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Forum nameOkay Sports
Topic subjectImpeach the President (Washington Nationals 2017)...
Topic URLhttp://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=8&topic_id=2602969
2602969, Impeach the President (Washington Nationals 2017)...
Posted by builtfromwax, Tue Apr-04-17 09:25 AM
...looks like we gettin' off to a late start.

not much of an offseason post, too much to recap. Ramos, gone. Espinosa, gone. Melancon, gone. Giolito, gone. Lopez, gone.

here's who we opened with:

Turner
Eaton
Harper
Murphy
Zimmerman
Werth
Drew
Wieters
Strasburg

Solis
Treinen

wonder where Rendon gon' be in the order.

one down, 161 to go. let's get it.
2602986, I was there yesterday
Posted by Tiger Woods, Tue Apr-04-17 10:21 AM
What a great way to kick off a season with big expectations.

My biggest takeaway: the 1-2 speed of Turner and Eaton could get teams fits. Specifically, seeing Turner's speed in person is still something to behold.

I'm all in.
2603124, window closing
Posted by will_5198, Tue Apr-04-17 08:51 PM
I feel like this team is a little worse than last year, and the competition is as good or better. but it's baseball, so you just have to win your division and it's anybody's game after that.
2603180, I'm not so sure
Posted by Call It Anything, Wed Apr-05-17 11:30 AM
Trea Turner is looking like an elite player on the Nats for the next 5 years. Adam Eaton is a good player with a very friendly contract. Scherzer and Strasburg are locked in for a while and if they're healthy, a very competitive 1-2. A healthy Rendon is top 10 at his position. They got a couple top 50 guys in the pipeline. Werth's $21 million coming off the books. Gio's $12 million coming off the books. Even if Harper and Murphy walk after 2018, they're still looking like an 85 win team with just some minor upkeep. And Rizzo has been pretty good about making upgrades and having back-up plans.

A Nats contender in 2019 probably looks different the 2017 version, but that happens. Look at 2012 when I guess the window opened to 2017:

-Bryce Harper is Bryce Harper
-Werth, Gio, Zimmerman are still here but mostly bloat at this point
-Rendon was a dice roll of a draft pick
-Murphy, Eaton, Scherzer were somewhere between role players and upside guys on other teams
-Tanner Roark was a footnote in Cristian Guzman's career
-Joe Ross and Trea Turner were prospects in somebody else's system

Of concern though is that the Phillies may have figured out how to stop sucking and the Braves are a year away from looking scary.
2603183, we have some young really good guys for CHEAP
Posted by Tiger Woods, Wed Apr-05-17 11:48 AM
namely, Trea Turner (33 steals last year in only 70 or so games) and Tanner Roark (2.8 ERA + 16 wins) are CRAZY value at their positions.Even after arbitration, I think Roark is due something silly affordable like $4 Million. This team has foundation pieces for the future.
2603319, We here now. - Mos def
Posted by Binlahab, Wed Apr-05-17 10:07 PM
Let's get it.
2603369, Blake Treinen feels like an inevitable fail
Posted by Tiger Woods, Thu Apr-06-17 10:35 AM
He's 2 for 2 so far so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt until he makes a habit of blowing saves I guess. But he promptly put the game in an uneasy place despite inheriting a 6-3 lead last night.
2603438, Bullpen Collapse number 1
Posted by Tiger Woods, Thu Apr-06-17 08:55 PM
2603448, series win; on to the next one...
Posted by builtfromwax, Thu Apr-06-17 11:18 PM
2603560, So, Jeremy Guthrie
Posted by Call It Anything, Sun Apr-09-17 02:33 AM
That was something
2603567, ...
Posted by will_5198, Sun Apr-09-17 09:52 AM
2604355, Sometimes having the best player on the field makes up for a bad bullpen
Posted by Call It Anything, Sun Apr-16-17 03:57 PM
Healthy Bryce Harper is a wonder to behold.
2604362, Harper stuff
Posted by will_5198, Sun Apr-16-17 05:06 PM
but holy shit we got a problem at the back end.

