The Nationals ended this season with arguably the best pitching in the NL.  Facing elimination, there’s no argument that they’ve had the worst pitching in the postseason so far.

In game 1, The Nats won and Gio only gave up 2 runs on one hit over 5 innings, but he walked 7(!). Monday’s debacle saw starter Jordan Zmmerman throw only 3 innings, giving up 5 runs on 7 hits, followed by the usually-stellar bullpen giving up another 7, led (?) by Sean Burnett giving up 3 in 2/3 of an inning.  Edwin Jackson followed this up in yesterday’s start by surrendering 4 in five innings. Stammen, Garcia, and Mattheus allowed another 4 over the next three innings.

While the offense has managed only 7 runs through 3 games so far, those dreadful pitching numbers will mean an early exit for baseball’s best team in 2012. Yes, there’s another game to play today. But the Nats face Kyle Loshe, who has a record of something like 143-1 this year (feel free to double check that record), while the Nats will throw Ross Detweiller out against a team he’s mightily struggled against, so I consider that one a long shot.

Anybody missing Strasburg right now?

As I walked through the ballpark neighborhood on my way to work this morning, there was already an unmistakable energy in the air.  The usually quiet neighborhood was already abuzz and full of foot traffic.  There’s no doubt — Washington is ready for its first postseason baseball game in a very, very long time.

That said, good luck watching the game.  If you haven’t already ponied up a small fortunate for tickets, you can still get one of the few available standing room tickets.  If you happen to work evenings or have today off, you might be able to catch the 1:00pm start time — if you have MLB Network.  If you’re like most people and don’t, you can always watch the Gameday Cartoons.

Edwin Jackson faces Chris Carpenter in this third game of the series.  Carpenter was injured most of this season and one can only hope he still has some signs of rust.  And that Jackson pitches better than he did in his penultimate start this season against the Cardinals, where he allowed 9 runs in 1.1 innings.

The weather looks perfect for postseason baseball — high 60s, a lot of sun, and some extra warmth from an energetic crowd sure to show its Natitude.

Well, that… didn’t go as we’d hoped.

Jordan Zimmerman continued his recent lack of success against the Cardinals, falling apart in the first three innings before being pulled — though he did outlast Cardinals starter Jamie Garcia, who was pulled after o

This park is about to see its first ever playoff games.

nly two innings and 51 pitches.  Unlike Gio Gonzalez, who was effectively wild the day before, Zimmerman didn’t give up a walk.  The Cards saw his pitches and hit him hard, tagging him for 5 runs on 7 hits.

The series moves back to Washington on Wednesday.  Edwin Jackson will take on Chris Carpenter at 1:00.

If the Nationals want to win this series, it is time for Bryce Harper to step up.  Bryce overplayed his hand a bit yesterday, getting thrown out at third with the team down four runs late in the game.  It is hard to criticize a player who is hustling and trying to spark the offence, but Harper has to balance aggressiveness with intelligence.  He’s 2-for-10 so far in the series, and there’s no better time than now to step it up and cement his star status.

Perhaps more than any other division series this year, the Nationals-Cardinals series is one of Experience vs Youth.  The Nationals take on perennial playoff pain-in-the-ass, defending World Champion Cardinals today at 3:00pm in St. Louis on TBS.

Gio Gonzalez, the 21 game winner, faces Adam Wainwright. Gio faced St. Louis once this year, throwing a complete game shutout on August 31 at home.  Let’s hope he can recreate that magic this afternoon.

As noted earlier, the playoff roster is set.  DeRosa and Lannan are out this round, but there are no other unexpected moves.

Adam LaRoche is a firm believe that if you’re good, inexperience in the post season won’t matter:

<blockquote>”We’re in this position for a reason,” LaRoche said. “We’ve been one of the best teams in baseball all year, so it’s obviously worked. Let’s continue to do it.”</blockquote>

For the first time since 1933, it’s time to play postseason ball for Washington.

The Nationals kick off the NLDS against the Cardinals in St. Louis tonight. The weather looks beautiful (sunny and 50s), Gio gets the ball tonight, and The Nats Look to take out the defending champion Cardinals.

