Washington Nationals RHP Shawn Hill made his first rehab start this evening in Potomac. Hill allowed only three hits (one bunt, one broken bat, and one just under his glove) over three innings while striking out two. Hill threw 35 pitches, 28 for strikes. He was originally scheduled for three innings or 50 pitches, so he completed his 50 pitches in the bullpen. He induced six groundball outs and two of his three hits were grounders.
I asked Hill what it felt like to get back into an actual game situation. He joked “you mean after 2 1/2 months.” He said he felt good though “it was a little tiring.” He said he “tired quickly, but worked through it.” He threw only fastballs and curveballs, no changeups, “They only had two lefthanded hitters so I didn’t throw my change,” said Hill.
After sailing through the first two innings, Hill ran into trouble with a bunt single (on a play which he crossed in front of his 3B allowing the runner to just beat a delayed throw). On the next pitch, Hill allowed a single back up the middle just under his glove. When asked if it also would take time to get back into rhythm fielding the ball, Hill commented that “if I was going every five days, I’d probably have knocked that down or made the play.” Hill actually relished the opportunity to pitch with runners on base because it was easier to get a taste of it with A-ball players “rather than Albert Pujols.”
Hill admitted he didn’t realize manager Manny Acta was there and said it was “nice to see him there though I’m sure he also came to see Chris [Marrero] and Justin [Maxwell].”
Manny Acta commented on Hill, “He was free and easy and had good velocity. He threw some good sliders.” Acta added, “We want to see how he feels tomorrow.”
Hill’s next start is tentatively scheduled for Saturday with 4IP or 60 pitches. “It all depends how I feel tomorrow,” said Hill.
Notes: Sitting with Acta was bullpen coach Rick Aponte and Special Advisor to the GM Jose Cardenal. Additionally, Nationals pitchers Matt Chico and Tim Redding stayed for Hill’s three innings of work.
Kevin (Fairfax) | 31-Jul-07 at 7:43 am | Permalink
It looks like Jim Bowden will do nothing at the trade deadline this year, since he asks for the moon and stars in every deal, apparently. If that is the case, which minor leaguers do you all think benefit the most from not having additional prospects placed between them and the big league club?
I’d have to think that the failure to get a center fielder could mean another opportunity for Brandon Watson in the short term, for instance.
Lou Z | 31-Jul-07 at 8:45 am | Permalink
Why is it when a team is only offering C level prospects for a premier closer like Cordero and a premier setup man like Rauch, that fans say that the Nats are asking for “the moon and the stars”? If the other teams didn’t think they were good, they wouldn’t have been looking to adding them to their team. The Mets, Phillies or Braves could win the World Series with Codero or Rauch. And the Red Sox & Yankees would love to have either. If they are that valuable, I, too, prefer keeping Cordreo & Rauch unless I would get a Top 10 prospect in return from another team. Remember, if you want value, you have to give up value in return!
bdrube | 31-Jul-07 at 9:38 am | Permalink
Lou Z: You are absolutely right. Why should the Nats give up two of their best players, proven young major leaguers who are not eligible for free agency, for marginal prospects who may never amount to anything (Garrett Mock, anyone?).
If they were FA eligible, I’d be screaming bloody murder for a trade. Since they’re not, and they’re fun to watch, everyone should just chill out.
Kevin (Fairfax) | 31-Jul-07 at 9:50 am | Permalink
I wasn’t so much talking about what other teams have offered. The news that leaks out is about the players Bowden asks for. When you hear Bowden asking for Cameron Maybin for Rauch, when similar names weren’t even available for Soriano, it does sound like he is asking for a lot. Now, if the point is that he thinks the Nats need to be blown away in order to trade either, fine, but failing to make any trade for any prospects seems counter to the plan to rebuild the minors.
Pilchard | 31-Jul-07 at 10:49 am | Permalink
Very impressed that Chico and Redding spent their day-off going to Potomac to watch Hill pitch. Great to see the pitchers supporting each other.
Wooden U. Lykteneau | 31-Jul-07 at 10:54 am | Permalink
Lou Z - Just curious: Who in the Red Sox bullpen is Rauch or Cordero better than? Do they have a burning need for a highwire “closer” (no, not really) or a journeyman (hmm, that guy Tavarez has a longer track record)? Do they not have guys in Pawtucket that could fill in seamlessly (e.g. Breslow, Hansen)?
Louis J. | 31-Jul-07 at 10:56 am | Permalink
Kevin
You don’t really mean “failing to make any trade for any prospects seems counter to the plan to rebuild the minors”. The draft and patience is the primarily way to rebuild the minor and the Nats had good drafts in 2005-2007. Remember what bdrube said above about trades for marginal players like Garrett Mock. Also, Kevin, the art of trading is for one team to ask for more than value and the other team to offer less than value. If the two teams are interested in a deal, they meet somewhere in the middle. Look how long it took for the Braves/Rangers to make a deal for Teixeira. Obviously, neither the Nationals or the other teams were that interested in making a deal for Nationals players.
Alan | 31-Jul-07 at 11:28 am | Permalink
For the past decade or more, both off-season and in-season trades have been dominated by three phenomena: (1) salary dumping by disappointed would-be contenders, looking to unload high priced players for one tool Low A prospects while paying others to take the contract off their hands, (2) small market teams moving their best about-to-be free agents so they can say “at least we got something,” and (3) small market teams that are doing well at mid-season trading prospects for a seasoned veteran in hopes that this will be the year as well as to keep the fans and the team interested. Trading major leaguers or major league ready prospects to make both teams better has become exceedingly rare (see Toronto trade for Fred McGriff and Tony Fernandez to the San Diego Padres for Joe Carter and Roberto Alomar in 1990). The distortion is exacerbated by fans (or talk radio hosts) who want to feel their team is part of the action, and so agitate for a trade - any trade. Sigh. Sizemore, Lee and Phillips for Colon still stings (type 3 trade, with a healthy dolop of MLB owners stripping the team). Or Jason Bay (and someone else) for a since forgotten Mets farmhand. Bottom line… I’m thrilled that the Nats are not in dumping mode, and value their young, major league proven pitchers highly and don’t again trade for some soon to be forgotten Mets farmhand. The only trades I would welcome would be ones that improve the major league team in the next few years. Maybin for Cordero seems like a fair trade to me.