Dan Snyder Will Win With Colin Kaepernick

Dan Snyder will win with Colin Kaepernick.  Not the Redskins, the Redskins are screwed.  They've lost all their quarterbacks, their defensive line still thinks they are at Alabama and are on break after Thanksgiving, and DJ Swearinger continues to surreptitiously call out the coaches for the team's lack of production on the field without looking in the mirror.  The Redskins probably will not win with Colin Kaepernick, but Dan Snyder will. 

All Dan Snyder ever wanted is for the Redskins to be at the forefront of the headlines.  If that means because they are winning that is great, but if they are not they need to do outrageous things in order to be at the center of attention.  Look no further than the Reuben Foster move last week to see Snyder's itchiness for being in the headlines.  Will Kaepernick help the Redskins win? That question is irrelevant to Snyder.  Snyder must see that the once promising Redskins season that brought him so many accolades is going down the toilet in a relatively inglorious and frustrating way.  To exacerbate Snyder's feeling of inadequacy, he must watch his hated rivals take over first place in the NFC East after being left for dead six weeks ago.  So with all the injuries to the OL and DL, a porous defense, and Mark Sanchez at the helm, what is Snyder to do?  Make the singing to end all signings.

If the Redskins sign Kaepernick it will put the Redskins at the top of the "All Time Controversial Signings List" forever.  Just think what will happen if the Redskins announce that Kaepernick will be starting this week for the team in our Nation's Capital with a racially charged nickname after being publicly called out by the President of the United States for his actions?  If Josh Norman wanted people in the stands at FedEx Field he will certainly get it with Colin Kaepernick, and Snyder could hype the situation to his benefit.  Do you support Kaepernick?  Come on down to Landover and kneel with him as he makes his triumphant return to the gridiron.  You hate Kaepernick's guts?  Hide your foreign objects in secret pockets and let him know just how you feel live at FedEx Field on Sunday.  The National Guard will need to run security, but who knows if they will show up to help a guy who has caused so much controversy within the armed services.  And knowing Donald Trump, there is no way he passes on the chance to show up Kaepernick by being at the stadium in person. 

The possibilities are endless and the coverage will be unstoppable.  "What?  Tom Brady killed a hooker, evaded police in a wild shootout in downtown Boston, and has Bill Belichick driving him to the Canadian border in a high speed chase with federal authorities?  That can wait. KAEPERNICK IS PLAYING IN FRONT OF DONALD TRUMP IN DC!"  OK, maybe that Brady situation is a little bit bigger, but sans that happening there is no denying the hoopla that will surround Kaepernick starting for the Washington Redskins, and the best part is they have nothing to lose.  They already lost the PR battle on the Foster deal, their season is in turmoil, and if there is any team that could absorb the media blitz that would come with the signing it is the Redskins.  And that is if Kaepernick is a bust.  Just think if the Redskins sign him and he starts winning.  The sports coverage.  The political coverage. The wave of support on the streets.  The level of hate throughout social media, all centered around the Washington Redskins and the biggest winner of them all in this scenario.  Daniel Snyder.

The Nats Craft Beer of the Week

Boy, does this Craft Beer of the Week fit with how the Nationals' week went.  Dark.  It is the Van Dammit Belgian Dark Ale from the Jailbreak Brewing Company in Laurel, Maryland, and while the color can be a metaphor for the week that was for the Nationals, the taste is one that will make you feel a little better.  It is a traditional Belgian Ale, with a sweet taste that comes from figs, raisins, plums, and a complex array of malts that gives it a nice clean finish.  Jailbreak says that this is one of their limited release beers, but it is also one that does not take too much looking around to find.  If you are of age, and you are going to continue to follow the Nationals season, the 9.0% ABV may come in handy, but please drink responsibly and try to only imitate the man on the cover in your head as I'm sure Davey Martinez did many times this week as he saw the Nationals season go off the rails.

