Fire Dusty Baker!

[JCA-CrystalCity]

I mean it's like he's trying to get fired. I just don't understand what he's doing? You couldn't bungle this series any worse then he has. It's such a bummer because I like dusty a lot.

OK, I'm devil's advocate.  I give a rat's behind whether the Lerners get another gate at Nats Park.  I want to go to an NLCS. In order to do that, can one of you explain to me how a win in Game 4 without a win in Game 5 accomplishes that?  You need to win both.  Game 4 is not more important than Game 5 when a loss in either means you don't get to the NLCS.  Unless, of course, you want to line the Lerners pockets.

That said, what is the better path to winning what you need, which is both games?  Roark on the road, Stras at home, gio long, or Stras on the road, Gio at home, and Roark in the pen?   Honestly, I don't have a strong feeling one way or the other,  but, if Stras isn't feeling right, and he has a better home record, and Roark has a decent track record v. the Cubs, and having Gio in the pen means you can flip around a line up as soon as there's any sign of trouble, then there's at least an argument for what Dusty is doing.

[Scraps]

Dusty say Stras is "under the weather." Says there's a lot of mold in Chicago. You can't make this crap up...

 

[skippy1999]

It was Strasburg's decision.

Well then Stephen definitely belongs in the "gutless" category, who doesn't want the ball in the biggest game of the year?  They have medicine to get you through three hours of anything, this is beyond disappointing it's actually infuriating.  Thanks for nothing, Stras.   

[OvechkinsWodka]

I would entertain trading him... If he just didn't kill his value.

[Slateman]

Honestly, I think Dusty is just covering for his player(s). In that, I admire him.

[Ray D]

Dusty say Stras is "under the weather." Says there's a lot of mold in Chicago. You can't make this crap up...

And there's the air conditioning, that's a factor too....

[HalfSmokes]

It was Strasburg's decision.

Source?

[Ray D]

Source?

Doesn't matter what source, you can't believe a word that comes out of this organization.  You can only speculate.  I speculate that Strasburg gave an objective report on how he felt, did not say he did not want to pitch,  nor that he did, but left it up to management, who decided that based on his condition we have a better chance with Roark. Whether it was Dusty or Rizzo who made that decision, I don't know; my guess, Dusty, because I think Rizzo is smarter than that.

[SkinsNatFan21RIP]

I would entertain trading him... If he just didn't kill his value.

You actually think this would kill Strasburg's value? 

[Smithian]

This is the thing that killed them and gets overlooked. That ball could not be placed any better. But the reason that was enough to beat them was because they just have not been able to put together any semblance of offense.

Correct.

Problem is pitching or management. It's a loaded lineup crashing again in the postseason. Baker can't make them hit.

[RobDibblesGhost]

Every beat writer says that it was an organizational decision, meaning Rizzo, Maddux, Dusty and who knows who else. No way Dusty does this on his own.

[HalfSmokes]

Doesn't matter what source, you can't believe a word that comes out of this organization.  You can only speculate.  I speculate that Strasburg gave an objective report on how he felt, did not say he did not want to pitch,  nor that he did, but left it up to management, who decided that based on his condition we have a better chance with Roark. Whether it was Dusty or Rizzo who made that decision, I don't know; my guess, Dusty, because I think Rizzo is smarter than that.

If we're speculating, my guess is that the idiot manager wanted to show trust in his players so he didn't skip Roark. There was an uproar and now they're scrambling to justify the decision

[skippy1999]

If we're speculating, my guess is that the idiot manager wanted to show trust in his players so he didn't skip Roark. There was an uproar and now they're scrambling to justify the decision

Really? Stephen knows how people feel about him not "demanding" not to be shut down in 2012 and he's been dealing with the "delicate flower" designation ever since, you think he'd be on board with them making up him being sick and not wanting the ball in the most important game of the season? I have no doubt that Stephen felt "wheezy" while jogging (so he was there, jogging, so he wasn't exactly curled up in bed with a raging fever and coughing up lungs) and therefore decided nope, can't go, y'all figure this out.  Dusty Baker does not have a contract after this year, he's been to the post season how many times and never won it all, you think loyalty to a mediocre pitcher is his deciding factor?? I don't blame anyone but Strasburg, no one can force the flower to pitch when the conditions are not completely optimal apparently. 

