The Washington Nationals were crushed last night 11-2 in the final score. But when you dig into the numbers and watch the game, two key plays that weren’t made at first base resulted in three runs. Two runs came off of a scoop of a throw that Trey Lipscomb couldn’t handle at first base from Luis Garcia Jr. Another on a double down the line past a lunging Lipscomb put up another run. Other plays were hard grounders past the middle infielders. Suffice it to say if just the two plays were made at first base, starter Jake Irvin easily finishes 5.0 innings at a 3-2 score — worst case. Instead, he exited during the fifth inning at a score of 6-2, and the Nats’ bullpen imploded for five more runs, and gave up 13 balls contacted at 100 mph or over.
In total, the Dodgers hit 18 balls at 100 mph and over, and amazingly 14 were hits. Contrastingly, the Nats smoked eight balls at 100 mph and over and only two were hits. The difference between the two teams on those triple-digit balls was a .778 batting average versus .250. It was more than BABIP luck as the Nats’ bullpen, especially Tanner Rainey, was serving up meatballs with a 9.125 inch circumference as the hors d’oeuvres before the main meal and dessert. But yes, BABIP, poor positioning, and lackluster defense all played its parts in last night’s feast for Dem Bums.
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