Game #99 Better weather? Let’s try it again with Stephen Strasburg on regular schedule!

Posted on July 23, 2019 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Photo by Marlene Koenig for TalkNats

You would think Washington, D.C. was Seattle, Washington with all of the rain that has disrupted outdoor activities in the region for two summers now. Last night’s game was a wash-out, and the Nationals will go with Stephen Strasburg in this game instead of Erick Fedde who was scheduled to pitch last night. While the Rockies will stick with their right-hander Peter Lambert, the rookie has never faced the Nats before because he just made his MLB debut last month. Tomorrow will be a day/night split doubleheader with the finale of the four-game series on Thursday. The Nationals have not announced who is starting the second game of the doubleheader tomorrow, and it could always be a surprise like Max Scherzer or it could be Fedde — but the team also has the option of calling up a 26th man to start which does not make a lot of sense. Expect manager Dave Martinez to announce the Wednesday evening starter before or after the game today. Continue reading →

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Max Scherzer says he’s 100% and that could set the rotation strategically!

Posted on July 22, 2019 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Photo by Marlene Koenig for TalkNats

There has not been a sighting of Max Scherzer on a mound since he donned that throwback Expos uniform before the All-Star break. Scherzer has skipped two starts, but he threw a bullpen session today and stated that he felt 100%. If he wakes up tomorrow and still feels 100%, it would make more sense to pitch him on Thursday and then again on Tuesday against the Atlanta Braves. Tonight’s postponement could give the Nationals an advantage in the series since Joe Ross and Erick Fedde are still on the roster, and with a doubleheader on Wednesday, the Nationals will need six starting pitchers in five days. After that, the Nationals could use the day-off to skip the #5 spot in the rotation. Continue reading →

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Game #99 Nats are home! Expect rain!

Posted on July 22, 2019 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Photo by Marlene Koenig for TalkNats

The Nats are back home in Nationals Park which they have not seen since the Sunday before the All-Star break. This will be the start of a three series homestand beginning with a four game set with the Colorado Rockies. Continue reading →

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The Nats really miss Max Scherzer!

Posted on July 22, 2019 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

The Nationals ace of aces, Max Scherzer, remains on the 10-day IL although manager Dave Martinez was optimistic that Scherzer would return this week. He has now missed two starts which included the Sunday start out of the All-Star break in Philadelphia which ended in a loss, and then the Nationals were looking to start Scherzer  yesterday which was filled by Joe Ross and ended in a loss. In the last 10-games, the Nats are 6-4 which included three bullpen losses and the Joe Ross loss last night. That is still .600 baseball, but this team is making up for lost time. Continue reading →

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You won’t win many games scoring 1 run or giving up 4 runs from the bullpen

Posted on July 21, 2019 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Photo by Kevin Nibley for TalkNats

The Nationals did not get the results they wanted and mostly because they hit into extreme bad luck, and the bullpen sprung a leak. A 3-0 deficit soon became 7-1 which was too much to overcome. The Nats put 24 balls into play and had a .250 BABIP, but there were several balls crushed that were caught in the outfield. Joe Ross pitched 5 1/3 innings and was victimized for 3-runs but he was also squeezed by the umpire that put him in several tough spots. Freddie Freeman once again was the guilty party in causing the Nats much trouble tonight. Continue reading →

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Game #98 In a case of what you hope is déjà vu, Joe Ross has a chance to do what John Lannan did exactly 7 years ago!

Posted on July 21, 2019 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Photo by Sol Tucker for TalkNats

The Nats faced the Atlanta Braves exactly 7 years ago today, and the desperate Nats called up John Lannan for a spot start in his debut game of the season with the Nats as they were perilously hanging on in the standings. On that day. Lannan won the game for the Nats a day after a crushing loss. Joe Ross finds himself in a similar situation today getting his first start of the season for the Nats. Both pitchers thought they were going to factor into the team’s Opening Day rotation,  and that was not reality in either case. The similarities and parallels are there for both of these pitchers who fell out of favor and now asked for a big performance as the underdog to help a season they might only be a role player in. Continue reading →

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On paper, it was Braves all the way. #Nats take down Soroka!

Posted on July 20, 2019 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Photo by Marlene Koenig for Talknats

On paper, the Braves were the overwhelming favorite in this game especially after their walk-off win last night, but the games are not played on paper and the Nats scored four runs off of the Atlanta ace Mike Soroka who was second in the Majors in ERA coming into this game just trailing Hyun-Jin Ryu and ahead of Max Scherzer. It was Matt Adams who got the start tonight at first base, and he made an impact early. Adams got the scoring going for the Nats with a solo home run to tie the game in the fourth inning. In the fifth inning, the Nats poured it on and put together five straight hits from Anibal Sanchez to Trea Turner to Adam Eaton to Anthony Rendon to Juan Soto to score three more runs. A combination of Trea Turner and Adam Eaton scored the fifth run for the final score of 5-3. Continue reading →

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Game #97 Anibal Sanchez goes up against the Braves ace

Posted on July 20, 2019 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Photo by Lynn G. for TalkNats

This four-game series was going to be a fight, and tonight’s game certainly favors the Braves on paper. They are pitching their rookie ace, Mike Soroka, who boasts a 2.24 ERA. The right-hander from Calgary has proved to be the surprise of the year for the Braves. He had a blow-up game before the All-Star break against Philadelphia, and this is only his third start of the month. The way to beat an ace is for your own pitcher to put up zeros. You never lose if you give up zero runs, but Nats starter Anibal Sanchez is usually only going to give you on a good day 6.0 innings. The Nationals will need to also count on their bullpen, and that is always a gamble as it is with most teams. Continue reading →

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Three bullpen losses in less than a week, who’s to blame? #Nats

Posted on July 20, 2019 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

We have said it over and over that a coach’s job is to put their athlete in their best situation to succeed for their team. By this point in the season, we should know who each player is on the Nationals roster. Each player is unique in their own way with a history which includes patterns of strengths and limitations. In less than a week, the Nats have lost three games and all of them in the bullpen, but these were also team losses where the Nats offense only averaged 2.67 runs per game. Two of the losses came from tie games, and one from a 2-1 lead that was not held. Ultimately the players lost the game, but there were questions as to lineup construction, pitcher usage, and moves in the game.  Continue reading →

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Victor Robles hangs a blown save on the Braves who walk-it-off soon after!

Posted on July 19, 2019 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Fernando Rodney (Photo by Tom Cicotello @42skidoo for TalkNats)

There is a saying that you must know your player. Manager Dave Martinez should have known that Fernando Rodney has never had an inning this season in his MLB tenure where he has held a team to no runs when his pitch count was at least 20-pitches and this is the fifth such time he failed in that situation. The 42-year-old has not pitched more than 1-inning this season in the Majors. Why now? After Victor Robles tied the game in the ninth inning with a 2-run home run to hang a blown save on Braves closer Luke Jackson, you need a fresh arm in there given Rodney’s background plus his age. Sure, he was well rested but he had a long 8th inning throwing 17-pitches. He was not going to have a quick inning, but again why push him when you have fresh arms? Rodney finished with 32-pitches and allowed bases loaded before the walk-off single, and he did not retire a batter in that 9th inning. Continue reading →

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