2019 Washington Nationals

[LA2]

4 minutes ago, bpilktree said:

Dave Roberts pulls his best Buck leaving his closer in the pen in extras for someone else to give up a grand slam.

Yes, you really have to wonder why he left Kelly in for so long.

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

7 minutes ago, bpilktree said:

Dave Roberts pulls his best Buck leaving his closer in the pen in extras for someone else to give up a grand slam.

[O's84]

Yeah, hard to know what was going through Roberts' head there.  Kelly had nothing when he came out for the second inning, he wasn't fooling anyone of the Nats' potent middle of the order.  In the end Jensen did get in the game unlike Britton, but when it was too late.  I have no idea why he would leave in Kelly with the bases loaded and none out, honestly he should have been in before that.

[backwardsk]

I can’t believe they didn’t bring in the loogy to face Soto.

[Number5]

57 minutes ago, bpilktree said:

Dave Roberts pulls his best Buck leaving his closer in the pen in extras for someone else to give up a grand slam.

Even worse.  Buck was the visiting team and a save was at least a possibility if the Orioles got the lead.  Tonight the Dodgers were the home team.  No save possible in extra innings.

[GuidoSarducci]

3 hours ago, LA2 said:

Cards over Braves, Nats over Dodgers: This is the aspect of baseball's playoffs I really dislike. We're about to see two teams that totaled 203 wins eliminated by two teams that won 184 games. But I understand why MLB does it.

Well they could have all 30 teams play each other the same number of times, then whoever has the most wins is league champion, and skip the postseason altogether. Like English premier league

[$Greatness$]

Clayton Kershaw is trash, lol

[JR Oriole]

I would love to have a player with as much plate presence, swagger, and confidence as Soto.  That dude is going to be an October beast for years.  

Kershaw.....just not a guy who you want in the playoffs.  His playoff history is clearly something he can’t shake, and at this point it has to be almost all mental.  

[Mendoza Line]

 

3 hours ago, JR Oriole said:

I would love to have a player with as much plate presence, swagger, and confidence as Soto.  That dude is going to be an October beast for years.  

Kershaw.....just not a guy who you want in the playoffs.  His playoff history is clearly something he can’t shake, and at this point it has to be almost all mental.  

Price was basically the same until he broke out of it in the ALCS/WS last year.

[weams]

On 9/25/2019 at 6:59 AM, backwardsk said:

Only one of nine teams in baseball history to make the playoffs after being 12 games below .500.

Scherzer wore googles with one blue eye and one brown eye.

I was very wrong about this team. I don't like them, but I was wrong. 

[JR Oriole]

1 hour ago, Mendoza Line said:

 

Price was basically the same until he broke out of it in the ALCS/WS last year.

I was thinking about Price in this context, and he had a few things really go his way last year that I think will have to happen to Kershaw in the future if he is to get his ring.

In the ALDS against the Yankees, Price was bad....gave up runs quickly and ended up taking the only loss in that series for Boston.  His ERA was 16.20 for the ALDS.  Against Houston, with the Sox already down 1 game to none, Price was on his way to losing Game 2 when he fell behind 4-2 in the 3rd inning.  But Jackie Bradley hit a bases clearing double (the ball actually rolled along the top of the wall near the left field line, allowing all 3 runners enough time to score) and that put Price ahead 5-4.  He definitely relaxed after that.  He won the clinching games of the ALCS and WS, but both of those games were when the Sox were up 3-1 in the series with the cushion of two home games remaining if needed.  And Kershaw was his opponent in Game 5 of the WS!  It doesn't take away from the fact that he won those games, and they were clinching games....but that is not nearly the same pressure as a winner take all game.  I would not have trusted Price in a Game 7 in Fenway given his history of bombing in October. 

Kershaw needs to have (relatively) lower pressure opportunities like that to reverse his course.  I feel for the guy because this is some kind of awful track record in big spots. Doesn't help that his manager channeled Grady Little in terms of his decision making. 

[backwardsk]

4 hours ago, JR Oriole said:

I would love to have a player with as much plate presence, swagger, and confidence as Soto.  That dude is going to be an October beast for years.  

Kershaw.....just not a guy who you want in the playoffs.  His playoff history is clearly something he can’t shake, and at this point it has to be almost all mental.  

What’s the narrative if Roberts doesn’t send him back out there in the eighth?  

It’d be two times in three years that he came out of the bullpen in an elimination game to preserve a series.

[JR Oriole]

12 minutes ago, backwardsk said:

What’s the narrative if Roberts doesn’t send him back out there in the eighth?  

It’d be two times in three years that he came out of the bullpen in an elimination game to preserve a series.

That would have been a better narrative for him than the current one.  It is still a case that over 158 innings in the postseason, he has an overall ERA of 4.43...an ERA that is higher in each successive round of the playoffs.  Just amazing when you consider his regular season career ERA is 2.44.  That is a huge discrepancy and given the sample size, I don't think it is random or just bad luck.  I would love to see him change the script in the coming years though.  He is a HOF pitcher and it would be a shame to have so much of his legacy tied to his performance in the playoffs. 

What hasn't gotten much press is how terrible Bellinger has been in the playoffs for the Dodgers.  His .178/.234/.326 career line over 135 playoff ABs is abysmal.  One good series (Cubs 2017) out of 7 for him. 

[SouthRider]

TBS guys were all over Roberts for allowing Kershaw to start the next inning.  They pointed out how Kershaw's stuff was like batting practice to the Nat's hitters after dealing with Buehler all game.   Leaving Kelly in was equally as dumb.  I understand the Nationals going to Corbin, but LA's bull pen is loaded.  No need to go to Kershaw or allow Kelly to struggle.  

This was the first time I ever rooted for the Nationals to win.  Without Harper they seem like a much more likeable team. 

[GuidoSarducci]

Would suck for the Nats if they lose either Strasburg or Rendon this offseason. Those two guys should be franchise players.   They only have $137m commited according to spotrac and that includes Strasburg who will probably opt-out so they might be able to do it but wouldn't be able to sign anyone else of significance for a while. 

Edited October 10, 2019 by GuidoSarducci