A miserable loss; Nats have now lost 7 of Gio’s last 8 starts

Posted on August 4, 2018 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Past performance usually is a good indicator of what you will see in the future, and sure enough it did again today with Gio Gonzalez. In this game, it looked bad from the start as Gonzalez was missing his spots and loaded the bases in the first inning. While the inning ended with giving up just one run, the damage seemed to have been done. The stadium went quiet as did the Nationals bats. They barely put together anything and continued this history of losing their 7th game in Gio’s last 8 starts. The run support behind Gio continued in those starts to be less than a run per game. Something is not clicking with this team when Gio starts. This is the same Nats offense that just scored an average of 13.33 runs per game in the previous 3-games. Continue reading →

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Game #109 is now Game 1 of a doubleheader!

Posted on August 4, 2018 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

With yesterday’s rain-out, today is a day/night doubleheader with separate admission. Manager Dave Martinez will stay with the same line-up as yesterday for Game #1. The Nationals had a choice to use a spot starter as their 26th man to reseed the rotation to strategically match-up in the Braves series which begins with a doubleheader on Tuesday. Continue reading →

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Help Wanted: #Nats have two scheduled doubleheaders in 4 days

Posted on August 3, 2018 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

The Washington Nationals have a much needed day-off on Monday to allow them to work around these two doubleheaders they now have in four days because of two separate rain-outs. If they choose to — and they should, manager Dave Martinez can schedule their best pitchers against the Braves next week in a critical series even if Stephen Strasburg is not ready to go.  Continue reading →

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Game #109 Gio Gonzalez needs to lead the #Nats tonight!

Posted on August 3, 2018 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

We’ve all seen that look on Gio Gonzalez‘s face and so have his teammates. Frustration has been too commonplace with Gonzalez lately. Trends since mid-June for Gio have translated to little run support while he is on the mound. The Nats have been shutout 3-times in Gio’s last seven games plus two more games they have only scored 1-run in support. Saturday in Miami was one of those games, Gio exited the game with a 1-0 deficit, and the Nationals tied the game in the 9th inning only to lose 2-1. Gonzalez has received 0.86 runs while he is in the game over that 7-game span. The team’s record in Gio’s last 8-games is 1-7. Continue reading →

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Baseball Then and Now.

Posted on August 3, 2018 by Jacob Diament

Photo by Laura Peebles for TalkNats

There’s an interesting dynamic at play when following fan reaction to their teams. The fascinating part is that the reactions are nearly the same regardless which team one is following and it’s obvious that many of the fans grew up with a different type of game and they are still yearning for the game they grew up with, a game that has really changed so dramatically. I include myself in this group. Continue reading →

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Max Scherzer does it all!

Posted on August 2, 2018 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

With a 6-run second inning, the Nationals cruised to a 10-4 victory behind the arm and bat of Max Scherzer and powered by Trea Turner and friends. Scherzer earned his MLB best 15th win.

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Game #108 Jim Riggleman is back as manager—for 4-games

Posted on August 2, 2018 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

At one time, Jim Riggleman was the only full-time Washington Nationals manager with a winning record in a single season when he resigned mid-season in 2011 with a 38-37 record. Now the Rockville, Maryland native returns home to a city he loves as his Cincinnati Reds team tries to play spoiler.

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A Notable Anniversary

Posted on August 2, 2018 by Ray Wyvill

Olin Howlin plays the pensive “Firebrand Lefty MacDonald” as he shares his melancholy with Nurse Carol Adams

Lost in the pantheon of baseball-related books, movies, and entertainment is a small forgotten gem.  On August 5 we will mark the 65th anniversary of the  1953 Kraft Television Theater airing of a live performance of Old MacDonald Had a Curve.  The short play was at once comedic and painfully insightful.  Olin Howlin and Jack Warden starred in a farcical look at an old man tantalized by an unlikely return to the game of his youth.  Suspending the rules of time and the realities of age for just a moment the play opens a window through which we can see the larger realities.  The up-and-coming 29 year-old playwright would make such twists of life and suspending its constricts into his stock in trade.  His name was Rod Serling.  The Twilight Zone was six years into the future.  But, the roots of the weekly show were firmly on display in MacDonald. Continue reading →

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A Tommy Milone gem; some Trea Turner havoc; and a Tony Rendon blast!

Posted on August 1, 2018 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Tommy Milone starts for the Nats; Photo by Luis Albisu for TalkNats

What a good time for the Nationals to get a gem from Tommy Milone who out-pitched Mets ace Noah Syndergaard. The Nationals struck early and milked the lead behind Milone going 7.0 innings of one-run baseball with 9 strikeouts. The Nationals made the most of their 7-hits and 2-walks to produce 5-runs as the Nats had 4 stolen bases with Trea Turner swiping 2 more bags to lengthen his MLB best 28 SBs this season. Turner scored 3 of the Nats 5-runs and wreaked havoc causing Mets pitchers to throw more fastballs and make some mistakes. Turner also turned a Web Gem in the game to flash the leather. The big hit of the game was a 2-run home run from Anthony Rendon, and Bryce Harper was the only Nat with 2-hits in the game. Continue reading →

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Game #107 Even with a decisive win, #Nats dealing with more drama!

Posted on August 1, 2018 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

With the Brandon Kintzler trade yesterday turning into a “Deep Throat” situation to the removal of Shawn Kelley last night from the clubhouse and his DFA, the Nationals are making changes that are tabloid fodder. For anyone who watched the entire Nationals 25-4 dismantling of the Mets last night you saw a Kelley tirade on the mound. That did not sit well with anyone, and the Nationals move quickly after the clubhouse cleared out to address it after the media departed. Continue reading →

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