I'll write up about the game, but for now it's time to soak it in!!!!!
Congrats Nats!
Thursday, October 31, 2019
Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Game 6 - Stras, the Umps, and Revenge
Whew! Let's first start with Stephen Strasburg. He continued his amazing pitching in the postseason- not just this one. He gave up two runs in the first, but after pitching coach Paul Menhart noticed he was tipping his pitches, he was masterful.
Anthony Rendon was also incredible. He knocked in one in the first, saved Major League Baseball in the 7th, and batted in two more in the 9th.
As for the top of the 7th, with Yan Gomes on first, Trea Turner seemingly beat out an infield single. The ball was thrown away. Gomes ended up on third, and Turner ended up on second. Sam Holbrook inexplicably called runner's interference even though Turner ran straight from the batter's box and shifted father right before touching the base. Turner made no play on the first baseman's glove.
After that call, which no one thinks was a good one,Game 6 of the 2019 World Series turned into a shitshow. The umpires went to the headphones for an extraordinarily long time. The official line from the MLB is that they were checking to see if the rule was applied correctly and seeing if the Nats could protest the game.
BULLSHIT!
Why did Gary Cedarstrom make the out signal after relinquishing the headset if the MLB was telling the truth? Sam Holbrook fucked up in Game 6 of the World Series. This was the third game the umpires showed extreme pro-Astros bias. The umps needed some kind of backing. So they faked a replay (an illegal replay) to make it look like they got some kind of confirmation that one of their umpires didn't just ruin the World Series.
Holbrook had missed a call the first batter of the game, who happened to be Trea Turner. Hmm, I wonder if that played a role in the interference call.
Two batters later, Rendon hit a two (should've been three) run homer to save Major League Baseball's ass.
After the inning, Dave Martinez argued with the umpires. I actually can't believe they threw him out of the game. The umpires messed up, and usually umpires allow managers to vent when they mess up. Major League Baseball needs to apologize if they want this cloud to be lifted off of the game's biggest stage.
The other story was Alex Bregman's inappropriate celebration after his first inning homerun. Bregman had watched his homer int he Game 2 in an exaggerated way. I hate criticizing a fellow Jew, but Bregman has to be better than that. Juan Soto hit a homer in the 5th and he carried the bat to first in retaliation. Apparently, the Astros didn't appreciate Soto's gesture, which smacks of hypocrisy if true.
The Nats won 7 (should've been 8) to 2. Except for maybe Stras, I'd take Max Scherzer as my Game 7 starter over anyone in baseball.
Anthony Rendon was also incredible. He knocked in one in the first, saved Major League Baseball in the 7th, and batted in two more in the 9th.
As for the top of the 7th, with Yan Gomes on first, Trea Turner seemingly beat out an infield single. The ball was thrown away. Gomes ended up on third, and Turner ended up on second. Sam Holbrook inexplicably called runner's interference even though Turner ran straight from the batter's box and shifted father right before touching the base. Turner made no play on the first baseman's glove.
After that call, which no one thinks was a good one,Game 6 of the 2019 World Series turned into a shitshow. The umpires went to the headphones for an extraordinarily long time. The official line from the MLB is that they were checking to see if the rule was applied correctly and seeing if the Nats could protest the game.
BULLSHIT!
Why did Gary Cedarstrom make the out signal after relinquishing the headset if the MLB was telling the truth? Sam Holbrook fucked up in Game 6 of the World Series. This was the third game the umpires showed extreme pro-Astros bias. The umps needed some kind of backing. So they faked a replay (an illegal replay) to make it look like they got some kind of confirmation that one of their umpires didn't just ruin the World Series.
Holbrook had missed a call the first batter of the game, who happened to be Trea Turner. Hmm, I wonder if that played a role in the interference call.
Two batters later, Rendon hit a two (should've been three) run homer to save Major League Baseball's ass.
After the inning, Dave Martinez argued with the umpires. I actually can't believe they threw him out of the game. The umpires messed up, and usually umpires allow managers to vent when they mess up. Major League Baseball needs to apologize if they want this cloud to be lifted off of the game's biggest stage.