In Nats News today:

• John Lannan and Mark DeRosa are off the playoff roster, at least for the first round.
• Ex-Nats manager Jim Riggleman, who made the boneheaded decision to walk away from the team just as it was turning things around in a big way last season, wants back in.
• Looking ahead, the Nationals return to DC for games 3-5 (if 4 and/or 5 are necessary) on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. The games are on TBS, and we’ll have your game previews here.
• If you’re coming to one of those games (or to the party at my house), you’re going to want to take Metro, as the city is shutting down a bunch of roads and making traffic a nightmare around the ballpark neighborhood.

We’ll be back later with a game preview a little later on.

The Nationals made history when they clinched their division for the first time since 1933 two days ago, and now the milestones keep coming. After 7 long years of waiting and a losing streak of 538 games, Teddy has finally won the Presidents Race on the last day of the regular season.

Teddy’s bad luck started when the Presidents Races started on July 21, 2006. Over the years, Teddy’s frustration over losing would build and he would become a lovable loser. In certain instances he punched and pushed his fellow presidents, and even the Orioles mascot at a point. His horrible luck gained him a fan club with Let Teddy Win, as well as his own Twitter account.

Despite his fame, the frustration of Teddy’s losses even reached the Nationals players at a point. Last year, Jayson Werth took matters into his own hands and led a coup with other Nats players attempting to block the other presidents and let Teddy win. It turns out Werth crossed the finish line before Teddy and was declared the winner.

Teddy’s races were mired in bad luck for him at times. Either he became distracted by popsicles on hot days, or got disqualified for using unfair advantages to win the races with defeats and motorcycles. Today, with a little help from a slimmed down Phillie Phanatic who knocked down the other three presidents, Teddy finally legitimately won his first race.

Leading up to today, rumors swirled wondering if Teddy would finally win. For now, Teddy’s win stands and his losing streak is over. Fans can’t help but wonder if the Nationals would have had winning seasons the past 7 years if Teddy won earlier, but none of that matters now. 

In other news (in case you missed it):

• There is an actual game going on between the Nationals and Phillies. They’re going to the 7th inning with the Nationals leading 3-1.
• Depending on the outcome of the Nats game and the Reds game will determine who gets the top seed in the playoffs.

The Nationals haven’t clinched their wild card spot in the postseason, or at least not just yet. Last night they made the game interesting after coming back from being down 6 runs, but weren’t quite able to pull out the win. Starter John Lannan didn’t have his best game, and a missed call by the umpires cost the Nats a run. The Dodgers ultimately won 7-6.

Tonight, as the Nats wrap up the series against the Dodgers, they have another chance to clinch a postseason spot and to cut down their magic number to win the NL East. If the score holds, (currently 4-1 Nats in the seventh inning), the Nationals will have clinched their first postseason berth in 79 years.

Even though getting a spot in postseason baseball is worthy of celebration, the Nationals aren’t quite ready to celebrate, and are focused on the current big picture: clinching the National League East.

“It’s been a rewarding experience, the whole season. I’m not here to talk playoffs or clinching or anything like that until it happens, or if it happens. But I think it’ll make a great statement in the city,” General Manager Mike Rizzo said.

“The only thing that’s going to mean anything to me is when we clinch the pennant. That’s the only number I’m concerned with,” manager Davey Johnson said.

Hopefully tonight the Nationals can cross off another number.

Other good stuff (in case you missed it):

• That missed call? Oh yeah, umpire Alan Porter apologized to Davey Johnson for it.
• Chien-Ming Wang will be starting on Sunday against the Milwaukee Brewers.
• Also, here’s to two very happy birthdays to Ian Desmond and Steve Lombardozzi. Here’s to players drafted and developed through the Nationals!

Harper belts a home run into the second deck at Nationals Park in early September.

After winning the first game of the doubleheader, tonight has the potential to be a very BIG night in Nationals history. If the Nats win the second game of the doubleheader against the Los Angeles Dodgers, they can clinch a postseason playoff spot.

John Lannan makes the start. This season he’s 4-1 with a 2.64 ERA. Lannan was also the Opening Day starter each of the 100+ loss seasons.

