The #Nats 2020 bullpen standouts aren’t who you thought they would be!

Posted on August 7, 2020 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

The Rolaids Relief award has a fireman’s helmet as being symbolic of how the best relievers in baseball history were known to extinguish the other team’s flicker of hope

We got to a point where we would just say, “All bullpens are bad” and then when your bullpen is actually good — you just don’t what to say. When the Nats PR department flashed a stat to the media during Thursday’s game that the Nats’ relievers had adopted seventeen inherited runners and did not allow one of those runners to score — it boggles the mind.

Last year, Daniel Hudson came to the Nats in a fireman’s role. He did not want to be a closer and relished his role while he led the Majors in allowing the fewest inherited runners to score when he was traded to the Nats in 2019, and you wonder if he taught his Nats’ teammates some tricks. That fireman’s role in bullpen’s of yesteryear was what impressed fans back then. Of course bullpen roles have evolved as starting pitchers went shorter and shorter in games. Continue reading →

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Exclusive: Juan Soto is back and he showed up with his family, sort of!

Posted on August 6, 2020 by Andrew Lang

Photo from Nationals official Instagram

If you watched Juan Soto‘s 2020 debut, you probably noticed the foam cutouts of his father, mother, brother, sister, and uncles in the first three rows of Nationals Park in section 106. Soto got Fathead to create these custom cutouts of his familia. It was like “Bring your family to work” day in replica.

“I just wanted to feel my family here,” Soto said after the game.“With all this has been crazy. I just wanted to feel my family back there, and I have a couple uncles who have never been to the field in this stadium, so it’s their first time.”

Continue reading →

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For the Nats and the Scherzers, the new normal is more than just baseball

Posted on August 6, 2020 by Annie Dineen

Erica and Max Scherzer at a red carpet All-Star event; Photo by Sol Tucker for TalkNats

At last, baseball stadiums aren’t dark.

At last, the cracks of bats and the thwunks of gloves again beat in rhythm with the beeps of our kitchen timers and the clangs of dinner cutlery. For the first time in 281 days, but who’s counting, we’re shaking our heads at bad strike calls and not political tweets. We get to choose what to worry about: whether our man on first will beat the throw, whether it’s time to bring in a new reliever, whether they’ll turn the double play. As for the ever-increasing stressors brought to you in proud partnership with the year 2020, they, much like the fans themselves, aren’t permitted. There’s no existential screaming in baseball. Continue reading →

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Updated: Today is “cut” day to 28 and on the surface it seems clear, but it never is. The 2 cuts were Bonifacio and Bourque.

Posted on August 6, 2020 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Difo signage; Photo by Sol Tucker for TalkNats

Teams will be trying to trade players as one option to get to twenty-eight players which is now the new limit for roster sizes for the rest of the year. MLB was supposed to have one more cut to twenty-six players, but yesterday decided with the player’s association to keep rosters at 28. If teams cannot trade players, they can option eligible players back to the Minor League side, DFA players without options, release players, or create space with an IL move. On the surface it seems clear, but it never is. Continue reading →

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Bittersweet as Juan Soto returns and Max Scherzer exits after 1 inning with a hammy tweak

Posted on August 5, 2020 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Soto pitching; Photo by Craig Nedrow for TalkNats

Yes, the Nats 3-game winning streak came to an end, but the big story is what happened to Max Scherzer to cause him to exit after one inning? Scherzer says it was a tweaked hammy that took him out of the game. Juan Soto returned and quickly got an RBI double in the first inning, and the Nats were shutout after that in a 3-1 loss. Add to the woes, Sean Doolittle still has not found his velo as he topped out at 91.2 mph and gave up another run before he was pulled after just 1/3 of an inning. Doo still is not locating his pitches as his mechanics are off in addition to the drop-off in his velo. Continue reading →

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Game #9 Max Scherzer gets a key start against the rival Mets!

Posted on August 5, 2020 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Photo by Lynn G for TalkNats

This is a quick two-game series against the Mets with eight more games to go to finish their 2020 season matchups. Neither team yesterday looked like their projected 2020 rosters due to injuries and opt-outs. Juan Soto still has not appeared in a regular season game, and when manager Dave Martinez was asked last night if Soto would start today, Davey kind of danced around it. We know Robinson Cano of the Mets will not play because he was placed on the 10-day IL.  Continue reading →

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Nats run their winning streak to 3 and get to .500!

Posted on August 4, 2020 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Josh Harrison comes up big!; Photo by Sol Tucker for TalkNats

The game started in the sunshine as the tropical storm blew off to the northeast earlier than expected if you trusted the forecast that was predicted on Sunday. The Yankees postponed their game for today a day ago and did not wait to see if the storm changed its course. The Nats who had their weekend series postponed due to the Marlins’ COVID issues, and the Nats needed this game to happen to get back to real games after four days off. The Nats took advantage early to take a 5-0 lead and milk that to a narrow 5-3 nailbiter before a pop-up thunderstorm caused a 1:07 minute rain delay. The Nats bullpen bent but didn’t break and put up another zero after starter Patrick Corbin was pulled at 5 2/3 innings and exited with that 5-3 lead. Continue reading →

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Game #8 Patrick Corbin is on the mound to get baseball going again in Washington D.C.!

Posted on August 4, 2020 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Photo by Andrew Lang for TalkNats

It has been a while since the Washington Nationals have had a game. They have won two games in a row and had some momentum going as the bats, the starters, and the bullpen all put it together at the same time. This is a quick two-game series against the Mets, and they have been dealing with their own injuries and a very embarrassing opt-out when Yoenis Cespedes did not show up for their game on Sunday and later informed their team he was opting-out. The Nats have had opt-outs, but they were handled professionally. Continue reading →

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A week of roster moves for the #Nats is on the agenda!

Posted on August 3, 2020 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Mike Rizzo and Dave Martinez; Photo by Laura Peebles for TalkNats

Fifteen days go by quickly as the season reaches that mark on Friday and as such rosters by rule must be pared down to 28-players from the current thirty unless MLB agrees to continue with the larger rosters which seems to be a good idea. Regardless, the Washington Nationals will be adding Juan Soto to the roster as he is eligible to return from the 10-day IL. The Nats have been playing short a spot as Stephen Strasburg has been on the roster while he was rehabbing from a nerve impingement in his right wrist/hand, and reliever Will Harris was placed on the 10-day IL with a groin injury retroactive to July 29. In addition, reliever Wander Suero is also eligible to return from the 10-day IL as he was on the COVID list. That gives you an idea of three players who will need spots while the Nats might have to reduce the roster overall by two.  Continue reading →

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Juan Soto was none too pleased about the “fake positive”

Posted on August 2, 2020 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Juan Soto‘s first public photo outside after self-isolation on July 16 as he walked on Potomac Avenue across from the player’s parking lot; Photo by Sol Tucker for TalkNats

The 21-year-old is known to be the nicest young man until you cross a line. He is a person of faith, and that was tested in his two separate stints in self-isolation due to COVID concerns. In total, Juan Soto spent more than 24-days in confinement in July. Continue reading →

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