Photo by Lynn G. for TalkNats
Click here to watch Nats win #51 on July 18th 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 #51 came in the 95th game in the 2019 season, and the Nats took the a 50-44 record into this game. Manager Dave Martinez was preaching “Go 1-0 every game” and eventually the Nats turned their 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. Now the Nats were believing they could be a postseason team.
This was the game when Stephen Strasburg went off on the Atlanta Braves. He provided the pitching and the offense to pull the Nats to within 5 ½ games of the NL East leading Braves. If you were a Nats believer at that point, you had to think that the Nats would sweep the Braves with Patrick Corbin going the next day and Anibal Sanchez after him and Joe Ross versus Kevin Gausman to finish out that 4-game series. Well you probably remember that Anibal did his job and the others — not so much.
The Nats left Atlanta at the same point they started 6 ½ games out of first place. It was disappointing because in the Corbin game the Nats put a blown save on the Braves bullpen and tied it up but could not take the lead in that game, and the Gausman game was a disaster. Again, we remember bits and pieces and even at 6 ½ games out you felt the Nats had a chance in mid-July with an opportunity to improve at the trade deadline.
