Game #49 has Juan Soto batting lead-off with Max Scherzer on the mound!

Photo by Sol Tucker for TalkNats

The 2019 Nats at the 48-game mark and the 2021 Nats at the same mark share a lot in common. Neither team played well and let possible wins turn into losses. If there is any good news, the Nats are not far off of the pace in a very mediocre NL East.

“We hate the way we’re playing. We want to play better. We know we can play better,” Trea Turner said. “But it’s all about perspective and how you want to approach tomorrow. Because what we’ve done so far isn’t going to help us tomorrow. We’ve got to move on and start a streak of winning.”

Of course, Turner is part of the good news in this season as the team’s clear MVP, but the issue is there are 20-players who have appeared for the Nats with WAR rankings of +0.1 to -0.1 showing just how average this team is. Besides Turner and today’s starter Max Scherzer, the Nats do not have any other players above a +1.0 WAR.

To shake things up today against the Brewers’ ace, RHP Brandon Woodruff, the Nats’ manager, Dave Martinez is batting Juan Soto in lead-off. By the way, Soto told the media that he is 100 percent healthy, and is shoulder is fine.

The Nats’ manager announced the bad news on Will Harris who will have thorasic outlet surgery. Harris went to a specialist in Spring Training to see if he had thorasic outlet syndrome and was told he did not. That wasn’t the Nationals’ fault, but a shame, over 2 months wasted.

The Nats have to find a way to win this game before they board a flight for Atlanta. It will be a tall order facing Woodruff. The Nats have to find a way to manufacture runs. The team has been horrific in bases loaded spots. Yesterday, once again exposed that trying to be the hero and expand out of the zone is the wrong approach with pitchers on the ropes. The Nats are batting a pathetic .149 (7-47) in bases loaded spots. This isn’t a new problem for the team.


Milwaukee Brewers vs. Washington Nationals
Stadium: Nationals Park, Washington, D.C.
1st Pitch:  1:05  pm EDT
TV: MASN, Bally Sports Wisconsin, MLB.TV
Nats Radio: 106.7 FM The Fan; SiriusXM® ( Streaming Internet 869)

Line-ups subject to change without notice:

1. Juan Soto RF
2. Trea Turner SS
3. Josh Bell 1B
4. Kyle Schwarber LF
5. Josh Harrison 2B
6. Yan Gomes C
7. Andrew Stevenson CF
8. Jordy Mercer RF
9. Max Scherzer RHP

 

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