Nationals with Scherzer healthy have upper hand for Wild Card
Updated Friday, August 23, 2019
This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Washington Nationals, trying to recover from the loss of their $330 million asset, Bryce Harper. Heading into the season, Dave Martinez was the Las Vegas bet to be first manager fired in the major leagues.
But while Harper’s Philadelphia Phillies languish behind them, the Nationals have held together, despite their share of misfortune. Their very collapsible bullpen has lost its closer, Sean Doolittle, perhaps for the season, with knee tendinitis.
Though probably not a threat to the Atlanta Braves in the National League East, the Nats are on top of the Wild Card standings, winning nine of their past 11 games heading into Friday’s schedule.
MLB Network analyst Tom Verducci, who tends to be right, said, “The National League Wild Card contenders are all jammed up like planes at O’Hare, but I think the Nationals have the most talent.”
Their talent starts with the starting rotation: a Big Four of Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Patrick Corbin and Anibal Sanchez.
Scherzer is arguably the most overpowering pitcher in the National League, if not in all of baseball. He’s an indomitable competitor, 168-game winner who’s 9-5 with a 2.41 ERA for the season. He’s pitched through a number of ailments, most recently a strained upper back that put him on the injured list for three weeks.
Scherzer returned Thursday night, with Martinez easing him back into the rotation. In a 4-inning stint Scherzer allowed 1 run and struck out 3 as the Nats won 7-1 in Pittsburgh.
But lately the main story with the Nationals is the offense, averaging more than 7 runs per game in August.
Their first four hitters in the lineup are among the hottest in the league: shortstop Trea Turner, right fielder Adam Eaton (Harper’s successor), third baseman Anthony Rendon and 20-year-old left fielder Juan Soto.
Eaton is the biggest surprise. He’s not Bryce Harper, but at 5-foot-9 he’s showing unexpected power: 11 home runs, slugging .436, with .376 on-base for the season.
The Nats hope for a September power boost from first baseman Ryan Zimmerman, currently on rehab assignment with the dreaded plantar fasciitis. But he will face stout competition from Howie Kendrick with his .934 OPS.
Rendon remains the team’s No. 1 game-changer, drawing acclaim as MVP of the NL East with a 1.02 OPS. As for his defense, he probably would have won a Gold Glove by now if he didn’t play in the same league as Nolan Arenado.
There’s no better table-setter than Turner, a leadoff batter with an .847 OPS and 26 stolen bases.
This is a rare team that combines power with speed on the bases. Rangy center fielder Victor Robles has 20 steals, Eaton 13, Soto 12.
With a loaded lineup, solid bench and excellent starting rotation, the team’s only weakness is the bullpen. We saw that again Tuesday night, when Strasburg threw 7 scoreless innings in Pittsburgh and appeared on his way to his 16th victory. But the ominously named Wander Suero ended that quest by giving up 3 earned runs without retiring a batter.
That stumble notwithstanding, there’s been recent improvement in the bullpen. Verducci observed that “Daniel Hudson has closer’s stuff.”
Acquired at trade deadline from the LA Angels, Hudson has a 2.80 ERA for the season and is 1.93 in his 11 appearances for Washington. So far, Doolittle has not been greatly missed, and he says he expects to have to “earn my way back” when he does return.
Hunter Strickland, another deadline gain, has a 2.91 ERA for the season. He broke his nose in a weightlifting gaffe on Tuesday but pitched 2 scoreless innings Thursday night to claim the victory since Scherzer was limited to four innings and 71 pitches. And not to be discounted is 42-year-old Fernando Rodney enjoying a resurgence: 3.06 ERA in 20 games with Washington.
As for the often maligned Martinez, he was blamed for overworking Doolittle to the point of breakdown, and he deserved second-guessing for pulling Strasburg after 94 pitches.
But players credit Martinez as a morale builder and steadying influence. “His upbeat manner and lack of ego are the two things cited about him,” said MLB Network’s Ken Rosenthal. The manager’s constant drumbeat of “take it one game at a time” seems to keep players focused on the present while creating buzz that they will be a monster to deal with in the postseason.
