The Morning Briefing: September 5

Good morning, Washington Nationals fans.

Here are the latest headlines and analyses around the Washington Nationals and Major League Baseball for today, September 5.

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Welcome to the Morning Briefing!

Leading this Morning's Briefing: Does CJ Need a Reset?

CJ Abrams has had a rough second half since being named to the NL All-Star team, hitting .178/.239/.274 and playing blah defense (the only thing he's done well is run the bases the rare times he has gotten on, going 13-for-15 in the stolen base department), and he has the body language of someone with no answers right now. Would he be better off getting all or most of a series off, with Nasim Nuñez and his superior glove playing shortstop for a few games? Would he be better off...spending a couple of weeks in Rochester before coming back at the end of the AAA season? That seems extreme, but Abrams has been bad for over two months now, and his recent move from the leadoff spot to the seven-hole does not appear to be working at all. I do not think that Abrams' struggles are related to his work ethic an professionalism in the way that they were for Victor Robles and Luis García Jr., but he looks like he could use a mental break in some form or fashion.

Last Game Out

MacKenzie Gore was terrific, retiring the first sixteen batters before walking Griffin Conine on a borderline pitch and then immediately giving up a double to the Marlins' ninth batter, Nick Fortes, a ball which was misplayed by two Nats (James Wood, caught flat-footed, was late to retrieve the ball but recovered with a strong throw...and then Abrams three-hopped the relay home - even a mediocre throw would have hosed Conine easily). The Nats bounced back to take a 3-2 lead in the eighth with a three-run rally that began with a Keibert Ruiz leadoff walk (!!!) and concluded with Wood's second double of the evening, but blew that lead in the bottom of the eighth and then had six weak at-bats in the ninth and tenth (only Abrams's shallow pop-up to left got past the infield) before the Marlins singled home Conine in their half of the tenth. It was a dispiriting loss in that it was right there for the taking against a crummy team that tried to give the game away, but the Nats could not make it happen.

Nationals Headline of the Day: Cavalli Throws Bullpen

Stop the presses! Cade Cavalli threw a bullpen yesterday, and the Nats 'hope' to get him in front of live hitters before the end of this season, although I take any statements on Cavalli's health at this point with a heavy dash of salt. Cavalli could throw a simulated game before the end of the month, but it's likely that his first pitch against someone wearing a different jersey will come in March.

Down on the Farm

Both 'burgs won their games yesterday, with Fredericksburg's win inching them closer to a Carolina League playoff berth. Rochester and Wilmington, meanwhile, both were shut out.

Featured Baseball Story of the Day

It could be worse - you could be a White Sox fan, enduring what could be the worst team in MLB history since the 1899 Cleveland Spiders went 20-134 and were subsequently contracted. The South Siders are currently 32-109, a near lock to pass the 1962 Mets as the only team in the Modern Era with more than 120 losses in a season. Over at Yahoo! Sports, Fred Zinkie has some thoughts about what they can do this winter.

Former National of the Day

Acquiring bargain sluggers to come in and hopefully provide some power has long been a Washington specialty (think Nelson Cruz, Joey Gallo, etc.). One of the originals was Wily Mo Peña, traded from Boston in August 2007. The 6'3", 260-pound Wily Mo was a sight to behold in batting practice, with 70-grade raw power that just never translated enough to games. Although he went yard eight times in 37 games after the trade, he homered just twice in 2008 and was released at the end of that season.

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