By virtue of playing the worst baseball in MLB since the All-Star break, my heroes the Nationals are now a .500 club at 56-56. They have gone 10-19 since the break, basically collapsing in all aspects. The hitting has just disappeared with the team batting a combined .226 and a -23 run differential. Since the break, the hitting averages of such starting stalwarts as Werth (.150), Ramos (.159), Rendon (.205), Taylor (.239), Espinoza (.214), and Lobaton (.184), have all managed to hit the skids at the same time. This hitting slump has not been in isolation as the pitching has also underperformed with our big guns such as Scherzer being 1-2 and Zimmermann being 0-3 since the break. Nothing is working and no one seems to have a clue how to improve, much less fix the problems. I have my theories on what has happened, (some rooted in pre-season personal changes and some in-season personal changes), but these don't explain the whole collapse aspect of the situation as it now stands. Injuries were ruinous to any consistency but also don't explain it as other teams suffer injuries and continue on. In fact, many of the injured players are now back and the team is worse than when the replacements were playing. Two major problems, IMO, are the absence of crucial lead-off hitter Span (injury), who is the catalyst for the offense and the recent acquisition of closer Papelbon, that was intended to bolster the bullpen but has, I feel, destroyed the integrity of the bullpen. Our former closer, Storen, was having an outstanding year. The bullpen needed 7th/8th inning help so the solution was Papelbon for closer, Storen to 8th inning set-up. It hasn't worked as Storen has recently been pounded as set-up man (and who can blame him if his problems are mental), and the whole bullpen mojo was wrecked by the move. The bullpen has been worthless since the move when it was merely a hit-or-miss problem to begin with (again, going back to pre-season moves). Ther are 46 games left to fix some big problems. Don't know if that is enough time or if the problems can be fixed. All I know for sure is that .500 is a disaster for a team that was favored to win it all. One last rant: To team management; Don't fix it if it ain't broke and never underestimate team chemistry. -- Al
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jazzeum
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I find it hard to believe that this will go on much longer for them Al. I mean, they just have to snap out of it at some point. After today, they have some winnable series against Rockies and Brewers (sorry Pete). Mets have two with Os and then series with Rockies and Phillies. Should be winnable for them too but Mets have been terrible on road (better of late) and Phillies playing much better. Rockies will be out for some revenge, you would think. At this point, anything is better than NL Central.
Sorry, the record is 58-58. Hit the wrong key.:redface2: -- Al
I don't know, Brad. The team seems in total denial, refusing to believe there is a problem and are going along like everything will work itself out. No sense of panic, which is good, but no sense of urgency, which I think is needed with 46 games left. -- Al
Panzer ace
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Al:
For whatever reason the Giants always play well against the Nats. There is no rhyme nor reason to it, they just seem to play their best ball against them these past couple of years.
I am not saying that because I am a Giants fan nor am I making excuses for the Nats, it is just a simple observation on my part.
-Jason
sammy719
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Well Al, Chen usually suffers from lack of run support....um, not today!! 28 hits and a *** whipping 18-2 over the A's!! my boys just refuse to go away, now only 4 back and tied with the wild card spot, who knows as we still have over a month and a half left to go...Sammy
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Sammy:
If they did get the wild-card who would take the mound for them in the wildcard game?
-Jason
Ah, the million dollar question. Sorry to butt in, but Chen or Tillman would be my guess. Neither has an impressive W-L record, and Tillman has had a rough year, but either is preferable over Jimenez or Gonzalez. Heck, Gausman is even in the mix. On pure stats, QS, ERA, IP, etc., it goes to Chen. -- Al
Al is still here. I have actually accepted the collapse at this point as we Nat fans relive the 2013 season with it's unfulfilled promise. This was a make or break road trip and it broke, big time.:rolleyes2: No leaping off a bridge as I still have the O's to root for and they at least seem interested. -- Al
Davis, Machado, and Jones make for a pretty good 1,2,3 punch in the line-up. They are fun to watch when firing on all cylinders. -- Al
ANOTHER lost weekend. Sure have been a lot of them this summer for the Nats.{sm2} -- AlMets and Nats have each blown golden opportunities this weekend: Nats to get back in the race and Mets to blow the doors off the race. They both came up short
Jason,
Be proud of them. They kicked our butts...no mas! no mas! -- Al
sammy719
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wild card??? we're gonna win the East!!! ^&grin hoping that is, but in a wild card I bet Tillman or Chen to start, both have been solid all year...Sammy
Panzer ace
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Al:
With all due respect I generally tone down my celebrations when the Giant's wins come at the cost of a friend's team.
To that end, please consider this a quiet golf clap via email.
-Jason
jazzeum
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Mets record against NL Central was abysmal, 3-17. Thankfully, they're done with them until the playoffs (hopefully)
3-4 Cards
Cubs 0-7
Pirates 0-6
With all of that, the Mets are in a more enviable than Pirates or Cubs as if they win the NL East (only way they're getting in; same for Nats), they won't have to play in the WC game. The winner of the WC game will then have to play the Cardinals.
Mets would face Dodgers (4-3) or Giants (3-3) to get into NLCS.
Still a long time to go before we get there.
3-4 Cards
Cubs 0-7
Pirates 0-6
With all of that, the Mets are in a more enviable than Pirates or Cubs as if they win the NL East (only way they're getting in; same for Nats), they won't have to play in the WC game. The winner of the WC game will then have to play the Cardinals.
Mets would face Dodgers (4-3) or Giants (3-3) to get into NLCS.
Still a long time to go before we get there.
Warrior
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I was laid up on the couch yesterday from being overserved at a cookout the day/night/early morning before and was channel surfing and stumbled onto the TBS broadcast of the Bucs/Mets game, caught the seventh inning of the game where the Mets had a meltdown the Bucs scored several runs.
They should have cued the Benny Hill music to that inning, what a ****show that was.
MLB really needs to redo their playoff format; how can a team like the Pirates, who currently have the third best record in all of baseball, have to play a one game playoff to advance, then if they win, their reward is they play the Cardinals, who currently have the best record in baseball.
It's idiotic on a number of levels.
I haven't been paying much attention to baseball, but how are the Orioles, with that train wreck of a rotation still in playoff contention; what do they do, win every game 14-13, their pitching is God awful, yet there they sit only 4 games out of the AL Least lead and are tied for the second wildcard spot as the Angels burp and fart their way into September.....................unreal..................
jazzeum
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I agree it's not very fair, maybe something along the lines of the NFL needs to be implemented, perhaps a reseeding after the WC game so that the team with the best record (Cards, assuming nothing changes in terms of current positioning) plays the team with the weakest record (Mets) and the WC Winner (Pirates) play Dodgers.