Trend lines are a tricky thing. Zim and Rendon are up. Others, not so fast.

Posted on June 2, 2016 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

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Payback with a sweep & a dozen over .500 with a day off tomorrow: Postgame

Posted on June 1, 2016 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Everyone can take a rest which is well earned, and a job well done as the Nats swept the Phillies after being swept by them in DC in May. The Nats now have 5 sweeps on this young season, and have moved 12 games over .500 in the standings at exactly the 1/3rd point completed in the season.

The Nats won this game 7-2 and improved to 33-21 on the season. Max Scherzer earned his 6th win and dropped his ERA to 3.87 while recording 11 strikeouts.

Wilson Ramos again with the game-winning RBIs, and the Buffalo had 4 RBIs tonight racking up a 3 run HR, an RBI single and another single to go 3-4 and raise his BA to .338 and his OPS to .919. Ramos is now batting .400 in RISP spots as he added 2 more RISP hits, and is 18-45. Please vote for Wilson Ramos as an All-Star. Continue reading →

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Game #54 Scherzer looks to go Aces again in series finale in Philly: Game Thread

Posted on June 1, 2016 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

The Nats wrap up this 3 game series in Philadelphia as the Nats will try for the 3 game sweep before heading on the road for a weekend series in Cincinnati with a day-off tomorrow.

Tonight’s game at it’s finish will be the 1/3rd completion point of the season, and in just 27 more games, we will quickly reach the halfway point of the season. Sample sizes are becoming more meaningful for projection purposes, and the weather is getting warmer. The Nationals are 11 games over .500 going into this game.

Max Scherzer and Adam Morgan are their team’s respective starters for tonight which is also the start of the month of June on the calendar. Continue reading →

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Ranking the top pitchers in the MLB and 5 points about the Nats.

Posted on June 1, 2016 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

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Nats win on 4 HRs and there was a time in the bottom of the 8th it was a 2-1 game: Postgame

Posted on May 31, 2016 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Joe Ross pitched a 7 inning, 2 hit gem, giving up only 1 run, and the Nats win 5-1. The game opened with a Jayson Werth home run in the 1st inning to open the scoring. The Phillies scored a run on a triple (Cesar Hernandez) against the shift making the score 1-1. Joe Ross got some great defense with Hernandez on 3rd base, Dusty had infield in and it paid off. A ball hit directly at Danny Espinosa cut down the runner going on contact as Wilson Ramos applied the tag. Aaron Nola dueled with Joe Ross in a great pitching battle. Continue reading →

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Game #53 Joe Ross working with momentum as Bryce Harper rests his knee: Game Thread

Posted on May 31, 2016 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Tonight will be 2 of the youngest starters in the MLB starting for their respective teams as Joe Ross for the Nationals and Aaron Nola for the Phillies will battle it own in the City of Brotherly Love. Joe Ross just turned 23 years old 10 days ago, and Aaron Nola turns 23 years old on Saturday. Ross and Nola are separated in age by just 2 weeks.

Bryce Harper will get all the rest he wants and is out of the line-up tonight after he took a Jeremy Hellickson slider right to the side of his right knee. Continue reading →

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Roark pitched well in the Daniel Murphy show: Postgame

Posted on May 30, 2016 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Last night was the Daniel Murphy show and everyone else was just part of his supporting cast unless you ask Murphy himself who deflects all praise to others.

Tanner Roark pitched well and kept the game close and earned the win in his 7 innings of work, but this game was all about Daniel ‘Hits’ Murphy who got 3 huge hits and 3 RBIs in key spots in the game and tallied the game-winning RBIs in the 8th inning. Jayson Werth got a key game tying RBI single and scored the game-winning run on the Murphy single with a great hustle play to beat the tag at home.

All rights Hunter Martin/Getty Images

All rights Hunter Martin/Getty Images

 

Continue reading →

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Game #52 Nats are on the road with Tanner Roark: Game Thread

Posted on May 30, 2016 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

The Nationals start their road trip with a 3 game series in Philadelphia. Tanner Roark will get this Memorial Day start and the teams will be wearing camo caps, and jerseys with camo lettering and numbers to honor the armed forces and in memory of all who gave their lives for the United States of America.

bryce harper memorial day 2016 jersey
bryce harper memorial day 2016 cap
Continue reading →

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Déjà vu. Second chances, 8 days apart. Bases loaded. Jayson Werth comes in to pinch-hit

Posted on May 30, 2016 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

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Nats finish the season series with the Cardinals with a 5-2 record: Postgame

Posted on May 29, 2016 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Stephen Strasburg improved to 9-0 as this final game of the regular season series against the Cardinals wasn’t a laugher until Jayson Werth blasted a grand slam. The Nats improved to 5-2 against the Cardinals this year, and they won’t face each other in the regular season again until next year.

Dusty Baker was flawless in every in-game decision today as he saved Jayson Werth for a spot like he got in the 7th with bases loaded and 1 out to bring in his bearded righty.

Stephen Strasburg did what Aces do. Baker said, “Stras was good until he ran out of gas.” He became the stopper ending that 2 game losing skid and labored through 6 full innings while only giving up 1 run in a true quality start. Strasburg exited the game with the Nats up 3-1. Felipe Rivero came in once again for a Houdini act with bases loaded and 1 out in the 7th inning. Rivero retired the very hot Matt Adams on a sacrifice fly and then got the Randal Grichuk on a can of corn flyball for the final out of the 7th inning with the Nats clinging onto that 3-2 lead. Continue reading →

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