The other story was Alex Bregman's inappropriate celebration after his first inning homerun. Bregman had watched his homer int he Game 2 in an exaggerated way. I hate criticizing a fellow Jew, but Bregman has to be better than that. Juan Soto hit a homer in the 5th and he carried the bat to first in retaliation. Apparently, the Astros didn't appreciate Soto's gesture, which smacks of hypocrisy if true.
The Nats won 7 (should've been 8) to 2. Except for maybe Stras, I'd take Max Scherzer as my Game 7 starter over anyone in baseball.
Monday, October 28, 2019
Game 5 - Blame the Umpire!
The Nats are down 4-1 in the 7th after a Juan Soto homer. Victor Robles just worked his way to a walk. Two on, two out. Yan Gomes smacks a single up the middle. It's 4-2, with Matt Adams coming up to pinch hit. Manager AJ Hinch lifts Gerrit Cole for Ryan Pressly. Pressly struggled in Game 2 and now is in a tough spot.
Big City crushes the ball over the wall in right field and the Nats take a 5-4 lead. Daniel Hudson comes in and pitches two scoreless innings, the Nats score another run in the 8th as the top of the lineup wakes up, and Washington wins 6-4 to take a 3-2 series lead heading back to Houston.
Except...
Home plate umpire Lance Barkdale made Gary Cedarstrom- Game 3's home plate umpire- look like he knew what he was doing. Robles was called out on a pitch that didn't sniff the strikezone. Joe Ross struck out Carlos Correa with his strike three pitch going squarely down the middle. Barksdale somehow missed it and called it a ball. Correa hit a two-run homer on the next pitch to take a 4-0 lead.
In the 6th, Tanner Rainey struck out Michael Brantley, except... Barksdale missed that one, too.
In today's world, everyone typically screams, "Conspiracy theory!" as if MLB prefers the Astros to win rather than the Nats. With these atrocious calls in Games 3 and 5, it's hard to resist the temptation to strap on my aluminium foil hat and start marching around the neighborhood in my underwear. But I chalk it up to incompetence. MLB's umpires, frankly, aren't very good if Barksdale and Cedarstrom are two of the six best.
The Nats had first and third in the second with no one out down 2-0 and failed to score. That was a key miss in the game, and only the offense is to blame for that one. But it's hard to mount a comeback when as a hitter you don't know where the zone is... and oh by the way you're facing one of the best pitchers in the game.
The game got out of hand in the late innings with Hudson on the mound. A familiar cliche is that closers have a hard time getting up for an outing when it's not a save situation. Yes, it's the World series, but you can't tell me a human being is going to give the same focus on the mound when his team is down 4-1 in the 8th as opposed to up a run.
The Nats were 19-31 through the first 50 games of the season. Yes, this was a disappointing 3 games, but 2-3 isn't an insurmountable hurdle when you started 19-31 and have won two games in the World Series.
Big City crushes the ball over the wall in right field and the Nats take a 5-4 lead. Daniel Hudson comes in and pitches two scoreless innings, the Nats score another run in the 8th as the top of the lineup wakes up, and Washington wins 6-4 to take a 3-2 series lead heading back to Houston.
Except...
Home plate umpire Lance Barkdale made Gary Cedarstrom- Game 3's home plate umpire- look like he knew what he was doing. Robles was called out on a pitch that didn't sniff the strikezone. Joe Ross struck out Carlos Correa with his strike three pitch going squarely down the middle. Barksdale somehow missed it and called it a ball. Correa hit a two-run homer on the next pitch to take a 4-0 lead.
In the 6th, Tanner Rainey struck out Michael Brantley, except... Barksdale missed that one, too.
In today's world, everyone typically screams, "Conspiracy theory!" as if MLB prefers the Astros to win rather than the Nats. With these atrocious calls in Games 3 and 5, it's hard to resist the temptation to strap on my aluminium foil hat and start marching around the neighborhood in my underwear. But I chalk it up to incompetence. MLB's umpires, frankly, aren't very good if Barksdale and Cedarstrom are two of the six best.
The Nats had first and third in the second with no one out down 2-0 and failed to score. That was a key miss in the game, and only the offense is to blame for that one. But it's hard to mount a comeback when as a hitter you don't know where the zone is... and oh by the way you're facing one of the best pitchers in the game.
