The #Nats old relievers did their job…the new ones did not…but the offense found a way via the walk-off!

Posted on August 30, 2019 by SaoMagnifico

We’ve seen it before. We saw it again tonight. The 2019 Washington Nationals, their backs up against the wall, found a way to win a game it looked like they were about to lose. Continue reading →

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Game #133 Anibal Sanchez wants to start the weekend on the right note!

Posted on August 30, 2019 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Photo by Lynn G. for TalkNats

Tonight is the opener of this 3-game weekend series against the Miami Marlins who are the last team the Nats will face that are under .500 for the remaining 27 games on the schedule unless of course the Mets get swept this weekend then they would arrive on Monday below .500.  The Nats learned a lesson on Tuesday about how you approach a struggling team because they were shocked in a 2-0 game against the Orioles (.331 winning percentage) who put dysfunction on display once again with a dugout heated argument between coach and player. Losing sucks, but then again the Marlins are used to it by now as they have guaranteed themselves a 10th consecutive losing season. Continue reading →

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Another look at the postseason picture and the #Nats bullpen

Posted on August 29, 2019 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears


There is no team that has mathematically clinched a playoff spot including the Los Angeles Dodgers who are an absolute lock statistically, and the Atlanta Braves have put themselves in an enviable spot that all they need to do is go 11-16 to win 92 games. In order for the Nationals to win 92 games, they would need to go 18-12 which is not a slam dunk given the remaining schedule. If the Braves go 13-14 they would win 94 games, and the Nationals would have to go 20-10 which would seem very tough at a 66.7% winning percentage — but possible if they sweep some series — but let’s get real that general manager Mike Rizzo has stated the goal is to make the postseason with an ultimate goal of winning the NL East, and the Nats would almost have to win six of the seven games against the Braves to make the NL East a legitimate possibility. Continue reading →

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With 30 games remaining, the #Nats get back in the W column!

Posted on August 28, 2019 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Photo by Sol Tucker for TalkNats

We have almost come to expect that the Nats will score a touchdown each game, and after being shutout last night there seemed to be some fan panic. The Nats made quick work of any talk of an offensive stall tonight as they put 5 runs on the board in the first inning. We all hoped the Nationals bats would get going, and they did tonight. The one guy who had the big offensive night last night had a frustrating night tonight as Trea Turner‘s on-base streak ended with a tough 0-5, but Anthony Rendon, Juan Soto, Asdrubal Cabrera, Brian Dozier, and Kurt Suzuki picked him up and combined for 12 of the Nats 13 hits and all 8 runs knocked in. In football parlance, the Nats got their touchdown scored on offense plus a 2-point conversion which equals the eight runs they had in this decisive 8-4 win. The offensive star in this game was Suzuki who hit a towering home run and knocked in 4 runs, and was solid behind the plate.  It was a resurgent game for Suzuki who had struggled recently. Continue reading →

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Game #132 Max Scherzer should raise the energy level!

Posted on August 28, 2019 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

From @Nationals Instagram

The Nationals swept the Cubs over the weekend in a high energy trio of wins, and then the team had a scheduled day-off on Monday which seemed to have zapped the momentum leading into yesterday. Put yesterday’s results in the trash can unless you are one of the five players who actually improved their stat lines. One of the great things about baseball is that you have another game today. All five of the NL East teams lost yesterday. With Max Scherzer getting his second start since returning from the IL, he hopes to go deeper into this game and build upon his 4.0 inning, 71-pitch, one run outing in Pittsburgh.  Continue reading →

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You will never win a game with zero runs scored!

Posted on August 27, 2019 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Photo by Andrew Lang for TalkNats

If you can explain what happened tonight in this 2-0 loss, let us know. Patrick Corbin was roughed up in the first inning and then went into shutdown mode for the remainder of his 7.0 inning outing, but he got zero runs of support. You will not win a game when you score zero. The offense was basically Trea Turner and Victor Robles and nobody else. They combined for the Nats four hits in the game. Twice, Turner  was in scoring position in this game with less than two outs, and in the first inning he was stranded on second base, and in the eighth inning he was stranded on third base after a triple with one out. In fact, in the eighth inning, the Nationals loaded the bases and could not score. That is baseball, and the hottest team in baseball got sent a message. Continue reading →

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Game #131 O’s come to DC in the shadows of the MASN award!

Posted on August 27, 2019 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Last week, the last place Orioles lost a game that was not played in a stadium rather they lost in the court of law in the umpteenth round of the 7-year MASN network television rights dispute. A New York judge upheld a second arbitration award from the reformed MLB RSDC arbitration panel. That ruling ordered the network to pay the Washington Nationals $296.8 million in rights fees for the 2012-2016 seasons. This ruling did not even include the rights fees for the 2017-2021 seasons which is part of the second 5-year reset with three years almost in the books for 2017, 2018, and this season. Continue reading →

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The good, the bad, and the intangibles; Your 2019 Washington Nationals!

Posted on August 26, 2019 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Washington Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo (L) with his manager Dave Martinez

The accolades are piling up for the Washington Nationals, but there is still 20% of the season to complete before we can fairly assess this full-season. The end of the season will prove whether this team is worthy of the accolades. It is the tale of two seasons — pre-May 24 and post-May 23. The pre-May 24 team I described as “the rollercoaster of ineptitude” which it was with the worst bullpen (7.02 ERA on May 23) that baseball has seen in decades. The post-May 23 team has once again reminded those that you never count a talented team out when a long winning streak can turn things around and two-thirds of the season remaining. We probably overused this one: “You’re never as good as you think you are when you win; and you’re never as bad as you look when you lose,” but it gave some perspective that the Nationals were better than what we saw pre-May 24. Continue reading →

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Press For A Day experience!

Posted on August 26, 2019 by ArVaFan aka Laura Peebles

Remembering not to cheer in the press box is hard. Last week through an auction that I won, it gave me another opportunity to be in the Washington Nationals press box, and I attended the Brewers and Nationals game that went 14 innings. I almost clapped at a pick-off in the first inning. “No cheering” also extends to “no booing,” so I did not join the crowd in booing Matt Grace as he left the mound. I learned to keep the enthusiasm under the desk (i.e., tapping feet to burn off the nervous energy) Continue reading →

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Nats sweep the Cubs with a dramatic win in the 11th inning!

Posted on August 25, 2019 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

The Cubs “L” flag is raised —- Photo by Michael Daalder for TalkNats

There is a DNA with this team that they never feel like they are out of a game. They just do not get much better than a signature win against a team like the Cubs to sweep a series in Wrigley Field. The Nationals moved to 16-games over .500 and how sweet is sixteen! The Nationals have won a dozen out of their last fourteen games, and they have the best record in baseball since May 24th. The bullpen bent but did not break even after a disastrous 8th inning. Yes, Fernando Rodney had a blown save, but his team picked him up. It could have been easy to just fold after winning the first two games of this series, but this team never gave up and finished this business trip from Pittsburgh to Chicago with a 6-1 record. Continue reading →

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