 Mike Rizzo will be working the phones today. (John McDonnell/The Washington Post) The Nationals' two needs for the stretch run were both on display last night in an 11-8 loss to the Braves, as starter Erick Fedde allowed nine runs while failing to get out of the fourth inning and reliever Javy Guerra struggled to get hitters out. The trade deadline is today at 4 p.m. and Washington has yet to make a move, even as division rivals Philadelphia and Atlanta have addressed their own pitching needs. On Monday, the Phillies traded a minor league catcher for left-handed starter Jason Vargas. Yesterday, they signed free agent reliever Blake Parker, while the Braves acquired reliever Chris Martin from the Rangers. (Read more) "We've been close to a couple of deals that have not come to fruition as of yet, but we continue to talk," Nationals GM Mike Rizzo, presumably in between phone calls, said this morning during his weekly appearance with the Sports Junkies on 106.7 The Fan. "There's a deadline for a reason. A lot of people wait to the deadline to make their decisions." Tick, tick, tick ... Rizzo was asked if the Nationals might be in the market for a back-of-the-rotation starter, given that ace Max Scherzer is back on the injured list and Fedde got knocked around last night. "We feel that we can cobble together a fifth starter role that can help us compete," Rizzo said. "We think we've done that. ... It's not as terrible as it looked last night. Fedde had a bad night, didn't attack the zone and he needs to get better, but we trust [Joe] Ross and Fedde and [Austin] Voth. These guys were big prospects when they were prospects. They've shown flashes of being very effective major league pitchers. Don't forget, Fedde threw a two- or three-hitter, a one-run game in a six-inning start against the Orioles. He gave up one run against athe Rockies the start before this one." That sounds like a pretty good sales pitch for dealing Fedde for a more reliable arm. So, should fans expect the Nationals to make a move or two before the deadline? It doesn't help that 10 teams in the National League alone are within seven games of a wild-card spot. "We'd like to upgrade our bullpen, but the same can be said for about 16 other teams," Rizzo said. The demand way outweighs the supply right now. Asks are outrageous right now, both monetarily and player-wise. You know me, guys, we're not afraid to make a trade and we're not afraid to make a deal, but we're not going to make a bad trade just to make a trade. ... We're going to be aggressive, but we're not going to be dangerously aggressive." I'd write more, but I gotta get back to monitoring Twitter for MLB trade news. Click on my head to say hello. Dan will be back (with a newsletter about (a) new Nat(s)?) tomorrow. - The Nats fell 5 1/2 games back of Atlanta after last night's stinker. (Read more)
- Cleveland-bound outfielder Yasiel Puig would've fit right in at Redskins training camp yesterday, as things got a little feisty. (Read more)
- Jonathan Allen hates losing more than he likes winning. (Read more)
- The Redskins signed offensive tackle Donald Penn and guard Hugh Thornton. (Read more)
- Trey Quinn has the slot position "pretty much locked down." (Read more)
- Elena Delle Donne scored a season-high 33 points in the Mystics' win over Phoenix. (Read more)
- The three top draws in the women's bracket at the Citi Open, including Sloane Stephens and Coco Gauff, all lost yesterday. (Read more)
- Doubles tennis takes center stage at the Citi Open. (Read more)
Today on TV: The Nats wrap up their series against the Braves at noon on MASN. The Citi Open is on the Tennis Channel starting at 1. |
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