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The Washington Nationals (2005-), 2019 WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS! W00000000000T!


DonRocks

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The team is playing some really good baseball these days. It's a nice change after a terrible April.

The Nats won 2 of the final 3 games of the Mets series, while being outscored 4-2 (there's actually only 1 mathematically possible way to do that). I suspect winning 3 of the 4-game series might be looked upon as a turning point in their season - it's early, we'll see - but to win those final 2 games by a score of 1-0 must be a huge psychological boost, giving confidence to both the starters and the closers, and taking pressure off the hitters.

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Good decision.  We were at last night's game the first 7 innings were maddening. We almost left early and we never do that. >clip< Tanner Roark's first save was something to behold, especially given how he got the last out.

I know there are strong opinions about Chick-fil-A on this board. [http://www.donrockwell.com/index.php?/topic/3875-chick-fil-a-a-large-atlanta-based-chicken-sandwich-chain-now-with-a-food-truck/?p=48817] [i'll fix links when I'm not behind a big, green firewall]

As a reminder to darkstar's post in the Eating at Nations Park thread, this season has a new promotion [http://www.donrockwell.com/index.php?/topic/8631-eating-at-nationals-park/?p=290739]

For seven days after an at-home save, show your game ticket (or season plan holder card) and get a free regular sandwich.

post-226-0-35764600-1430854606_thumb.jpg

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The Nats won 2 of the final 3 games of the Mets series, while being outscored 4-2 (there's actually only 1 mathematically possible way to do that). I suspect winning 3 of the 4-game series might be looked upon as a turning point in their season - it's early, we'll see - but to win those final 2 games by a score of 1-0 must be a huge psychological boost, giving confidence to both the starters and the closers, and taking pressure off the hitters.

If the team goes on to 1st place in the division and postseason, I don't think anyone will cite the Mets series as a turning point. The turning point was when Dan Uggla hit the winning home run at Turner Field the week prior. They scored 34 runs in 3 games there and the starting pitching got back on track in the last game before NY.  The two 1-0 scores were great but not how you win sustainably.  Have to have a balanced attack with smart baserunning, solid defense, situational hitting and strong pitching. The Nats rotation is the assumed lead horse for the team. So a 1-0 shutout here and there is fully built into the expectations for the team. The relative unknowns are the bats and the pen.  The bats have been wildiy inconsistent for three years, along with the past month.  And, this year, the pen has only started looking good for about the past week.

They do seem to have turned a corner.  Wining this series against Miami would be great since most believe the Marlins are the most serious competitors in the division.  Just need one of two of the next two games to do that.  Then the Braves are in town, hopefully for some more pummeling.  And, then another serious test with the Yankees here for two.

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Tonight's 2-1 loss to Miami perfectly illustrates the point that great pitching alone isn't enough. The staff tonight, especially the pen after Strasburg was pulled in the 3rd with a mysterious ailment, did a great job. But, the offense only had three hits and a single run. This is much more illustrative of the few-year trend and, with it, the team's big opportunity for this season.

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Currently 10-0, 1 out in the top of the 2nd in Arizona.

Correction:  Now 2 outs, and Bronx cheers.

In 2010, I went to Jason Marquis' much-hyped debut for the Nats, and after ONE OUT in the top of the first inning, they were down 10-0.

Marquis' stats for that game: 4 hits, 1 BB, 2 HBP, and 7 earned runs - he was lifted after seven batters, and did not record a single out. Miguel Battista, Marquis' replacement, loaded the bases and allowed a grand slam, and by that time, the Nationals had only retired one batter, on a sacrifice fly.

There may be other major league games that started out this badly, but I don't know of any. Somewhat amazingly, the final score was 11-7. The day before, Livan Hernandez had pitched a four-hit shutout, and had retired 27 batters.

Another factoid: At that moment in time, Marquis' W-L was 0-3, and he had a 20.52 ERA.

