Game 20: Nationals at Twins

Time: 7:10 Central

Weather: Missing the Dome, possible mist, start temp 37°

Opponent’s dogged SB site: Federal Baseball

TV: Fox9+ (channel 9-2 in Twin Cities). Radio: The sound slept happily to by many, ideally not when driving

Nationals starter Trevor Williams, the absolute definition of a journeyman, had a lovely moment during his first MLB appearance, in 2016. He recorded the win, pitching three innings in relief, was given the game ball, and handed the ball to his dad in the stands. The ruff tuff dad was crying. He’d been diagnosed with terminal cancer the year before and given weeks to live. A year later, he was in promising remission, and got to see his son’s MLB debut. I’d have cried, too.

Williams throws a 90-ish fastball, a sinker, changeup, and occasional breaking stuff. His Twins opponent, Tyler Mahle, you know. Digits (2022 for Williams, YTD for Mahle):

Why 2022 for Williams and 2023 for Mahle? Just because numbers are funny. 2022 was an outlier in Williams’s career so far. Mahle’s BAbip this season is nuts. Stats are strange things.

Hey, what’s up with the Twins’ former baseball home of Washington, D.C.? (And the Rangers’, too.)

Well, after winning the 2019 championship, and having a crummy shortened season in 2020, Nationals GM Mike Rizzo decided to trade everyone and tank for prospects. The team lost 107 games last year, more than any Washington incarnation since 1909. (And mlb.com currently has their prospect system ranked at 10^th overall.)

The current owner is thinking about selling (his dad, the principal owner, died this year), which makes sense, since the team is bad. Also, he already got his $160 million in “ballpark improvements” when the stadium was just eight years old.

(Asked for by a thoroughly corrupt metropolitan stadium commission, which has failed so badly at delivering on promised development around Nationals Park that the city threatened to close the stadium last year. They didn’t.)

The proposed buyers are the former head of a truly rich evil company and a former AOL executive who, as rich people go, seems merely demi-evil. The odd thing about him is he already owns Washington’s NBA, WNBA and NHL teams. Guess the guy just digs owning sports teams. (Mrs. James said “maybe he’s a hoarder.”) And, yeah, he probably likes all that juicy corrupt stadium-improvement money.

In any case, if the current owner does sell, I’d advise not making racist comments about why Washington is a bad city for baseball. That didn’t go too well for Cal Griffith.....

Finally, let’s have some love for Patrick Reddington at our step-sibling site Federal Baseball.

Due to budget cuts at the mothership, Mr. Reddington is apparently the only person writing/running FB. (With a great masthead title!) He’ll daily do a roundup of Nationals news. Including a brief recap of yesterday’s game, other team quotes, rumors, etc. They’re all quite well-done, by someone being paid barely enough for a monthly internet bill. About a team that really isn’t good right now. Which might soon be swapping owners for billions of dollars.

How baseball is that? Good on you, Patrick!

Yep, Polanco’s back! Edouard Julien has been sent down for more everyday at-bats. Also, the Twins called up Simeon Woods Richardson, meaning there will be a corresponding roster move before the game starts. It’ll probably be Maeda to the IL, or sending down a spare position player. But I think if this site’s commenters had a vote, it’d be a certain pitcher who was outright released...