The Nationals dug themselves into a hole early this past week, as they dropped the first three games against the Cardinals in depressing fashion.  They were walked off for the second straight game on Monday when they scored 2 runs to tie the game in the top of the ninth, only to see Koda Glover give up an HR to the first batter he faced.  Gio gave up 5 runs on Tuesday, 2 of which came on a 2 run HR to the pitcher (John Gant) who had been 0-30 in his career to that point, and Jeremy Hellickson was placed on the DL after spraining his wrist covering a wild pitch on Wednesday.  The end of the week was no better.  The Marlins broke a 12 game road losing streak and won their first series against the Nationals since 2014 after winning in 10 innings on Saturday, and crushing the Nats 12-1 on Sunday.  What is more depressing is that the Braves and Phillies lost on Saturday and Sunday, so the Nats also lost a golden opportunity to gain ground in the NL East, yet the continue to find themselves 7.5 games back of the Braves.  One big part of that has been the futility of the bullpen.

Koda Glover was the king of futility this past week as he twice lost the lead/game immediately after the Nats had tied the game the inning before.  He lost the game on Monday as stated above, and
on Saturday Adam Eaton hit a game tying solo home run in the bottom of the 9th, only to have Glover give up a two out, bases loaded single that drove in two runs in the 10th.  Glover did get a tough save this week, but he cannot give up those kinds of losses right after the Nats' lineup does their job.  Honorable mention for the futility crown go to Sammy Solis, who in his one appearance on Monday gave up 2 hits and 2 runs without registering an out, and to Tommy Milone who made the debacle on Sunday turn into a massacre as he went 4 innings with 6 hits, 4 ER, and he gave up 3 home runs.  All those number contributed to a collective bullpen ERA of 5.40 and a WHIP of 1.5 for the week, and with no end to this in sight the Nats' playoff hopes look dismal.

The Nats hitters were not immune to this sucking either, as their golden boy Juan Soto hit .181 this week, as did Trea Turner.  Soto salvaged a .344 OBP for the week with six walks, but the top of the lineup was not very productive with those two leading off.  Matt Adams has also cooled off the past few weeks, as he went 0-9 this week, with five of those at bats coming with runners in scoring position.  In fact, Matt Adams in only 9 for his last 57 at bats for a staggering .157 average.  To be fair, the past three weeks he has been put in mostly as a pinch hitter, but this is a far cry from what he was doing earlier in the summer and the Nats miss that big bat coming off the bench.  It was not all bad this week, however, and the Nats still have some ray of hope that they can get back into the playoff race.

Bryce Harper got his 500th career RBI this past week against the Marlins while hitting .379 (5-6 RISP), 8 RBI, and he had an OPS of 1.05.  Over the last month Harper is hitting .538 (14-26) with runners in scoring position, so do not be surprised if teams begin walking Harper in big siutations, especially teams with payoff aspirations like the Phillies.  Rendon and Eaton also hit over .300 this week, but the silver slugger of the week goes to Matt Wieters. He hit .368 this week with 4 RBI, and he had an OPS of .987.  Wieters is 13 for his last 33 at bats, and he is coming on right when the Nats need another bat to make a run at the NL East.  Max Scherzer also contributed by getting his 16th win this week while scoring 2 runs and hitting a double against the Marlins.  Max is now hitting .296 for the season. Not to be outdone at the plate was Tanner Roark who also scored 2 runs in his outing against the Cardinals while going 2-3 at the plate and getting the only win in the series against the Cards.

It will take a herculean effort from all to make up ground in the NL East, but the Nats will have their chance this week as they open up a three game series with the Phillies today, and follow that up with a three game road trip against the Mets.  Roark is pitching tonight, and Stephen Strasburg is set to make his comeback on Wednesday, so here is hoping the Nats can gain at least two games on the Phillies in the wildcard to start the week, and maybe, just maybe, they can start to gain momentum going into the last 30 games of the season.

The Nats Craft Beer of the Week

The play from the National's this week required a strong Russian Imperial Stout for this week's craft beer.  It is Stone Brewing's 2018 collaboration Stone Woot Stout, and it gets the job done in all facets of beer drinking.  The beautiful black color masks a dynamic taste created by pecans, wheat, and rye that gives it a sweet toasted type of flavor.  It was also aged in bourbon barrels, so you also get that bourbon aftertaste that makes you feel like you are having that special me-time moment.  At 11.5% ABV, though, you are definitely coming close to that, so please drink responsibly and if you are lucky enough to find this beer at your local craft beer store pick it up immediately because it will not be there forever.  The 11.5% ABV was necessary at times this week, as the Nationals kept themselves 5.5 games back in the NL East in the most soul crushing way.