Nationals season ERA by inning:

7th -- 3.75
8th -- 6.00
9th -- 8.44

small sample size correction and whatnot, but it's not like there are a ton of horses in there to begin with.
2604368, It will continue to be a problem
Posted by Call It Anything, Sun Apr-16-17 05:17 PM
And there was really not big plan to fix after last year. Sure, they missed on a couple of big names, but ultimately their finger in the dyke was to sign Matt Albers, Joe Blanton, and Joe Nathan.
2605231, swept the Braves; one up on the Mets...
Posted by builtfromwax, Fri Apr-21-17 11:41 PM
...the bats ate ALIVE! bullpen? jeez... 😳

still, 2.5 up in the division with a chance to create room.
2605270, season ticket groups...
Posted by builtfromwax, Sat Apr-22-17 12:09 PM
...have any of y'all tried this? http://nationals.splitseasontickets.com

this is my first year taking the plunge. have to say, it's an INCREDIBLE value for the seats and games that i picked: 5 games, 2 Diamond Club tickets and parking pass for each game. Orioles, Reds, Braves, Mets (4 tix for this game) and Phillies were the games chosen. had i bought these games and parking passes retail w/o the group it would've been about $2,900...but with the group it came to about $1,800.

the great thing is these seats are all-inclusive and i chose the games based on what the season ticket holder had available. they had every game except Cubs games when i signed up. the bad thing? they sold their tickets cash only, you had to pay upfront via PayPal or cashiers check and there was a 5 game minimum...no credit cards, no payment plans. still, i thought it was a good deal.

because i joined the group i can buy additional regular season tickets and if they're available...PLAYOFF games.

there are different season ticket groups throughout the stadium. there ticket prices seem to be at or slightly above what the plan holder paid per game, but well below the retail price for the same seat. tickets are straight from the plan holder, not a broker. there are still some games available in some groups, but you may have to do some searching for the game of your choice and be mindful if there's a minimum game purchase.

if you didn't know about this before, take a look and see if it might work for you. if not this season, there's always next season.
2606039, Word
Posted by Binlahab, Thu Apr-27-17 10:11 AM
Will look into this
2605823, bullpen is TRASH, but Trea hit for the cycle...
Posted by builtfromwax, Wed Apr-26-17 09:29 AM
2605843, Jonathan Papelbon is just sitting with a dip in and staring at his phone
Posted by Call It Anything, Wed Apr-26-17 11:11 AM
2606109, It will never be this easy to score runs again
Posted by Call It Anything, Thu Apr-27-17 05:13 PM
2606432, It's April 28 and Ryan Zimmeman has 10 HRs
Posted by Call It Anything, Fri Apr-28-17 09:14 PM
6 months ago, there was an argument to be made for him as the worst everyday player in baseball and the Nationals were on the hook for $50 more million.

Now he's roping jacks to the opposite field like he's playing wiffle ball and pushing Bryce Harper in the NL MVP race. This is amazing but I'm half waiting for that Sterling Marte news alert. I'm going to need to sit down and think if I've ever seen a post-30 resurrection like this in the era of testing.
2606585, Eaton out
Posted by Call It Anything, Sat Apr-29-17 11:48 PM
That hurts
2606602, that's bad
Posted by will_5198, Sun Apr-30-17 11:08 AM
really bad
2606737, 23 is a lot of right?
Posted by Tiger Woods, Sun Apr-30-17 09:13 PM
2606740, Anthony
Posted by will_5198, Sun Apr-30-17 09:48 PM
Rendon
2606806, he's usually a slow starter
Posted by bnicedh, Mon May-01-17 11:25 AM
but sheesh...talk about a jump starter.
2607343, 1/6 thru the season @ 18-9...
Posted by builtfromwax, Thu May-04-17 05:32 PM
...that's on pace to be like 108-54! not gonna happen, but its been an impressive month. especially for Ryan Zimmerman; my co-worker thinks he's gotta secret stash of 'roids somewhere...i just hope there's no epic pendulum swing in the opposite direction during the season.

