The Washington Nationals lost a game they needed to win last night. Blame the opener, blame the wind, and blame the fact the Diamondbacks pitching was excellent. Now the Nats need to flip the script on Arizona, as Washington has Foster Griffin on the mound for this one.
Manager Blake Butera will go with a few more right-handed bats today to face another lefty starter.
❝At the end of the day, when we do get in the playoffs, hopefully, when we get to that point, it feels like we’ve been there before because of how meaningful these games are.
These reps are so important for us to know what that feels like, to know what works, what doesn’t work, how you’re supposed to prepare for these games, how you’re supposed to execute. We want to stay loose, we want to play free. But there’s just a little bit of extra edge, understanding the importance of these games.❞
On offense, the Nats have the 1st in MLB for the most runs scored this season at 569 runs, and that is an impressive 5.49 runs per game. With the Nats pitching giving up 4.77 earned runs per game, the difference is really those pesky unearned runs due to the errors. Overall, the Nats have a +25 run differential on the season.
The FanGraphs WAR chart is now large in its sample size. You can certainly start to extrapolate the numbers for the full-season. The OAA defense stat is now giving us a picture of what the Nats have — and don’t have.
Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Washington Nationals
Stadium: Nationals Park, Washington, D.C. 1st Pitch: 4:05 PM EDT TV: Nationals.TV Radio: 106.7 The Fan radio and via the MLB app. On Sirius/XM, tune to Channel 176 for the home broadcast and the road team is online only.
I said that my goal is to make the Nationals the envy of sport.
To me, that means an organization defined by our relentless pursuit of excellence, strengthened by our connection to each other and fueled by our positive energy. As a result, we become an organization that players and staff are itching to join because they know it’s where they will develop and thrive most; a place that energizes our loyal fans and attracts new ones, and where success is achieved – and sustained – over time.
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