Playoff Notes following the Brewers-Nationals Wild Card Game


As the splinters of Ryan Zimmerman’s bat fell unto the grass at Nationals Park tonight, so did a bloop base hit that started the rally for a National team that finally broke the elimination curse.
Everyone feels for Milwaukee rookie outfielder Trent Grisham who let a line drive past his glove—letting Anthony Rendon score the go ahead run causing the stadium to explode into the stratosphere. Grisham wouldn’t be out there if MVP front runner Christian Yelich didn’t break his kneecap, it’s a different ballgame completely, but that’s how fragile this game is. It comes downs to one pitch, one play, and you have to live with the outcome. Milwaukee had their relief ace Josh Hader on the mound (the guy the Brewers wanted on the mound), Washington had Juan Soto (the guy the Nationals wanted) at the plate, that’s everything you ask for. The definition of playoff intensity. That’s playoff baseball.
Waking up tomorrow, Washington plays on, and Milwaukee is looking toward 2020 Spring ball. Both these teams faced massive adversity throughout the season and it’s just amazing that both of them found themselves in this position tonight. Washington looked dead in the water at the end of May, followed it up with the best record in the game from that point on, having to deal with one of the worst bullpens ever, and only one real threat offensively in Anthony Rendon. For Milwaukee, you lose Christian Yelich, but win 20 games in September despite not having Yelich, and being just one game away from winning the NL Central. They have Lorenzo Cain and Ryan Braun are banged up and the group in that dugout doesn’t seem like they are completely ready to get to the next level.  
Looking ahead to the NLDS, Washington has a dilemma on their hands, who starts Game Two in Los Angeles? Scherzer threw 77 pitches with Strasburg threw 34 out of the bullpen. Scherzer presumably gets Game Three based off the work load he went through tonight, but it’s not a given Strasburg gets Game Two. Tonight was Strasburg’s first relief appearance since college and you don’t know how he responds to the adrenaline release after tonight. This is so important because the Nationals bullpen is absolutely atrocious. Washington could get swept based off how bad the Nationals bullpen is, so do you turn to Anibal Sanchez and hope that you can get the game of his life, then turn it to the combo of Doolittle/Hudson, while praying to the baseball gods that combination doesn’t implode like it has all season? This come from behind win in the Wild Card game might have been the only thing the 2019 Washington Nationals have. They might be just good enough to break their franchises elimination curse to get embarrassed against the repeat National League Pennant winners.
Looking on the other side of the ledger in the Milwaukee dugout—this is the second straight year that you come up short due to the lack of arms in the rotation. Milwaukee was one arm short because as good as Josh Hader is, having him go two high leverage innings in a win or go home game, isn’t really ideal. As much as the game is leaning toward high velocity-multi inning relievers, history shows having them in the postseason isn’t a sound strategy. Finding another arm whether in the rotation or bullpen is imperative for the Brewers.
If this is what the rest of the postseason is going to be like, it will be another classic postseason. Buckle up and enjoy the best sport on the planet.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The 2023 Offseason is Brian Cashman's Biggest Test Yet

Image
   Now that the World Series is over five days from now the offseason begins. With that in mind, this is the biggest offseason that Brian Cashman will have in his 25-year tenure as Yankee General Manager. For the first time since 2016 the Bronx Bombers watched the postseason from their couches, and they earned that right. Amazingly, this team finished over .500, although not that far above that mark. This iteration of the Bronx Bombers finish with the same record as that 2016 team—but the feeling with this squad feels different. Following the 2016 season, there was hope of the two power bats that would usher in the “Baby Bombers,” and in that offseason, the farm system was rated in the Top 10 in all of baseball. There was almost certainty that Brian Cashman would put a championship team around Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Greg Bird, and Luis Severino that would be a title contender for years to come. There was hope. And that hope almost turned into reality. Almost. But, that was then
Read more

The Question going into the Trade Deadline for the New York Yankees

  There is a crossroads in the Bronx in between River and 161 st Street right now. As New York Yankee Manager Aaron Boone likes to put it “[the season] is right in front of them.” The second half of the season is for the taking. As we move into the dog days of summer the Bronx Bombers are nine games out of the division and now a game and a half out of the AL Wild Card race following a disappointing first series in Colorado. With that, the historic starting Tampa Bay Rays have cooled off, going 3-7 before the break while showing signs of being mortal. Baltimore, who has been keeping pace with Tampa, didn’t look like a Superpower when they split against the Yankees two series before the break. The AL East is still a Spartan Training Facility with every team above .500, the Orioles holding the first Wild Card spot, and the “struggling” Boston Red Sox tied the Yankees in the Wild Card race. And unlike Robin Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire, help is not on the way. Aaron Judge’s toe is still a m
Read more

The Answer for the Mets

  As Yogi Berra would say “it’s déjà vu all over again.” Buck Showalter is an all too familiar place. The 67-year-old manager has taken a time machine back to 2012. No, he is not managing in Baltimore anymore, however that’s what it feels like the end of Showalter’s Oriole tenure in Queens right now. The Mets simply can’t get out of their own way. With Pete Alonso likely headed to the Injured List, the Mets scored 10 runs last night in Atlanta. 10 runs on the heels of back-to-back gut-wrenching losses at the hands of the team that has foiled the Mets for the better part of almost three decades, the Atlanta Braves. 10 runs with their hired ace, Justin Verlander, who was looking to put together good starts consecutively for the first time all season. The Mets looked like they were about to exercise some demons in Atlanta last night, and then, the other shoe dropped. It wasn’t good enough. Again. Last night, I wrote that the Mets season was on the line with Verlander toeing the slab. Well
Read more