We hope it's true, but...

In a Washington Post story reporting that the Natonals have decided to bench Cristian Guzman, there is this:

"No longer content to give four at-bats per night to a hitter of historic futility, the Nationals must hope the mini-break succeeds in clearing Guzman's head and reviving his bat."

We hope that this is all it will take, but we doubt it. Anyone who has seen Guzman hit recently knows that he's totally overmatched and goes to the plate hoping merely to slap at the ball. Even if Guzman manages to put the bat on the ball, the result is a weak grounder or fly ball; we rarely see him drive the ball. The Nationals are hoping that Guzman is in a slump, but a .228 OBP, .274 SLG, and .502 OPS in 270 at bats is not merely a slump, it's a tragedy.