The game got out of hand in the late innings with Hudson on the mound. A familiar cliche is that closers have a hard time getting up for an outing when it's not a save situation. Yes, it's the World series, but you can't tell me a human being is going to give the same focus on the mound when his team is down 4-1 in the 8th as opposed to up a run.
The Nats were 19-31 through the first 50 games of the season. Yes, this was a disappointing 3 games, but 2-3 isn't an insurmountable hurdle when you started 19-31 and have won two games in the World Series.
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Game 4 - Don't Blame the Manager
Dave Martinez has received some criticism from the national media for moves he didn't make. He didn't take Anibal Sanchez out int he bottom of the 4th in Game 3. He didn't take Patrick Corbin out earlier in the Game 4.
Corbin didn't have his best stuff and gave up 4 runs in 6 innings. Once Corbin was lifted, the roof caved in. Nats fans have witnessed this too many times this year to criticize Martinez for leaving the starters in.
It's no secret (except maybe for the national media) that the Nats' bullpen is horrendous. They had the worst bullpen int he league. The pen was so bad, Martinez had to run Sean Doolittle into the ground midway through the year and no one blamed him for it. Every time Martinez put in a pitcher, I said to myself, "Why is he putting this guy in?" At some point I realized I said that every time Martinez called for any reliever save (pun!) Doolittle. Daniel Hudson's arrive turned a bullpen of one into a bullpen of two.
Let's get this fiction out of the way. Tanner Rainey did NOT have a good year. His ERA was near 4 and only because he feasted on batters making vacation plans and triple A call ups late in the year. He pitched only 11 innings this season when a save was on the line and his ERA was closer to 5 in those outings. He blew 3 saves and didn't register one. He was mostly used in low pressure situations.
In Game 4, Rainey showed what happens when he pitches in a crucial situation. he choked and the Nats only have two guys, Doolittle and Hudson, who have a chance of getting them out of that situation. But why burn their arms in the 7th inning of a game you're down 4-0? Fernando Rodney gave up a grand slam to Alex Bregman just to hammer home the point that it would've been bad managing to take the starter out to play for one run in Game 3.
The problem in the 8-1 loss was the absence of the Nats' bats. They don't go quiet for three games in a row.
Corbin didn't have his best stuff and gave up 4 runs in 6 innings. Once Corbin was lifted, the roof caved in. Nats fans have witnessed this too many times this year to criticize Martinez for leaving the starters in.
It's no secret (except maybe for the national media) that the Nats' bullpen is horrendous. They had the worst bullpen int he league. The pen was so bad, Martinez had to run Sean Doolittle into the ground midway through the year and no one blamed him for it. Every time Martinez put in a pitcher, I said to myself, "Why is he putting this guy in?" At some point I realized I said that every time Martinez called for any reliever save (pun!) Doolittle. Daniel Hudson's arrive turned a bullpen of one into a bullpen of two.
Let's get this fiction out of the way. Tanner Rainey did NOT have a good year. His ERA was near 4 and only because he feasted on batters making vacation plans and triple A call ups late in the year. He pitched only 11 innings this season when a save was on the line and his ERA was closer to 5 in those outings. He blew 3 saves and didn't register one. He was mostly used in low pressure situations.
In Game 4, Rainey showed what happens when he pitches in a crucial situation. he choked and the Nats only have two guys, Doolittle and Hudson, who have a chance of getting them out of that situation. But why burn their arms in the 7th inning of a game you're down 4-0? Fernando Rodney gave up a grand slam to Alex Bregman just to hammer home the point that it would've been bad managing to take the starter out to play for one run in Game 3.
The problem in the 8-1 loss was the absence of the Nats' bats. They don't go quiet for three games in a row.
Saturday, October 26, 2019
Game 3 - Missed Opportunity and Bad Umpiring
Gary Cederstrom was the story of Game 3 of the World Series. No, he doesn't play for the Nats. He doesn't play for the Astros. He's not the manager of either team. He's not the bench coach or the third base coach. He was the home plate umpire. And he had a terrible game when it mattered most.