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In 2010, I went to Jason Marquis' much-hyped debut for the Nats, and after ONE OUT in the top of the first inning, they were down 10-0.

Marquis' stats for that game: 4 hits, 1 BB, 2 HBP, and 7 earned runs - he was lifted after seven betters, and did not record a single out.

There may be other major league games that started out this badly, but I don't know of any.

That'll do a number on your self-esteem.

He's a starting pitcher for the Reds now.

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That'll do a number on your self-esteem.

He's a starting pitcher for the Reds now.

Now that manager Dusty Baker is gone, being a pitcher on the Reds isn't always the death knell of your career.

We didn't watch last night's game--past our bedtimes--but Mr. BLB has Josh Collmenter (Arizona Diamondbacks) on his fantasy team and I have Max Scherzer on mine.  Only one of us was happy this morning.  (I could have warned him.  I had Collmenter two years ago and didn't keep him but that would have been collusion...)

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Now that manager Dusty Baker is gone, being a pitcher on the Reds isn't always the death knell of your career.

We didn't watch last night's game--past our bedtimes--but Mr. BLB has Josh Collmenter (Arizona Diamondbacks) on his fantasy team and I have Max Scherzer on mine.  Only one of us was happy this morning.  (I could have warned him.  I had Collmenter two years ago and didn't keep him but that would have been collusion...)

Are you a Reds fan, blb?

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Are you a Reds fan, blb?

Cardinals, born and bred.  But what Dusty Baker did to pitchers, starting with the Giants and then with the Reds makes me shudder.

(Fantasy baseball gets a lot of knocks for creating fans more interested in individual players than in the outcome of the game see: Dream Teams - but for me, I pay much attention to the game beyond the Cardinals because of my fantasy baseball participation.  And I've developed irrational attachments to all sorts of players.  Like Pedro Martinez whom I had for $1 when he was first an Expo...)

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Scherzer pitches a complete game 1-hitter and sets a new club record with 16 strikeouts (the previous record was 14) in a 4-0 win against the Brewers.  Only hit was a pop-up single just into the outfield that Rendon couldn't quite reach.  One walk.

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Scherzer's been amazing, but the whole rotation has been stepping it up. Last six Nationals starts:

6/19: Joe Ross, 7.1 IP, 1 run allowed

6/20: Max Scherzer, 9 IP, 0 runs allowed

6/21: Gio Gonzalez, 7 IP, 0 runs allowed

6/23: Stephen Strasburg, 5 IP, 0 runs allowed

6/24: Jordan Zimmermann, 8 IP, 0 runs allowed

6/25: Doug Fister, 7 IP, 0 runs allowed

pretty incredible run

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Scherzer's been amazing, but the whole rotation has been stepping it up. Last six Nationals starts:

6/19: Joe Ross, 7.1 IP, 1 run allowed

6/20: Max Scherzer, 9 IP, 0 runs allowed

6/21: Gio Gonzalez, 7 IP, 0 runs allowed

6/23: Stephen Strasburg, 5 IP, 0 runs allowed

6/24: Jordan Zimmermann, 8 IP, 0 runs allowed

6/25: Doug Fister, 7 IP, 0 runs allowed

pretty incredible run

Quite: 41 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings as of right now, with Mad Max on deck. The May, 2008 Indians had an impressive 44 1/3 innings, so this is the best team performance for that stat in over 7 years, with Cleveland's mark well-within reach - does anyone know what the next hurdle is beyond that, and when it happened, and by whom?

Scherzer has two separate things he's pitching for, both basically involving "doing" the same thing. It's going to be quite a bit of pressure on him, but he seems like he has it in pretty good perspective, and should he falter, he'll smile, and relish his accomplishments (which he should), all the while most likely being gnawed apart from the insides. :) But if he falters on hits, he can still preserve the lack of runs. Gosh what a great signing he has been. I hope Strasburg realizes that this is taking pressure *off* of him - one of the things that impresses me about the Nats fans is that they're not busting on Strasburg because they know he's trying as hard as he can.

