Gio Gonzalez, The Real Captain America, And MLB Intentional Talk

Gio Gonzalez, fresh off his huge WBC victory on Tuesday night, joined Chris Rose and Kevin Millar on the MLB Network's "Intentional Talk".  Gio sported the backpack along with the Miami Heat hat (booo!) while a creepy dude behind him sprayed down the field.

At one point in the interview he gave Ross Detwiler a new nickname:

The Det Collector

During another part they talked about this Gio "The Real Captain America" baseball bat and Gio said that David Wright was the one and only Captain America.

Gio talked about playing on Team USA and playing in his hometown, and then they asked him a few rapid fire questions:

When asked who was a cool teammate: "Ryan Vogelsong"

When asked about the Miami Heat: "Believe it! They will win their 20th straight game. One big time fan. Way before they are now."

When asked Nat Gio or National Det "Nat Gio"

You can watch the entire 8 minute interview below:




Shoutout to @NatsArchive who got on the broadcast with their photoshop of Gio & Giancarlo Miami Vice

Ryan Zimmerman Almost Knocks Over David Wright, Wright Gets Him Out

On Tuesday night in NY, Ryan Zimmerman hit a sharp grounder to the Mets thirdbaseman David Wright.  The ball was hit so hard that it knocked Wright off balance for a second before he spun around and gunned down Zimmerman at first.

It was an interesting looking play.  Check it out:

Nationals @ Mets: Game Preview (7/24)

Nationals vs Mets

7:10 PM Citi Field

MASN-1

Story Lines:

• The Mets look to break a 4 game losing streak tonight behind R.A. Dickey.
• The Nats look to extend into a 4 game winning streak tonight behind Gio Gonzalez.
• Gio and Dickey faced off July 19th, with Dickey winning the matchup.

Pitching Match Up:

• Gio Gonzalez
• 12-5 with a 3.32 ERA.
• Last time facing the Mets, he went 3.1 innings and gave up 6 runs.
• Has given up the fewest homeruns (6) and the most walks (45) out of the Nats starters.

• R.A. Dickey
• 13-1 with a 2.84 ERA.
• Last time facing the Nats, he went 7.1 innings and gave up 3 runs.
• Has given up 3 runs in 14.2 innings faced against the Nats this season.

Who to Watch:

• Bryce Harper
• Came through big time with his bat in yesterday's 10 inning win.
• Batting .000 with 3 strikeouts against Dickey lifetime.
• Hitting .333 in his last 4 games against the NY Mets.

• David Wright
• Batting 1.000 with a homerun lifetime against Gio.
• Hit 2 homeruns on July 19th against the Nats.
• Hitting .471 in his last 4 games against the Nationals.

Keys to the Game:

1. Patience at the Plate.  Dickey had to come in for a relief appearance during the last series, meaning he wont be as rested tonight.  Let him throw a lot of pitches.
2. Stay Away Wright.  David Wright was outstanding the last series against the Nats, and his homerun last night shows he doesn't plan on slowing down.
3. G-G-Gio Time.  He hasn't looked quite the same since the All Star Break.  Time for him to get back on track.

Gio Has An Off Day, David Wright Kills Nats

Mets 9, Nationals 5

Gio Gonzalez struggled with location, and an offensive explosion helped the Mets defeat the Nationals 9-5 on Thursday afternoon at Nats Park.  The Mets took a quick 9-1 lead in the first 4 innings and the final score did not do the game justice.

Gonzalez was sporting the Ian Desmond Hero shirt and a new House Party fade, but he only lasted 3.1 innings, his shortest outing of the year.  Gio gave up 6 runs on 6 hits while walking 3 in the loss dropping his record to 12-5.

The last time Gio went under 4 innings was back in his first start of the season where he went 3.2 innings against the Cubs giving up 4 runs.

Craig Stammen had to come in and throw extra time, giving up 3 more runs on a David Wright 3 run shot in 3.1 innings of work.

Dickey pitched into the 8th inning before being removed from the game.  The knuckleballer was cruising towards a complete game but the Nationals eventually got to him.  Dickey gave up 10 hits and 3 runs while striking out 5.

David Wright dominated the Nats all week.  The All-Star got 7 hits in 13 at bats including 3 home runs and 6 RBIs (5 on Thursday).

The Nats had plenty of hits and Lombardozzi, Moore, DeRosa, Zimmerman, and Bernadina all had two hits.  The Nats left 12 runners on base and went 2 for 14 with runners in scoring position.  Bryce Harper had the bases loaded in the 8th inning with the Nats inching closer, but flew out to end the inning.

Davey Johnson took advantage of the Mets blowout, getting some guys some rest, getting some guys some playing time, and getting Drew Storen & Henry Rodriguez some much needed work.  Ian Desmond also came up to bat twice, getting a single and hit by a pitch, and Davey says he will be ready to go tomorrow.

Drew Storen had a 9 pitch inning and he looked ready to go.  Clippard will have a short leash.  Zimmerman also hit a homer in the game.

The Braves come to town on Friday night less than 4 games back...