now it's early, but...we're the only team in the division with a winning record (as of today), 10 games above .500 after beating the Diamondbacks and have the largest lead of any division leader (6 games as of this post). i'd say that's a pretty good start for a season.

still, the bullpen is trash. this is where i wish they'd traded for Alex Colome during the offseason, but instead they got Enny Romero.

the trade for Adam Eaton was working out well before the injury. Giolito (0-4, 7.33 ERA) and Lopez (2-1, 4.10 ERA) are struggling early on in AAA and haven't been called up yet. who was the 3rd player?

Lind and Wieters are proving to be solid pick-ups thus far. if Michael Taylor can hit for .250 he can help minimize the loss of Eaton. meanwhile Danny Espinosa is hitting .160 for the Angels, he's somebody else's lineup liability now.

it's like the Nats have an uncanny ability to know when to let someone go because once they leave, the player rarely has the same level of success they did with the Nationals.

still a long way to go tho'...
2608081, anybody got any viable bullpen suggestions? Dusty on line 1...
Posted by builtfromwax, Wed May-10-17 02:55 PM
2608103, it's a joke and will prevent the team from winning a postseason series
Posted by will_5198, Wed May-10-17 05:52 PM
fortunately it's the easiest position to upgrade at the deadline, but Rizzo has to do something then and there
2608139, Bullpen is a disaster, but it's not like they don't know
Posted by Tiger Woods, Wed May-10-17 10:12 PM
Something will happen
2608197, Kelley and Glover are the best internal options...
Posted by builtfromwax, Thu May-11-17 04:48 PM
...Tampa's Alex Colome is on my wish list, but Rizzo and his team may have their eyes on someone else.

Seattle's Edwin Diaz fits the Rizzo trade scenario (young talent, controllable contract), but that's not happening.

it's still early in the season, but...it's always better to win the games you should win early too. a good closer should get about 5 saves out of 6 opportunities. that alone would give the Nats 3 to 4 Ws they should've gotten at this point.
2608138, Fantastic comeback win over O's at home
Posted by Tiger Woods, Wed May-10-17 10:01 PM
To think, this team is this dangerous primarily because of bats. Imagine if Melancon were still here.

Heard today on radio that of our 12 losses, 6 were blown saves. So we'd literally be 6 games better with a worthwhile closer. That's unbelievable!

But nonetheless love beating the Orioles, and with Weiters too
2608417, Melancon is hurt though
Posted by Call It Anything, Fri May-12-17 04:00 PM
I just hope we don't end up overpaying for a poor midseason replacement like Soriano or Papelbon. Got to do something, but relievers are generally dice rolls
2608439, they cornered themselves into a position of desperation
Posted by will_5198, Fri May-12-17 08:03 PM
went into the season with a bad group that had little upside. reaching for a veteran or overpaying for someone is their punishment.
2608584, Pretty much
Posted by Call It Anything, Mon May-15-17 01:49 AM
Austin Adams has had a good month in relief in AAA. I expect him to get a call up next time somebody hits the DL.

Meanwhile, Felipe Rivero is dealing for the Pirates so far. Leading the league in appearances with a 0.87 ERA, striking out 22 in 20.2 and only walking 4. I would take 2 months of Melancon memories back for him under control the next couple years after seeing him this year. Although the Pirates appear to be pitching whisperers at this point.