[HalfSmokes]

I don't care how much of a flower Strasburg is, if he's healthy enough to not be in the hospital, he'd be demanding the ball. I think he's being a team player - maybe he has a cold, but I doubt he wants to sit

[bluestreak]

I don't care how much of a flower Strasburg is, if he's healthy enough to not be in the hospital, he'd be demanding the ball. I think he's being a team player - maybe he has a cold, but I doubt he wants to sit

What are you basing this on? Nothing in his history indicates that he would demand the ball if he was less than 100 percent.

[skippy1999]

I don't care how much of a flower Strasburg is, if he's healthy enough to not be in the hospital, he'd be demanding the ball. I think he's being a team player - maybe he has a cold, but I doubt he wants to sit

you have way more faith in him than I do.

[HalfSmokes]

What are you basing this on? Nothing in his history indicates that he would demand the ball if he was less than 100 percent.

everything else has to do with his arm which was what would get him paid. This is the sniffles and he's been paid

[HalfSmokes]

you have way more faith in him than I do.

I'd rather not spend the rest of his time here rooting against him. Dusty is on his way out- so I'll choose to blame him unless something else comes out

[nats2playoffs]

You actually think this would kill Strasburg's value?

Actually, there have been 546 murders in Chicago in 2017.
http://crime.chicagotribune.com/chicago/homicides

Maybe there is a Hit on for Strasburg, for a member of his family, or for Dusty Baker.

[bluestreak]

I'd rather not spend the rest of his time here rooting against him. Dusty is on his way out- so I'll choose to blame him unless something else comes out

[Leroy Veritas]

Correct.

Problem is pitching or management. It's a loaded lineup crashing again in the postseason. Baker can't make them hit.

He can put Kendrick, Lind, and Difo in the lineup. He won't because he's incompetent.

[Slateman]

What are you basing this on? Nothing in his history indicates that he would demand the ball if he was less than 100 percent.

He pitched with icy hot.

Sorry, but I'm tired of players who are too hurt to give the performance the team needs and not telling anyone. Gio or Roark is better than Strasburg with a bug.

[Optics]

I'm actually with Slate. Stras has proven over his career that if he's off by even a little bit, his performance suffers big time.  He actually kinda reminds me of Kirk Cousins in that way. He's so wed to his routine and things being a certain way and if he's off, his whole game falls apart.

If he really isn't feeling all that well, just pitch Roark today and hope Stras is healthy for tomorrow. Last thing we want is Stras out there having one of his down starts where he has 20 pitch 1st inning, walking guys, giving up extra base hits to 8 hole hitters, etc.

[GhostofNickJohnson]

Correct.

Problem is pitching or management. It's a loaded lineup crashing again in the postseason. Baker can't make them hit.

no, but he could be smart enough to understand that that situation calls for your closer...not some guy that is basically an iron mike in regards to Rizzo.  You get out of the inning and live to fight another day.  Tell me something...has anybody ever seen Buck and Dusty in the same place at the same time?  That move was pure Buck from the 2016 WC game in Toronto.

[wpa2629]

no, but he could be smart enough to understand that that situation calls for your closer...not some guy that is basically an iron mike in regards to Rizzo.  You get out of the inning and live to fight another day.  Tell me something...has anybody ever seen Buck and Dusty in the same place at the same time?  That move was pure Buck from the 2016 WC game in Toronto.

You do realize that the Solis/Perez moves he made in the game before worked perfectly to the Nats advantage. It's not like it was untested in the current post season. 


That being said, I would have gone Kintzler, Madson, Doolittle myself - they got us there, let's see what they can do