Nationals vs Brewers - NL WILD CARD

[imref]

Jesse Doughtry:

Final tweet before I try to steal a few Zs: Juan Soto wasn’t caught in a rundown in the way you may have thought he was. He kept running to draw a throw to third so Anthony Rendon could score. It was the biggest moment of his baseball life and that’s what he was thinking.

[Natsinpwc]

Jesse Doughtry:

It was good baserunning but they had no shot at Rendon.

[Natsinpwc]

Getting to watch the replay!  Thanks MBC sports. Don’t tell me who won.

[trangert418]

Jesse Doughtry:

For a moment I was wondering if Soto had thought it was a walk off 😂

[Scrapple]

WOW!!!!!!

So happy for all Nats fans that have been at the Park and had to witness the times we were eliminated.

CONGRATULATIONS NATS FANS!!!!!! THE 800 POUND GORILLA IS FINALLY OFF OUR BACK!!!!!!



 


LETS GO NAAAAAAAAATS!!!

[Slateman]

[Elvir Ovcina]

Maybe.

I’m amazed there are no off days scheduled in the NLDS.

It pretty much has to be Corbin and then Sanchez or Strasburg.   Game 2 is Friday night, so Scherzer and Strasburg would only have 2 days rest.  Strasburg threw 34 pitches last night, but Thursday would be normal rest for him based on his last start and yesterday would have been his bullpen day.   Travel day Saturday gets them both full rest before coming back to DC.   

[awbb]

Slate's got me on ignore.

[Natsinpwc]

It pretty much has to be Corbin and then Sanchez or Strasburg.   Game 2 is Friday night, so Scherzer and Strasburg would only have 2 days rest.  Strasburg threw 34 pitches last night, but Thursday would be normal rest for him based on his last start and yesterday would have been his bullpen day.   Travel day Saturday gets them both full rest before coming back to DC.

Looking on MLB at bat and it’s showing no travel off day. Maybe that’s a mistake?

[Five Banners]

Looking on MLB at bat and it’s showing no travel off day. Maybe that’s a mistake?

Yes, looks like Saturday is the travel day

[Natsinpwc]

Yes, looks like Saturday is the travel day

Ok. That makes sense.

[Elvir Ovcina]

Looking on MLB at bat and it’s showing no travel off day. Maybe that’s a mistake?

https://www.mlb.com/news/2019-mlb-postseason-schedule

[Count Walewski]

Definitely woke up this morning and had the "oh crap, the rotation is freaked" realization. But sometimes miracles happen! The Nats could beat Kershaw or Anibal Sanchez could throw a gem you never know.

[bluestreak]

Scherzer is definitely the goat, but I’ve got to give a tiny bit of credit for settling down and not giving up any more runs. Gutting it out and getting out of the jam in the 5th was huge.

[Count Walewski]

I went to MLB.com this morning to confirm something I suspected all the way from Section 138 - Hader suffered a complete lack of control in the 8th inning and the Nationals helped him out a lot by swinging.

Victor Robles, who struck out to lead off the inning, was thrown 6 pitches, of which only 1 was in the strike zone. Trea Turner would have walked if he just didn't swing at all, he was thrown only one real strike.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

One other thing though.  How the hell do you pick good late inning relievers you can count on these days???  Hader sure seem like he’d be near or at the top of the list to count on and twice this week he had a chance to get his team into the nlds and failed miserably. 

I'm betting on Hader taking this more like Mariano Rivera than Drew Storen.  Think about those ABs. He takes care of Robles, then if that HBP to Taylor is called a foul, Hader is still in it.  He Ks Turner, so you don't even get to Face of the Franchise.  He then saws off Face, and if Cain throws 3d (accurately) instead of eating it and walking it into second, Taylor is nailed and inning over, 2 run lead, fewer pitches, into the 9th we go.  Why Taylor is running there (never make the 1st or 3d out going into 3d, he's not the tying run, etc...).  Rendon works a spectacular walk, then he gets ahead on Soto.  This is Rivera v. the D-backs in '01 or Storen in 2012 Game 5.  He should not beat himself up. If the Nats become to him what the D-backs are to Strasburg, then there are still 28 other teams to beat up.