It's frustrating when a home plate has an inconsistent strike zone. That wasn't Cederstrom's problem. His strike zone was quite consistent for the both teams. The Astros' pitchers consistently got the outside, low, and high pitches all night long. The Nats' pitchers, particularly Anibal Sanchez, didn't even get pitches virtually down the middle. It was not only an embarrassing night for Gary Cederstrom; it was an embarrassing night for Major League Baseball. This is the ultimate showcase for the sport and instead of the focus zeroing in on the talent of the players, the game showed how much an awful home plate umpire can determine the outcome of a Wold Series contest. To quote the immortal former Governor of Texas and ex-Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, "Oops."
The Nats had their chances all night but uncharacteristically couldn't manage to capitalize. After a great grab by Victor Robles in center off the bat of Jose Altuve, Houston came back to score 2 in the second. There was an opportunity for Dave Martinez to pinch hit for Sanchez in the bottom of the 4th with one out a man on third down 2-1. Hindsight shows that Martinez's decision didn't pan out, but at the time, it was the right one.
The Nats' bullpen has been horrible all year. If Martinez goes to the bullpen, the Nats will likely have to win a shootout. If that's the case, why then would he play for one run in the 4th? If a pinch hitter knocks in the run, sure it's 2-2, but then Martinez needs to concoct 5 more innings out of the bullpen and still score more than the Astros, who by the way, still had Zack Greinke on the mound and the better arms in the pen.
Martinez felt his best shot was to leave Sanchez in and trust his offense to either deliver with 2 outs or in another inning. They normally do. It just happened not to work this time. Sanchez gave up two more runs and somehow, Fernando Rodney, Joe Ross, and Wander Suero didn't give up any. The Nats' offense was surprisingly quiet with runners on. If you had contended that the game would play out like that when there was one out in the bottom of the fourth, I would've lost all of my earthly possessions.
The Astros won 4-1, led by the right hand and vocal chords of Cederstrom. Juan Soto had a rough 21st birthday at the plate and in the field. It was probably hit worst night in the majors, but he'll bounce back. Anthony Rendon will start hitting.And the Nats next three starters are all you could hope for.
It's frustrating when a home plate has an inconsistent strike zone. That wasn't Cederstrom's problem. His strike zone was quite consistent for the both teams. The Astros' pitchers consistently got the outside, low, and high pitches all night long. The Nats' pitchers, particularly Anibal Sanchez, didn't even get pitches virtually down the middle. It was not only an embarrassing night for Gary Cederstrom; it was an embarrassing night for Major League Baseball. This is the ultimate showcase for the sport and instead of the focus zeroing in on the talent of the players, the game showed how much an awful home plate umpire can determine the outcome of a Wold Series contest. To quote the immortal former Governor of Texas and ex-Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, "Oops."
The Nats had their chances all night but uncharacteristically couldn't manage to capitalize. After a great grab by Victor Robles in center off the bat of Jose Altuve, Houston came back to score 2 in the second. There was an opportunity for Dave Martinez to pinch hit for Sanchez in the bottom of the 4th with one out a man on third down 2-1. Hindsight shows that Martinez's decision didn't pan out, but at the time, it was the right one.
The Nats' bullpen has been horrible all year. If Martinez goes to the bullpen, the Nats will likely have to win a shootout. If that's the case, why then would he play for one run in the 4th? If a pinch hitter knocks in the run, sure it's 2-2, but then Martinez needs to concoct 5 more innings out of the bullpen and still score more than the Astros, who by the way, still had Zack Greinke on the mound and the better arms in the pen.
Martinez felt his best shot was to leave Sanchez in and trust his offense to either deliver with 2 outs or in another inning. They normally do. It just happened not to work this time. Sanchez gave up two more runs and somehow, Fernando Rodney, Joe Ross, and Wander Suero didn't give up any. The Nats' offense was surprisingly quiet with runners on. If you had contended that the game would play out like that when there was one out in the bottom of the fourth, I would've lost all of my earthly possessions.
The Astros won 4-1, led by the right hand and vocal chords of Cederstrom. Juan Soto had a rough 21st birthday at the plate and in the field. It was probably hit worst night in the majors, but he'll bounce back. Anthony Rendon will start hitting.And the Nats next three starters are all you could hope for.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Game 2 - Blowout.... Eventually
Anthony Rendon knocked in Trea Turner and Adam Eaton before Justin Verlander could even get an out. But Stephen Strasburg gave up a two-run shot int eh bottom of the inning that Alex Bregman watched for far too long.
