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Associated Press photo Adam LaRoche tosses goodies to fans behind the Nationals dugout after the game. |
With a 5-1 victory over the Phillies during Wednesday's regular-season finale, the Nationals capped off a 98-64 season that wasn't surpassed by any other franchise in the big leagues and was good enough to secure home-field advantage as long as their playoff run extends.
No matter how much optimism surrounded the organization when it gathered in Viera, Fla., in late February for spring training, few could have dreamed this big.
"It's quite an accomplishment," Ryan Zimmerman, the only player to appear in a game in all eight of the Nationals seasons, said. "Obviously winning the division was a goal, and now we've done that, and we have a chance to go do some stuff in the playoffs. This is a great season, a great team, a good group of guys, and we accomplished a lot that we should be proud of. But we have a lot more to accomplish, hopefully."
They'll wipe the slate clean and begin that journey Sunday, on the road for Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the winner of Friday's winner-take-all Wild Card game between the Braves and Cardinals.
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119 comments:
We have only a few days to savor this. Let's enjoy it. We need 11 more wins.
Gosh the Red Sox really stink
Saturday's a travel day, right?
From Kilgore: This week, the Nationals extended the invitation to Robinson, now an official with the commissioner’s office. The Nationals had offered him other chances to return, and he always declined. This time, he accepted.
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Interesting revelation that the Nats have offered Frank other chances to return, and he always declined.
Robinson's obdurance, to use a polite word, has been noted in the past.
Another facet to the team's success was illustrated today. The ESPN Magazine DC Issue cited Billy Beane praising Mike Rizzo as a GM who didn't require a zero-sum game in which your team wins and the other loses a trade. Today Oakland won the AL West, and has a chance for the top seed in the AL. The Gio trade was a boon to both teams, and a credit to both GMs. It would be a hoot to face them in the World Series.
+1/2St.
How amazing would this be:
Susan Slusser@susanslusser
Melvin confirms what Brandon McCarthy told me yesterday: McCarthy might be able to pitch in the postseason at some point. #Athletics
I am hoping for A's - Nats in the World Series and of course the Whorioles elimination on Friday!
Question for JRoll--how does the Phillies being healthy help the Braves finish in first?
NatsLady said...
MicheleS, he didn't SAY anything. He just pitched like sh@t until Cholly took him out.
October 03, 2012 7:37 PM
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I think many here are feeling a relaxation they haven't felt in a while.
NatsLady dropping the SH@T bomb on the Phoolies is awesome!
I am going to sleep well tonight. Watching MLB Network and they are saying Bobby Valentine is being fired.
Just got home, as we went out to dinner with some friends after. Fun game, and a little bonus to see the Phillies end their (11, was it?) consecutive winning seasons streak. I suppose *that* made Cholly mad, too. Whatever, dude. ;-)
Going to try to wind down now, so will read all the posts and comments later.
I am feeling more relaxed than I have in a long, long time. And we went straight from our last game to an exciting, come-from-behind, underdog-wins game. I don't think anything can top game 162 in 2011, but the A's win is pretty cool. As for the foolies? They have turned into a low-class operation. It will be interesting to see where they go from here. As for tonight -- how can you cheer for the yankees or the red sox? Yawn.
When a manager has a numb leg, he gets to leave the bench during a game to receive medical treatment. When a manager has a numb head, he gets fired.
Listening to Atlanta sports talk radio, the analysts stated that the Barves would prefer playing the Nats vs. the Reds:
1) they know us better after playing 18 games
2) they think Clip has been shaky and Chapman is a much better closer
3) Desmond and Espi have hurt the Barves but both are in slumps lately
4) they swept us recently in Atlanta which may give them a mental edge
(Don't shoot the messenger)
fast eddie said...
Listening to Atlanta sports talk radio, the analysts stated that the Barves would prefer playing the Nats vs. the Reds:
1) they know us better after playing 18 games
2) they think Clip has been shaky and Chapman is a much better closer
3) Desmond and Espi have hurt the Barves but both are in slumps lately
4) they swept us recently in Atlanta which may give them a mental edge
(Don't shoot the messenger)
October 03, 2012 8:23 PM
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We won't shoot you but its laughable. Desi is exhausted, clearly. Espi swings for 600 feet and usually gets air but that's him. Sure, Clip isn't Chapman and Chapman isn't Clip.
They will spend Medlen on Friday and I hope the Cardinals win so they can STICK IT!!!!!!!!
Listening to Atlanta sports talk radio, the analysts stated that the Barves would prefer playing the Nats vs. the Reds
Eddie, they can opine all they like, it has no effect on the outcome.
I mean, for crying out loud, it's sports talk radio, for pete's sake. Who takes that seriously?
Still grinning from ear to ear after today's game. Just such a great feeling to have wrapped up the season (and the best record in baseball) with a win today (although Davey's disappearing act was a bit disconcerting...SO glad to hear that it's a manageable problem.) And how great that we didn't have to say goodbye to all our baseball season BFFs today. Instead, we could say "see you next week." Priceless! Thank you, thank you, dear boys of summer (and now fall).
