Joe Beimel, the most effective and consistent reliever who did not compare the Nats to a 4 AM J-Lo, made the above fantastic defensive play in the 8th inning last night to throw Kelly Johnson out on a bunt-for-hit attempt. Applause and hoots echoed through the nearly empty stadium for his success in keeping a runner from getting on base. This was the 2nd out in a tight one-run game that was immediately thrown into its second rain delay. When play resumed, Garrett Mock took the mound, presumably because waiting 35 minutes or so was too long to put Beimel back in the game.
Whoops, not so fast. The heir apparent to previous incarnations of Jon Rauch landed himself on the 15 day DL with a hip flexor strain from the play. Saul Rivera took a very quick round trip to Syracuse and back and has been recalled (did he even pitch there?). Apparently not, according to a comment from NFA’s Brian in that post.
Injuries do not appear to be abating much from this time last year. Cursed? Bad weather? Here’s hoping Beimel makes a full and speedy recovery.
