Still a tense mood in the Nationals clubhouse before today’s game against the Mets. Major League Baseball’s trade deadline passes at 4 p.m. Several players lounged in the leather couches and recliners or at their locker stalls hitting refresh on their cell phones.
Meanwhile, right-handed pitcher Yunesky Maya was packing his things for a return to Triple-A Syracuse. No media chat with manager Davey Johnson on Sunday mornings so no word on how Maya is feeling after pulling an oblique muscle on his left side during Saturday’s 3-0 victory over New York. He still earned his first major-league victory with 5 1/3 shutout innings.
Recalled in his place is left-handed reliever Atahualpa Severino from Syracuse. He was 1-0 with four holds, one save and a 3.00 ERA in 23 games at that level. Severino, 26, did not allow a run in his last eight appearances – 8 2/3 innings – and over his last 14 games since June 25 posted a 1.35 ERA.
Check out our blog posts from yesterday on the trades of veteran pitcher Jason Marquis (Arizona) and veteran utility man Jerry Hairston (Milwaukee). We’ll have to see if relievers Drew Storen, Todd Coffey and Tyler Clippard, shortstop Ian Desmond or anyone else deemed expendable gets dealt in the next three hours. Here are today’s lineups with Jordan Zimmermann trying to rebound from a pair of sub-par starts and give Washington its first winning series since July 4-7 against the Chicago Cubs. The Nats are 5-10 since that series ended and 10-18 since manager Davey Johnson took over.
Mets:
Reyes – SS
Harris – 2B
Murphy – 1B
Wright – 3B
Pagan – CF
Bay – LF
Duda – RF
Thole – C
Niese – P
Nationals:
Bixler – CF
Desmond – SS
Zimmerman – 3B
Morse – 1B
Werth – RF
Espinosa – 2B
Gomes – LF
Flores – C
Zimmermann – P
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