Did insiders, or Mark's colleagues, post predictions on the number of wins this year? I think I was predicting 80 or 82. Boy was I wrong.
Who will represent the Nats at the All-Star Game?
Mark Zuckerman (CSNwashington.com) -- Ryan Zimmerman, Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann
Adam Kilgore (Washington Post) -- Ryan Zimmerman, Stephen Strasburg, Jayson Werth
Dave Sheinin (Washington Post) -- Ryan Zimmerman, Jordan Zimmermann
Amanda Comak (Washington Times) -- Ryan Zimmerman, Jordan Zimmermann
Bill Ladson (MLB.com) -- Ryan Zimmermann, Jordan Zimmermann, Ian Desmond
Dan Kolko (MASNsports.com) -- Ryan Zimmerman, Stephen Strasburg
Pete Kerzel (MASNsports.com) -- Ryan Zimmerman, Gio Gonzalez
Brian McNally (Washington Examiner) -- Ryan Zimmerman, Stephen Strasburg
Craig Heist (WTOP) -- Ryan Zimmerman, Jordan Zimmermann
What will total home attendance be?
Bill Ladson -- 3,000,000
Amanda Comak -- 2,745,670
Brian McNally -- 2,700,000
Craig Heist -- 2,550,000
Mark Zuckerman -- 2,368,914
Dan Kolko -- 2,280,000
Dave Sheinin -- 2,313,753
Adam Kilgore -- 2,226,652
Pete Kerzel -- 2,099,631
When will Bryce Harper make his MLB debut?
Pete Kerzel -- May 6 vs. Phillies
Adam Kilgore -- May 17 vs. Pirates
Brian McNally -- May 25 at Braves
Craig Heist -- May 27 at Braves
Bill Ladson -- June 1 vs. Braves
Mark Zuckerman -- June 19 vs. Rays
Amanda Comak -- June 19 vs. Rays
Dan Kolko -- June 20 vs. Rays
Dave Sheinin -- July 6 vs. Rockies
How many home runs will Harper hit in the majors this season?
Craig Heist -- 13
Adam Kilgore -- 12
Pete Kerzel -- 12
Mark Zuckerman -- 11
Amanda Comak -- 11
Bill Ladson -- 10
Dan Kolko -- 9
Brian McNally -- 7
Dave Sheinin -- 7
How many strikeouts will Stephen Strasburg record?
Brian McNally -- 180
Mark Zuckerman -- 177
Bill Ladson -- 177
Dave Sheinin -- 165
Adam Kilgore -- 155
Craig Heist -- 150
Amanda Comak -- 147
Pete Kerzel -- 142
Dan Kolko -- 140
What will Jayson Werth's batting average be?
Bill Ladson -- .290
Pete Kerzel -- .287
Amanda Comak -- .273
Brian McNally -- .272
Craig Heist -- .270
Mark Zuckerman -- .268
Dan Kolko -- .268
Adam Kilgore -- .265
Dave Sheinin -- .264
How many home runs will Michael Morse hit?
Mark Zuckerman -- 28
Amanda Comak -- 28
Brian McNally -- 26
Adam Kilgore -- 23
Craig Heist -- 23
Dan Kolko -- 21
Pete Kerzel -- 21
Bill Ladson -- 20
Dave Sheinin -- 18
What will Ian Desmond's on-base percentage be?
Bill Ladson -- .360
Amanda Comak -- .326
Brian McNally -- .325
Pete Kerzel -- .325
Craig Heist -- .320
Mark Zuckerman -- .318
Dave Sheinin -- .315
Adam Kilgore -- .314
Dan Kolko -- .310
How many games will Adam LaRoche play for the Nationals?
Pete Kerzel -- 132
Adam Kilgore -- 130
Bill Ladson -- 130
Mark Zuckerman -- 127
Dan Kolko -- 125
Craig Heist -- 110
Brian McNally -- 98
Amanda Comak -- 91
Dave Sheinin -- 31
Who will lead the pitching staff in wins? How many?
Bill Ladson -- Jordan Zimmermann, 20
Dan Kolko -- Gio Gonzalez, 17
Amanda Comak -- Gio Gonzalez, 17
Mark Zuckerman -- Jordan Zimmermann, 16
Brian McNally -- Jordan Zimmermann, 16
Dave Sheinin -- Jordan Zimmermann, 16
Craig Heist -- Jordan Zimmermann, 16
Adam Kilgore -- Jordan Zimmermann, 15
Pete Kerzel -- Jordan Zimmermann, 14
How many games will Drew Storen save?
Dave Sheinin -- 40
Amanda Comak -- 39
Mark Zuckerman -- 37
Dan Kolko -- 34
Brian McNally -- 32
Pete Kerzel -- 31
Bill Ladson -- 30
Adam Kilgore -- 28
Craig Heist -- 28
How many games will the Nats win?
