Nationals report
Lining up almost perfectly now
The Nationals have not had their full lineup all season, and they never will thanks to catcher Wilson Ramos’ ACL injury in May. But with the return of shortstop Ian Desmond from the disabled list Friday, they are about as close as they will get.
Desmond slides back into the lineup without the benefit of a rehabilitation assignment. The small tear in his left oblique has healed sufficiently — though Desmond admits it will linger the rest of the season even if he’s pain-free right now.
“I’ve been feeling good, so no sense in dragging an extra two weeks out of it,” said Desmond, who had not played since July 21 before going 0-for-4 on Friday.
He was initially supposed to miss a month and maybe as much as five weeks. But his return deepens a lineup that early in the season was anemic at best. Desmond, an NL All-Star this season, has a career-high 17 homers with a .283 batting average and 53 RBI. He also leads all big league shortstops in OPS (.816) by a hefty margin. Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter is second at .788 among qualified batters.
“Your timing may be off a little bit, but a couple at-bats and I’ll be right where I need to be,” Desmond said.
MLB storylines
1 Melky Cabrera » It was a shocking week in San Francisco, where left fielder Melky Cabrera was suspended for 50 games after testing positive for elevated testosterone levels. It’s a crippling blow to a team that needs all the offense it can get to match its elite starting pitching. And Cabrera was among the favorites to win the NL batting crown with a .346 average. He can still do so despite falling one at-bat shy of qualifying. If Cabrera adds an extra out to his total at season’s end and still leads, he will win it anyway. That’s small consolation for the Giants, who won’t have him back until the postseason — if they make it.
2 Replay » Maybe Major League Baseball is finally heeding the calls demanding a greater use of instant replay to help its umpires. The league, according to a report by ESPN, is installing two experimental replay systems in its New York ballparks later this month to test them for possible use. “Hawkeye” — the system made famous at tennis stadiums all over the world — is a camera technology that will be used at some select Mets games. That would be a boon for foul-fair calls down the lines. At Yankee Stadium, the league will use a radar system similar to one used by the PGA Tour to track golf shots.
3 Ryan Dempster » The Texas Rangers hoped the addition of Ryan Dempster in a trade last month would help them keep pace with the rival Los Angeles Angels, who added Zack Greinke around the same time in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers. So far the Angels continue to lag in the standings as Greinke has struggled. But so too has Dempster, who was placed on the restricted list for personal reasons Friday. He has allowed 16 earned runs in three starts. Dempster is expected to return to the team Monday. He will miss Saturday’s scheduled start.
Who’s hot
1. Mike Trout » The Angels rookie remains dominant, leading the AL in average, runs and stolen bases.
2. Derek Jeter » Give the Yankees’ 38-year-old shortstop credit. He’s still a force at the plate.
3. Steve Lombardozzi » The Nats infielder heads back to the bench after a 17-for-44 road trip.
Who’s Not
1. Johan Santana » The Mets ace has allowed 23 earned runs in his last 19 innings.
2. Brian McCann » The Braves catcher had one hit in his last 21 at-bats entering Saturday.
3. Josh Beckett » The starter has allowed 14 runs in his last 101Ú3 innings, both Red Sox losses.
