Photo by Navy Yard Nats for TalkNats
Click here to watch Nats win #11 on MASN via MLB.TV at 6:30 pm tonight with the rest of us. Just a quick reminder of what we are doing if this is your first time: As a group, we are going to be re-watching all 105 wins from the Nats 2019 season in chronological order at 6:30 pm each night. We will all try to sync up to the same point in the game, and this is a work in progress to maneuver to the same point in the game. Feel free to ask in the comments section where everyone is in the game so you can sync up. Many people are joining in at different points, and most people are not commenting — rather just following along.
The MLB.TV library is unlocked and free to everyone for the 2018-2019 season courtesy of MLB. This win #11 is in the 22nd game in the season, and the Nats took a 9-10 record into this game with a chance to move back to .500 with a Curly W!
In his last start before this game, Patrick Corbin pitched a gem for the Washington Nationals and earned his first win as a Nats player. On this night in Colorado, the lefty wanted to continue building upon his success. With Corbin coming from the Arizona Diamondbacks, he has a long history against the Colorado Rockies as he faced them a few times each year as an intra-divisional team. The Rockies are calling up the right-handed Jeff Hoffman to spot start in place of the injured Kyle Freeland who was placed on the 10-day IL yesterday. It was rumored that Chad Bettis would have to start, but he was used yesterday to relieve the struggling Tyler Anderson who gave up five runs in 3.0 innings of work, and Bettis also threw 3.0 innings. The Rockies bullpen got quite the work-out as they threw a combined 81 pitches of shutout baseball which the Nationals could not match in only 3 innings of required work.
For those who do not recall, Hoffman was a top prospect chosen 9th overall in the 1st round of the 2014 draft and traded for Troy Tulowitzki in 2015. In limited action last year, Hoffman pitched to a 9.35 for the Rockies.
The Nationals needed to win this game to get back to .500, and they had to do it again without Anthony Rendon who sits once again with an elbow contusion. This is the third consecutive game Rendon has missed since being pulled from the game on Friday in his second plate appearance when he was hit near his elbow. He was supposedly available yesterday to pinch-hit but never batted in the game.
The Nationals have done an admirable job of filling in for the injured Trea Turner with Wilmer Difo, and Howie Kendrick has taken the starts at third base since Rendon has sat out. This has taken away the depth, and the Nationals are missing their two top position WAR players from 2018 who combined for 11.0 fWAR last year. With Juan Soto‘s struggles this season so far and the droughts that Ryan Zimmerman and Brian Dozier had in the first 3 weeks of the season, it has been Rendon and Adam Eaton who have carried this offense after Trea Turner broke his finger just four games into the season.
It is creating for quite the uphill battle and the need for shutdown starting pitching and good bullpen work which the Nats did not get yesterday. As they say, today is a new day.
Washington Nationals at Colorado Rockies
Stadium: Coors Field, 2001 Blake St, Denver, CO 80205
Line-ups:
