« DMV: Ryan Zimmerman Is Hitting Again, And Nats Are Still Winning | Home | Happy Fourth Of July, Clown Bros »
Nats Square Off With San Francisco In Battle Of National League’s Best
By JP Finlay | July 3, 2012
Over the next three games, the Nats have the chance to cement their spot as the best team in the National League. The series begins tonight with Jordan Zimmermann squaring off against previous Cy Young winner and World Series champ Tim Lincecum. The Nats come into the series with the NL’s best record at 45-32. The opposing San Francisco Giants sport the second-best record in the NL at 45-35.
So, yeah, it’s a big series.
Some cool news comes from Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci, who announced his MLB award winners at the halfway point. With little surprise he named Bryce Harper Rookie of the Year. His take on Bryce:
Harper is one the most prominent drawing cards in baseball — and that’s without showcasing much of his touted light-tower power. It’s his baseball savvy and non-stop turbo engine that makes him must-see viewing.
Verducci also added this nugget for the stat-heads:
Harper has posted an OPS+ of 123 as a teenager — something that’s been done just twice in the history of baseball in a qualified season: by Ty Cobb in 1906 and Mel Ott in 1928.
Not to be outdone, ESPN 980’s Kevin Sheehan badgered ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian into calling the Nats the favorites in the NL. I’m way too nervous about jinxs to want to be called the favorite, but it still bodes well the Nats are in the conversation. Kurkjian’s comments:
“They are the favorite in the National League right now, because they have the best record, they’re gonna get healthier with Storen and Werth at some point, and if they can keep that rotation healthy? I mean, they went into Boston with Zimmermann, Gonzalez and Strasburg, and Bobby Valentine — not easily impressed — went whoa, we haven’t seen three pitchers like that in the same series all year, not even close. That’s how good they were, and that’s why you have to give them a chance to win.”
Lastly, @TravisPloeger deserves a follow. It appears he posts these bobblehead pics of the NL East standings on a fairly regular basis, and they’re awesome. Below are the standings as of July 3, with Screech proudly in the front of the box.
Topics: Bryce Harper, Nationals | 4 Comments »
July 3rd, 2012 at 8:53 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kroxXCeksPQ&feature=g-upl
If you all want check that out, its my closing time remix. I hate shameless self promotion as much as the next guy, but being that the Nats are up 8-2 kicking ass I figured I might as well.
July 3rd, 2012 at 9:02 PM
It’s my third time seeing that bobblehead standings pic, and I’ve LOLed every time.
July 3rd, 2012 at 10:18 PM
/|\
|
Second ThisGuy
July 4th, 2012 at 3:04 PM
[...] Via RSS Nats Square Off With San Francisco In Battle Of National League’s BestDMV: Ryan Zimmerman Is Hitting Again, And Nats Are Still WinningAll-Star Game Littered With Nats, [...]