Today is another of those early April games in a season at just the sixteenth game mark. However, in some ways, the rest of the season seems to be on a path of projectability based on what we have seen. The season will be at the 10 percent completed mark of the season when this one is done. You can play math games and use a 10x multiplier for stats and do some interpolating or extrapolating for an entire season. A loss today and the Washington Nationals are on a 40-120 pace. A win today and the Nats are on a 50-110 pace. The little things matter, and yet it feels like there is zero urgency to be proactive with in-game strategy and especially with the starting pitchers.
Technically manager Dave Martinez‘s record is 4-11 this season but if we give Tim Bogar credit for being the stand-in manager five games ago he is 1-0, and Davey is 3-11. Bogar pulled Corbin quickly in that game and gave his rationale as to why he did that.
“[Pitching coach] Jim Hickey and I talked about sending [Corbin] back out there, but if I was going to run him back out there and take him out after one guy got on, then you’re bringing in a reliever without a clean inning. I just didn’t think it was the right thing to do.”
— Tim Bogar on his managerial strategy
Usually the “right thing” is synonymous with the “smart thing.” It just feels like Martinez does not share that strategy that Bogar laid out in that game. And frankly, it’s not even a bold strategy. Most managers do just that with their starting pitchers. What seems so logical in the way that you control what you can control today and worry about tomorrow when it’s tomorrow, within reason of course. Games are sometimes won with strategy. The team has scheduled days off tomorrow and on Thursday and just had a day off three days ago. The bullpen except for Erasmo Ramirez and Thaddeus Ward should be very rested today.
Today’s starter is Patrick Corbin for the Nats, and Shane Bieber for the Cleveland Guardians to wrap up this series. The Nats clearly need this win to avoid the sweep in this series.
The Nats starters ERAs are a combined 5.35 and that number jumped after Chad Kuhl surrendered five earnies in 4 2/3 innings last night. Here is how they rank:
No. 5 Starter: Chad Kuhl 8.59 ERA
No. 4 Starter: Patrick Corbin 7.71
No. 3 Starter: Josiah Gray 4.32
No. 2 Starter: Trevor Williams 3.52
No. 1 Starter: MacKenzie Gore 3.00
Here is your Baseball Savant Statcast link for the game.
Cleveland Guardians vs. Washington Nationals
Stadium: Nationals Park, Washington, D.C.
1st Pitch: 1:35 pm EDT
TV: MASN
Radio: 106.7 The Fan radio and via the MLB app
Line-up subject to change (without notice):
