WORLD SERIES DAY

Let's get right into it folks

What the Nats need to do to win

Aces gotta ace.  The forever requirement is not just about keeping the Astros down, but about having the Nats avoid pen usage as much as possible. This is as much about 1-2-3 run outings as it is going 7+ innings. So far Max and Stras have mostly aced, and while Corbin has been a little shaky, Sanchez filled up that space. 2 aces acing may not be enough so this needs to keep up.

Remember the Dodgers Plan. The Dodgers were beaten in part by an aggressive bullpen plan that used the starters as relievers multiple times. We need to see the same here. We need to see the best arms out there not only to hold onto leads but to keep winnable games close. There's time to rest in the off-season. Time to heal when you are looking at your World Series ring.

Someone else has gotta get hot. Right now it's Rendon, Howie, and a bunch of timely hitting. But "Yan Gomes will keep coming through" is probably not going to work. The Nats need someone else to get team carrying hot along with the two aforementioned bats.  Soto is the most likely guy, but it doesn't have to be him. Turner, Eaton, hell Suzuki, Zimm - someone good just has to have that series. And oh yeah, Rendon and Kendrick can't cool off.

Keep up the solid D.  Outside of Howie's early NLCS issues and Soto's continuing audition for first base the Nats have played pretty well in the field. They'll need to keep that up as Houston puts the ball in play a ton. The Nats defense is probably average, with highlights (Rendon, Robles) covering for the lowlights, and average in baseball is actually pretty good. So this isn't asking for anything crazy here.


What the Astros need to do to win.

Take advantage of the AL game.  The DH allows you to get an extra bat in there and to go through relievers with a bit more abandon. The Nats won't be helped too much by this, because their added bat (probably Dozier as Howie shifts to DH) will simply be ok and they've already established pitching performance not pinch hitting decisions were what decided how long their pitchers went. The Astros, with a few arms they can use, and an extra bat that should hit very well should be able to take advantage of it more. The DH was a disappointment in the ALCS. It would help the Astros a ton if it just met expectations in the World Series.

Keep hitting homers.  The Astros actually struggled in the ALCS with an unimpressive line against some solid starts and a very good pen. But they still won because they hit timely homers. Both Max and Stras have shown issues giving up the long ball, especially early in games. Aces can bear down and shut down rallies but they can't keep runs off the board if the ball goes over the fence.

Work the Nats starters. The Astros lead the majors in walks and batting average. Their .352 OBP is first in the majors (10 points ahead of the Nats - who for comparison are 10 points better than 8th place Chicago). Aces might be close to the top of their game but worked for the occasional walk and plenty of foul balls might still be forced out early. That's what the Astros need to do - get the starters out before the 6th ends. Make the Nats use more than 2 relievers

Don't get distracted. Did you hear the Astros cheat and care more about winning than domestic violence? Maybe this is an exaggeration but it's the story right now and off-field stories can get pretty distracting to players, especially when struggling and everything feels bigger. Hinch's job will be keep them on the game at hand and let everything else play out for itself.