We really have a *likable* team, don't we? From the reserves on up to top management. I don't care what the evil media is saying about Harper - he's a good guy, and he's just fine by me. They're just jealous that they don't have him on their pet teams. I say that not with scorn, but because he's a *good guy* and doesn't deserve the trashing he sometimes gets. It has nothing to do with him being young; he's just *not a jerk*. Am I wrong?

Gosh, I sure hope these guys like playing for the Nats as much they appear to like it - I'd like to have them around for awhile.

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"If Scherzer can start Friday night's game against Philadelphia with four scoreless innings, the Nationals will eclipse the 2008 Indians (44 1/3 innings) and have the second-longest scoreless streak in the expansion era. Orioles starters threw 54 consecutive scoreless innings in 1974."

"Nats Starters Set Franchise Scoreless Streak" by Jacob Emert on m.nationals.mlb.com

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"If Scherzer can start Friday night's game against Philadelphia with four scoreless innings, the Nationals will eclipse the 2008 Indians (44 1/3 innings) and have the second-longest scoreless streak in the expansion era. Orioles starters threw 54 consecutive scoreless innings in 1974."

"Nats Starters Set Franchise Scoreless Streak" by Jacob Emert on m.nationals.mlb.com

The Orioles did it during 9/1/71 (9th inning) through 9/7/74 (1st 8 innings). The details and box scores are here - pretty impressive: 1 inning away from 6 consecutive shutouts; Ross Grimsley gave up 2 runs in the 9th.

How am I supposed to pull against Brooks Robinson, Mark Belanger, Paul Blair, Mike Cuellar, Dave McNally, and Jim Palmer? You know it would've never happened if it weren't for them. This record also occurred during a 10-game winning streak in which the Orioles only allowed 9 runs in those 10 games.

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Hey! Wake up! The lack of participation in this thread is directly responsible for causing the Nats to slip. We're tied with the freakin' Mets after being up 3 games!

I predict a win tonight due to my presence at the ballpark. What are YOU doing to get them back on track?

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Mike, just FYI, I grew up an Orioles fan, but I'm pulling for the Nats all the way now.

I kinda did too when my father moved to Baltimore in my teens. I've probably been to 100 games or so over the years. Before that, I was a Yankees fan. Sad but true.

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I kinda did too when my father moved to Baltimore in my teens. I've probably been to 100 games or so over the years. Before that, I was a Yankees fan. Sad but true.

You always have a fondness for your childhood team. This is not necessarily a monogamous relationship; if it was, I would have divorced the Redskins years ago.

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Well, that didn't work out so well...

Hope you stayed til the end. It got kind of exciting!

I was a Houston Astros fan until I gave that up completely the year DC got the Nationals, 2005. That turned out to be the ONLY year the Astros ever made it to the World Series, and I had switched allegiances! They got swept by Chicago White Sox, all tight games.

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If Papelbon can be a well-behaved closer, I'm all for it.  Storen got screwed, but he's a trouper and I hope he flourishes in his new role.

I love reading about your posts, especially about hockey. I wish every single member here would write about their hobbies and passions, regardless of whether or not we have threads or forums from them. I can always create new threads and forums, and I'm willing to go out and recruit experts to converse with you. Everyone, please consider it?

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Is it all over but the crying?   :mellow:

It's over in a big way. 3 years ago we all thought the Nats could lead the NL for years to come. Now the future of the Mets, Cubs, and Pirates (at minimum) appear much much brighter. Yankees future will be good too when Harper is in pinstripes. :(

You've both picked an odd time to be saying this - the Nationals have won 4 series in a row, and they're 8-4 in their last 12 games.

Granted, the Mets are 9-3 in their last 12 games and have actually increased their lead by a game, but no team plays .750 baseball for very long. The Mets are playing like champions, and deserve to be where they are right now. And don't forget that in 2014, the Mets had a 79-83 record - such are the consequences of parity in baseball. Personally, I would like nothing more than a villain such as the 1927 Yankees to simultaneously marvel at, and try to gun down.

