The Morning Briefing: August 15

Good morning, Washington Nationals fans.

Here are the latest headlines and analyses around the Washington Nationals and Major League Baseball for today, August 15.

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Welcome to the Morning Briefing!

Leading this Morning's Briefing: On to Philly

The Nationals have not played the NL East-leading Phillies since mid-May, almost three months ago, back when the Phillies were building what looked to be an insurmountable division lead. Fast forward to August and the Phillies still have a six-game lead, but have lost 16 of 24 since the All-Star break. Can the Nats create some division race drama? We shall see, but they will have to do so against Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, and Christopher Sánchez in the first three games of four, with Taijuan Walker the opponent in the Sunday finale.

Last Game Out

DJ Herz had what has to be considered a great outing against perhaps the deepest offense in baseball, striking out five over six innings on 85 pitches and only allowing two runs, both courtesy of a first-inning bomb by Gunnar Henderson. He got seven pitches toward an immaculate inning in the fourth, but Colton Cowser flied out to center to end that possibility (Dave Jaegler's disappointment was palpable on the radio). The Nats themselves could only manage one run, however, and so the Oreos got a split in round two of the Beltway Series.

Nationals Headline of the Day: Wood Enjoys First Trip to Camden Yards

Jessica Camerato of MLB.com talked to James Wood about his first experience as a player at Camden Yards, because a much younger version of Wood had been there as a fan. Good insights into the normally taciturn and reserved Wood.

Down on the Farm

In the wake of Travis Sykora's six perfect innings last Friday, I took a field trip down to Fredericksburg to watch his next start against the Salem Red Sox. Sykora recorded five more outs to start the game before two singles broke his hitless streak at 12 2/3 innings, and he tired enough in the fifth that he was unable to finish that frame, although he departed having not allowed a run. If you have a chance, get down to Fredericksburg for a game sometime. The stadium is pristine - one of the best in the minors - and it is an accessible and fun experience. Plus they have cool hats! In addition to Sykora, Seaver King and Caleb Lomavita both had eye-raising moments, King with a triple and an outstanding play from deep in the hole at shortstop, and Lomavita as the designated hitter.

Featured Baseball Story of the Day

Aaron Judge smashed two decades-old records for being the fastest player in history to hit his 300th home run, doing so in his 955th game and 3431st at-bat. Ralph Kiner achieved the feat in 1087 games, and Babe Ruth in 3831 at-bats. The victimized pitcher? Our old friend Chad Kuhl, now of the Chicago White Sox.

Former National of the Day

John Patterson was a fifth overall pick of the Expos in 1996 but first reached the majors with Arizona before being traded back to Montreal prior to the 2004 season for Randy Choate. He had one full season that fulfilled the promise of his high draft selection, and it happened to come in the Nats' inaugural 2005 season. Patterson threw 198.1 innings with a 3.13 ERA and 1.195 WHIP while striking out 185 batters. He only managed fifteen more starts over the next two seasons before his career ended at age 29, but for a brief while he was a strong starting pitcher for the first Nationals team.

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