Brian McCann Among 5 National League Players Who Need to Have a Big Week

Can the Atlanta Braves continue to play Brian McCann when he's struggling so badly with the bat?

Should the San Francisco Giants be concerned about Ryan Vogelsong after he's been roughed up in his past two starts? And how much time can the Washington Nationals give Ian Desmond to get his timing back while they duel with the Cincinnati Reds for the best record in the National League? 

Another postseason contender with a question mark in its current playoff is the Pittsburgh Pirates. Jose Tabata was supposed to be one of the young players the team could build around. But as the Bucs have undergone a turnaround, Tabata has been in the minors.

Injuries have him back on the major league roster. Can he be a significant contributor to a team hanging on to a playoff spot? 

These four names—along with Chicago Cubs rookie Anthony Rizzo, who appears to have hit his first rough patch of the season—make up this week's grouping of five National League players who need to have a big week. They'll be worth keeping an eye on over the next seven days. 

Ryan Vogelsong, San Francisco Giants

Prior to August, Ryan Vogelsong had allowed three runs or more in five of 19 starts.

In every one of those appearances, the Giants right-hander pitched at least six innings. He'd thrown seven innings in 14 of those 19 outings. 

But in his past two starts, Vogelsong hasn't pitched more than three innings. In two of his August appearances, he's allowed four or more runs. 

The San Diego Padres made Vogelsong work on Sunday (Aug. 19), continually fouling off pitches and running up his pitch count. As CSN Bay Area's Andrew Baggarly explained, Vogelsong had thrown 96 pitches by the fourth inning. Padres leadoff hitter Everth Cabrera wore Vogelsong out right away, working a 13-pitch at-bat to begin the game. 

According to the Mercury News' Alex Pavlovic, Vogelsong is frustrated by his inability to put hitters away in his past two starts. The Nationals and Padres didn't hit him particularly hard, but ran up Vogelsong's pitch count and dropped balls in for base hits. 

Vogelsong's next start is scheduled for Friday (Aug. 24) against the Atlanta Braves. He held the Braves to one run over six innings in their previous meeting. If Vogelsong gets worn out again, it might be time for the Giants to get concerned. 

Jose Tabata, Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates recalled outfielder Jose Tabata from Triple-A Indianapolis, but the promotion was dictated by circumstances more than merit.

Tabata was called up to take over for Starling Marte, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained oblique. The 24-year-old was batting .297/.353/.354 with no home runs and 15 RBI in 173 plate appearances with Indianapolis. 

The Pirates sent Tabata down to Triple-A at the beginning of July after he'd compiled a .230/.295/.341 slash average in 280 plate appearances. Nearly a month into his demotion, reports circulated that Tabata was "dogging it" in Indianapolis, not running ground balls out and playing lackadaisical defense. 

Yet with Marte injured and Alex Presley being demoted to Triple-A, the Pirates have little choice but to give Tabata another shot and hope that getting sent to the minors provided a wake-up call.

Pittsburgh is barely holding on to a wild-card playoff spot in the NL and can't afford for Tabata to play as poorly as he did earlier in the season. 

Anthony Rizzo, Chicago Cubs

Following an impressive July during which he posted a .942 OPS with seven home runs and 17 RBI, Chicago Cubs rookie first baseman Anthony Rizzo is struggling in August. 

As of Aug. 20, Rizzo is batting .236/.263/.292 with one home run and six RBI in 76 plate appearances. In his past six games, he batted 4-for-24 (.167) with one RBI and no extra-base hits. 

On Sunday (Aug. 19), Cubs manager Dale Sveum saw enough from Rizzo to give him a day off and collect his thoughts.

“It’s just time,” Sveum said to reporters, including ESPN Chicago's Doug Padilla. “You see a little bit of frustration going on and stuff so it’s letting him, for the first time, kick back, take a breather and be ready for the Milwaukee series.” 

Yet the Cubs have been impressed by Rizzo's ability to stay even-headed this season, not getting down after poor games or too high after impressive ones.

It's an example the team hopes fellow rookies Brett Jackson and Josh Vitters—or even a young veteran like Starlin Castro—can learn from. 

Bouncing back after a day off could be an important step in Rizzo's continued development.

Ian Desmond, Washington Nationals

Ian Desmond has only played three games since returning from the disabled list. But he's gone 0-for-11 with three strikeouts, which indicates he needs to get his timing back. 

As the Washington Post's James Wagner reported, Desmond and Nats manager Davey Johnson decided that Desmond didn't need a rehab assignment. The belief was that facing minor league pitchers wouldn't help him get his timing back. So far, however, it looks like activating Desmond right to the majors might have been a bit aggressive. 

Johnson was concerned enough about Desmond that he initially planned to sit him down for Sunday's (Aug. 19) game against the Mets. But Desmond convinced his manager otherwise, insisting he felt fine. His 0-for-4 performance might indicate otherwise. 

Yet keeping Desmond in the lineup is probably the right decision. He's not going to get his hitting stroke back by sitting in the dugout and watching the game. He needs at-bats. 

But considering how well Danny Espinosa and Steve Lombardozzi played the middle infield in Desmond's absence, Johnson might be tempted to go back to that and not mess with what was working if the Nats' All-Star shortstop continues to struggle. 

Brian McCann, Atlanta Braves

According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution's David O'Brien, Brian McCann wasn't very happy about being left out of the lineup on Friday and Saturday. 

But Atlanta Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez likely felt like he had no choice. McCann has been dealing with a sore shoulder that has rendered him virtually useless at the plate. Thus far in August, the Braves catcher is hitting .111/.289/.111 with one RBI and no extra-base hits in 45 plate appearances.

Gonzalez told reporters that McCann was "fine" before the Braves game this past Saturday (Aug.18), yet keeping him out of the lineup for two straight days appears to contradict that statement. As O'Brien points out, it was the second time in less than two weeks that McCann has been scratched in two consecutive games. 

The Braves begin a big series on Monday (Aug. 20) vs. the Nationals. Atlanta trails the Nats by five games in the NL East.

How much McCann plays in this important three-game set might reveal Gonzalez's true perception of his catcher's effectiveness.

The Braves scored six runs in three games against the Los Angeles Dodgers over the weekend. Gonzalez might want David Ross in the lineup, hoping to generate some more offense.

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