Going Deep with The Nats

Photo by Sol Tucker for TalkNats

On this day, every player and coach will wear No. 42 jerseys. This is Jackie Robinson Day. This will be the first series that will allow up to 25 percent capacity in the stadium under the waivers the D.C. government signed last week with the Washington Nationals. All decks of the stadium are now open for fans. This weekend is a sell-out in this series against the Diamondbacks, however for tonight’s game there are a few hundred tickets available in the upper levels.  Continue reading →

Photo by Lynn G for TalkNats

Last night’s meltdown by Stephen Strasburg was hopefully a one-time occurrence and a blip on the radar. Today is a new day as the Washington Nationals close out this series in St. Louis. If the Nats win today, they will notch their first series win of the season.  Continue reading →

There is nothing like a win to change the pessimism to optimism. While the Washington Nationals record is 2-5 for the season, they are 1-0 with their “A” lineup. Tonight in St. Louis, Stephen Strasburg will pitch with Josh Bell, Josh Harrison, and Kyle Schwarber behind him along with Victor Robles, Juan Soto, Starlin Castro and Trea Turner. This was the infield and outfield that manager Dave Martinez envisioned for his 2021 team until COVID decimated his team before Opening Day. Continue reading →

Erick Fedde; Photo by Marlene Koenig for TalkNats

They call St. Louis the Gateway to the West, and the Nats need to open that gateway to some much needed W’s. The team enters play today with the worst winning percentage in baseball with a record under Mendoza at .167. The Washington Nationals open this three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals in a rematch of the 2019 National League Championship Series. Continue reading →

Photo by Warning Track Power for TalkNats

Two of the best pitchers of their generation are on today’s mound in Los Angeles for the season finale in Dodgers’ Stadium. This is a salvage operation for the Washington Nationals as they lost the first two games of this series to fall to 1-4 on the season and the worst winning percentage in baseball.

Between Clayton Kershaw and Max Scherzer, there are a combined six Cy Young awards on the mound this afternoon. For Scherzer, he is looking for a bounceback start after he gave up four solo home runs on Opening Day.  Continue reading →

Photo by Tom Sileo for TalkNats

Players win and lose ball games, and manager take a lot of the blame for decisions. In the first four games of the season, the Nats are off to another disappointing start at 1-3 on the season.  The offense is sputtering with just 12 runs scores. On the other side of the ledger, pitching and defense has yielded 15 runs. The per game differential is ¾ of a run per game. The pythagorean which calculates a fair W/L from the run differential thinks the Nats should be 2-2. If you look at each loss, there are 1-2 glaring plays that count in the “little things” as the difference between being 1-3 and 4-0 on the season. Continue reading →

Washington Post headline as the Nats beat the Dodgers in the 2019 NLDS in Los Angeles

It was 544 days ago when the Washington Nationals were seen in Los Angeles. On that day, they were celebrating the Howie Kendrick grand slam to beat the Dodgers in the finale of the NLDS. It was the Howie Wowee. A defining moment for the franchise to progress past an NLDS and get off that schneid. Minutes earlier, the Dodgers thought they had a walk-off by Will Smith that Adam Eaton caught in front of the rightfield wall. The bounces finally went the Nats way.

Hello, LA.

It’s been a minute.#NATITUDE pic.twitter.com/AwgPHpsIvb

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) April 9, 2021

This afternoon, the Nats will play the Dodgers and witness their team hoisting their 2020 World Series banner. It is their Opening Day. But winning a World Series in that COVID season of just 60-games was like winning a sprint. A regular baseball season is a marathon. The Dodgers didn’t even run a half-marathon. To many, the Nats still hold the crown. But there is no denying that the Dodgers have been the best team overall in the past four years. They deserve credit for their success and over the past 10 years, the Dodgers and Nats are the two best franchises in baseball. Continue reading →