Greinke and Kershaw. The Nats needed last night's game because this is what they are facing over the next two nights. And they got it easily with an offensive outburst that we've hoped to see from this team with everyone back. In fact they haven't had a truly bad offensive game since the Mets series ended. Is the offense really back?
Last night was the best night so far because unlike the D-back series, which looked better than it did thanks to 6 runs off mop-up pitcher Daniel Hudson, and the Rockies series, which featured one bad pitcher after another that the Nats couldn't knock out, the Nats finally got an ok/mediocre pitcher and sent him packing. The last time that happened was probably Miguel Gonzalez around a month ago* This is good. This is what good offenses do sometimes.
Good offenses also find a way to score 3-4 runs versus very good pitchers and win those games too. The Nats have had a real issue with that and now the Nats have to prove they can do it against two guys in Cy Young contention. Greinke has had only two bad games all year, a blah hold your ground 6 innings in Colorado a few months ago and pretty solid beating from the Phillies last time out in Philadelphia. Maybe last time out was a sign of things. Or maybe coming back home where he has a 0.78 WHIP a 1.54 ERA will put him right back on track. Kershaw had a bad-for-him start to the year but has been picking up steam as the season progresses. Before last time out, he had four straight outings with no runs allowed. Of course last time out the Pirates got to him, so... hope?
I don't know if it's fair to judge the Nats offense versus these two but that's exactly what I'm going to do. The Phillies got to Greinke. The Pirates got to Kershaw. The Nats should be able to get to one of them. Eventually we have to stop throwing up our hands and saying "Well, just a good pitcher. Nothing we can do about it" because you have to beat good pitchers in the playoffs. You are likely to only face good pitchers in the playoffs. And the Nats are going to have to beat good pitchers to beat the Mets head to head as well. You can't concede these games before they start and you can't excuse them time after time when the offense doesn't come through. You aren't going to beat good pitching every time, even most times, but you have to do it sometimes.
Offensively things have perked up because some Nats other than Bryce have finally started to hit things other than singles. Zimmerman has 6 doubles and 4 homers since being back. Ian is on a mini-tear with 5 XBH, including 3 homers over the past 5 games. Pitchers will make mistakes. They'll hit a batter or walk a guy. Or maybe a error puts someone on, or a seeing eye single. At that point if you have a guy getting an XBH, well you have a run. Can Rendon or Werth flip the switch and make this offense truly formidable?
Meanwhile I finally get to see what I wanted (barring the Dodgers putting up another line-up like last night. Not that it would have mattered but if you don't have good righty hitters - don't force it. P U) I get to see Joe Ross against a good offense for like the third time in 8 starts. As I said before the previous times (both against the Pirates) produced his best start and his worst, and his worst even wasn't that bad. If he can come through with big time starts versus the Dodgers and the Giants well then I personally, who doesn't love Ross as much as you (worst Friend too - not even close. There are no arguments here), will have to start changing my tune. Or at least allow for an optimistic view to creep in.
Late night baseball!
*We can argue this point if you like. They didn't really knock Flande out. As a converted reliever he had a pitch/innings limit on him. They did knock Hellickson out but I don't consider him a decent pitcher given his last not bad season was 3 years ago. They did knock Burnett out, and he was actually having a good year, but it seems likely that given that run of starts and his subsequent possibly career-ending tendon issue, that the Nats beat a hobbled AJ. So that brings us to Miguel Gonzalez, who's not having the best year and is having a bad post-All Star time but bounced back from the Nats game with 2 good starts so it seems like he wasn't done yet. If you don't like this pick the Nats did run Bumgarner for America and off-year or not, he's not bad.
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Yes, it does look like the offence is finally coming back from the dead. Zimmerman producing is huge.
It was bad luck that Storen imploded just as the bats came alive --- two games that needed to be won.
So now, we get to see how the team plays when the real pressure is on and they are in the Mets rear view mirror.
As Boswell said in his latest column strangely quoting reggae lyrics: NOT Bob Marley's "Don't worry bout a thing, cause every little thing's gonna be all right." INSTEAD Toots & the Maytals: "Pressure gonna drop on you".
Pressure is on.
Reposting my late comment on last thread:
2 things I'm looking at:
1. Zimm and Werth - Zimm finally looks like real Zimm again. If he's actually able to play without pain (or through the mild pain that he has) then that gives us the flexibility to put Robinson in left if Werth can't put it together. Each is at about 50 PA's since they've been back, so another stretch of about this long before we make determinations. But I just love seeing Zimm being Zimm again, I missed those doubles to the gap
2. Fister in mop up duties means Roark is back in higher leverage situations right? Not sure how I feel about this one ye
Sorry guys, the Nats are just not a great team. At some point they may turn it around but except for Bryce's epic month, NL East mediocrity has been the only consistency this team has shown. Have I given up hope? No. The Giants haven't had to be dominant during the season to get it done in the post season 3 of the last 5 years. But the narrative that the Nats are one of the top teams in the league this year has not proven true.
@Kermit - And so? I don't think the goal is to make that narrative true. The goal and the concern of most of this board boils down to 2 things: 1) Make the Playoffs and 2) Once in the Playoffs, win series
Both of those are still entirely plausible, regardless of narrative
The Nats have the talent across the roster to be a great team. The missing ingredient is chemistry. The Mets are doing the Nats a favor by giving them a pennant race. The Nats will find their chemistry in the heat of the competition or lose the division. The alternative was entering the play-offs on the back of a weak division and then being exposed in the NLDS. If the Nats can survive the Mets' challenge, they'll enter the play-offs as the great team their talent says they should be.
@Kermit- we are just starting to see the Nats team that was projected to be one of the best in MLB.
@Anonymous- chemistry? really? and what is the basis of that assessment?
Right fielder Bryce Harper scratched due to butt hurtness stemming from his previous outing against Greinke.
I hope diva Bryce Harper doesn't break any nails against Kershaw tonight
"I hope diva Bryce Harper doesn't break any nails against Kershaw tonight"
Really? Is this the same Bryce Harper is ran face first, full speed into the wall in Dodger Stadium because of his hustle? That's the Harper you're calling a diva? Give me a break, I smell a troll... lol
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nr4et_Ixi0M
Bryce stomps his high heels every time the Mets win
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