The Nats were one out away from being 4.5 games back of the Phillies and Braves last night until Ryan Madson gave up a walk off grand slam to David Bote.  It was a microcosm of the Nats season as Wilmer Difo, who entered in the bottom of the 9th as a defensive replacement, bobbled the exchange from his glove to allow the first base runner and Madson hit two batters to load the bases.  Madson claims that he had back issues that caused his poor command, but that still does not remedy the fact that they squandered a 7 inning/0 ER performance from Max Scherzer.  This was the second game this week that Max had to endure a no decision based on a 9th inning, injury laden, let down from the bullpen.  Kelvin Herrera squandered a 7 inning/1 ER performance from Max in the second game of the double header against the Braves this past Tuesday, where Herrera gave up 2 runs in the top of the 9th and was relieved of duty after complaining of shoulder tightness and is now on the DL.  Hopefully the Nats' training staff can actually talk to the bullpen pitchers this week so they can trot out healthy pitchers to try and close out zero and one run outings from Max Scherzer in the future.

The loss last night also extended the Nats' futility as they have not won a series of three or more games against a team with a winning record since May 10.  Madson's woes also extended the bullpen's woes this week, as his performance gave the bullpen a collective 7.16 ERA and 1.65 WHIP for this week.  The cherry on top was that the Nats' old buddy Brandon Kintzler was let off the hook, as he pitched the 9th inning last night for the Cubs and gave up a two run single to Ryan Zimmerman that extended the Nats' lead to 3-0.  Suffice to say that last night sucked, but all the news was not horrible for the Nats this week.

Ryan Zimmerman came alive this week as he hit .476 with 3 HR, 12 RBI, was 4 for 7 RISP, 1.04 SLG%, and a 1.56 OPS.  Grab a Stone Woot Stout to celebrate the return of Ryan Zimmerman just when the Nats need his bat to try and cut into their deficit in the NL East.  There was another National who hit over. 400 this past week, and the name may be surprising.  Matt Wieters hit .428 this past week, including an OPS of 1.02, and in the second game against the Cubs he reached base in all five of his plate appearances.  The Nats as a team actually out hit the combined efforts of the Braves and Cubs as the Nats' .271 team average outpaced the combined .244 average of the Braves and Cubs.  Contributing to this average were the five Nats hitters who all hit over .300 this week in Zimmerman, Wieters, Daniel Murphy (.370), Anthony Rendon (.315), and Trea Turner (.344).  This was also helped by the Nats' starting pitching that had only Tommy Milone give up more than 2 ER's in their appearances, and Max Scherzer continues to dazzle as he gave up only 1 ER in 14 innings of work this week.  Also, have a Stone Woot Stout for Gio Gonzalez as he got his first win in 11 starts this week, and Tanner Roark is also on a come back tour as he won his fourth straight start.  In those starts he has averaged 7.2 innings with a 1.21 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP.  The Nats will need to keep that kind of streak going as they will continue to face stout competition this upcoming week.

The Nats continue their tour of the midwest as they are in St. Louis in the beginning of the week for the "Battle of the teams that are 5.5 back in the division" series as the Cardinals are also 5.5 games back in the NL Central.  The Marlins come to town to close out the week, and hopefully the Nats can gain some ground in the NL East come this time next week.  There is still time being only 5.5 games out of the division, but time is running out.

The University of Maryland Needs to Get Out of PR Mode And Do What Is Right

No matter what the outcome of the investigation into Jordan McNair's death comes out to be, one thing is for certain.  It will not end well for the University of Maryland.  The ESPN article that came out on Friday, describing an alleged culture of bullying and intimidation by the coaching staff within the Maryland Football Program that may have contributed to McNair's death, ensures that The University has already lost in the arena of public opinion.  What needs to come from officials at the University of Maryland now are steps to do right by the McNair family.  Placing DJ Durkin on administrative leave is a start, but President Wallace Loh sending out emails to the fan base with a bunch of PC quotes does nothing.  Here are excerpts from his email to the Maryland Community:

"I [Wallace Loh] am profoundly disturbed by the media reports yesterday about verbally abusive and intimidating conduct by Maryland football coaches and staff towards our student athletes on the team"

"Our responsibility as teachers is to inspire and enable students to perform at their best and expand the boundaries of their potential, in the classroom and/or on the athletic field.  Humiliating and demeaning a student is not only bad teaching and coaching, it is an abuse of the authority of a teacher and a coach."