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There's still time left. They better freakin' win today.

I don't know, Mike - games like last night are devastating. I looked online and saw the Nats were ahead 7-1 late in the game, then checked a moment later and it was 7-2, and was like ... oh, so what. Then I checked a few minutes later and it was 7-6, and I started to really worry.

"How Mets Stole NL East from Nationals" by Adam Rubin and Eddie Matz on espn.go.com

I question whether or not we'll see Matt Williams back next year. At this point, I'll take a 2nd-place finish, a .500+ season, and ... Wait Til' Next Year! It's hugely important that they finish over .500 because people judge franchises by long-term traditions, and this season won't be looked at as a total loss. *Now* it is, because it's so fresh in our minds, but 20 years from now, most people will merely be glancing at the standings, and this would be the 4th straight year they've gone over .500.

Take a look at this:

"List of Washington Nationals Seasons" on wikipedia.com

2012 will be looked upon as a pivotal season for the Nats if they can keep the .500+ ball going. I understand that's cold comfort right now, but it's probably all we can hope for.

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"How Mets Stole NL East from Nationals" by Adam Rubin and Eddie Matz on espn.go.com

It's more like "How the Nationals Gave Away the NL East." At least in the print edition the headline about the Tuesday night loss was "Giveaway Night."

See Barry Svrluga's WaPo piece on Sept. 8:

"In One Inning, Nationals' Bullpen Delivers a Tough Truth and Tougher Consequences"

If not for the bullpen I believe we would have swept the Cardinals last week and the Mets this week. We would probably be only one or two games behind in the standings, imo.

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For an outside shot, at the bare minimum, the Nats need to make up 3 games on the Mets over the next 10.  That sets up the possibility of a division tie with a sweep at Citi Field to close out the season (and then a pesky tie breaker game).  Unlikely?  Sure.  Doable?  The Mets have not exactly been lighting it up recently and the Nats seem to be firing on more cylinders offensively.  Until that last series both of them face a cavalcade of patsies.

I'm not sure what would be worse: stumbling in to finish 7 or 8 back and having to dwell on another season lost as the favorites to win it all, or clawing back only to lose Game 162 in heartbreaking fashion?  At least Storen won't be available as potential Knife Plunger in Chief.

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At least Storen won't be available as potential Knife Plunger in Chief.

That line made me think of this quote from Thomas Boswell's chat today:

A: Thomas Boswell

It's not over. Could be soon. Don't tear your hair. The pain's over. They already blew it. Just watch and enjoy it in case the Mets blow it right back to 'em. Sure, very long shot. But longshots are fun, too. Just a different kind.

If Nats (Storen) hadn't blown that 7-1 lead to the Mets, the lead would be four games.

If Storen hadn't given up the grand slam to Carlos Gonzalez, when he was the hottest hitter in baseball for a month, to blow a 4-1 lead, it's be three games.

If Williams had used Storen and Papelbon correctly in New York, the Mets wouldn't have swept that series and the lead would be one game.

And if frogs had wings...

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That line made me think of this quote from Thomas Boswell's chat today:

A: Thomas Boswell

It's not over. Could be soon. Don't tear your hair. The pain's over. They already blew it. Just watch and enjoy it in case the Mets blow it right back to 'em. Sure, very long shot. But longshots are fun, too. Just a different kind.

If Nats (Storen) hadn't blown that 7-1 lead to the Mets, the lead would be four games.

If Storen hadn't given up the grand slam to Carlos Gonzalez, when he was the hottest hitter in baseball for a month, to blow a 4-1 lead, it's be three games.

If Williams had used Storen and Papelbon correctly in New York, the Mets wouldn't have swept that series and the lead would be one game.

And if frogs had wings...

This reminds me of what Ken Beatrice used to say on his radio show:

"If Ifs and Buts were candy and nuts, oh, what a party we'd have!"

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