The Home for Washington Nationals Game Talk

From @Nationals Instagram

Five days ago, Max Scherzer beat the Atlanta Braves, and he once again will face them and rookie Mike Soroka in the first of a three-game series which will be the last series they will meet in this regular season. In the last game, Scherzer played the role of the stopper, and today he plays a much better role of being the pitcher to continue the winning ways into a 3-game winning streak. Fortunately for the Nats’ Cy Young hurler, he flew ahead of the team yesterday afternoon as his teammates did not land until 5:01 AM at Dulles Airport. The Nats have shown resilience in the past like their weekend in Chicago that they can still get the job done with sleep deprivation.  Continue reading →

Photo by Andrew Lang for TalkNats

Tonight’s weather could cooperate like last night or Mother Nature could throw a curveball  on a night where the Twins scheduled a late night game on a “getaway” date. In the last hour, the forecast looks better than it did earlier. If the game was postponed, neither team has an opening in their schedule until the first day after the season ends so MLB has the decision-making on this one as to the weather, and a postponed game would only be made up if needed for postseason implications. Again, the hope is that they can get the game started on-time.  If not, it will be a very long night travelling for our Washington Nationals. In fact, D.C.’s weather forecast for Friday is somewhat dicey as the Nats will face the Braves, again. After tonight, the Nats only have five remaining series against the Braves, Cardinals, Marlins, Phillies, and Indians. Tonight’s game will also determine the winner of this series. Continue reading →

Photo by Lynn G for TalkNats

Every win that Stephen Strasburg tallies is another for the Washington Nationals as well as a new high in his illustrious career. He is tied for the lead in the NL with 16 wins with Max Fried, and with a win tonight, Stras would be the leader in wins at 17 plus he would lead the NL in innings pitched ahead of Madison Bumgarner, Aaron Nola, Jacob deGrom, and his teammate Patrick Corbin.  While innings pitched is not an awards category, it does show a lot about the pitcher as an iron man, and once Strasburg throws his 56th pitch tonight, he will take the NL lead in pitches thrown too. Stras is coming off of a season high 115-pitches thrown six days ago in his start on Thursday against the Braves.  Continue reading →

Photo by Lynn G. for TalkNats

We have seen the many sides to Anibal Sanchez this year and how good he can be. In April he had a 5.91 ERA and landed on the 10-day IL in May. He came back and was aces in June with a 2.76 ERA in five games, and he has been an impactful part of this post-May 23rd success until recently. On August 23rd, Sanchez was spinning a gem in Chicago and his manager, Dave Martinez, gave him the ball in a 9-0 shellacking to go for a complete game even though the 35½ year old had not pitched past the 7th inning this year. Sanchez would stumble and be pulled after two runs scored and a 112 pitch count which was a new high for him this year. Since that start, Sanchez has pitched to an 8.10 ERA which included a blowout loss against the Mets. Last year in Atlanta, Sanchez had a governor on him and he only pitched once beyond 100 pitches — and this year in a Nats’ uniform he has done that four times already. Continue reading →

From @Nationals Instagram

There are times when your team is tested, and the Washington Nationals have looked ordinary for the last four games. The clutch hits have been few and far between, the bullpen has been spotty, the starting rotation has been inconsistent, and that is how you end up with a four game losing streak. Call on Max Scherzer as the stopper today with the hopes that he is up to the task. Nothing is easy as the Braves have their rookie sensation, Mike Soroka, on the mound this afternoon.  Continue reading →