We are well underway here at Nationals Park for a matinee meeting between the Nationals and Florida Marlins. It’s been a slugfest so far with the game tied at 8 in the top of the eighth inning.
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Meanwhile, news from this morning: Washington has worked out a minor trade with the New York Mets. Second baseman Anderson Hernandez was claimed off waivers by the Mets earlier this week. The Nats pulled him back to keep his rights and then worked out a deal with New York for minor-league second baseman Greg Veloz, 21.
Hernandez, 26, had clearly fallen out of favor in Washington. His playing time was steady through mid-June, but as his bat cooled his defensive deficiencies – a .981 fielding percentage with six errors – and mental mistakes became intolerable. He started just nine games from July 1 on. The club began using Alberto Gonzalez at that spot and in recent days veteran Ronnie Belliard has seen more playing time at second base, too.
Veloz heads to Single-A Potomac. He ranked No. 25 in Baseball America’s preseason ranking of the Mets farm system – a career .249 hitter with 77 doubles and 19 home runs in the midst of his fourth pro season. Veloz is a 6-foot-1 switch hitter whose best asset is his speed. He has 108 career stolen bases, including 18 this year.
To fill Hernandez’s roster spot, the Nats recalled reliever Saul Rivera, 31, from Triple-A Syracuse. A mainstay in the Washington bullpen for three years-plus, Rivera struggled early this season and was demoted twice – the latest on May 5 with an 8.49 ERA. But in 30 games in Syracuse he was 2-5 with seven holds, two saves and a 3.55 ERA.