But yeah. An overpay is on the way.
2608580, jesus christ this fucking bullpen
Posted by will_5198, Sun May-14-17 10:58 PM
blow it up.
2608873, New report that they're moving Fedde to the bullpen in AA
Posted by Call It Anything, Tue May-16-17 06:30 PM
2014 first rounder and top pitching prospect in the system. I don't feel great about that just because you're ultimately short-changing value out of a good pick who has thus far succeeded as a starter at every level by shifting the expectation from 180 IP to 60 IP but it's not necessarily a permanent role. There are cases of pitchers who transition back to starter, Chris Sale being the most recent high profile example that comes to mind. Still probably better than dumping prospects for a rental.
2608901, And the first appearance did not go well
Posted by Call It Anything, Tue May-16-17 08:10 PM
2609139, offense is due for a regression to the mean.
Posted by Binlahab, Wed May-17-17 09:37 PM
not a good sign when harp & zim go 0 for 8.

2611057, Koda Glover with the most epic hold of the season (0.1 IP, 5 ER)
Posted by will_5198, Sun Jun-04-17 08:27 PM
3-1 lead in the seventh inning becomes an 11-10 win. it was like the Ward-Gatti of bad bullpens going at it today.
2611212, Giving up a Grand Slam and getting a save is also special
Posted by Call It Anything, Sun Jun-04-17 10:55 PM
2613215, 4 game skid, still 8.5 up...
Posted by builtfromwax, Tue Jun-13-17 12:12 AM
...maybe not for long with this bullpen.
2616086, Trea Turner: broken wrist
Posted by will_5198, Thu Jun-29-17 09:54 PM
Ross was showing signs, Michael Taylor looked like a usable outfielder, and now...
2616097, this injury fucks up everything, offensively and defensively...
Posted by builtfromwax, Thu Jun-29-17 11:39 PM
...whose the lead off hitter? Difo at SS?
2616663, smh
Posted by Binlahab, Tue Jul-04-17 04:32 PM
i cant help but imagine the line up if we were healthy

turner
eaton
bryce
zim
murph
rendon
werth

we would be eating free 6 piece nuggets every game

also...rendon all star snub is EGREGIOUS


on sabbatical.

does it really matter?

wonder what bin's doing?
http://i.imgur.com/phECCMp.jpg
2619026, ok...relief should be band aided now.
Posted by Binlahab, Mon Jul-31-17 06:49 PM
if we can just somehow...get close to healthy.

MAT is out. werth out. turner out.

MAT & trea should be back by mid august.

trea
taylor
harp
zim
murph
rendon
goodwin
wieters

thats a hell of a offensive lineup.

scherzer, stras a resurgent gio a GOOD 1,2,3

now the back end has been stabilized with vets.

lets do it.




on sabbatical.

does it really matter?

wonder what bin's doing?
http://i.imgur.com/phECCMp.jpg
2619095, I agree...health is the biggest issue
Posted by bnicedh, Tue Aug-01-17 02:02 PM
But if we could get MAT and Trea back we are set! However, what do we do with Jayson? What until post season...do you put him back in everyday at this point? It would take AB's from Goodwin....Good problem to have but worth mentioning.
2620103, Fuck
Posted by Call It Anything, Sat Aug-12-17 09:43 PM
2620105, Apparently he was walking after the game. Maybe it's just a sprain
Posted by Tiger Woods, Sun Aug-13-17 07:51 AM
He can take a month off for all I care
2620113, Sounds like no ligament damage
Posted by Call It Anything, Sun Aug-13-17 11:47 AM
Probably best case scenario. Going to be weird if everybody comes back healthy in October. Like a relay team not using their best runners to qualify in the heats.
2621555, He still isnt running
Posted by bnicedh, Thu Aug-31-17 07:34 AM
Bryce is sulking around the clubhouse and Baker doesnt sound too confident:

"Not that I want to but you have to plan that he may not be ready."
2620183, look at our opening day roster
Posted by Binlahab, Mon Aug-14-17 10:26 PM
Turner - out
Eaton - out
Harper - out
Murphy
Zimmerman
Werth - out
Drew
Wieters
Strasburg - out

damn





on sabbatical.