[Baseball is Life]

Jesse Doughtry:

Yeah, I'm not buying that Soto got in the rundown to make sure Rendon had scored. Rendon had already crossed the plate way before Soto got in the rundown. In fact, if Soto had kept going he had a chance to be safe at 3B. But that's nitpicking. It all worked out.

[Baseball is Life]

I'm betting on Hader taking this more like Mariano Rivera than Drew Storen.  Think about those ABs. He takes care of Robles, then if that HBP to Taylor is called a foul, Hader is still in it.  He Ks Turner, so you don't even get to Face of the Franchise.  He then saws off Face, and if Cain throws 3d (accurately) instead of eating it and walking it into second, Taylor is nailed and inning over, 2 run lead, fewer pitches, into the 9th we go.  Why Taylor is running there (never make the 1st or 3d out going into 3d, he's not the tying run, etc...).  Rendon works a spectacular walk, then he gets ahead on Soto.  This is Rivera v. the D-backs in '01 or Storen in 2012 Game 5.  He should not beat himself up. If the Nats become to him what the D-backs are to Strasburg, then there are still 28 other teams to beat up.

From where I was sitting Cain had no chance at Taylor whatsoever. He was playing back in no doubles defense and Taylor saw the play in front of him the whole way. And you also don't know if Cain's ankle affected his ability to plant and throw.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

For a whole series, you can't afford three catchers.  And, you need more pitchers.  I want Voth on the roster.  If there is a choice between Stevenson and Adams, I want Stevenson.

Stevenson has been quite useful this year.  I'd like to find a way to have him on the roster.  That said, Adams is big pop against righties so is a nice PH option.  I think we need more than just Parra to hit v. RHP with platoon splits.  Voth needs to be on the roster, maybe more than Suero.  Only caveat on Suero is I'd like to see Strickland's career numbers v. the Dodgers.  I'm think Suero's cutter is more useful against lefties hitters than Strickland's stuff.  3d catcher is useful for this team because we have a catcher we may want to use as a PH.  For injury / defensive flexibility, you need Dozier if you are going to A-Cab as the backup SS and 3B when he starts at 2d.

This is a tough call, but I think 6 OFs is a luxury.  Got to be Stevenson or MAT who goes.

[nfotiu]

From where I was sitting Cain had no chance at Taylor whatsoever. He was playing back in no doubles defense and Taylor saw the play in front of him the whole way. And you also don't know if Cain's ankle affected his ability to plant and throw.

Yeah, I'm not seeing he had any shot at Taylor looking at those replays, and Zimmerman's run is much more important, so it make sense to make sure you're keeping him at first.  I think they were saying Hader is 7 for 14 on one out saves.

[bluestreak]

From where I was sitting Cain had no chance at Taylor whatsoever. He was playing back in no doubles defense and Taylor saw the play in front of him the whole way. And you also don't know if Cain's ankle affected his ability to plant and throw.

I sit down the third base line. Cain had zero chance to throw out Taylor. A throw would have put the tying run on second.

[nfotiu]

Yeah, I'm not buying that Soto got in the rundown to make sure Rendon had scored. Rendon had already crossed the plate way before Soto got in the rundown. In fact, if Soto had kept going he had a chance to be safe at 3B. But that's nitpicking. It all worked out.

Yeah, I think he was already celebrating.  And that's fine.  It let Hudson get right out there instead of having to think about what a huge situation he was coming into.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Got a selfie with Jayson Werth in the elevator before the game. I did that for y’all.

https://imgur.com/gallery/g3fjiSy

awesome! 

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Maybe.

I’m amazed there are no off days scheduled in the NLDS.

Saturday is an off day, I think.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Jesse Doughtry:

That seems right. It is the go ahead run, and if there's any doubt at all about Rendon, you have to try to draw the throw.  Deliberately getting caught in a run down is often the smart play.