Decisions, decisions: September call-up time for the #Nats

Posted on September 2, 2018 by SaoMagnifico

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Posted in Analysis, Prospects, Roster | Leave a comment

The rollercoaster ride continues as the #Nats let this one slide away!

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

Jefry Rodriguez Photo by Marlene Koenig for TalkNats

There was a point in this game when the Nationals were leading by a score of 4-2 with 2-outs in the 5th inning. Manny Pina hit a grounder back to starting pitcher Jefry Rodriguez and he could not field the ball putting two runners on base — and that is when the floodgates opened up. Rodriguez struggled from the first batter of this game. He actually walked the first two batters in the game who both scored for an early two run deficit, and the Nats scored 4-runs back for him thanks to Juan Soto and Mark Reynolds. For some reason(s), manager Dave Martinez allowed JRod to stay in the game into the 5th inning, and eventually 7-runs would score in that 5th inning. Continue reading →

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Game #137 After last night’s spectacular win, #Nats now go for a series win!

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

Photo by NavyYardNats for TalkNats

With an NL Central race to the finish between the Cubs, Cardinals and Brewers, the Nationals continue to disrupt the pennant races with wins like last night that struck a blow to the Brewers odds. With last night’s spectacular comeback win by the Nats, they are back to the .500 mark, and today’s game will determine the winner of this series.  Continue reading →

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A 2-out 8th inning rally by the #Nats for an Insta-classic win!

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

The Nationals were low-energy in a 3-1 game they trailed before a lengthy 2-hour rain delay invigorated them as they came out on fire with a 2-out rally from Adam Eaton (double), Trea Turner RISP single and stolen base followed by two walks and then a Juan Soto bases loaded single for the go ahead RBIs and capped off by a wild pitch to make the score 5-3. Continue reading →

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Game #136 Strasburg on the mound; Gio in the opposite dugout

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

The last 24-hours ended the question as to who would remain with the team out of the pending free agents as both Ryan Madson and Gio Gonzalez were both traded. For Gio, he only has to walk a few hundred feet to his new team while Madson has to fly to Los Angeles. Only Bryce Harper, Matt Wieters and Mark Reynolds remain as the only healthy members on the team’s pending free agent list. Kelvin Herrera, Jeremy Hellickson and Joaquin Benoit remain on the DL as they are also scheduled to be free agents after the season. In total, six players were ultimately traded in the past 31 days which started with Brandon Kintzler‘s departure.

This time last year Stephen Strasburg was the best pitcher in all of baseball in the second half of the season. In his last outing, Stras looked better than he did in his previous outing as he works his way back into form after a stint on the DL. If times were different, he probably would have been pitching his last two games at Harrisburg or Potomac — but these are not normal times as the Washington Nationals now need a miracle to secure a playoff berth and must play well just to finish with a winning record for that matter. Continue reading →

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Remembering Gio during his Nationals’ years!

Posted on September 1, 2018 by ArVaFan aka Laura Peebles

Photo by Marlene Koenig for TalkNats

We all have our Gio stories: some personal, some public; some good, some bad, some “please don’t remind me.” Here are mine.

His 2012 regular season, along with many other Nationals, was one for the ages. He was part of the “OMG we won the division before anyone thought we could” year: he finished 21-8, made the All-Star Team, was third in the Cy Young voting, and won the Warren Spahn Award for the best left-handed pitcher. In the midst of his 20th win he fell off the mound, faceplanted, and stayed down as the entire stadium held its collective breath. As it turned out, all that was injured was his dignity: he got up and struck out the batter. (It was the Brewers–go figure.)  Continue reading →

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Milwaukee takes the opening game and Gio Gonzalez from the #Nats

Posted on August 31, 2018 by SaoMagnifico

“The Firm” by Marlene Koenig for TalkNats

It’s the closing minutes of the last selloff of the 2018 season, as teams that have fallen out of contention scramble to offload players before the clock rings midnight. Starting tomorrow, any player not already in a playoff team’s organization will be barred from suiting up in October.

And so the Washington Nationals bid adieu to two key members of their pitching staff. Ryan Madson was with the Nats for just 13 months, coming over in the trade with Oakland that also netted Washington closer Sean Doolittle (and handed the upstart A’s a reliever who has turned out to be a pretty good closer in his own right, Blake Treinen). Gio Gonzalez also originally came to D.C. from Oakland, but he has been a National since 2012, and while his Nats tenure has certainly had its ups and downs — and those ups and downs have also had their ups and downs — for many, it is hard to say goodbye to the third-longest-tenured member of the ballclub.

Continue reading →

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Game #135 After a day-off the #Nats wake-up a 1/2 game improved!

Posted on August 31, 2018 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Photo by Marlene Koenig for TalkNats

The Washington Nationals now need a miracle to secure a playoff berth and must play well just to finish with a winning record for that matter. The team did wake-up this morning to find they picked up a ½ game against the first place Braves after Atlanta lost last night. The Nationals face the Milwaukee Brewers this weekend in a series that the Nationals must sweep someway — somehow. Yesterday, WTP wrote about the Nats 5.5% odds of making the postseason.  Continue reading →

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The Probability of making the playoffs. Playoffs? #Nats

Posted on August 30, 2018 by Warning Track Power

Photo for Talk Nats from staff photographer Sol Tucker of NLDS “Red Sea”

The problem of what realist management and fans should do about their teams who are looking at a “Snowball’s” chance of making the playoffs.

I cannot speak to the Mariners realistic playoff chances, but will say that ESPN’s/Nate Silver’s 538 has a good analysis into the probabilities of the chances that the Nationals will make the playoffs. I haven’t done nearly the statistical permutations he has, but we arrived independently at nearly identical (statistically insignificant) percentages. The Nationals and Mariners are the only two teams that constitute a “murky middle” where they are neither clearly in the running for a playoff berth, nor so far out of contention the placing a significant bet on them in Vegas would draw scrutiny. Continue reading →

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Let’s Go (fill in the blank)!

Posted on August 30, 2018 by Ray Wyvill

With Labor Day at-hand summer stands at the threshold waving goodbye.  With her, she will take the last of the faintest of hopes remaining for this Nationals’ season.  What began with such great anticipation will surely grind to an unsatisfying end.  This is the nature of the sport.  Four Division titles in seven years sound wonderful from afar.  But, the three years within that ended with the last Regular Season game are nails on a chalkboard. Alas, ‘tis time to move on.  A familiar ritual is to pick one of the Division rivals to wish well.  The two selections are the Braves and Phillies.  Unfortunately, “None of the above” is not on the ballot.  It’s as if one were being tasked to replicate the survivalists on TV given a choice of eating oversized dried bugs or slimy wiggling maggots.  Egad, this will not be either easy or pleasurable. Continue reading →

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