"The University of Maryland is committed to a football program that is safe and humane, and where our student-athletes are successful in their academic and athletic endeavors.  This commitment will be carried out with accountability, fairness, and transparency."

While these words are nice, all of them ring hollow in the face of the allegations put out by the ESPN article and the fact that the McNair family lost their son under the watch of this commitment to a "safe and humane" football program.  What needs to happen is what is stated at the end of the last quote, and it needs to happen now rather than a month from now.  That is accountability and transparency.

The University already lost the chance to come out and be accountable, and understandably so.  In these cases it is hard to be open due to the fear of lawsuits, but what is right in this situation is to be penitent.  The University has to anticipate that lawsuits are coming, and more than likely they will lose if any part of the ESPN article is accurate.  Wallace Loh's words of commitment to safety and responsibility smack of a futile effort to try and paint the values of the University as contrary to what is coming out about the football program in order to mitigate the impact of inevitable litigation.  In the court of public opinion, however, those values will be one and the same for the near future, and Loh would do well to be accountable in the form of contrition.  

The University should have come out and said something to the effect of "We failed in our commitment to Jordan McNair and his family in providing a safe and secure environment, and the University's ongoing investigation will be looking into the specifics of how that failure manifested itself".  This would have shown remorse for the loss of Jordan McNair and accountability in the form of a collective dereliction of duty without giving any specific culpability until the investigation is completed.  It is not too late for Loh and the University to show accountability through contrition, but it should be done now rather than waiting until a report comes out that could force the University into situations where they have to publicly espouse sorrow and remorse.  By that point, an act of contrition would seem like a disingenuous tactic to save face.  Being accountable now would go a long way with the fan base, and with the people who are most important in this case; Jordan McNair's family.

Loh's remarks also talk about commitment to transparency, but really the only people that they need to be transparent with are the McNair's.  The public is owed nothing in this situation other than a more contrite message of accountability and a statement that the University is working with the McNair's in this investigation.  To be transparent, Loh could come out and say "We are working with the McNair's in this situation because to us this is not about winning a lawsuit.  This is about doing right by a family who lost their son".  This would be transparent without admitting guilt.  It would show that the University places their students and their families above their bottom line.  They could communicate this publicly, while any specific information can be shared privately with the family.  Again, this kind of transparency flies in the face of trying to be discrete in order to head off possible litigation, but the University needs to be worried about doing what is right rather than following protocol in order to mitigate the possible perils that lie ahead.

The litigation is coming.  If there is a shred of truth to the ESPN report, the University of Maryland is more than likely going to come out on the losing end, and possibly in a criminal manner if the allegation that McNair suffered a seizure an hour before the EMT's were called is true.  What the University needs to be worried about now is trying to come out of this with moral character rather than trying to win PR battles.  They need to show true remorse through admitting some form of institutional failure now, rather than spouting off carefully worded PR statements.  They need to show that they truly care about the McNair family, and the passing of their son, by working with them throughout this process, rather than conducting a unilateral investigation in order to save the most jobs possible for all those who could be implicated in a possible case of negligence.  The University of Maryland needs to do what is right in this case, and that may not be what keeps the most money flowing into the University.  But Jordan McNair's death should be about morals, not money.  

The Nats Craft Beer of the Week

Can You Fig It?  A proper play on words for this week's craft beer as the Nats are rolling on the field, and this beer is made on the remains of a baseball field.  It comes from Peabody Heights Brewery that is located on the site of Old Oriole Park in Baltimore, but do not let that dissuade you from trying this masterpiece of body and flavor.  As the name implies, Can You Fig It is a German-style dark beer with dried figs and caramelized malts added to give it a smooth sweet taste that any beer drinker can enjoy.  It also has a lighter body than you would expect for a dark beer, and with only a 5% ABV this beer should be enjoyed year round even though it is billed as a winter warmer.  If you catch it at your local beer store (or MOM's Grocery) I highly suggest you try it as a nice way to celebrate the Nats' new found winning ways.

