Late post today. The Nats ended the Phillies season over the weekend (see you in 2017) and look to be cruising. So far they have done pretty much everything they should and nothing they shouldn't. that's a 90+ win team with ease. But now comes the Cubs.
Now, of course, this is baseball and momentum is only lasts as long as your next starting pitcher, but I do still think it matters to take a game from the Cubs. I do think each series is a reset, so go 0-7 in the regular season and the Nats can wipe it out with a win in Game 1 of the playoffs, but I feel that after that first game the pressures all come down again.
So don't get swept. That's it.
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5/26/16 - Judging the Nats' season, by record and other indicators, with an aside of the true value of a team's record at this point in the season
5/31/16 - An analysis of every key player in the Nats offense
6/1/16 and 6/2/16 - An analysis of Danny Espinosa v. Trea Turner, using advanced stats and various projection models, with an aside on your thoughts of scouting v. projection models in general
6/10/16 - A in depth look at the usage of a middle reliever, split into weeks at a time
6/13/16 - THE CUBS ARE IN TOWN? UM, LET'S NOT TRY TO LOSE EVERY GAME THIS TIME.
I love it, Harper.
Sherzer straight shoving tonight. Sticking out 8 of first 9 on 40 pitches. I like and agree with a lot of what Boswell and Harper write. I have to disagree about beating the Cubs in the regular season. I hope they win tonight. I hope they win at least one of the next 3. However, I don't think it matters much in the playoffs. Give me Sherzer and Strasburg throwing in the upper-90's. I don't think Gio even pitches in the playoffs. Both teams could look a lot different in the playoffs. Anyway, hopefully they win at least one. If not, I'm not worried.
I'm delighted they won one. Personally, I'll feel a LOT better about having to beat them in October if they win another one. I'll feel like we have even odds if they sweep this series, seeing as how we miss their best pitchers and we're at home. Remember that if we face them again, we're going to do it with 3 games here and 4 there, so even if they've cooled off from their May tear, it's going to be hard. I want to see that they can do it. Harper's right that the *team* may not worry about it, but I sure will.
Well, mission accomplished on no sweep. Like Dusty said, thanks go out to Joe M. for forcing a line up realignment. Now Murphy is getting the free passes. LOL. Let's see if Zim can make him pay this time around. He didn't come through tonight with the bases loaded, so I expect more walks in front of him. Tomorrow will be tough with Glass Jaw Gio slated to go tomorrow.
Damn it, Harper, when you provide me free baseball analysis completely unconnected to your actual job and with no expectation of remuneration, I want it on time! This will not do!
@Kevin Rusch - Yeah, they are getting the weakest parts of the Cubs rotation, so that might hang over them, even if the team wins, but don't forget that the Nats essentially beat Arrieta during the first series. It was Bryant's homer off of Petit that sent the game into extras.
woo hoooo... great game!!!! Mad Max was rolling!
I'm smelling a closer controversy: Kelly v Pap. Too few data points to go head over heels, but the former did make a convincing bid yesterday.
as dubya said, "mission accomplished!!!!!" wooo what summer its gonna be.
Awesome the Nats won but I would love to see a detailed breakdown exploring the chances that Joe Maddon actually owns Ryan Zimmerman's soul now.
I'm honestly not trying to be a troll here, I just want an educated community to allay my fears: could Bryce be hurt? He seems to be getting the bat on the ball again, but he's not driving it.
Anon - Bryce doesn't look hurt to me. He seems on occasion to be bailing out towards first base though. My guess is that he's just not seeing the ball well right now. When you compare to April... I bet the baseball looked big as a beach ball to him then.
I gotta say... I respect the hell out of Joe Maddon's managerial skills. He found a button to push with Zim and is making the most of it.
After his walkoff on Sunday, Jayson Werth was asked what was going through his mind (always a pretty dumb question) to which he responded that he was trying to go braindead - no thinking, just reacting. Zim looked pretty bad when Maddon pushed his button... too much thinking. Here's to braindead zombie Werth - I like this version. More zombie hitters!
@Anon
I think he's still pressing. The ball he flied to right center he should have let get a little deeper and he could have put it over the fence in left. Everyone knows he can turn on a ball, which is why everyone pitches him outside lately. He needs to start driving that ball to left and then he'll be just as dangerous again
When Max Scherzer is on he is about as unhittable as any pitcher has ever been except maybe Nolan Ryan and Sandy Koufax.
Very nice victory last night. But once again Joe Maddon had his guy intentionally walk the bases loaded to pitch to Ryan Zimmerman, and once again Zim racked up a big fat K. It's in Zim's head. He's so anxious now to stick it to the Cubs it's messing with his ABs. You could see it in the first pitch: low and away and he would have chased it all the way to the Anacostia.
Fortunately Bryce is hitting much better, and they're having to pitch to him since Murphy is next in the lineup now. The real treat is seeing Ramos, Rendon, and Espinosa tearing it up now at the bottom of the order.
Gio Gonzalez goes tonight. Boy would I love to see him get his early season form back. His last start wasn't that bad once his pitches started reaching the plate. Unfortunately he spent the first two innings bouncing everything except his fast ball about 59 feet...and his fast ball was topping out at 90 mph and fat.
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