The Nats are now in salvage mode in hopes to even the season series 3-3 with the Orioles. The Nats had a golden opportunity to pick up 2 games on the Mets as they are faltering in a big way, and the Nats just are not taking advantage of the situation.
Max Scherzer struggled in the 1st inning but had a chance to finish with 7.0 innings complete and only giving up those 2 runs in the 1st inning. As the season has gone, luck has not shined in the Nats direction. Bad luck BABIP bit the Nats early and often again yesterday as Werth was at-bat with Escobar at 2nd and Harper at 1st and Werth smoked a liner up the middle that Hardy caught and threw behind Escobar for a doubleplay. When things are going well that’s a hard single up the middle and Escobar scores and Bryce is standing at 3rd base.
Today we have to hope that the “good” Tanner Roark arrives. We need this reassurance that he can pitch well and be the Nats 4th starter in 2016 along with 1. Scherzer 2. Strasburg 3. Gio and 5. Joe Ross If not, what do you do with Roark? This question has to be answered sooner than later.
The Orioles are pitching Tyler Wilson. He’s a 25 year old rookie with 29 innings of experience. Wilson got pulled quickly in his last start giving up 6 earned runs. Tyler Wilson throws a 4-seam fastball that sits 89-91mph, a slider at 80mph, a sinker at 89mph, and he will mix in some 83mph changeups. Where you beat Wilson is to hit his 4-seamer when he misses locations which is why it took him so long to get called up to the Majors.
Hanging over today’s game will be whether there will be a retaliatory plunking of a Nats batter and part of our post-game discussion last night was whether or not Harper calling Papelbon’s HBP on Machado “tired” if that has any reprecussions in the the clubhouse.
Pregame from Papelbon:
Jonathan Papelbon had no response to being called a "coward" by Manny Machado: "I'm on to the next day, brother." #Nats
— Chris Johnson (@ceejjohnson18) September 24, 2015
Nats line-up:
- Rendon 2B
- Escobar 3B
- Harper RF
- Werth LF
- CRob 1B
- Desi SS
- MAT CF
- Ramos C
- Roark P
#Nats vs. #Orioles: Rendon 2B, Escobar 3B, Harper RF, Werth LF, Robinson 1B, Desmond SS, Taylor CF, Ramos C, Roark P pic.twitter.com/CaC7kBwe0n
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 24, 2015
More distressing injury news is that Danny Espinosa appears done for the season. With yesterday’s news on RZim’s oblique and this news on Espi’s hamstring the Nats have Trea Turner as the backup middle infielder for the rest of the season with Difo and Uggla as depth behind Turner.