Pete Kerzel -- 88
Adam Kilgore -- 87
Dan Kolko -- 87
Brian McNally -- 87
Amanda Comak -- 86
Bill Ladson -- 85
Craig Heist -- 85
Mark Zuckerman -- 84
Dave Sheinin -- 83
Couldn't watch the A's game because of MLB.tv blackout restrictions, but what a story. Had counted on an interesting last night of the season involving the Yankees and the O's (and then maybe a playoff tomorrow), but the Red Sox have rolled over (again) and played dead (goodbye Mr. Valentine). Oh well. Will just enjoy the Nats status as the best in the NL and hope for the chance to travel to the Bay Area for either the NLCS or the World Series (or maybe both, if I can get away with it). GYFNG!
Here ya go, Another_Sam!
Gonat - could you give us the answers? I know some of them but don't have time to look them all up.Also - the winners of each one? That would be very cool.
Couldn't watch the A's game because of MLB.tv blackout restrictions, but what a story. Had counted on an interesting last night of the season involving the Yankees and the O's (and then maybe a playoff tomorrow), but the Red Sox have rolled over (again) and played dead (goodbye Mr. Valentine). Oh well. Will just enjoy the Nats status as the best in the NL and hope for the chance to travel to the Bay Area for either the NLCS or the World Series (or maybe both, if I can get away with it). GYFNG!
Mark Zuckerman -- 2,368,914
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Mark nailed the attendence and may have bought tickets to get that number. Final # is 2,370,794.
Mark missed that by 1,880. That is unreal.
Might have been mentioned already but I read that the As overcame being down 5 games with 9 to play. Wasn't that exactly the situation between the Nats and Braves with 9 to play. Everybody said it cant be done, it never happened in the history of Baseball. I'm glad the Nats pulled it off because it ain't over until...
When will Bryce Harper make his MLB debut?
April 28
How many home runs will Harper hit in the majors this season?
22
How many strikeouts will Stephen Strasburg record?
197
What will Jayson Werth's batting average be?
.297
How many home runs will Michael Morse hit?
16
What will Ian Desmond's on-base percentage be?
.333
How many games will Adam LaRoche play for the Nationals?
154
Who will lead the pitching staff in wins? How many?
Gio, 21
How many games will Drew Storen save?
4
How many games will the Nats win?
98
Here's the winners:
Who will represent the Nats at the All-Star Game?
Dan Kolko (MASNsports.com) -- 1 of 2
Stephen Strasburg
Pete Kerzel (MASNsports.com) -- 1 of 2 Gio Gonzalez
Brian McNally (Washington Examiner) -- 1 of 2 Stephen Strasburg
What will total home attendance be?
Mark Zuckerman -- 2,368,914
When will Bryce Harper make his MLB debut?
Pete Kerzel -- May 6 vs. Phillies
How many home runs will Harper hit in the majors this season?
Craig Heist -- 13
How many strikeouts will Stephen Strasburg record?
Brian McNally -- 180
What will Jayson Werth's batting average be?
Bill Ladson -- .290
How many home runs will Michael Morse hit?
Dave Sheinin -- 18 and the answer is 18
What will Ian Desmond's on-base percentage be?
Amanda Comak -- .326 and the answer is .335
How many games will Adam LaRoche play for the Nationals?
Pete Kerzel -- 132
Who will lead the pitching staff in wins? How many?
Dan Kolko -- Gio Gonzalez, 17
Amanda Comak -- Gio Gonzalez, 17
How many games will Drew Storen save?
Adam Kilgore -- 28
Craig Heist -- 28
How many games will the Nats win?
Pete Kerzel -- 88
Sec, you have some correct numbers and some not correct, where are your numbers from? For instance Werth hit .300 for the season.
I missed the ASG
Desmond, Gio, Strasburg, Harper
B-R.com
Evidently they haven't updated for today's games.
The Sofa regrets the errors.
And the winners are:
Kerzel 3.33
Comak 1.50
Heist 1.50
McNally 1.33
Ladson 1.00
Sheinin 1.00
Zuckerm 1.00
Kolko 0.83
Kilgore 0.50
12.00
Sec, not sure how far its updated. I think Morse ended with 18 homers.
Gonat and Sec, thanks. pathetic that the guy who wins the Media predictions is an Orioles guy. Kilgore and Sheinin not a clue.
Ladson gets one right but still gets props for naming Desi as an AllStar.
Ghost, I think while Kilgore is lost much of the time he has written a handful of really good articles. I wish Boz had put in predictions.
Next year I hope Mark distributes to all of us and allows us to make predictions by email prior to everyone posting to make it fair.
Morse did finish with 18.
OK, to be fair, getting those numbers right in early April is totally random. Getting them right AFTER the season is apparently harder than it would seem, too. **sigh**
Section 3, My 1st Place Sofa said...
OK, to be fair, getting those numbers right in early April is totally random. Getting them right AFTER the season is apparently harder than it would seem, too. **sigh**
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That is hilarious! I went through the boxscores and updated from yesterday.
UNTERP said...
I don't know if folks are afraid to put their hearts out on a sleeve, but if you can't be excited about this Nationals team when can you?
Oh, 2013. The Mayan prediction of 2012 doesn't guarantee 2013 will come. I believe most who have followed the Nationals have been so demoralized and who have been so accustomed to losing that fears cloud their hopes for success, so lower their expectations. Too bad.
Signed
93 - 69, all season...
April 04, 2012 3:50 PM
______________________________
This person is the big winner as far as I'm concerned.
Thanks so much for all the cool info, guys! The number that has been buzzing around inside my head is 98, 98, 98. That is a HUGE number of wins. When I look at going from 59 to 69 to 80 to -----98? Who does that? The Nats, of course!!! I just can't seem to wrap my mind around it. And with all those dl days. Of course, some of those were used to stash Wang - days well spent in hindsight.
"I'd much rather be happy than right, any day! How about you?"
Hitchhiker's Guide
Orioles lost. They have to travel to Texas for the Wild Card and hopefully their season ends abruptly there.
While the Washington radio and print media still kiss up to the Orioles because they have "customers" in the DC area that still like them, its not the case with Baltimore media.
Me, I have no problem gloating.
Gotta love BullMoose
“I think I said last year that it’s going to be tough to win without Teddy winning,” said Jayson Werth, who has been one of Teddy’s biggest supporters. “But I guess he was waiting for us.”
baseballswami said...
Thanks so much for all the cool info, guys! The number that has been buzzing around inside my head is 98, 98, 98. That is a HUGE number of wins. When I look at going from 59 to 69 to 80 to -----98? Who does that? The Nats, of course!!! I just can't seem to wrap my mind around it. And with all those dl days. Of course, some of those were used to stash Wang - days well spent in hindsight.
October 03, 2012 9:58 PM
________________________________
Glad you brought up the rise to stardom for the Nats. 59 wins to 69 to 80 resulted in someone writing an article of historic rise and falls last year. Can't remember who wrote it as nobody but UNTERP predicted anything like 93 as far as I know and put it in writing.
I thought 86-88.
On the predictions, what they really prove is that you can't foresee injuries. Four of the questions were directly and significantly affected by injuries:
-- Michael Morse's home run total;
-- Drew Storen's saves total;
-- Bryce Harper's arrival in the major date (he was called up early because the Nats couldn't cope with Mr. Morse's absence); and
-- Mr. Harper's home run total (again, his early call-up meant that he had an extra month or so in the majors).
You could also argue that the all-star selection predictions were impacted by Ryan Zimmerman's injury (and extended recovery period, even after he came back of the DL). If Mr. Zimmerman had played the first half of the season like he played the second (and like he started the season, before the injury), he might well have been an all star.
1. I predicted the Nats would win 96.
2. No I didn't.
A couple of notes as the season ends:
1. This has been GREAT. I have LOVED it.
2. Big love goes out to Phil Wood. No one has done more for the cause of baseball in Washington the last 40 years than Phil.
3. I am sad to see the regular season end. Even with the playoffs at hand, I dread winter and no baseball.
4. Jimmy Rollins is a graceless d*ick to say what he said. The Phillies are OLD. It was GREAT to be there and see the Nats take curtain calls with the Illies in the field, watching. It is SO far from when they ruined our Opening Day a few years ago.
5. I pray the Orioles lose the Wild Card game. No Nats fans can ever forgive Baltimore for doing EVERYTHING THEY COULD to keep the children of the DC Metro area from ever having a baseball team.
6. and final for this post: The Nats have MANY players who could go berserk in the playoffs, starting with the Number 1 (Big Games at Big Times) player of the last decade: Ryan Zimmerman. Harper will rise to the Occasion, so will Desi, so will Laroche, so will WERTH. There is NO ONE in the NL we cannot beat, and NO ONE in the AL we cannot beat.
Can someone explain how the Nationals have "home field" throughout the playoffs yet start their first series on the road? I'm not getting that.
Unknown:
Short version: Ask Bud Selig.
Longer version: To accomodate the extra wildcard team and the 'play-in' game -- both added after the schedule had already been set -- the playoffs lost a travel day. Thus, for this year only, the division championships are in a 2-3 format (instead of 2-2-1), in which the higher seed has to start the series at the lower seed's home field. Some notion of 'home field advantage' is maintained by scheduling the final three games (if and as needed) at the higher seed's home park. No one (except the aforementioned Mr. Selig) likes it because it's a lousy set up.
If you haven't seen it, check out this 5-minute video on the history of the Nationals from the Post's website:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/the-story-of-the-washington-nationals/2012/10/03/12bb812a-0d8b-11e2-a310-2363842b7057_video.html
Brought back some great--and not so great--memories.
One of the guys interviewed (either Chico Harlan or Barry Svrluga) said of Elijah Dukes, "He scared the hell out of his teammates."
Jose Guillen. Lastings Milledge. Elijah Dukes.
We've come a long way, baby.
Farid @ Idaho
Farid @ Idaho - Thanks for the link; nice video -- as you say, memories both good and bad (some awful games and players mixed in there). Looking forward to the NLDS and NLCS (knock on imitation wood grain). Enjoy (I think everyone on the East Coast has already gone to sleep) and GYFNG!
Nice to see that Cincy lost that final game to their closest competitors in their division the Cards. The Nats stand completely alone at the top. At least for today and maybe tomorrow ...
And the Phillies are doing some house cleaning ... meanwhile the Orioles are going to have a tough road to hoe in a wild card game against Texas. Oakland gets the well deserved rest.
I hope they give out more details on Davey's back, I have similar issues and would love to know what the top sports docs recommend.
Pete Kerzel is an Orioles fan. I wonder what he predicted for them?
Carrying forward. btw, we thanked him profusely for Gio, and he thanked us for our young players and said it worked out well for both teams. :-)
natsfan1a said...
Watched the late innings of the A's game after we went to a sports pub for dinner with friends. There was a guy there in an A's jersey who was having a great time. Turned out it was his birthday. After the A's won, he said it was his best birthday ever. I told him I was saying the same thing on Monday, after the Nats clinched. So, do any Insiders have a birthday this weekend? :-)
October 04, 2012 6:22 AM
Post of the Day. Oh, and don't panic. :-)
Section 3, My 1st Place Sofa said...
"I'd much rather be happy than right, any day! How about you?"
Hitchhiker's Guide
October 03, 2012 9:58 PM
I would love an Orioles/Nationals World Series. But, I think it will be the Yankees and Braves. Unfortunately, the Yankees lineup is too powerful to overcome. They will prevail and win it all. If the Nationals had the Yankees or Orioles lineup, they would be untouchable. So, let's wait 'till next year. GO NATIONALS!!!!
Gonat said...
"This person is the big winner as far as I'm concerned."
Thanks so much. Every dog has his day.
I wasn't thinking NL EAST Champs, but WC. I thought the 2011 team that won 80 wasn't nearly
as good as the 2012 team Rizzo put together barring unforseen injuries and that the pitching staff would be vastly improved with Strasburg, Gio, and Jackson added. Just didn't seem reasonable to predict under 90 wins...
Ahh, our daily dish of rabbit.
Tastes like chicken, but much, much more bitter.
Here we go again Rabbit - seriously!!!
What starting pitcher of the Orioles would you insert into the Nationals line-up?
If Storen is healthy all year, he has as many saves as their guy.
You really want Pedro Strop over Clippard?
You want Mark Reynolds over LaRoche?
You want any of their re-tread 2nd basemen over Espinosa?
You want Hardy over one of the best young shortstops in the major leagues?
You want an unproven 20 year old who has never played 3rd over our best player?
You want a re-tread (McGloth) or an injury prone(reimold) over Mike Morse?
Now, the last three might be a little tricky because Adam Jones is legit as is Weiters and I think Markakis is on the downhill side of his career as well but still doing ok. I would take our 3 of Werth/Harper/Ramos-Suzuki but I am obviously biased. Just as you are obviously biased against the team you supposedly root for.
When the Cards knock off your Braves, who will you jump to next?
Go Nats!!
UNTERP, I never thought the team could produce enough runs to get to that level and you did. I was thinking mid-80's and thinking the Nats would make a trade-deadline move to shore up the weakest area. Funny thing is the team's shoring up came from within as guys got off the DL (Werth and Morse) and the only trade came after the trade deadline (Suzuki).
peric said...
Pete Kerzel is an Orioles fan. I wonder what he predicted for them?
October 04, 2012 12:55 AM
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Something we can agree on. I have given him my thoughts many times on Twitter. He is bought and paid for by Angelos and his allegiance is first and foremost to Angelos and the Orioles.
He still deserves props for this:
How many games will the Nats win?
Pete Kerzel -- 88
Rabbit.. Another reverse lock.. Thanks. Keep it up. Every playoff game for the Nats, I expect it.
Gonat..
I like Buck and the players, but because of Angelos & the MASN Debacle (plus their announcers), I hope that TX crushes the O's and our out completely by 8 pm on Friday night
sjm308
He's talking out of his tiny rabbit sphincter.
Fact, is hitting alone won't do it - Yankees are the best hitting team in baseball (going by wRC+), and they went down to the wire with a mediocre Orioles squad because their pitching wasn't there.
The next 2 best hitting teams in baseball were the Angels and the Cards--one an also ran, the other a WC team.
The Nats are the 2d best pitching team, and the 7th best hitting team. The Os are all the way down at 13 and 16, respectively.
None of that's a guarantee for the playoffs, but I have to say I like our relative chances.
GONAT, if I knew how good they would be I'd have a pot of gold. It all comes down to injuries and for real they haven't been injury free especially early with Ramos, Morse, Zimmerman. Had to believe that LaRoach and Werth would return to form and hope a couple of unknowns would surprise, Harper, Moore, Lombo, Tracy, Shark, Desmond. Really didn't see Harper having the impact he'd have. It has truly been a team success story...
Here are the platoon splits:
ATL vs. RHP 64-37
ATL vs. LHP 30-31
STL vs. RHP 57-57
STL vs. LHP 31-17
MicheleS said...
Gonat..
I like Buck and the players, but because of Angelos & the MASN Debacle (plus their announcers), I hope that TX crushes the O's and our out completely by 8 pm on Friday night
October 04, 2012 7:51 AM
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Good points. Trust me, Buck is a total DBag. Good point on their announcers with their daily swipes on the Nats as they do so often. Its all an attempt to let their viewers know not to defect to the Nationals as Angelos can ill afford any more defections.
NatsLady said...
Here are the platoon splits:
ATL vs. RHP 64-37
ATL vs. LHP 30-31
STL vs. RHP 57-57
STL vs. LHP 31-17
October 04, 2012 7:59 AM
________________________________
Thanks for that bit of news. Go Cardinals!
BTW, Nats--
vs. RHP 69-45
vs. LHP 29-19
What amazes me about this team is the strength of each position. When I go position by position, compared to the other teams, I can't feel we are outmatched. Yes, I like Posey and Votto, but you look at the overall line-ups, I simply see the Nats being stronger 1-8 than just about anybody else. Frankly, only the Cards line-up seems as strong and I wouldn't trade any of ours for theirs. AND, there is NO WAY I would have thought this back in April/May when our pitching staff was pulling us off to that amazing start. What a long way this line-up has come...
after the agony of those terrible 100 loss years, I am so enjoying this year and this team. Who predicted the best record in baseball? Hmmm, don't see any hands raised. Just keep it up Nats, one game at a time. My birthday's next Tuesday. I know what I want as a gift this year. I've waited over 60 years for playoff baseball in DC, but that's only the beginning step. Just keep playing your game, Nats, and winning.
... now we know the dates of the playoffs. But does anyone know the specific game times, or when they will be announced?
Go Nats!! vs 2.0
The biggest improvement between 2011 and 2012 was the runs scored per game. The Nats scored over 4 1/2 runs per game which was the gaudiest of goals.
Who could have imagined that? And yes, the Nats far outpaced the Braves in team offense.
Ian Desmond and Bryce Harper were the clutch guys this year.
Again, I dont think you can quantify all the intangibles that Bryce Harper gave this team. Runs scored prior to Bryces arrival and after are vastly different. Coincidence?
Also, very, very impressed with Mark DeRosa. Saw an interview on him yesterday and can see why so many of the guys respond so well to his guidance. Gonna say this, he is brilliant...
This is all we know so far.
WC games and Saturday game times
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/schedule/?tcid=mm_mlb_schedule
Also, here is the broadcast schedule. FP and Carp will be doing interviews, I guess (FP said he would be "around the games.") Charlie & Dave will still be with us... :)
National Broadcasts
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/official_info/broadcasts/national.jsp
Pretty much as soon as the Nats won the last game and Mark put up the schedule (THANKS!) I began informing my students to look out for an email cancelling class on Wed. Oct 10. Now I hope for a few more things
(1) No rain
(2) My playoff jerseys arrive--I'd like to wear the one with the roster list
(3) Nats come home 2-0 or 1-1
(4) NATS WIN ON WEDNESDAY
Too much?
On one of the broadcasts, they said that Bob, FP, and Kristina would be doing pre- and post-game shows. If memory serves, they also said that Johnny and Ray would be involved.
The playoffs are like a new season.
But the Nats led all baseball in Runs Scored vs. Runs Allowed--best predictor of potential success in the playoffs. The O's had like a 10+ season and the Nats were like +137. And our Kid is just starting to hit his stride.
In other news, thanks Mark for putting Jimmy "I don't have to hustle" Rollins' remarks in perspective. Get used to it little guy--we're coming back next year, and the next few too!
I think that we will keep winning because we have a very good team, guided by the best manager. Seriously, this team wasn't good enough on paper to win 98 games coming in to this season, and that was before all of the injuries. The job that Davey Johnson did guiding this team maybe wasn't flawless, but it was masterful. I really think that every young man on that team wants to repay Davey for the confidence that he has shown in them, and instilled in them. I look around at the teams that are in the playoffs and every one of them have very good managers. I'm sure that most of the fans in their respective towns (except Texas) think that their skipper should be manager of the year, too. I know some of you never drank the Davey Johnson Kool- aid, but seriously can any one question the long view strategy that he took right from the beginning, and stuck with all the way through?
@1a
an hour show before and after each post season game
UNTERP said...
Also, very, very impressed with Mark DeRosa. Saw an interview on him yesterday and can see why so many of the guys respond so well to his guidance. Gonna say this, he is brilliant...
October 04, 2012 8:20 AM
_________________________________
Future 3rd base coach? You have to wonder!
Yes, ONF, that's what I heard as well.
Speaking of original Nats fans, saw a gal yesterday with a nice homemade t-shirt. If memory serves, it said "Nats fan since 2005 ---> 2012, Playoffs, Baby!" Well done, ma'am. :-)
Thinking about how Lapin would make nice earmuffs for my girlfriend.
The Nats lineup is not at all inferior to the Yankees.
LF -- Morse over Ibanez
CF -- September Harper equal if not better than G'son
RF -- Werth and Swisher a wash, tho I'd rather have Werth: this year he's been consistent, which you can't say for Swisher who's very streaky
1B -- LaRoche had a better season than Texiera
2B -- OK, I'll concede Cano's bat
SS -- At this stage of his career, Jeter's only edge over Desmond is in girlfriends
3B -- Zimmerman hands down over Rodriguez
C -- Martin is lucky to have a starting job in the majors; I'll take Suzuki, Nats edition
Rabbit needs to back down the hole and debate with the Mad Hatter.
