Game #35 Familiar faces in this match-up Gio and Koehler: Game Thread

Posted on May 13, 2016 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Once again, the Marlins and the Nationals will play an early season series. This will be a 4 game series to include a doubleheader tomorrow. We know today is Gio Gonzalez and Tom Koehler. You probably remember that Bryce Harper has 6 career HRs off of Tom Koehler which is the most that Bryce has against any pitcher. Tomorrow will be Stephen Strasburg in the 1st game of the doubleheader and Tanner Roark in the night game of the doubleheader. Dusty Baker will decide on the 26th player for tomorrow, and the other variable will be the suspension of Bryce Harper as to whether or not he sits out a game tomorrow. Continue reading →

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Joe Maddon comments on the Nats lineup. Jeff Banister on Line-up construction

Posted on May 12, 2016 by Virginiascopist

With some great interviews we have transcribed from MLB Network Radio, and some post-game comments from Tanner Roark and Joe Maddon it might put some clarity on what Joe Maddon’s strategy was and how he exploited Ryan Zimmerman batting behind Bryce Harper. The NL Manager of the Year opens up on small sample sizes, trends, and the Nats line-up. For those who don’t remember, on Sunday, Maddon’s Cubs pitchers walked Bryce Harper 6 times and he could have walked a 7th time if he wasn’t Hit By a Pitch. Twice Bryce Harper was intentionally walked twice to load the bases and first base wasn’t open. This could have backfired on Maddon, but afterwards he was excited that it worked.

Dusty Baker and Joe Maddon, who guide two of the best teams in the NL, have the respect of their players. Getty Images

Dusty Baker and Joe Maddon, who guide two of the best teams in the NL, have the respect of their players. Getty Images

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Time Warp: The Spectacle of Bryce Harper and Brian Knight

Posted on May 12, 2016 by Ray Wyvill

Time WarpIn the odd juxtaposition between reality and baseball, arguably the biggest name in the sport [Bryce Harper] was nominally suspended on the very day his franchise was providing him an honor. If this feels like a recovered draft of a discarded Rod Serling script for the “Twilight Zone” it is because only the late master writer could envision such organized silliness. The irony is not in the timing of the matter itself. Rather it’s the context of its place within a tableau of even grander goofiness. Baseball is currently in a warped dimension between past and future operating systems. More bizarre scenarios are on tap for quite some time. Continue reading →

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Another Perspective on When to Call Trea Turner Up

Posted on May 12, 2016 by DonH

In his chat on Monday, Thomas Boswell was asked about Espinosa’s performance vis-a-vis when Trea Turner would be called up. His response (quoted below) is thought provoking: Continue reading →

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20K Gold pitched by Scherzer on 5/11/16 Nats win 3-2 to beat Jordan Zimmermann: Postgame

Posted on May 11, 2016 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

The best pitcher did win tonight. 20 strikeouts in a game to tie the record of Roger Clemens, Kerry Wood and Randy Johnson and now Max Scherzer‘s name will be alongside those names. 96 of Scherzer’s pitches tonight were strikes and only 23 balls which set a record in a 20K game. By the way, the Nats won 3-2

Photo for TalkNats by Art Guillory

Photo for TalkNats by Art Guillory

Danny Espinosa‘s HR was the difference in the game as it turns out and Anthony Rendon scored the other 2 runs on hits by Daniel “Hits” Murphy. Bryce Harper had 2 hits as he hit in front of Daniel Murphy and looked the most comfortable he has in over a week. Continue reading →

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Game #34 is 34 for Bryce Harper Bobblehead night Scherzer/JZim: Game Thread

Posted on May 11, 2016 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Tonight is a pivotal game for the Nats young season. The Tigers have Jordan Zimmermann on the mound that he is so familiar with as this will be Zimmermann’s 95th start in Nationals Park, and of course his first as a visitor. Max Scherzer the ex-Tiger is facing his old team for the first time since he departed via free agency after the 2014 season.

Jordan Zimmermann has an MLB best 1.10 ERA through his 6 starts this season, and he is very familiar with his ex-Nats teammates as is Scherzer with his ex-Tiger teammates. This game should come down to execution and minimizing mistakes.

There is no meaningful stats to look at versus the line-ups each pitcher will face except Daniel Murphy has hit Jordan Zimmermann well in recent years. As the Nats showed on Sunday, even Jake Arrieta can come up on the wrong side of the ledger, and the best pitching performance should decide the winner in today’s game. Continue reading →

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NL East: Best in Baseball

Posted on May 11, 2016 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

At this moment the NL East is the best division in baseball by record. The Mets are in 1st Place by a 1/2 game, followed by the Nationals who are ahead of the surprising Phillies by 1 game, and the Phillies are ahead of the Marlins by 1 1/2 games.

If the season ended today, the Wild Card game would be the Nats and the Phillies. There is still about 130 games remaining in this marathon and the NL East has shown it is built on pitching. Each team is built similarly, and each team has some glaring weaknesses. It will be the team that fixes its weaknesses that should win the NL East.

Capture

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Nats lose a tough one with the tying run on 2nd with 1 out: Postgame

Posted on May 10, 2016 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

With one out Anthony Rendon doubled to represent the tying run in the 9th. Brad Ausmus walked Bryce Harper with 1st base open in the 9th inning in a 5-4 game to put runners at 2nd and 1st to face Ryan Zimmerman who had hit 2 HRs already in the game, and Zimmerman struck out to make it a 2 out situation with Daniel Murphy coming to bat. Murphy flew out to CF to end the game. The Nats once again had their chances to tie it in the 9th inning, and they could not take advantage.

This game had much drama when the game was tied 3-3 in a test of the new doubleplay rule. The umpires did not reverse the call as the score moved in favor of the Tigers.

Joe Ross the Nats starter had an off-day and took the loss. The series is tied 1-1 with Scherzer and Jordan Zimmermann facing each other tomorrow.

 

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Game #33 Joe Ross for the Nats: Game Thread

Posted on May 10, 2016 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

After all the excitement of last night’s walk-off and Stephen Strasburg‘s 7 year contract extension coupled with the debate of Bryce Harper‘s ejection, the Nats will hope for dry weather and continue on the momentum built-up last night with a stunning come from behind victory.
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Official: Nats sign Strasburg to a 7 year extension with opt-outs

Posted on May 10, 2016 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

It’s official! Stephen Strasburg will be a Washington National for the foreseeable future. Timing is not always everything. How strange to leak the news of a Stephen Strasburg extension during the middle innings of last night’s game? This is huge news on so many levels, and mostly because this was shocking news as most believed Strasburg would never stay in Washington.

This contract extension for Strasburg also once again destroys stereotypes like the “Lerners are cheap”, the on-going narrative “players don’t want to remain with the Nationals”, the silly geographic myths “he wants to play close to his home”, the perpetuated defamatory words “toxic clubhouse”, and the most popular one, “Boras doesn’t give hometown discounts or allow his players to extend contracts”. That is a lot of horse hockey to refute.

From Nationals owner Theodore “Ted” Lerner, “Ensuring that Stephen [Strasburg] will remain a part of our organization for years to come is a proud moment for our entire family. We are very fond of Stephen and his entire family, and we’ve thought very highly of them since he became such an integral part of our organization almost seven years ago. We’re honored that he feels the same way about the Washington Nationals, and very happy to keep him pitching in the nation’s capital.”

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Posted in Gio, Giolito, JRoss, JZimm, Roark, Scherzer, Starters, Strasburg | Leave a comment