by Andrew Lang
by Andrew Lang
The Nationals just stumbled into a three game losing streak and the 5th starter spot continues to be a black hole along with a few key players who are scuffling at the plate. The game started with Matt Grace as the “opener” and he threw a two-inning shutout, and Joe Ross entered in the third inning and gave up a home run to the first batter he faced en route to a 6 earned run outing to push the game out of reach in a game that ended with a 9-3 loss. Continue reading
Photo by Sol Tucker for TalkNats
Yesterday, the strategy to beat an ace like Hyun-Jin Ryu was to “small ball” him and wear him down, and the Nationals did that to knock him out of the game at 6 2/3 innings in a 1-1 tie. The Nationals hit into some tough luck, and Alex Verdugo had two Web Gems yesterday as the Nationals hit into some tough defense too. The Dodgers are one of the worst fielding teams, and we made a point of putting balls in play to stress their defense and eventually it worked as Justin Turner booted a ball and Corey Seager could not make a play. It worked for the most part although it is still a head-scratcher why Howie Kendrick earlier in the game was trying to bunt with two men on-base and no outs. Kendrick popped-up a bunt essentially killing that potential rally. Ryu was fortunate to exit the game tied at 1-1. Anibal Sanchez did go toe-to-toe with Ryu and out-pitched him. Some people hate to hear it, but it was another time that an umpire (Brian O’Nora) blew some big calls in a game with playoff implications. Continue reading
Jackson Rutledge was the Nationals’ top draft pick in June 2019. (Twitter)
The Washington Nationals officially have a new Top-30 prospects’ ranking courtesy of MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis. The midseason list, which was posted online Friday, is updated to reflect both the Nats’ new cache of top draftees and international signings and the progress (or lack thereof) that prospects have shown so far this season. (Reminder: There’s about a month left to go for minor leagues, not counting the postseason, to which the Double-A Harrisburg Senators have already booked a ticket.) Continue reading
Photo by Lynn G. for TalkNats
It felt like playoff baseball tonight on South Capitol Street, S.E. between the Washington Nationals and the visiting Dodgers of Los Angeles. The Dodgers had their best pitcher of 2019 on the mound in Hyun-Jin Ryu who is perhaps the best in all of baseball, and the Nationals had their #4 pitcher Anibal Sanchez. When Ryu left in the 7th inning, it was a 1-1 game, and Sanchez out-pitched him. In the 8th inning with 2-outs, the Nats bullpen fell apart and gave up 3-runs. Tell us if you have heard that one before, but the Nats offense loaded the bases in the 9th and scored a run to make it 4-2 as Kenley Jansen was struggling, but homeplate umpire Brian O’Nora picked a fine time to gift Jansen two strikes well above the zone to put Howie Kendrick in a hole. Eventually he struck out in front of a crowd of 37,491 who were all on their feet. Continue reading
Photo by Lynn G. for TalkNats
The Vegas line has the Dodgers as overwhelming favorites tonight as Hyun-Jin Ryu goes for the visitors versus Anibal Sanchez. It is Ryu who owns the lowest ERA in baseball as he averages one run per start. There is one tried and true strategy for beating a pitcher like that, and Anibal Sanchez has to go toe-to-toe with him and give up less runs which in this case is a shutout. Easier said than done, and this is why we play the games. Continue reading
Fernando Rodney (Photo by Tom Cicotello @42skidoo for TalkNats)
A great Washington Nationals comeback was wasted after the Nats bullpen gave up 5-runs and a blown save in the 9th inning. We should have been celebrating another great comeback win if the bullpen had more depth. Part of it was yesterday’s doubleheader stressed the bullpen, but manager Dave Martinez did not use Javy Guerra in either game of the twin-bill or in today’s game. Instead he went to five relievers who all pitched yesterday plus the fact that the 42-year-old Fernando Rodney pitched both games of the doubleheader and was the pitcher who blew the 9th inning save and took the loss in this game.
It is hard to place blame on Rodney given his workload, and the fact that the umpire blew a big 3-2 pitch that should have been a strikeout but turned into a walk and the eventual go-ahead winning run loomed as the ultimate difference in the outcome. In back-to-back days, Rodney threw a total of 63 pitches.
As expected, Max Scherzer came off of the 10-day IL, but he only lasted 5.0 innings which was one of the issues. As you would expect after a 19-day layoff, Max was not at his sharpest and finished with 86-pitches and 3-runs over 5.0 innings. From here, we have to see how he feels on Friday. Continue reading
Photo by Marlene Koenig for TalkNats
The last time we saw Max Scherzer on a mound was on July 6th in an Expos uniform as he masterfully pitched a 7.0 inning shutout with 11 strikeouts. Little did we know, he was suffering from back pain which he thought he could pitch through, and it got worse. He likened the pain to running with a rock in your shoe. After the corrected diagnosis of scapulothoracic bursitis was revealed, Scherzer received a cortisone shot ten days ago that needed six days to take effect. On Monday, the Nats ace threw a bullpen session and declared himself at 100 percent ready to go. Continue reading
The Nationals pitching staff combined for a shutout in the night-cap of this doubleheader against the Rockies. With this win, the Nationals put additional pressure on the Braves who were just swept by the Royals, and the Nats are 4.0 games back in the NL East. With this doubleheader sweep, the Nationals have won the first 3-games of this 4-game series. Patrick Corbin pitched a 6.0 inning shutout followed by the bullpen arms of Tanner Rainey, Tony Sipp, Fernando Rodney, and Sean Doolittle who maintained the shutout. Corbin only gave up 3-hits, and pushed his ERA down to 3.25 and went above the 150 strikeout milestone for the season. Continue reading
Photo by Navy Yard Nats for TalkNats
In the second game of this doubleheader, manager Dave Martinez said he hoped that Patrick Corbin could give him 21 outs (7 innings) tonight. That would certainly help a bullpen that covered 5.0 innings this afternoon in the first game of this doubleheader. The Nationals bullpen arms were encouraged to take a nap, and we will see what Martinez comes up with for a line-up to face the lefty Kyle Freeland. Continue reading
Photo by Sol Tucker for TalkNats
This was a game that included everything in this 3-2 win for the Nats. Perhaps the most important play was manager Dave Martinez pulling his starter, Erick Fedde, in a 1-0 game with bases loaded and 2-outs in the 4th inning for a pinch-hitter. This time Martinez was not bluffing when he sent Gerardo Parra to the on-deck circle, and sure enough, Parra came up to bat and worked a bases loaded walk to tie the game. Later, Adam Eaton hit a home run but then had a misread on a Yonder Alonso liner that tied the game — again. The game needed a big play to finish the game and Anthony Rendon obliged as he led-off in the 7th inning and on the first pitch he saw he smashed a home run into the “Red Porch” seats in centerfield for the game winner. Continue reading
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