I was updating my calendar this morning and told my husband, I still can't believe that I'm writing "NLDS home game #1 - go" on it. Ahhh, life is good.
Maybe we should all chip in and reserve an NI party suite for a game. I see on the team site that good suites are still available. :-)
Hey, I was close!
Back before game #1 I wrote:
A DC Wonk said...
I'm going with 89 wins...
Can I claim that I was just being a bit dyslexic, and I meant 98? ;-)
What an Awesome year! But the Boys (and we Nats Insiders) want more! Like winning the next 11 games! :-)
I don't like azzhat dud selig! I know it's a travel day thing (supposedly). But when you have the number 1 seeds have to travel to the wc stadium to play two games, what is the advantage besides pride to being number 1?
I know it's a one year thing, but the Nats are NUMBER 1 THIS YEAR!!!!!
GYFNG!!!!!
The Nats don't have a player really performing at Cy Young or MVP levels.
But their balance is impressive.
They have five pitchers with ten or more wins (Gio Gonzalez 21, Stephen Strasburg 15, Jordan Zimmermann 12, Ross Detwiler 10, Edwin Jackson 10).
And they have seven hitters with ten or more home runs (Adam LaRoche 33, Ian Desmond 25, Ryan Zimmerman 25, Bryce Harper 22, Michael Morse 18, Danny Espinosa 17, Tyler Moore 10).
I wonder how many teams in baseball history have had five pitchers with 10 or more wins and seven hitters with 10 or more home runs? It can't be many.
The Nats scored over 4 1/2 runs per game which was the gaudiest of goals.
Who could have imagined that?
I recall we discussed in here, preseason, their need to score more runs, or more specifically to improve their differential, by about 100 runs. I think that was you, Ghost, no?
Lots of ways to look as a fantastic season. Here's one:
5apr - 25apr 14-4 “The Hot Start”
26apr - 3jun 16-18 “The Doldrums” (30-22)
4jun - 21aug 47-24 “Our Best Ball”
22aug - 28aug 0-5 “The Five Game Losing Streak”
29aug - 12sep 12-3 “The Recovery” +35 games over .500 (89-54)
13sep - 3oct 9-10 “Limping To The Finish Line”
Over the Nats 8 years of regular season history:
We finished over .500 at RFK (122-121)
We are also one game over .500 at Nats Park (202-201)
On the road through 8 years: 266-388 (it ain't pretty)
One odd stat from this year 2012 - our pitching staff recorded 1325 strike outs - our hitters struck out 1325 times. I thought that might be a mistake, but espn and baseball reference both record 1325 for pitchers and hitters.
What??? No Nats game until Sunday??? How will I survive?
Maybe we should all chip in and reserve an NI party suite for a game. I see on the team site that good suites are still available. :-)
That's 1a, in the VIP lounge with the Dom.
Snopes question I like. I wish we could find an answer.
Good stuff from Juniper.
"Also, very, very impressed with Mark DeRosa."
He looks like the same guy and the same bat we saw in ST. Could not happen at a better time.
Maybe it's a coincidence, but, once again, EJax pitched an outstanding performance with Flo calling the game. If Flo gets a start in the post-season, it may be when EJax gets a start.
The Nats have announced their final AFL roster, and Garcia is no longer on it. He will be on the post-season roster, for sure. Cole Kimball has taken Garcia's place. Matt Purke was not named. Whatever happened to that guy?
How about them Oakland As, coming back from 13 games down and from 5 down with only 9 to play? And the Rangers, with one of the great choke jobs of all time? Remember, the Rangers were born as the Washington Nationals, skipped town, and have never acknowledged their DC heritage at old-timer games and retro uniform occasions.
And the As have Tommy Milone, Derek Norris (another dinger yesterday) and Jonny Gomes. And we have Gio and Suzuki. It's like they are our in-laws.
Hope they get a chance to stomp the Rangers again, and do it to them, even worse, next time.
I love the 1325 number -- told you this was a balanced team.
The Post video is very good and it got me to thinking about the lowlights of the "bad years." They mentioned Jose Guillen, Elijah Dukes, Odalis Perez, and Lastings Milledge.
But I think any discussion the low point of Nats players also has to include Nook ("What Was He Thinking") Logan, Jason ("Cussing Jim Riggleman") Marquis, Nyjer ("Temper Tantrum") Morgan, Jesus ("Human Rain Delay") Colome, Mike ("Groove 'Em") Bacsik, Kory ("He's Your TOP Prospect?") Kasto, and Felipe ("Your Expletive Here") Lopez as well.
For me, the nadir has to be Felipe Lopez. It's a point of honor with me that I never boo a player who is trying his best and failing. I've booed Felipe Lopez many times without shame.
But when you have the number 1 seeds have to travel to the wc stadium to play two games, what is the advantage besides pride to being number 1?
