Today’s District Daily features stories on the Washington Nationals placing Joe Ross on the disabled list and the emergence of Danny Espinosa.
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.
We start off today’s Daily with some more injury news for the Nationals. As the Washington Post’s Jorge Castillo writes, the Nationals placed Joe Ross on the disabled list today with right shoulder inflammation. The decision serves as a corresponding move to the team activating Stephen Strasburg from the disabled list.
The news of Ross going on the disabled list is disappointing but not entirely surprising. As Castillo notes, Ross’ velocity decreased substantially during his start yesterday, which is often a sign of injury. Hopefully for Ross and the Nationals, his time on the DL will be short. Top prospect Lucas Giolito will take Ross’ spot in the rotation until he returns.
Here’s what Ross had to say about his injury, via Castillo’s article:
"“You want to compete. You want to be out there. You want to help your team win. It’s not fun,” Ross said. “It’s already hard enough to sit for four days between starts. To skip that fifth one is pretty tough, but it’s going to be the most beneficial health-wise and for the team. But I just keep it honest with him and he’ll shoot it straight with me.”"
Also in today’s Daily, the Washington Post’s Thomas Boswell writes a great column about the sudden (and potent) emergence of Nationals shortstop Danny Espinosa.
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.
Nationals place Joe Ross on disabled list as Stephen Strasburg returns to start vs. Reds
(Jorge Castillo, Washington Post)
At the conclusion of his news conference late Saturday night, Nationals Manager Dusty Baker finally halted the speculation and dropped the news that Stephen Strasburg would start in Washington’s Sunday matinee against the Cincinnati Reds.
But there was a catch: The Nationals were unwilling to reinstate Strasburg from the 15-day disabled list until he warmed up Sunday. If his upper-back strain remained a non-issue, then he would be activated and a corresponding roster move would follow. If not, Lucas Giolito would made his second career start. Read full article here.
After the Nationals nearly gave up on him, Danny Espinosa has finally found himself
(Thomas Boswell, Washington Post)
In the first game he played at Nationals Park in September 2010, Danny Espinosa went 4 for 5 with two home runs and six RBI. Just up from the minors, he got a curtain call. A star born?
Then came six years of, mostly, baseball hell. Espinosa was switched from shortstop to second base, played productively there for two seasons, then had a total career meltdown. The precise baseball phrase is that “the game ate him alive.” For two years. He was sent to the minors and ordered to stop being a switch hitter, to bat only right-handed, because he looked so hopeless left-handed. Even as a useful utility man, he was a convenient target of boos, groans and mockery from Washington Nationals fans. Read full article here.