The Washington Nationals made a handful of September call-ups earlier this week who, through Tuesday, hadn’t seen a second of major league action this year. And from the way interim manager Jim Riggleman talked Wednesday, the five players won’t get playing time they don’t otherwise earn.
Riggleman expressed a preference to stay with his veterans out of respect for the players who have been with the team all season and for the playoff hopefuls the Nationals face in September. That means the Nationals will have to evaluate their minor league additions on something other than big league playing time in September.
“When we play baseball, we’re supposed to try to win,” Riggleman said. “Last year in Seattle, we were trying to win. We weren’t trying to just play it out and draft Steve Strasburg next year. We were trying to win the games. I think that if I’m a paying fan, I want to see the team trying to win. I want the manager trying to win. Intensity. I want players playing hard. I want guys running balls out. I want effort and preparation. So all those things in a perfect world will carry over to the future.”
Of the Nationals’ five call-ups - shortstop Ian Desmond, left-hander Ross Detwiler and right-handers Marco Estrada, Logan Kensing and Zack Segovia - only Desmond has not played in the majors. Segovia, who pitched one game for Philadelphia in 2007, likely will get chances to pitch out of the bullpen, but getting Desmond into the lineup would require Riggleman to sit Cristian Guzman.
Riggleman said Tuesday he believes more in evaluating players based on minor league performance than their September results, and he made that point again Wednesday. Desmond is viewed in the organization as a possible successor to Guzman, but he might not get many starts until the Nationals play the New York Mets next weekend - the only team they face the rest of the way that’s not in a playoff hunt.
“If I send a message to the ballclub that we’re going to put our Triple-A call-ups out there on a daily basis to see what they can do… first of all, like I said, it’s not a good time to evaluate talent,” Riggleman said. “Who do you do it against? Do you do it against the Phillies? I think we would be insulting the Marlins and the Braves, who are chasing the Phillies. Do you do it just against the Braves but not against the Phillies? The competition throughout the league indicates that for the fairness of who is the best team in the division, you’ve got to put your best people out there to play against those guys.”
Manuel waffles on Lidge
A day after pulling closer Brad Lidge with the bases loaded in the ninth inning of a 5-3 win over the Nationals, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel was much less committed to Lidge than he had been in the past.
Manuel said he still views Lidge as the team’s closer in the future but added he won’t hesitate to use other relievers in the ninth, such as Ryan Madson and Brett Myers.
“We’re going to work with him. And we’re going to get him back to where he can get consistent and go out there and save games,” Manuel said. “I’m not saying he’ll close tomorrow or the next day.”
Lidge is 0-7 with a 7.11 ERA after not blowing a save last season, a sharp regression that has prompted multiple defenses from Manuel. But after taking him out of the game, Manuel again stressed the need to balance his loyalty to Lidge with the importance of winning games.
“I could see myself pitching guys besides Brad,” Manuel said. “We want to get him right, but the priority is to win the game.”
With the Phillies up one run Wednesday, Madson pitched the ninth and picked up the save.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.