Crack open a Can You Fig It for the Nats winning their series against the Reds this past week.  It was the first time the Nats had won a series of three or more games since the July 5th series against the Marlins, and the Nats have now won 8 of their last 11 games.  Hopefully, the Nats will not have to wait another month for their next series win, and if the starting pitching can keep up the pace they set this week that is a definite possibility.

The Nats starters went 4-1 over the past five games, with Tanner Roark leading the way yet again with another 7 inning 1 run performance.  That makes Roark 3-0 over his last three starts going 22 innings and giving up only 2 earned runs.  Not to be outdone this past week was Tommy Milone who also gave up only 1 earned run in 7 innings while striking out 9 and getting his first win in over a year.  Max Scherzer had another 10K performance while driving in an RBI and improving his season batting average to .292, and Jeremy Hellickson gave the Nats 5.2 solid innings that probably could have been a full six if not for opposing teams hitting over .400 against him the third time around the order.  Which brings us to the black sheep of the rotation this week in Gio Gonzalez.  Gio was looking for his first win since May 28th, but alas he now has ten straight starts without a win.  In those starts he is 0-6, the Nats are 3-7, and he has averaged only 5 innings per start with a 6.20 ERA and a 1.78 WHIP.  If this trend continues, and Tommy Milone can give a few more quality starts, do not be surprised if Strasburg takes Gio's spot when he comes back and Milone replaces Gio as the lefty in the starting rotation.  That maybe a little far fetched but Davey Martinez needs to do something about Gio not being able to generate wins when he takes the mound, and maybe a nice little stint in the bullpen will help clear Gio's mind.  Despite Gio's struggles, the Nats starters set the winning pace this week, and the Nats hitters followed.

Bryce Harper continues to lead the Nats hitters as he is hitting .470 over the last five games with an OPS of 1.39.  Maybe the Home Run Derby did have an effect of Harper because since the All-Star Break he is hitting .367 with 14 RBI, 3 HR, and a 1.15 OPS.  The Nats will definitely need those numbers going forward if they want to catch the Phillies. Then again they will also need Juan Soto to get his third straight rookie of the month in August, as he has won that award for both June and July.  They need Trea Turner to continue to be the league leader in stolen bases as he upped that number to 30 this week.  And finally, they need their big guns in Anthony Rendon and Daniel Murphy to continue to produce in the middle of the lineup.  Murhpy  went 5 for 14 (.357) over these last five games, and since July 8 Murphy is hitting .406 with 3 HR and 13 RBI.  Rendon has been the most consistent hitter for the Nats over the course of this summer, and this week was no exception.  While his average was nothing special, Rendon managed to keep his OPS at 0.772 this week with 5 RBI and going 3 for 6 in RISP situations.  Since July 8 Rendon's numbers in those areas are even more impressive with 17 RBI, an .877 OPS, and 8 for 22 (.363) in RISP situations.  Here's hoping the Nats big guns can continue to bring the wood as they face a tough stretch ahead that will define their season.

It will be the battle of the division races this week as the Nats face the Braves for a four game series at home that includes a double header today, and then it is off to Chicago for a three game series with the Cubs.  Both of these teams are in the thick of their division races with the Nats trailing the Braves by 4.5 games for second in the NL East, so grab some Can You Fig Its and settle in for a season defining week of baseball for the Nationals.

The Nats Craft Beer of the Week

This week's craft beer hails from DuClaw Brewing Company in Baltimore and it is their limited release Incognito Pilsner.  The tag line is "mysteriously familiar" and when you taste it you will know why.  It has that Miller Lite pilsner taste to it with a 5.4% ABV, but with a more bold flavor and crisp finish that makes it perfect for a hot summer day.  It is definitely worth a purchase if you are into subtle differences in beer taste, or if you're looking for an enhanced classic tasting beer at a barbecue that everyone can enjoy.  Incognito is a limited release so get it while you can, but DuClaw has an extensive selection which I highly encourage you to check out if you are over 21 and have the time.  Hopefully you enjoyed some of DuClaw's finest as you watched some mediocre baseball from the Washington Nationals this past week and a half.

