Friday, August 04, 2017

Weekend

The Nats are 6.5 games ahead of the Cubs for HFA in the NLCS*. Yes, I'm assuming the Cubs win the Central. I think given the fact that they've stretched out their lead to 5.5 1.5 games already, they tried to get better while the Brewers stood pat, and, well, they are the better team, makes that the safe bet.  The Nats play the Cubs in a three game set. Any sort of Nats win... I won't say it will seal up HFA but it just as well might. 7.5+ games with under two months to go is a tough ask.  Not impossible mind you, but really tough.  5.5 or less though, that can happen. Two games do make a difference.

In this important series the Nats won't have Strasburg as he misses his second start after initially being noted as "may not even miss his next start", Gio (paternity), and Scherzer (giving an extra day). So the team has it's work cut out for it but good luck I say.

If you are worried by Scherzer not pitching this game don't be. It could have gone either way, with him likely to pitch because it keeps the 4 days off schedule, but possibly not pitching because if you go in order per game Monday would be his start with an extra day off.  So why not give him an extra day off and let him pitch at home if that's not even really doing anything crazy?  I would.

Anyway post away as the Nats try to keep the surging Cubs at bay.  They've won their World Series so now they are definitely full of themselves bad guys easy to root against. Go Nats.


*Nats are 12 games behind the Dodgers so forget about that.
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11 comments:

  1. Jimmy10:35 AM

    Brewers only down by 1.5 games right now. But I still think Cubs when that division.

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  2. Karl Kolchak11:20 AM

    Hope Roark is in top form--otherwise with no long reliever on the staff this series could get really ugly.

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  3. blovy81:01 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  4. blovy81:02 PM

    Nats are paying tax on payroll according to MLB Trade Rumors.

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  5. Harper1:37 PM

    Whoops - thanks wrong column. I thought that was curious

    blovy8 - luxury tax always confused me because it's not the same as payroll and because the Nats have all these funny contracts.

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  6. 11Zimmerman114:58 PM

    that bullpen today :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

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  7. Froggy11:06 AM

    54 games left. If the Nats go .500 the rest of the way they end up 91-71 and likely play the Cubs. I think with a healthy Strasburg, $cherzer, Gio and Verlander....er...I mean Roackson we beat the Cubs.

    Two bigger questions are:
    1) will the fan base be content with coasting in to the playoffs ala playing .500 ball

    2) does Dusty get a contract extension before postseason play.

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  8. Anonymous5:36 PM

    Can someone explain why the nats put Bryce on waivers? MLBTR says it was just procedural but why do they need to do this?

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  9. DezoPenguin5:42 AM

    Teams basically put everybody on revocable waivers. That way, if for some odd reason a trade offer comes along that they get blown away by, they can work out a deal. I mean, why not? What happens for someone like Harper, of course, is that he gets claimed almost immediately and the Nats pull him back.

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  10. NotBobby6:36 AM

    Also, some GMs like to play games with the revocable waivers. The GM is looking to trade one or two players, but puts everyone on waivers to hide the desire to trade the one or two players. Especially if the player is popular in the clubhouse, then it doesn't put a burr in the player's saddle knowing that he was one of only four players - or whatever - who was put on waivers.

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  11. Froggy6:54 AM

    So....WAS everyone else put on RW as well?

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