does it really matter?

wonder what bin's doing?
http://i.imgur.com/phECCMp.jpg
2620187, Drew is out too...
Posted by bnicedh, Tue Aug-15-17 06:38 AM
But Rendon is playing so it balances out.
2621345, either the mets suck or our top to bottom roster is amazing
Posted by Binlahab, Mon Aug-28-17 07:58 AM
we started a lineup that might take some losses in harrisburg much less syracuse..and somehow winning still

dusty ought to get manager of the year again


on sabbatical.

does it really matter?

wonder what bin's doing?
http://i.imgur.com/phECCMp.jpg
2621441, Great night
Posted by bnicedh, Tue Aug-29-17 09:04 AM
Max returned and looked healthy and mid-season form.
Werth is back and homered!
Offense exploded...
Beat division team and shrinks our magic number
...and Trea is playing tonight (Tues)

With the time the subs go, we are LOADED! Thing is when Bryce comes back, what do we do with Howie!?!? He is SCORCHING!!
2621475, Let's just get through September without any hiccups, please
Posted by spenzalii, Tue Aug-29-17 04:20 PM
And lets hope the offense holds up lest the bullpen craps the bed yet again
2621483, love for Gio
Posted by will_5198, Tue Aug-29-17 09:21 PM
the forgotten man in the rotation, he's been a rock all season while Max and Stras missed time. his best year since his debut in Washington.
2621492, He has been
Posted by bnicedh, Wed Aug-30-17 09:23 AM
This may be his best year ...and more importantly, we needed it!!! With the injuries to Stras and Max and with Roark having some mid-season struggles, he has been a steady force all season! Between him and Rendon, they are the Nats MVP this season.
2621553, cosizzle
Posted by Binlahab, Thu Aug-31-17 07:15 AM
also...edwin jackson inning eating self needs some love too


on sabbatical.

does it really matter?

wonder what bin's doing?
http://i.imgur.com/phECCMp.jpg
2621554, talk about stepping up!
Posted by bnicedh, Thu Aug-31-17 07:31 AM
boy did we need him and those innnings.
2622502, NL East champs again.
Posted by will_5198, Mon Sep-11-17 07:19 PM
2622508, the longest and most consistent run of excellence
Posted by Binlahab, Mon Sep-11-17 08:34 PM
in my sports watching life

ive always cheered for losers

to experience this side of the game

yr in yr out you know we in the mix somehow

its amazing

nats are the patriots of mlb but with no rings and no cheating
2622524, Nats:Skins as Ravens:Orioles
Posted by Tiger Woods, Tue Sep-12-17 06:15 AM
Wel run and regularly talented
2622542, And the other used to be good in the 70s/80s when they didn't exist
Posted by Call It Anything, Tue Sep-12-17 09:56 AM
2622525, Congrats Nats!!!
Posted by bnicedh, Tue Sep-12-17 06:52 AM
The makeup of this team is amazing!!! Now lets stay healthy and get ready for the playoffs...
2625526, no, the nats are the washington capitals of the mlb
Posted by Oak27, Wed Oct-11-17 02:32 PM

>nats are the patriots of mlb but with no rings and no
>cheating
2622791, Victor Robles is f*cking FAST...
Posted by builtfromwax, Fri Sep-15-17 11:01 AM
...got a chance to sit front row for last night's game against the Braves. Victor Robles is f*cking fast; i dare say faster than Trea Turner who's pretty f*cking fast himself. but being so close to the field it seemed like Robles was the fastest player out there last night; especially out of the batter's box.

with Brian Goodwin out, he just might make the playoff roster. when everyone's healthy, there's lots of versatility in the outfield. it'll be interesting to see how Dusty manages it.
2623043, We didnt get swept...
Posted by bnicedh, Mon Sep-18-17 11:06 AM
Stras battled and only gave up 1 run.
Zimmerman having his best season yet (2 HR Sunday)
and Bryce took BP....