From there, the two star pitchers settled down until the 7th. Kurt Suzuki had mustered one hit all postseason before Gam2 2. His second hit of the game was launched out of the field of play for a game-leading homer. Call it the law of averages. Suzuki added some more terrific blocks behind the plate and threw out Jose Altuve at third to prevent Bregman's shot from being a three run dinger.
After Suzuki's smash, the Nats relaxed and poured it on, battling around while scoring 6. Adam Eaton hit a homer and the nation was introduced to Eaton and Howie Kendrick's celebration.
The added runs following Suzuki's homer were much needed. It allowed Dave Martinez to use Fernando Rodney, Tanner Rainey, and Javy Guerra with too much fear of a blown save. But not before Max Scherzer joined in on what had become Anibal Sanchez and Gerardo Parra's tradition of wrapping up Strasburg in a prolonged and swaying bear hug.
The Nats scored three more in the eighth and Michael A. Taylor hit a homer in the 9th. I thought Martinez could've gotten his reserves in a little earlier, but it as important for Taylor especially to get an at bat in the World Series in a low pressure situation.
The Nats won 12-3 after Guerra only gave up one run in the 9th. The Nats take a 2-0 heading home.
From there, the two star pitchers settled down until the 7th. Kurt Suzuki had mustered one hit all postseason before Gam2 2. His second hit of the game was launched out of the field of play for a game-leading homer. Call it the law of averages. Suzuki added some more terrific blocks behind the plate and threw out Jose Altuve at third to prevent Bregman's shot from being a three run dinger.
After Suzuki's smash, the Nats relaxed and poured it on, battling around while scoring 6. Adam Eaton hit a homer and the nation was introduced to Eaton and Howie Kendrick's celebration.
The added runs following Suzuki's homer were much needed. It allowed Dave Martinez to use Fernando Rodney, Tanner Rainey, and Javy Guerra with too much fear of a blown save. But not before Max Scherzer joined in on what had become Anibal Sanchez and Gerardo Parra's tradition of wrapping up Strasburg in a prolonged and swaying bear hug.
The Nats scored three more in the eighth and Michael A. Taylor hit a homer in the 9th. I thought Martinez could've gotten his reserves in a little earlier, but it as important for Taylor especially to get an at bat in the World Series in a low pressure situation.
The Nats won 12-3 after Guerra only gave up one run in the 9th. The Nats take a 2-0 heading home.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Game 1 - Scripting it Perfectly
Max Scherzer gets amped for a regular season game in the dog days. So in the World Series, he can be forgiven for overthrowing early. He committed uncharacteristic walks and put Kurt Suzuki to work. During the NLCS, the TBS announcers inexplicably decreed Yan Gomes the better defensive catcher. If they had watched the Nats all year, they would've known Suzuki is great at blocking balls, framing pitches, and calling a game.
After Scherzer gave up only two runs in the first, Ryan Zimmerman his a solo homer. Zimmerman was the Nats first draft pick ever, but John Smoltz claimed he had played for the Expos. Ian Desmond was the last Expo player to last with the Nats. After the Nats made the playoffs the first time, I reminisced about all of the Nats during the club's first seven years. Making the World Series has made me think about all the ex-Nats over the last seven years.
In addition to Desmond, there's of course Jayson Werth, Wilson Ramos, Gio Gonzalez, Danny Espinosa, Denard Span, Jordan Zimmermann, Drew Storen, and well, even Harp.
Zimmerman is the Nats' franchise, but Juan Soto is the Nats' future and he his a solo shot to tie the game. The Nats took a 5-2 lead with their trademark: timely hitting. Adam Eaton has been Mr. Clutch all post season despite a below-par batting average. Soto provided the much-needed insurance runs.
Houston manager AJ Hinch made a mistake by leaving Gerrit Cole in through the 7th down 5-2. It seemed like a waste of Cole's pitches that could've been save for Game 4 or a spot relief outing before then. Nats manager Dave Martinez went with Patrick Corbin in the 6th. He could've went with Corbin again to start the 7th, but opted to go to elsewhere. While Joe Buck extolled the virtues of Tanner Rainey, every knowledgeable Nats fan bit their finger nails off. Save two guys, the Nats bullpen has been atrocious all year and Rainey is certainly no exception. He is the only guy you want to even sniff the mound I guess.
