Nyjer Morgan's Temper Tantrum

(Photo of TV/MASN by Nationals Enquirer staff. Nyjer Morgan slams his glove to the ground while the ball sits in play next to his hat.)

"It was just one of those things where I let my emotions get to me out there, which I normally never do. It cost the boys a little bit. It's just one of those things."
(Nyjer Morgan, via The Goessling Game/MASN, 5/22/2010)

Another day, another couple of runs Nyjer Morgan costs the Washington Nationals.

Let's let MLB.com's Bill Ladson describe the scene in the fourth inning of Saturday's game, when another dumb play by Nyjer Morgan cost his team again:

In the fourth inning, with the score tied at 2 and Matt Wieters on first base, Baltimore's Adam Jones took an 0-1 pitch to deep center field. Morgan jumped as the ball hit the wall, but as he missed the catch and it caromed into left field, Morgan thought the ball was gone and threw his glove to the ground out of frustration.
(via MLB.com, 5/22/2010)

Next, Morgan shouts an expletive or two, walks away. Josh Willingham runs over and retrieves the ball. Wieters scores. Jones scores. Inside-the-park homerun. And scene.

That he thought the ball was gone is no excuse.

Morgan shouldn't have batted in the bottom of the inning; nor should he have trotted back out to center to start the fifth. Regardless of how thin his bench is/was at the moment, Jim Riggleman should have pulled him from the game when the inning ended.

Riggles' explanation?

"My first instinct was: Take him out of the ballgame. And then I realized, you know what, he thinks the ball went over the fence. He thought that he knocked it over the fence and it's a home run, so he's showing frustration. That doesn't excuse it, and I don't want it to be perceived as an excuse. But it explains it."
(Jim Riggleman, via NatsInsider, 5/22/2010)

Interestingly, from reading the various post-game accounts (WaPo, Nats.com, NatsInsider, MASN), it doesn't sound like his teammates were all that upset -- that the clubhouse has Morgan's back, ready to move on. Zuckerman got some good quotes from Dunn, Willingham, in particular.

So Morgan will no doubt be back out patrolling center field for the finale of the D.C. leg of the 2010 Battle of the Beltways. God only knows what he has in store for NatsTown today.

Meanwhile...

• Scott Olsen to 15-day DL with a bum shoulder. No way the Nats start Strasburg next Saturday on the road in SD in his place, right?

• Pudge says not to worry about his back. Okay, Pudge.

• DC Sports Bog has photographic evidence of fans wearing Silver Elvis wigs at Nationals Park during Saturday's game.

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Comments

[bdrube]

I am officially launching a Bernandina for CF campaign in case Morgan does not pull his head out of his rear end soon. Roger's play is steadily improving to the point where he is beginning to resemble a viable alternative.

[Anonymouse]

Nyjer's punishment will be to be forever immortalized on Baseball Blooper reels from here to eternity. He earned laughingstock status for life.