From Cal Ripken Jr. to Bryce Harper, the Power behind the scenes: Ninotch

Posted on April 26, 2016 by Andrew Lang

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The Dusty Baker Effect and the Maddux component

Posted on April 25, 2016 by Virginiascopist

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The 18-Game Posts Return

Posted on April 25, 2016 by Section222

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Another Look at Nats Country

Posted on April 24, 2016 by Senators69

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Chris Heisey with the walkoff in a dramatic 16 inning win!

Posted on April 24, 2016 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

This was the first walk-off HR in Chris Heisey’s career! He did it for the Nats in Spring Training one month ago, but this is the first regular season walk-off of his 54 career home runs.

This was also the 1st Nats Walk-Off of the 2016 season, and is destined for Nats Classic reruns! 6-5 win and the Nats get the 14-4 record that ties the 2012 record for best starts by a team in Nats history. The Nats got great relief pitching from Matt Belisle, Felipe Rivero, Jonathan Papelbon, Yusmeiro Petit and Oliver Perez in relief of Stephen Strasburg.

The walk-off HR by Chris Heisey was just part of the highlights which included a 9th inning game tying pinch-hit HR by Bryce Harper against closer Kevin Jepson. The game started with a lead-off HR from Matt den Dekker.  Wilson Ramos with the clutch 2 run double as the Nats were behind by 3 runs.  The craziest play was the bunt from Oliver Perez that got thrown away and scored Danny Espinosa to tie the game in the 15th inning at 5-5 before Heisey won it in the 16th inning.

Let’s enjoy Bryce’s HR again (and again).

And Heisey’s WO HR again (and again, and agains, and again . . .)

The Nats officially (unless they change Oliver Perez’s bunt to a single) only tallied Wilson Ramos’ double as the only hit all day with runners in scoring position. In case you lost count, the Nats were 1-16 officially and it is possible they change Perez’s bunt to a hit with an error on the Twins catcher John Ryan Murphy.

On the Bryce Harper watch, he increased his MLB leading HR count to 9 and RBIs to 23.

If you left early, you missed a classic! If you missed this story on Chris Heisey, give it a read!

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Game #18 Strasburg starts, line-up changes as Harper gets rest day, Twins scratch Ervin Santana: Game Thread

Posted on April 24, 2016 by Andrew Lang

The season yesterday officially moved passed the 1/10th completion mark as people are embracing the “Dusty Effect” that Talk Nats proposed in early February and while it is too early to make bold assumptions on the season, the Nats enter today’s game at a Major League best record of 13-4. The term “Dusty Effect” is now catching on. Continue reading →

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Tanner Roark pitches a gem and the Nats win 7th straight at home: Postgame

Posted on April 23, 2016 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

The Nats scored their 2 runs in the 1st inning and Roark and the relievers threw an 18 K combined strikeout which is a Nationals record for most team strikeouts in a game. It was also the 3rd team shutout of the year. The Nats record after this win is 13-4 which ties the Cubs at the moment for the best record in the Majors. The 13-4 mark also matches the 2012 Washington Nationals for the best starts in team history. Continue reading →

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Game #17 with lineup changes and which Roark will we see?: Game Thread

Posted on April 23, 2016 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Today’s 1:05pm start features Phil Hughes and Tanner Roark as starting pitchers and Daniel Murphy gets a day off for the first time this year and Michael Taylor gets another observation day. Chris Heisey will play CF and lead-off in this game, and Stephen Drew will get the start at 2nd base.

The Nats will face righty Phil Hughes who was a 1st round draft pick of the NY Yankees in 2004 and was a top prospect. In 2010, Hughes made the All Star team and finished that season with a very pedestrian 4.19 ERA. Hughes will always be that pitcher who the Yankees thought was their answer and became a pitcher who they had a chance to “sell high” on and he never did become their #1. Hughes finished his Yankees career with a 4.53 ERA over 182 games.
Continue reading →

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Gio Gonzalez pitched like an Ace tonight & Werth saves a HR and then hits #201: Postgame

Posted on April 22, 2016 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Gio Gonzalez with 2 earned runs over 6 full innings in a well pitched game and Gio was helped by Jayson Werth‘s Web Gem stealing a HR from Byron Buxton. The bullpen came in a finished up the remaining 3 innings and the Nats won 8-4.

Nats have a 6 game winning streak now at Nats Park and improve their record to 12-4 matching the team best start which the Nats also accomplished in 2012.

The Nats got 2 hits each from Rendon, Murphy, Espinosa and Lobaton. Jayson Werth added a solo HR for #201 of his career.

And here is a picture taken by DonH at the game that shows Gio’s plant spot. He very carefully marked the area and hit it right on the nose throughout the game – perhaps the Maddux Effect. GioPlantSpot

And now lets take a couple more looks at Werth stealing that Home Run from Buxton.

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Game #16 Gio Gonzalez in inter-league game vs Twins: Game Thread

Posted on April 22, 2016 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Today we get Gio Gonzalez pitching in the friendly confines of Nats Park against the Twins and Kyle Gibson for a scheduled 7:05pm first pitch. Weather could be a factor today we have been told and of note the Harrisburg Senators and Lucas Gioltio are scheduled to play in Bowie against the Baysox in Double-A action which could also be affected by the DC weather.

This Nats/Twins matchup will bring in many old-timer Nats fans who kept an allegiance to that 1960’s team that the Griffith family relocated to Minnesota as the real “Senators” team that featured Harmon Killebrew, Bobby Allison, Jim Lemon, Billy Gardner, Jim Kaat and Camilo Pasqual as well as others.

This 2016 version of the old Senators features a Twins team that is young and has an improved Joe Mauer as well as old friend Kurt Suzuki (batting .167). Top prospect Byron Buxton continues to struggle as he is batting .162. Miguel Sano is one to watch as he tries to get on track.

The scouting report on the righty Kyle Gibson is that he is a sinkerballer that the hitters will see 42% of the time and 18% 4-seamers at 92-93mph. He will mix in a slider as his main breaking pitch and the occassional changeup and a few curveballs. Note to lefty batters is Gibson changes his mix and throws 25% changeups to the lefty batters and only 10% sliders. Harper and Murphy will see mostly fastballs and changeups and a couple of sliders.

Here are the Nats stats vs Kyle Gibson which is very limited:

Here are the Twins against Gio Gonzalez:

Line-up (Subject to change without notice):

  1. Michael Taylor CF
  2. Anthony Rendon 3B
  3. Bryce Harper RF
  4. Ryan Zimmerman 1B
  5. Daniel Murphy 2B
  6. Jayson Werth LF
  7. Danny Espinosa SS
  8. Jose Lobaton C
  9. Gio Gonzalez LHP
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