Just stay healthy these last two weeks!!
2624466, it's a race now. 1st one to 11 wins takes home the prize...
Posted by builtfromwax, Mon Oct-02-17 05:56 PM
...don't care if they go 11-8, they'll be 2017 World Series Champs!

2624468, I'm in the house Friday night. I'll be crippled with nerves I'm sure
Posted by Tiger Woods, Mon Oct-02-17 06:24 PM
2624470, baby steps. let's try to win our first postseason series :)
Posted by will_5198, Mon Oct-02-17 06:55 PM
2625286, back to crawling.
Posted by will_5198, Mon Oct-09-17 07:59 PM
let's try to score two runs tomorrow.
2625288, Seems winning two in a row is far fetched
Posted by Tiger Woods, Mon Oct-09-17 08:11 PM
2625386, Trea Turner has been awful at the plate...
Posted by builtfromwax, Tue Oct-10-17 04:07 PM
...0 for 12 with 5 Ks. hasn't even got on base to set up the batting order. can't even blame it on inexperience because he hit above .300 last year vs. the Dodgers.

Max and Strasburg pitched BETTER than they're season averages and still lost their games. the bullpen hasn't been bad and pretty much kept them in all 3 games.

unless the bats come alive and the pitching continues to hold, the season's over.

2625435, sounds like Strasburg passed on an opportunity to start Game 4
Posted by Tiger Woods, Tue Oct-10-17 09:38 PM
rescheduled from the rainout, Dusty went to Stras with a chance to pitch the new Game 4...he passed
2625489, that's troubling, but not as troubling as hitting sub .125 as a team...
Posted by builtfromwax, Wed Oct-11-17 10:00 AM
...they need to score; 4+ runs. hopefully Roark and the bullpen can keep it together so that they don't need more than 4.

Turner needs to get on base and create a dilemma for the pitcher; it's gonna be hard to score if he doesn't.
2625501, Its only ok when THEY shut him down??
Posted by Ceej, Wed Oct-11-17 11:10 AM
2625510, Daniel LaRusso's gonna fight?
Posted by Call It Anything, Wed Oct-11-17 12:02 PM
Stras is taking the mound today.

We don't have all the information, but regardless of what the actual situation was, this was poorly handled.

My only hope at this point is that he goes out, shoves, and the Nats win to go to Game 5. This whole episode becomes a bizarre footnote

I'd bet he gets titted and everyone has to listen to this shit for the rest of their natural born lives.
2625512, only way this isn't deemed a disaster is if they win the series. That's it.
Posted by Tiger Woods, Wed Oct-11-17 12:44 PM
2625513, Why would he ever wanna stay there after this?
Posted by Ceej, Wed Oct-11-17 12:47 PM
2625525, Strasburg has 175 million reasons to stay...
Posted by builtfromwax, Wed Oct-11-17 01:59 PM
2625527, this is not a Kirk Cousins situation
Posted by Tiger Woods, Wed Oct-11-17 02:33 PM
All Cousins did was come to town with no fanfare, endure a primadonna RGII, keep his head down, and get better every year.

Strasburg on the other hand came to town with all of the fanfare, did not protest his 2012 shutdown (it was also endorsed by Scott Boras), gets hurt all of the time, and signed a random extension in the last year. His expectations are higher and he deserves a lot less benefit of the doubt.

Today was an example of why getting your story right before you tell it is important - it was a clusterF. But it also came as no surprise to anyone that Strasburg may have declined the opportunity to pitch.

