The Nationals seemed to have all the answers a week ago after starting their post All-Star homestand with two wins in three games, but after a 2-4 finish, they his the road to Cleveland, San Francisco and Arizona with more questions. Who will be the Nats’ fifth outfielder? Michael A. Taylor was optioned to Triple-A …
Tag: Jayson Werth
Jul 18
Nats bench continues to come through in the clutch
With all the sabrmetrics and advanced stats that we baseball geeks toss around these days, there is still one aspect of the game we can’t accurately quantify: Clutch. The official statisticians tried to do it for a few years back in the 1980s with the Game-Winning RBI, but that stat was abandoned after too many …
Jun 27
With skid over, Nats can focus on winning habits
It’s too early to say whether Tanner Roark’s guile and Jayson Werth’s guts actually saved the Nationals’ 2016 season. But when they look back it all, their June 26 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers may be seen as an epiphany. For now, at least, the bleeding has stopped. In just a week’s time, the Nationals …
Aug 31
Nats get most from Werth in the leadoff spot
When the Nationals learned Friday that leadoff man Denard San would have hip surgery and miss the rest of the season, it was certainly discouraging news. Without Span’s .365 OPB and base-stealing potential atop the lineup, the team’s offense takes a severe hit, and with it their chances to catch the New York Mets in …
Aug 24
Encouraging signs spark memories of Nats’ 2014 run
Funny how quickly your outlook can change. A week ago, many Nationals fans were calling for manager Matt Williams’ head, for the team to cut bait on Jayson Werth and the $42 million the team still owes him through 2017, and for the benching of Anthony Rendon, who had gone more than two weeks without …
Jun 29
Nats’ bench stepped up during hot streak
Many Nationals fans might have predicted at the start of the season that by the end of June, the team would have settled into first place in the National League East and reeled off a season-high eight straight wins. Even their most ardent supporters, however, might not have predicted that they’d have done it largely …
Apr 06
Five things that must break the Nats’ way in 2015
How can a team that hasn’t even competed in a league championship series be a favorite to win the World Series? It may seem odd, but that’s the predicament the Washington Nationals find themselves in as they enter the 2015 season. Experts nationwide have pegged a team with a bullpen full of question marks , …
Oct 06
In a game of inches, Nationals coming up short all around
We’ve all heard that baseball is a game of inches. It’s a seemingly small measurement that can make the difference between a ball and a strike, a hit and an out or even a win and a loss. Such measurements are also apparently important to San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Hudson, who questioned the Nationals’ …
Mar 29
Nationals 2014 Preview: Hitters
Let’s get the predictions out of the way first. I’m calling “World Series or Bust” for the Los Angeles Dodgers. The defending National League West champions have two wins under their belts before most other teams have even played a game, and there should be many more to come. In fact with all their talent …
