Slumping Bonifacio Sits and Watches

MILWAUKEE, Aug. 11 -- An hour before Monday's game, Washington starting pitcher Garrett Mock, hoping to go over some last-minute infield strategy, walked over to Emilio Bonifacio, who had started the previous 10 games at second base.

"Segunda?" Mock asked.

Bonifacio shook his head.

He wasn't starting; not this game. Ronnie Belliard had the role instead.

When the Nationals promoted the 23-year-old from Class AAA Columbus on Aug. 1, the front office provided a clear message: Bonifacio would play every day, and learn while doing so. That commitment led to a scorching first week -- Bonifacio started off with 12 hits, including three triples, in his first 35 at-bats (a .375 average) -- but since then, pitchers have adjusted by feeding him more breaking balls. And Bonifacio's average has steadily dropped.

As a result, Bonifacio didn't start Monday, a reprieve from a series in which he had gone 0 for 14 with no walks and four strikeouts. When he pinch-hit in the seventh Monday, he reached on an error.

According to Manager Manny Acta, pitchers are "just throwing soft stuff to him, basically, because that's what they do to younger guys that are impatient at the plate."

Bonifacio's "little funk," as Acta called it, has caused no panic, just a little preaching. Washington wants its greatest speed threat to be more selective at the plate.

Two More Picks Sign

The Nationals signed their third- and fourth-round draft picks, shortstop Daniel Espinosa (Long Beach State) and left-handed pitcher Graham Hicks (George Jenkins High School in Lakeland, Fla.), meaning that the team now has inked every one of its top 10 picks from the June draft. Every pick but one, that is.

The signings of Espinosa and Hicks, both above-slot signings, clear the table for Washington's front office to spend the last days before the Friday midnight signing deadline negotiating with first-round pick Aaron Crow, a right-handed pitcher from the University of Missouri.

Espinosa, 21, selected 87th overall, was given a signing bonus of $525,000, according to Baseball America; those selected this year just before and after Espinosa received bonuses of roughly $440,000. Hicks, 18, selected 121st overall, received $475,000, a source said -- a bonus exceeding slot recommendations by about $200,000.

Espinosa comes from the same college that has produced a decorated list of infielders, including Colorado's Troy Tulowitzki and Tampa Bay's Evan Longoria. Last season, he batted .309. Hicks, meanwhile, was 15-2 during his senior year of high school -- "something of a late bloomer," his adviser, Hank Sargent, said. His fastball jumped from the mid-80s to the low-90s. Because he stands 6 feet 5 but is only 170 pounds, scouts think his velocity can still take another jump.