Bye, Bye Byrdie

Trade Deadline Recap

Showing an admirable sense of restraint, Jim Bowden opted not to trade John Patterson to the Mariners for Eddie Guardado. Bowden also kept The Chief, El Guapo and Ryan Church in the fold. Three cheers for inertia. The Nats only notable deadline move was sending Marlon Byrd down to New Orleans, where he will probably be asked to work on, you know, actually hitting the ball every once in a while. Though it does seem unfair to demote anyone on this team for not hitting. If that really was the criteria, the team could fill an entire plane with newly-demoted AAA players. And while we're on the subject, didn't we used to have a fourth outfielder with speed and good defense who couldn't hit anything? Endy-something?

• Matt Cepicky: The Bizarro Wilkie?

Matt "Stop Calling Me Wilkie" Cepicky was called up to fill Marlon's all-important 5th OF/PH strikeout role.