The magic number to clinch the NL East division after winning game one of the doubleheader is 9.

Also notable: the 2012 Nationals are the first D.C. baseball team to reach 90 wins since 1933.

Other news & notes:

• Everyone’s getting cortisone shots these days. Ryan Zimmerman got another cortisone shot with off-season shoulder surgery looking to be a possibility, and Danny Espinosa also received a cortisone shot.
• Sean Burnett says he’s healthy, just trying to break some bad habits.
• This season’s been a fun ride for Nationals’ fans, but there’s some people seeing it from a different perspective.
• Start budgeting now! Postseason tickets go on sale Friday!
• New to the Nats? The Washington Post has a need-to-know guide just for you.
• Also, a very happy birthday to Gio Gonzalez.

But for now, don’t let the injuries worry you too much. Sit, back, enjoy the ride, and watch the Nationals (hopefully) clinch their playoff spot tonight.

In the typical rookie hazing, the Nationals went above and beyond again this year. Last year it was the Smurfs. This year, being an Olympic year, the rookies dressed as gymnasts for their train ride to New York. They were clad in leotards and all.

“The 2012 Olympians that didnt make the cut this year.” Via ‏@GioGonzalez47
Left to right: Tyler Moore, Corey Brown, Eury Perez, Sandy Leon, Christian Garcia, Steve Lombardozzi, and the flag bearer Bryce Harper

“Wore our colors proudly.” Via @GioGonzalez47

“My boy is all grown up so proud.” Via @GioGonzalez47

Props to the veterans for another ingenious idea that’s just embarrassing enough, and to the rookies for being good sports. And our sympathies to Steve Lombardozzi who had to dress up  again this year after being a Smurf last year. (At least not many people can say they’ve been a Smurf and Olympic gymnast, right?)

Now they need to bring home the gold. Or at least a handful of wins from the New York Mets. The series starts Monday in New York at 7:10 PM.

Other good stuff (in case you missed it):

• Newsflash: the Nationals are human. Plus, it always seems that the Marlins always seem to have their number. The Nats were shut out 8-0 yesterday and dropped the series. Silver lining: the homestand still went well and they had a winning record.
• The highly debated shutdown is here. Strasburg is done for the season. Spoiler alert: he wasn’t too happy about it.
• Mark DeRosa, in his veteran mentor role had a talk with Strasburg.
• Sean Burnett’s beginning to feel a little bit better.

Via the MLB facebook.

What’s the only thing more interesting than one benches clearing incident? Well, two benches clearing incidents, with a brawl thrown in for good measure. For the Nationals who’ve lost large leads that looked out blowouts before, they didn’t take any chances, beating the Cubs 9-2 and overall outscoring them 31-9 over four games. For the Cubs, it became a little bit too much to take and frustration spilled out onto the field leading to ejections for both teams.

In yesterday’s sweep of the Chicago Cubs, the Nationals once again blew out their opposition, maintained a 7 1/2 game lead in the NL East, and dropped their magic number to win the National League East down to 18.

The first benches clearing incident happened in the bottom of the fifth inning. Jayson Werth was batting with the bases loaded and the Nats up 7-2. Cubs catcher Clevenger went to the dugout to change his glove when Nats third base coach Bo Porter approached the Cubs dugout yelling. Yet first before Porter approached the dugout, replays showed Cubs bench coach Jamie Quirk pointing and yelling at Porter.

Eventually players ran out onto the field from the dugouts and bullpens and the fracas was subdued by the umpires without any further incident. Quirk was ejected from the game for his actions, while Porter remained in. Later after the game umpire Jerry Layne stated that Quirk instigated the shouting match by yelling at Porter.

The fun didn’t end there. The next inning  when Bryce  Harper was batting, Cubs pitcher Lendy Castillo threw an inside pitch. Harper wasn’t hit by the pitch, but with bad blood already brewing, tempers flared.  As Harper started walking towards the mound he had to be restrained by catcher Clevenger and umpire Jerry Layne.

» Continue reading “Benches clear; Nats still sweep”