It was worth trying to steal an out with Rainey, but after the first homerun, ti was time to yank him out. Martinez left Rainey in to get an out but then put two men on. Daniel Hudson had to make some tough pitches and he did it. Sean Doolittle is back and he showed it with a four-out save to win 5-4.
When the Nats were 19-31, I started to get tired of waiting for them to turn things around. I tried to convince myself that maybe our run is over. Intellectually, it seemed like there was too much talent on the team, but the losses kept coming. When they turned things around from late May through the All Star break, it was a fun time, but when they finally slid into the Wild Card spot, it caught me off guard. The Nats still weren't picking up enough on the Braves, who were just as hot. Eventually, we had to let the dream of winning the division die.
But the Nats ended the season hot. During their streak, they came back late in so many games and the Wild Card game was no exception. Martinez completely out-managed his counterparts in LA and St Louis. The national media kept presenting the Nats as underdogs, but those who have watched the team all year (well, specifically since late May), understand how dominate this team is.
After Scherzer gave up only two runs in the first, Ryan Zimmerman his a solo homer. Zimmerman was the Nats first draft pick ever, but John Smoltz claimed he had played for the Expos. Ian Desmond was the last Expo player to last with the Nats. After the Nats made the playoffs the first time, I reminisced about all of the Nats during the club's first seven years. Making the World Series has made me think about all the ex-Nats over the last seven years.
In addition to Desmond, there's of course Jayson Werth, Wilson Ramos, Gio Gonzalez, Danny Espinosa, Denard Span, Jordan Zimmermann, Drew Storen, and well, even Harp.
Zimmerman is the Nats' franchise, but Juan Soto is the Nats' future and he his a solo shot to tie the game. The Nats took a 5-2 lead with their trademark: timely hitting. Adam Eaton has been Mr. Clutch all post season despite a below-par batting average. Soto provided the much-needed insurance runs.
Houston manager AJ Hinch made a mistake by leaving Gerrit Cole in through the 7th down 5-2. It seemed like a waste of Cole's pitches that could've been save for Game 4 or a spot relief outing before then. Nats manager Dave Martinez went with Patrick Corbin in the 6th. He could've went with Corbin again to start the 7th, but opted to go to elsewhere. While Joe Buck extolled the virtues of Tanner Rainey, every knowledgeable Nats fan bit their finger nails off. Save two guys, the Nats bullpen has been atrocious all year and Rainey is certainly no exception. He is the only guy you want to even sniff the mound I guess.
It was worth trying to steal an out with Rainey, but after the first homerun, ti was time to yank him out. Martinez left Rainey in to get an out but then put two men on. Daniel Hudson had to make some tough pitches and he did it. Sean Doolittle is back and he showed it with a four-out save to win 5-4.
When the Nats were 19-31, I started to get tired of waiting for them to turn things around. I tried to convince myself that maybe our run is over. Intellectually, it seemed like there was too much talent on the team, but the losses kept coming. When they turned things around from late May through the All Star break, it was a fun time, but when they finally slid into the Wild Card spot, it caught me off guard. The Nats still weren't picking up enough on the Braves, who were just as hot. Eventually, we had to let the dream of winning the division die.
But the Nats ended the season hot. During their streak, they came back late in so many games and the Wild Card game was no exception. Martinez completely out-managed his counterparts in LA and St Louis. The national media kept presenting the Nats as underdogs, but those who have watched the team all year (well, specifically since late May), understand how dominate this team is.
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Predictions for the 2019-2020 Season
East
Just miss: Nets
Out in the 1st round: Det, Ind, Mia, Tor
Out in the East Semis: Orl, Phi
East Finals: Mil over Bos 4-1.
West
Just miss: Mavs
Out in the first round: GS, Por, SA, Uta
Out in the West Semis: Den, LAC
West Finals: Hou over LAL 4-2
Milwaukee over Houston 4-3
Just miss: Nets
Out in the 1st round: Det, Ind, Mia, Tor
Out in the East Semis: Orl, Phi
East Finals: Mil over Bos 4-1.
West
Just miss: Mavs
Out in the first round: GS, Por, SA, Uta
Out in the West Semis: Den, LAC
West Finals: Hou over LAL 4-2
Milwaukee over Houston 4-3
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