Mysteriously familiar was the tagline that could be applied to the Nats' past nine games coming out of the All-Star break.  A split with Atlanta, one win against another division chasing team in Milwaukee, and just when you thought the Nats were going to sweep their old whipping post the Marlins hold the Nats to one run in the last two games of the series to force a split.  Luckily the Phillies and Braves could not get out of second gear either, and the Nats still find themselves only 5.5 games back in the NL East.  It was still disconcerting that the Nats squandered a stout outing from Gio Gonzalez this past Saturday (7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER) which has been rare over the past month and a half.  Gio still struggles with WHIP (1.42 since the break) and he issued 9 walks in 12.2 innings of work his last two starts, which indicates that he is asking to get shelled yet again, but here's hoping Gio can get out of jams and produce more one run games.  It was not just Gio that shined in the starting rotation.  Tanner Roark had his two best start of his career throwing 8 scorless innings in a 7-3 win in Miami and only giving up one run in 7 innings in the rout of the Mets last night.  Max Scherzer does what he does best pitching 14 total innings since the All-Star Break and giving up only 2 ER.  The bullpen had a little bit of a post All-Star hangover as they gave up two walk off wins in extra innings and amassed an ERA of 3.90 and a WHIP of 1.44 since the All-Star break.  They were not helped by Hellickson, Strasburg, and Tom Milone combining for only 19.1 innings over 4 starts, but they need to come up big in some of those close games.  But there may be some addition by subtraction as Brandon Kintzler was traded yesterday to the Cubs.  Have an Incognito for him as Rizzo added insult to injury as he alluded to  the idea that Kintzler may not have been the best locker room presence.  There was one person who was not traded yesterday, though, and maybe for good reason.

With all the trade hype surrounding Bryce Harper, the Nats decided to stand pat and ride or die with Harper for the rest of this season.  That may not look so good when taking in Harper's season stats, but a look at his stats since the All-Star break should give Nats fans hope that Harper can lead this team to the playoffs.  Since the All-Star Break Harper is hitting .312 with an OPS of 1.03 (that includes a SLG% of .593), he has 10 RBI (6 of which have come with 2 Outs), and he is 6 for 12 in RISP situations.   Granted it is a small sample size, and last night's offensive explosion enhanced some of those stats a tad, but Harper has come alive since the All-Star Break and he may vindicate Rizzo's choice to keep him on by keeping this kind of pace throughout the rest of the season. It was not just Harper that has turned it up since the All-Star Break.  His other struggling counterpart in Daniel Murphy may be rounding out into form at just the right time as well.  Murphy has a team leading 11 RBI since the break and is hitting .371 with an OPS of 1.10 and is 5 for 10 in RISP situations.  The whole argument was that once the Nats' big guns got going they could start making a run.  It looks as if both Murphy and Harper are doing just that, and it may be rubbing off on the other players.

The Nats have 9 hitters (Turner, Soto, Difo, Zimmerman, Adams, Rendon, Harper, Eaton, and Murphy) who have an OPS of .700 or higher since the break, and 6 of those nine hitters (Turner, Soto, Zimmerman, Rendon, Harper, and Murphy) are all hitting over .300 since the break as well.  The Mets game did buttress those stats somewhat, but the offense the Nats have been searching for this whole season may be arriving when the Nats are really are on their last chance to make it to the playoffs.  There were negatives over these last 10 games such as the mighty Juan Soto only going 1 for 11 in RISP situations, Harper striking out nearly every other time he comes to the plate (15 K's in 40 plate appearances), Daniel Murphy having three errors since the break, Matt Wieters hitting .178 since the break, and Trea Turner joining the "Oh shit, you found THOSE tweets?" club.  But despite all of this the Nats are still alive and it seems like they are coming to life to try and make a run.  With nine games left against the Phillies, and seven against the Braves, they will have more than enough opportunities to get backto the top of the NL East.  Lets just hope these trends since the All-Star Break continue.

It all continues with one more games against the Mets today, and then a four game series with the Reds to finish out the week.  Hopefully, the Nats can keep it going and get even closer to the NL East lead.

The Nats Craft Beer of the Week

In honor of the MLB All-Star Game and festivities being held in DC this week, SweetDCSports is keeping the Nats Craft Beer of the Week local with this wonderful pick from Denizens Brewing Company in Silver Spring, Maryland.  It is their Macadocious Maibock and it has all you can ask for in a summer beer.  It is hoppy for the IPA lovers out there.  It has malts for those who don't want to have that hoppy aftertaste in their mouths, and it has subtle floral hints with a light body that makes you feel like you are drinking summer in a can.  There is a little something for everyone in this beer, so if your're over 21 please support local breweries and pick up a 6-pack as you try to enjoy watching the Nationals who had a little something for everyone this week as well.

