Why have the Nats struggled to win Max Scherzer games?

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

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It was meant to be until the defense committed 2 errors allowing 2 unearned runs. Nats lose 3-2

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

When you commit errors, you give the other team extra chances, and today that turned into two unearned runs and the ultimate difference in this game that the Nats lost 3-2. One run should not determine a game like this, but it did. The Nats were winning 2-1 when Max Scherzer exited the game after the 6th inning, and this team is now 2-wins-and-10-losses in games Scherzer starts. The Nats had chances including an 8th inning rally with bases loaded, but could not cash in. Yes, the Nationals won this series with three wins in this four game series.  Continue reading →

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Game #54 It’s Memorial Day in Washington, D.C. with America’s game on the field!

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

Where else would you want baseball played on Memorial Day? In the capital of the free world of course in Washington D.C., and in Nationals Park. While this day has meaning far beyond baseball, it is good to see the effort the Nationals put in at every home game for honoring those who serve. Please take a moment today to remember what today means to our collective freedom.  There will be a moment of silence at 3 p.m. in MLB parks today, and all players, coaches and umps will wear a patch of a red poppy with the words “LEST NOT FORGET.”  Continue reading →

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The Nats have a 3-game winning streak! We’re streaking!

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

Celebrate good times! Photo by Marlene Koenig for TalkNats

There is a reason you play the games. The Marlins had their ace going today in Caleb Smith, and the Nats smashed him for 5-runs and knocked him out of the game in the 3rd inning as the Nats won this game to make it 3-wins in a row for the first time this season. The Nationals offense would add four more runs off of the Marlins bullpen to make it nine runs in total today.  The Nats starting pitcher, Erick Fedde, did his job throwing a 5.0 inning shutout. It was Fedde’s ERA that went down to 2.18 from 2.87, and Smith’s ERA went from 2.38 to 3.05. Smith’s ERA was second in the Majors among all left-handed pitchers before he was rocked in this game. Continue reading →

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Game #53 The sophomores on the big stage in D.C.

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

Photo by Marlene Koenig for TalkNats

This afternoon’s starters at Nationals Park are Erick Fedde and Caleb Smith who both exceeded their rookie limits last year, and in the equivalent of their sophomore seasons this year, it is Smith who has emerged from seemingly nowhere as the best lefty in the National League ahead of even Patrick Corbin. In fact, the southpaw’s style is much like Corbin’s with the swing and miss stuff on the slider and changeup, and he has the fastball to keep you off-balance having you stay back enough for his off-speed. Continue reading →

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Complete game shutout by Patrick Corbin in 5-0 domination!

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

Photo by Marlene Koenig for TalkNats

Today’s game was a complete-game shutout by Patrick Corbin who had the Nats best defense of the year behind him with 3 doubleplays turned and a well-called game in front of him. It was Corbin’s catcher Yan Gomes who had a new wrinkle in today’s start with a fastball-heavy diet of pitches. The All-Star pitcher threw 116 pitches of which 70 were strikes including 67-fastballs, and today the slider set-up the fastball away for much of the day. The lefty only threw 31% sliders today and that was his lowest of the season. Corbin lowered his ERA to 2.85 after this dominant game. Continue reading →

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Game #52 The Nats have to play better fundamentally; Bourque called up!

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

After last night’s win, manager Dave Martinez acknowledged that the team has to play better. For Martinez, he was clearly referring to the four errors committed by his defense and other recent mistakes made in baserunning and plays that were not made. You take an ugly win, and hopefully learn from it. A team loses plenty of games where they played well so it does even out.  Continue reading →

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Nats battle back to cause another team some pain in the 8th inning!

Posted on May 24, 2019 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Photo by Marlene Koenig for TalkNats

Pick your star of this game. The Nats had 21-baserunners tonight and scored 12-runs in this come-from-behind win against the Marlins. With this win, the Nationals snap their 5-game losing streak as well as their Friday losing streak that dates back to August of 2018. It was not a pretty game as the Nats committed 4 errors and kicked around a few more. This was the spot start by Kyle McGowin, and he was not sharp giving up 5-runs in 4.0 innings. Joe Ross in relief gave up 3 more runs, and Tony Sipp and Sean Doolittle had both given up a run.  Continue reading →

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Game #51 The #Nats now have a 4-game series against the streaking Marlins!

Posted on May 24, 2019 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Enjoy them while they are still with the Nationals

With the Marlins coming to D.C., they are enjoying a six game winning streak while the Nationals are mired in an excruciating five game losing streak. These teams square off this weekend and into Memorial Day for a four-game series.

There is a myriad of calls for manager Dave Martinez to be fired, and this is the noise playing in the background and causing added stress for the coaching staff and players. Because these two NL East teams are only separated by 1 ½ games in the standings, it is entirely within the realm of possibilities that the Nationals could be in last place in the NL East tomorrow evening if their losing streak goes to seven games. This Nationals team has not won in so long that they were actually only 7-games below .500 when this losing streak started, and there was optimism after Strasburg’s win over the Cubs last Saturday. They have been close to winning every game of those five games they lost as the Nats were within 1-run in the 8th inning in each of those games which included three blown saves. Continue reading →

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The rollercoaster of ineptitude ends in a 4-game sweep!

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

The Nationals lost their third consecutive game in the bullpen and move to 12-games under .500 with this loss after this 4-game sweep in New York. The last time in Nationals history that this team was exactly 12-games under .500 was on August 6th of 2010. That is how far back in the Nats time capsule you must look to find ineptitude of this proportion, but that team had a payroll below $80 million and the losing was expected as the team was building towards greatness.  This 2019 team is a $200 million team that was built to win the NL East yet has a bullpen that has built a reputation on crumbling under pressure. The team now sits at 19-31 through the first 50-games of the season.

The ways they find to lose baffles the mind. The Nationals out-hit the Mets 13-7, and wasted a very nice 7.0 inning start from Stephen Strasburg where he surrendered only two earned runs. Now it is the Mets who are reeling from injuries, and yet the Nats bullpen struggled against a bunch of players who were recently called up from the minors — and no Cano, Conforto, Nimmo or McNeil. That is four lefties missing in action. Continue reading →

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