Here's an advantage: if there is a game 5, it's in DC. Ditto with the other series: if there is a game 7 in the NLCS and WS: it's in DC
With the new format the only scenario that could be the same is Rangers going to New York.
The Rangers play in the NY all the time. Oh, wait -- that's right -- the NHL has a player lockout... ;-)
The Braves plan to have 45,000 foam tomahawks chopping in unison when they face St. Louis on Friday at 5:07 p.m. in the National League Wild Card game … The first 45,000 ticket-holders through the gates will get a free foam tomahawk.
I am officially rooting for the Cards to win.
NatsLady - I haven't looked yet but where did you get your t-shirt with the roster list?
Like the team needs to see a bunch of yokels flailing their flaccid foam hatchets to inspire them? Whatever, Barves fans. :-)
Natslifer, they're in the team stores.
Brother Juniper bringing it! 1,325 K's and Espinosa unfortunately has more than enough. The pitching staff K's is what you would expect from power pitchers.
NatsLady, go Cardinals!
As a thought experiment to explore ways of communicating with football fans about baseball, I broke the Nationals season up into 18 sets of 9 games, and for each game gave the Nats or their opponent a field goal if they won by 1 or 2 runs or a touchdown if they won by 3 or more runs. The idea was to show that one game of baseball meant about as much as a couple of back-and-forth possessions in a football game, and that the margin of victory in a baseball game meant something over the course of a season.
The Nationals went 17-1, and the one loss was by a field goal. They won only 4 games by less than a touchdown. For nearly the whole season they dominated whoever they played.
Game 1: W 37-6
Game 2: W 29-14
Game 3: L 16-19
Game 4: W 27-20
Game 5: W 31-16
Game 6: W 23-12
Game 7: W 30-13
Game 8: W 20-19
Game 9: W 34-13
Game 10: W 27-16
Game 11: W 42-17
Game 12: W 38-17
Game 13: W 33-14
Game 14: W 23-16
Game 15: W 41-14
Game 16: W 30-13
Game 17: W 24-23
Game 18: W 27-24
Imagine if a certain local football team had been on a 15-game winning streak. This is why I think the Nationals are dramatically under-appreciated even in the sport, which means that we as a region have a whole lot of room to grow as fans.
I'm ridiculously excited about this team.
NL @ 9:49 -- Word.
Also fascinating R-L splits you showed for Atl, StL, and Nats. Clearly exactly what Davey saw when he said he'll pitch southpaws vs. Atl and righties vs. StL. Even more fascinating is they've succeeded by feeding on their strength (~64% wins), but are literally mediocre against their Achilles heel (.500 or slightly below) -- whereas Nats are (if I may use the term) Steady Eddie against everyone -- 60.5% and 60.4%. Along with the MLB-tops run differential, does give you strong hope if not confidence in the postseason crapshoot.
Also an interesting statistical oddity that we ended up playing exactly the same number of games -- 48 -- against lefty starters as StL did, while playing in a different division, yet Atl faced 61 southpaws playing in the same division as we do. While you might surmise that people loaded up on lefties against Atl knowing their weakness, the reality is that before September expanded rosters there's not a whole lot you can do to tweak your rotation. Plus, if teams did that for Atl, why not for StL? Anyone have any functional explanation other than statistical oddity?
Brilliant stuff PlugnPlay - ironically the odds of your typical football fan being able to understand what you did are quite small.
Here is the playoff jersey I ordered.
mlb shop
http://shop.mlb.com/product/index.jsp?productId=15479556&clickid=body_rv_img
New thread.
"You want Hardy over one of the best young shortstops in the major leagues?"
sjm, Desmond is not just one of the best young shortstops in the major leagues, he is the best shortstop in the major leagues, and it's not even close.
It has been often said that good pitching beats good hitting. The team stats for those in the NL playoffs verifies that.
In Batting Average, the playoff teams ranked #2, #3, #4, #9, and #11.
In ERA, they ranked #1, #3, #4, #5, and #6.
Just an FYI. for those of you on Twitter, some accounts have been hacked and Direct Messages are going out. If you get one of the DM's that says"Heh u didnt see them tapping you" Don't open it. Let the person know that they have been hacked. Change your passwords.
SCNatsFan if you are under the same name on twitter, you have been hacked.
A DC Wonk said...
But when you have the number 1 seeds have to travel to the wc stadium to play two games, what is the advantage besides pride to being number 1?
Here's an advantage: if there is a game 5, it's in DC. Ditto with the other series: if there is a game 7 in the NLCS and WS: it's in DC
October 04, 2012 9:42 AM
But Wonk, That's a big two if's. If I recall, our boys were swept by the barves the last series in ATL. And lost the series to the redbirds in St. Louie.
Seems to me the advantage is to the wc teams.
ooooopss...three big if's.
PlugNPlay, I think you've posted about your football idea before, but I failed to tell you how much I dig it.
Great stuff! Thanks for sharing.
MicheleS.....Haha!!! You're the only one who gets me! Amazing how much effort they put into answering my posts!! Don't you LOVE the Nats!!!
Go NATIONALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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