If you wanted to see futility there was certainly enough of that to go around.  The Nats split their four game series with the last place Mets, and during that time they gave the Mets their 7th win in 27 home games and allowed Mets pitcher Zack Wheeler to get his first home win in over a year.  Speaking of pitching, most of the Nats starting pitching had a rough week.  The quintet of Scherzer, Gio, Roark, Rodriguez, and newcomer Austin Voth combined for one win, four losses, 24.1 innings, and a 8.14 ERA.  To be fair, Scherzer got the lone win and his 11th hit of the season (tied for first among pitchers), Gio lost a 2-0 decision, Roark hit the first triple by a Nats pitcher since 2007, and 13 of the 22 runs given up were from Rodriguez and Voth, but there needs to be more consistency within the rotation if the Nats intend to make up ground on their new NL East overlords to the north.  The Nats hitters had their own problems, as the Nats saw the return of Matt Wieters this week only to have him reaffirm that the catcher position will be a perpetual black hole this year as he was 2 for 18 with a .150 OBP.  Not be outdone was Trea Turner, who had to face a little bit of regression to the mean this week as he he was only 3 for 26 with an OBP of .178 and an OPS of .331. Those are not the numbers of a lead off hitter, but Turner's OBP each of the last four weeks was over .300, and two of those weeks it was over .400.  Let's just hope this is the universe playing cooler to Trea Turner and he can get back on track after the All-Star break.  It was not all bad news, though, as Nats fans who are fond of relief pitching, dominant starts from pitchers returning from the DL, OPS, and Daniel Murphy were treated this week.

The Nats bullpen has been much maligned since the beginning of June, but this week saw a reversal of fortune.  The Nats bullpen threw 20.2 innings and only gave up 2 earned runs while incurring no losses. Special nods go out to Ryan Madson, who in his three appearances gave up only one hit, one walk, and got the Nats' only save this week, and to Shawn Kelley who had his third straight week of shut out relief.  Kelley has only allowed 3 earned runs in his last 18 innings, and his ERA has dropped from 4.4 in the beginning of June to 2.54.  The Nats also had a pitching bright spot in Jeremy Hellickson.  Hellickson redeemed himself from his 4 inning nightmare last week to give up only 1 run in 2 games and get two of the Nats 3 wins this week.  Have a Maibock in hopes that Hellickson can lock down his starting position as Strasburg continues to rehab. The Nats hitting also had their bright spots as three Nats had an OPS over 1.0 this week.  Anthony Rendon (1.07 OPS), Adam Eaton (1.04 OPS), and Daniel Murphy (1.29 OPS) combined for 11 RBI, 4 doubles, and three home runs (all from Rendon), and honorable mentions go to Matt Adams whose SLG% was a .521 this week with 2 home runs.  Daniel Murphy also gets kudos for going 8 for 15 this week, and getting his 2 RBI's in a bases loaded pinch hitting situation against the Mets.  Now, let's see if he can do that against teams that didn't foolishly let him go in free agency.

Finally, this week saw the return of the legend of Bryce Harper as he won the Home Run Derby in dramatic fashion. Whatever this does for the Nationals season going forward, it has to show the Lerners that they need to start doing inventory on their assets to see how much they can offer Harper at the end of the year.  He is the straw that stirs the drink for the Nationals, and despite some of his numbers being down this year, he will be able to buoy the Nationals in times of need as he showed on Monday night.  It also showed that he wants to be here if given the opportunity, he will play his heart out for this city, and The Home Run Derby also showed that they cannot just let Harper walk without proposing a competitive offer if they want to save face with the fan base.  Harper wore his heart on his sleeve for the first time in a while, and he showed a glimpse of what he could give this city if he is locked up for the long term.  For now, though, lets just hope this inspires the Nats to close the 5.5 game gap with the Phillies once the season gets going on Friday.  Three games with the Braves this weekend and then it is off to Milwaukee to face the Brewers for a four game stretch.