Photo by Marlene Koenig for TalkNats
Click here to watch Nats win #22 on MASN via MLB.TV at 6:30 pm tonight with the rest of us. Just a quick reminder of what we are doing if this is your first time: As a group, we are going to be re-watching all 105 wins from the Nats 2019 season in chronological order at 6:30 pm each night. We will all try to sync up to the same point in the game, and this is a work in progress to maneuver to the same point in the game. Feel free to ask in the comments section where everyone is in the game so you can sync up. Many people are joining in at different points, and most people are not commenting — rather just following along.
The MLB.TV library is unlocked and free to everyone for the 2018-2019 season courtesy of MLB. This win #22 came in the 53rd game in the 2019 season, and the Nats took the a 21-31 record into this game. This is where manager Dave Martinez started preaching “Go 1-0 every game” and eventually the Nats turned a losing record into a winning record. It took the Nats until June 28th to reach a winning record and they got to 12 games above .500 on August 21st. They dug themselves a deep hole and it took much longer to dig out of it.
It was the day before Memorial Day 2019 and all through the house; not a creature was stirring, not even Mighty Mouse! OK, Adam Eaton was stirring up a good game. This was a crazy game that should have been a blow-out win. Watch this one to the end. Erick Fedde was the Nats starter against Caleb Smith who had been very good up until this game and emerged from seemingly nowhere as the best lefty in the National League ahead of even Patrick Corbin until this game. In fact, the southpaw’s style is much like Corbin’s with the swing and miss stuff on the slider and changeup, and he has the fastball to keep you off-balance having you stay back enough for his off-speed.
Fedde is actually nearly two years younger than Smith who turns 29 years old in July. The lefty was prior property of the Yankees, Cubs, and Brewers and was traded by the Yankees with Garrett Cooper to the Marlins for international slot money and Mike King.
Diving into the numbers, Smith was not as good on the road where he cannot take advantage of the cavernous dimensions like he has in Marlins Park. Smith at home has a 1.84 ERA and 3.04 on the road. His combined ERA is 1/2 a run ahead of Fedde who is at 2.87 this season. In the sunlight of day games, Smith has a 4.50 ERA, and those will be his conditions today in D.C. The formula for success in these types of games is some small ball to get a lead on Smith.
The Nationals had won two-games in a row and trying to do something they had not done all season which was win three consecutive games. While the stats favor the Marlins in this one, there was a reason we play the games.
Miami Marlins vs. Washington Nationals
Stadium: Nationals Park, Washington, D.C.
Line-ups:
