Post by tigertowner 68 on Sept 10, 2015 9:31:46 GMT -5
People wondered two things about the Nationals before the season started.
1) Would they win the NL East by merely a dozen games or would it be two dozen?
2) Would this be the year that Bryce Harper explodes onto the scene as a superstar?
The answer to 1) is, of course, none of the above.
The answer to 2) is clearly YES!
Just a few observations. First, I never thought that they were "all that and a bag of chips" to begin with. Mike Rizzo assembled this team like a PPG fantasy player. Matt Williams has to be the worst tactical manager in the game. That and he has played it all year by "fiddling while Rome burns", playing it like there was "never anything to worry about", they would still win this division in a walk. Williams is right about a "walk". He will be taking the long walk with a box of his "personal effects" out the door in about four weeks...
Jayson Werth is the most overrated and overpaid OF in MLB. Anthony Rendon has had just one good season (2014) and due to injury and the fact that he is not really all that good, had had a forgettable season. Ian Desmond will never make anyone mistake him for a Gold Glover and hits with great inconsistency. Ryan Zimmerman has been crummy since about 2013. Denard Span is as fragile as a china doll and makes Michael A. Taylor look like their second best everyday player (when they let him play). And so, without Harper's emergence this team might be battling it out with the Marlins, Braves and Phillies for the bottom.
But that pitching staff was supposed to be the deepest staff in years with six potential all stars. That is why I could not even see how they could possibly not win MLB's weakest division.
Max Scherzer got off to a blazing start and even began going 8 or 9 innings (which he never did in Detroit). How about that second half though Max?
Date Opp G GS W L SV IP H R ER BB K CG SHO ERA WHIP
Sep 7 NYM 1 1 0 0 0 6.0 7 5 5 0 6 0 0 7.50 1.17
Sep 2 @ STL 1 1 0 0 0 6.0 11 2 2 0 10 0 0 3.00 1.83
Aug 28 MIA 1 1 0 1 0 7.0 6 4 4 0 8 0 0 5.14 .86
Aug 20 @ COL 1 1 0 1 0 6.0 8 3 3 3 7 0 0 4.50 1.83
Aug 14 @ SF 1 1 0 1 0 3.0 7 6 6 0 3 0 0 18.00 2.33
Aug 9 COL 1 1 0 0 0 6.0 8 4 4 1 10 0 0 6.00 1.50
Aug 4 ARZ 1 1 0 0 0 6.0 4 3 3 3 9 0 0 4.50 1.17
Jul 30 @ MIA 1 1 1 0 0 7.0 3 0 0 3 6 0 0 0.00 .86
Jul 24 @ PIT 1 1 0 0 0 5.0 7 5 5 1 8 0 0 9.00 1.60
Two decent games out of nine starts.
The man who came to D.C. because he arrogantly said "wanted to win (didn't the douche win in Detroit? If he thinks he is going to the World Series in DC he can forget that pipe dream...)"
Stephen Strasburg maintains the same overpowering stuff he came into the game with. Unfortunately for the Nationals, he is still more notorious for having a reserved and paid in advance spot on the DL. Gio Gonzales is still servicable, as is Jordan Zimmermann. Zimmermann has picked a bad year to be so-so, however. Tanner Roark has been pulled in and out of the rotation so much he must feel like he is in a revolving door. Doug Fister has seen his best days and they are clearly in the rear view mirror.
So, so much for the All-Star pitching staff.
The coup de grace is a bullpen that must make Scherzer feel right at home because it is as dysfunctional as the one he left in Detroit. Casey Janssen is a walking gas can. Drew Storen was having an awesome season as the closer until Rizzo, who needed another good every day player, decided to piss him off and bring Jonathan Papelbon on board. Storen has been a miserable 8th inning man, making no need for having Papelbon around to earn saves that no longer materialize.
What a mess...
1) Would they win the NL East by merely a dozen games or would it be two dozen?
2) Would this be the year that Bryce Harper explodes onto the scene as a superstar?
The answer to 1) is, of course, none of the above.
The answer to 2) is clearly YES!
Just a few observations. First, I never thought that they were "all that and a bag of chips" to begin with. Mike Rizzo assembled this team like a PPG fantasy player. Matt Williams has to be the worst tactical manager in the game. That and he has played it all year by "fiddling while Rome burns", playing it like there was "never anything to worry about", they would still win this division in a walk. Williams is right about a "walk". He will be taking the long walk with a box of his "personal effects" out the door in about four weeks...
Jayson Werth is the most overrated and overpaid OF in MLB. Anthony Rendon has had just one good season (2014) and due to injury and the fact that he is not really all that good, had had a forgettable season. Ian Desmond will never make anyone mistake him for a Gold Glover and hits with great inconsistency. Ryan Zimmerman has been crummy since about 2013. Denard Span is as fragile as a china doll and makes Michael A. Taylor look like their second best everyday player (when they let him play). And so, without Harper's emergence this team might be battling it out with the Marlins, Braves and Phillies for the bottom.
But that pitching staff was supposed to be the deepest staff in years with six potential all stars. That is why I could not even see how they could possibly not win MLB's weakest division.
Max Scherzer got off to a blazing start and even began going 8 or 9 innings (which he never did in Detroit). How about that second half though Max?
Date Opp G GS W L SV IP H R ER BB K CG SHO ERA WHIP
Sep 7 NYM 1 1 0 0 0 6.0 7 5 5 0 6 0 0 7.50 1.17
Sep 2 @ STL 1 1 0 0 0 6.0 11 2 2 0 10 0 0 3.00 1.83
Aug 28 MIA 1 1 0 1 0 7.0 6 4 4 0 8 0 0 5.14 .86
Aug 20 @ COL 1 1 0 1 0 6.0 8 3 3 3 7 0 0 4.50 1.83
Aug 14 @ SF 1 1 0 1 0 3.0 7 6 6 0 3 0 0 18.00 2.33
Aug 9 COL 1 1 0 0 0 6.0 8 4 4 1 10 0 0 6.00 1.50
Aug 4 ARZ 1 1 0 0 0 6.0 4 3 3 3 9 0 0 4.50 1.17
Jul 30 @ MIA 1 1 1 0 0 7.0 3 0 0 3 6 0 0 0.00 .86
Jul 24 @ PIT 1 1 0 0 0 5.0 7 5 5 1 8 0 0 9.00 1.60
Two decent games out of nine starts.
The man who came to D.C. because he arrogantly said "wanted to win (didn't the douche win in Detroit? If he thinks he is going to the World Series in DC he can forget that pipe dream...)"
Stephen Strasburg maintains the same overpowering stuff he came into the game with. Unfortunately for the Nationals, he is still more notorious for having a reserved and paid in advance spot on the DL. Gio Gonzales is still servicable, as is Jordan Zimmermann. Zimmermann has picked a bad year to be so-so, however. Tanner Roark has been pulled in and out of the rotation so much he must feel like he is in a revolving door. Doug Fister has seen his best days and they are clearly in the rear view mirror.
So, so much for the All-Star pitching staff.
The coup de grace is a bullpen that must make Scherzer feel right at home because it is as dysfunctional as the one he left in Detroit. Casey Janssen is a walking gas can. Drew Storen was having an awesome season as the closer until Rizzo, who needed another good every day player, decided to piss him off and bring Jonathan Papelbon on board. Storen has been a miserable 8th inning man, making no need for having Papelbon around to earn saves that no longer materialize.
What a mess...