I'm holding out hope that he isn't THAT mentally fragile and this was just a botched attempt at gamesmanship by Dusty.

but, again, the only way this doesn't blow up in their face is if they advance.
2625538, MICHAEL A. F*CKING TAYLOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by builtfromwax, Wed Oct-11-17 06:29 PM
...still 2 innings to go, but MYYYYYYYYYYYYY GOODNESSSSSSSSSS!!!
2625548, that was breath taking
Posted by Tiger Woods, Wed Oct-11-17 07:49 PM
2625550, RE: MICHAEL A. F*CKING TAYLOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by Lil Rabies, Wed Oct-11-17 08:35 PM
That felt like climax, I sure shouted like it. I think I hooked my kids with this game.
2625546, Well, it comes back around
Posted by Call It Anything, Wed Oct-11-17 07:20 PM
All hands on deck tomorrow. I would guess start Gio and use Scherzer if they need a short bridge to the bullpen with a lead but go to Roark if it's a quick hook.

So glad to see Strasburg get a big moment, even get a chance for a big moment. Tied Verlander for most Ks in a LDS.
2625547, honestly, i’d rather go with Max...
Posted by builtfromwax, Wed Oct-11-17 07:31 PM
...or Roark. Gio has had a great year, but he can lose focus in the postseason. maybe i’m projecting Gm 5 of the 2012 NLDS, but there can be no let up tomorrow night.
2625549, Start Gio and hope bats pop off. You have Tanner and if need be Max
Posted by Tiger Woods, Wed Oct-11-17 07:51 PM
2625557, flu game. epic.
Posted by will_5198, Wed Oct-11-17 10:11 PM
>So glad to see Strasburg get a big moment, even get a chance
>for a big moment. Tied Verlander for most Ks in a LDS.

made me shut up about him for a long time.
2625594, Gio gets the ball for game 5
Posted by Tiger Woods, Thu Oct-12-17 02:02 PM
2625621, as he should.
Posted by will_5198, Thu Oct-12-17 05:01 PM
he's been a rock this year and Roark has more experience out of the pen. pretty much everyone is available except Madson and Stras, so let's go.
2625626, still comes down to hitting and pitching...
Posted by builtfromwax, Thu Oct-12-17 05:34 PM
...if the bats come thru again and the pitching holds up, then it's on to LA.
2625641, :/
Posted by will_5198, Thu Oct-12-17 09:09 PM
2625642, i was right about Gio, wrong about Max...
Posted by builtfromwax, Thu Oct-12-17 09:28 PM
...pitching has not held up thru 5 and could end the season early AGAIN!!!

the bats need to win this one or it’s over.
2625643, ho lee shit
Posted by will_5198, Thu Oct-12-17 09:45 PM
2625644, sigh. here for my yearly L.
Posted by Binlahab, Thu Oct-12-17 09:47 PM
i dunno why i do this to myself
2625651, that's just bad, bad baseball
Posted by will_5198, Thu Oct-12-17 11:28 PM
can't get picked off at first with two outs and the tying run in scoring position. you just can't.

the fact he's a poor-running catcher who isn't going to take an extra base because of a big lead makes it that much more horrifying.
2625654, that call decided the game too. Was it crystal clear? I dunno man
Posted by Tiger Woods, Thu Oct-12-17 11:53 PM
That seemed really random to award the Cubs the out, but not completely baseless
2625656, it was stupid over-replay at its fullest
Posted by will_5198, Thu Oct-12-17 11:59 PM
same shit in football where you see the laces spin a millimeter and declare no catch

but for God's sake WHY WAS THAT EVEN A PLAY?
2625655, every. single. time.
Posted by will_5198, Thu Oct-12-17 11:58 PM
8 of Washington's last 9 losses in the playoffs have been by a run. 0-3 in game five since 2012, all of those losses at home.

this one had all the traumatizing footnotes of a Nationals' postseason flub: Werth being turned into stone on an easy flyball that led to the deciding run, Lobaton getting picked off at first with the tying run at second (why did he even have a lead? was he going to score on a liner with his blazing speed?), Scherzer coming in and lighting the place on fire with two outs, Wieters kicking the ball around...

the anti-October team.
2625657, It's just not meant to be
Posted by Tiger Woods, Fri Oct-13-17 12:07 AM
You can't blame Rizzo, he's built an incredible club

The pitching overall is stellar and was mostly great in this series, but it's especially cruel to lose mostly because your bulldog ace had a meltdown

The offense was lights out all year. You really didn't get enough of it this series, but then neither did the Cubs either.

