NATIONALS NOTEBOOK
In a Hot Week, Guzmán Proves He's Still Got It
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Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Cristian Guzmán's great week, the one that earned him a share of the National League's player of the week award yesterday, held significance not just because of what the shortstop did during that span, but because of what he hadn't done beforehand.
With an incendiary six-game stretch -- he batted .552 (16 for 29), splitting the award with Cincinnati pitcher Bronson Arroyo -- Guzmán distanced himself from a post all-star game slump and provided assurance that he can still be productive while dealing with a left thumb injury that won't heal until the end of the year.
Guzmán's Aug. 28 cycle was the hallmark game of the week, but not by much. In seven straight games now, the shortstop, rewarded with a two-year, $16 million contract extension in late July, has had at least two hits. Before this week started, Guzmán was batting .181 since the break, with no home runs and five RBI in 20 games. Those struggles were intertwined with the thumb injury that Guzmán suffered in late July -- which never sent him to the disabled list but limited his at-bats for roughly four weeks.
Guzmán said his thumb still bothers him "a little bit." But the team does not believe surgery will be necessary in the offseason. "Better," Guzmán said when asked about his thumb. "Like I said before, not 100 percent, but it's good."
Yesterday, the Nationals gave Guzmán a day off, partly because Guzmán still needs an occasional game to rest his thumb, Manager Manny Acta said. It was also due in part to Washington's surplus of middle infielders, including newcomers Anderson Hernández and Alberto Gonzalez, who both started yesterday.
Hanrahan Honored for Good Works
Closer Joel Hanrahan is Washington's recipient of the 2008 Roberto Clemente Award and becomes one of the 30 nominees for the league-wide Clemente award, given annually to the major leaguer who "combines outstanding skills on the baseball field with devoted work in the community." Hanrahan this year began a partnership with the American Red Cross and led efforts to raise awareness and funds for disaster relief in Iowa, his home state, which was hit hard by flooding.
