Photo by Craig Nedrow for TalkNats
Click here to watch Nats win #31 on June 10th 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 #31 came in the 66th game in the 2019 season, and the Nats took the a 30-35 record into this game. This is where manager Dave Martinez started preaching “Go 1-0 every game” and eventually the Nats turned a losing record into a winning record. It took the Nats until June 28th to reach a winning record and they got to 12 games above .500 on August 21st. They dug themselves a deep hole and it took much longer to dig out of it.
The Nats and Anibal Sanchez headed from San Diego to Chicago’s south side for some inter-league action. The Nats just clubbed four home runs in a row in San Diego and wanted to keep the offense going against a spot starter.
The Nats had a chance to get to four games under .500 with a win in this game. The Nats would put Howie Kendrick in as the DH as the extra bat in the lineup. Word has it that Howie did pretty good in October in an American League city.
The White Sox are rumored to be calling up the righty Odrisamer Despaigne who many of the Nationals players are familiar with, but there are several Nats players who have never faced him like Adam Eaton, Yan Gomes, Victor Robles, Juan Soto and Kurt Suzuki. Matt Adams and Brian Dozier are the only two Nats who have hit Despaigne well, but the other thing is this is not the same pitcher who dominated Kendrick back in 2015. Despaigne has bounced around for the last four years with five different teams, and he has spent this season until today in the Minors with the Reds and White Sox affiliates. In a small sample size of 3 starts for the White Sox Triple-A affiliate in Charlotte he has been good, but that is in sharp contrast to how he was with the Reds affiliate where he struggled.
There is a lot of Nationals history in this stadium going back to 2011 when Jim Riggleman walked-off…to Caddies…and John McLaren took over as the interim-manager for 3-games in Chicago and won in the 14th inning of his debut with Collin Balester in relief. Roger Bernadina skied over the centerfield wall to rob ex-teammate Adam Dunn of a game winner, and Bernadina along with Mike Morse and Laynce Nix were the offensive stars that day. Jordan Zimmermann was brilliant on that day throwing 7.0 scoreless innings, but Drew Storen blew the save. The Nationals actually had a Nats record 3 blown saves in that game with Storen, Todd Coffey, and Tyler Clippard all committing the unthinkable. Those Nats took advantage of two former Nats in that game with Brian Bruney and Matt Thornton giving up runs after Edwin Jackson matched JZim going 7.0 innings giving up no runs.
Washington Nationals at Chicago White Sox
Stadium: Guaranteed Rate Field, Chicago, Illinois