Dissecting the series loss by the bigger takeaways, I would mostly just say that Gio sucks in the playoffs, Werth especially sucked this series, and you didn't get enough overall offense...but they lost a game 5 by only one run, so I'm still just so confused

I hope more than anything that Harper stays. Harper is the man now, and his attitude should set the tone for this team. Some of this team's demeanor just seems a little too cool for school sometimes. Werth, Zimmerman, Rendon...their stoic dispositions present a stark contrast to the Cubs or Yankees. These guys just don't seem loose enough in the playoffs.

Maybe they get through one day. Or maybe Werth leaves, Harper leaves, Zim retires in the next three years, and Mike Rizzo bolts for the West coast. Playoff baseball is just too fickle to forecast the future.

This doesn't feel like the Caps' annual choke, it feels like a prize fight that someone had to lose and my fighter lost. Painful.



2625658, Sweating this one out....
Posted by murph71, Fri Oct-13-17 12:21 AM


....Happy for my Cubs....CRAZY GAME....But damn, I feel horrible for Dusty....His press conference was heartbreaking....He's a damn good manager. Deserves better.....
2625660, he sounded like he'll walk away
Posted by will_5198, Fri Oct-13-17 12:25 AM
>...He's a damn good manager. Deserves
>better.....

those Reds' postseason losses took a lot out of him too. a shame, since he's sort of perfect for this group of Nationals.
2625706, Damn
Posted by Call It Anything, Fri Oct-13-17 10:49 AM
Whenever they do win a series, it probably won't be with a team that's better than this one.

No reason they won't be as good on paper next year. Eaton is back, losing Werth won't hurt, they could conceivably upgrade at catcher. But all of their big guns were healthy. Rendon, Zimmerman, Gio, and Stras all overachieved to varying degrees above expectations. Bench was deep with Kendrick, Lind, and Robles. Bullpen was solid.

Looking back over the last 6 years, these things are obviously rolling, but these guys are probably on the short list with the 60s Giants and the early 90s Pirates as the best group of players over several years to never win a playoff series. Both of those teams played in an era with less rounds in the postseason. Playoffs are a dice roll to some degree but damn.
2625723, Rizzo believes in this team for the long term...
Posted by builtfromwax, Fri Oct-13-17 12:24 PM
...and they've set themselves up nicely with young controllable players.

Eaton will take Werth's place; leave MAT at CF.
Goodwin gives them great depth/versatility in the OF.
Robles is the future and will force someone out by 2019.
if Wieters opts out this year, then Severino is an upgrade in my opinion (why pay him $10m when this kid can do the job better for less than $600k?)

but this team isn't as good as some of us would like to believe. multiple division titles? sureas a unit, they lacked the tenacity to seize the moment and play solid baseball when it mattered most. aside from Strasburg and MAT, no one raised their level of play above or even up to their regular season line. mostly everyone played well below their averages.

they're good enough to get in the club, but not good enough to sit in VIP. that requires a different mentality. one that says, "we in this b!tch! f*ck yo couch!" that's not the makeup of this team.

that needs to change.
2625711, DC sports man
Posted by smutsboy, Fri Oct-13-17 11:05 AM
wtf
2625720, Mad Max and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad 5th Inning...
Posted by spenzalii, Fri Oct-13-17 11:50 AM
He and Wieters are going to have extremely long off seasons living that inning down. Nobody in the world would have predicted that. I'm glad the team dug in and kept chipping away at that deficit, but they shouldn't have been there in the first place.

Another year, another early exit. Let's hope they don't make too many radical moves for next year