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. Finally that was the end of the 25 game gauntlet schedule (sorry I'm not counting the 4 games in New York now) and it went about as I expected 8-15, and now the schedule opens up a bit here, so hopefully they can start to get some sweeps here.
I actually agreed with your sentiments, as the Mets were comatose vs Marlins, but this series truly shows one can watch decades of baseball, and still in no other sport IMO, due to length of season, can the same teams look deader than dead, and a few days later, full of fight.
It was fitting IMO that neither starter lost. Neither deserved to. As a MLB purist, watching both is what makes MLB so special. Each IMO had at most 50% of their stuff, and gave up 1 run, on a combined 12 innings of work.
Baltimore, Kansas City & Miami are the only 3 teams that currently have a worse record. And what do all 3 of those teams have in common at the moment?? NONE of them are actively trying to win as all 3 are in the midst/beginning of a rebuilding phase. $200 million for this piece of garbage. This team is not getting another cent from me or another second of my time until Rizzo is fired & the Lerner's sell the team to someone that actually gives a ****ing $#!t about winning and not about what's coming into their pockets. What a complete embarrassment this is! Dave Martinez can go with him them as well, but the faults for this season clearly lie with the Lerner's who refused to trade Bryce last July, and who refuse to spend for a quality, competent manager, and who refuse to add money in season, and Rizzo who put together this POS bullpen.
Let's put the Nats 2019 playoff hopes in perspective with one of the greatest post game pressers of all time:
Nats should sign Kimbrel, push Doolittle to 8th. Look to farm for 6th and 7th, which is where all of Mets farm o/s of Diaz were just a few years ago. But if Nats sign Kimbrel, sign Rendon long-term FIRST.
I like some , not all, of Nats team, although I never saw them as team to beat. I was leaning towards Phils or Braves for that.
To me your keepers are Turner, Rendon, Soto, Robles. You must keep 1-2-3 as none are tradeable w/o eating a ton of $ anyway. I like Corbin, but you bought him at high $ end, and I am not sold 2018 was his season of the future the whole deal. So yes IMO you overpaid a bit for Corbin. Max is a HOFer, no doubt, and Strasburg has great start towards that also, although needs few more Top 10 Cy Youngs to make it occur.
I am not a fan of Big $ bullpen moves for innings 6-8, as this subset in MLB is NOT consistent. Hate NYM Familia deal. Pen is crushing the 2019 Nats, no doubt, as of now. But I also think your lineup, even healthy, is thin, meaning once by Soto, time to relax. Best Nats teams, recent years, were solid in lineup down to 6th or 7th. So IMO your bullpen, while horrible, has less margin for error due to offense not piling on runs when leading most nights.
Last edited by BobNJ1960; 05-22-2019 at 09:20 PM..
They are now tied with the Marlins for most losses in the NL, and sets up a showdown for last this weekend, how exciting!! All 4 games this series were worse than the other. Corbin on Monday sucked but was the easiest to take, because all pitchers have bad games, and even though it would've been nice to sweep the 4 game series, getting a 4 game sweep at home is tough, and even tougher on the road. So, that was the one they could lose and not get buried. Not good, but still have Scherzer, Strasburg, and a pretty good Fedde, so still like your chances.
Tuesday 2 great outings by Fedde & Zack Wheeler for the Metropolitans. Each teams bullpen one upped the other in the bad department, with each team trading leads in the 7th & 8th before the Nats pen had the last laugh in the 9th by getting walked off on a 2 out infield single. So, that's the loss that pretty much buried the team. 10 games under .500 approaching end of May, not good, but IF they can manage to split and sweep the 4 games upcoming with the Mets maybe they have a chance, it will keep them on life support. Let's see how the final 2 games end up (spoiler alert: NOT good).
Wednesday: Finally! This looks like the one, Scherzer pitches a shutout into the 7th, Joe Ross had a good outing, lead 1-0 in the 8th with 2 outs. The Mets have 2 on, but we are giving the ball to the ONLY reliable guy we can count on down there. Unfortunately he didn't have it. Lagares 3 run double put the Mets up, and than Rajai Davis pinch hit 3 run homer put the game literally and figuratively out of reach.
Thursday: This was doomed from the start with all the runners left on base starting with stranding a lead off triple and than continued to get worse. The Mets, with only 3 hits at that time cashed in on a single leading off the 5th scoring on a stolen base, throwing error and sac fly to take the lead. Nats would take the lead on a double and 2 bunt singles, and an error. Now you are probably wondering if there was a double, 2 singles and an error, how did they only get 1 run out of that?? Great question, and welcome to the 2019 Nationals season! Soto had the double, and Dozier reached on a bunt single....with Soto scoring and Dozier advancing to 2nd on a throwing error. However, Dozier would not stop running as he tried to get a 3rd base when Matz walked the ball back to the mound and was easily thrown out. They scored 3 runs in the 8th to take the lead AFTER Martinez had been thrown out in what could very well be his final game, and than of course the bullpen blows it in the 8th, allowing a 3 run homer to a guy that was hitting .071 before he doubled leading off the 5th. Game. Set. Match on the season.
I honestly believe if you were a hypothetical GM and went into the season thinking "you know what. I'm going to put together the worst possible bullpen of all time and hope I set all kinds of records for futility when the season ends" and that hypothetical bullpen would STILL be better than the 2019 Nats bullpen. That's how bad this unit as a whole is. Their ERA at the end of play Tuesday was in the high 6.80's and I'm sure has only gotten worse after the last 2 nights. Completely embarrassing. At this rate I hope the Marlins sweep them this weekend, they should be gunning for draft position at this point. Playoffs?? Playoffs!?! I just hope they can win another damn game this year!
7express quote from link below: "Nationals had a fantastic winter, everything that they needed to upgrade (Catcher, 2b, LHSP, bullpen) they did, and Martinez should do a much better job in year 2 than in year 1. ."
We all get stuff wrong, but usually not this much. I did think NL East 1-4 would be strong. I now expect it to be topsy turvy. I like some things about 1-3, think each has several weaknesses also.
I expected a bad Washington pen. Was not fond off your moves. I do not thing Doolittle is a long-term closer.
Dozier & Cano both baffle me, in how far each has fallen, btw.
But I think your bad pen has extra pressure because your 3-4 with Murphy & Harper a few years ago, I feared, a lot more than Rendon-Soto. I like both, but IMO Rendon should be a 1 or 2 hitter, table setter guy. And after Soto, I am far more relaxed seeing your 2019 lineup versus say the 2015 lineup.
I still think they should sign Rendon, but not to a $200 plus million deal. And since your 1-3 is not tradeable, Nats for 2020 on should get a true closer.
I view watching Doolittle close analogous to if the Mets appointed Lugo their closer. I'd be saying "Really?". Both are good, but best used in the 7th or 8th innings.
Also, its a 4 game wrap around series so they could theoretically end up in last on Monday night if they lose the next 3.
Oops, thought it was just 3.
4 game series in the Fight for 4th place.'
Some reports indicate Phils will try to trade for Rendon, btw. They need good pitching, but its unavailable on the market, for the most part.
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