Hayden, who was born during the first week of June.
The smile on Zimmerman’s face is obvious when he talks about his girls. Along with his wife, Heather, Zimmerman is grateful they can give their children a great life in the D.C. area.
Next: Washington Nationals: Why Wilson Ramos Should Start All-Star Game
“It’s exciting … it’s challenging, it’s hard,” Zimmerman said. “But to watch them grow up, to be able to help them — me and my wife are lucky to be in the situation we are in. [We plan to] give them a great opportunity to have a great life.” Read full article here.