The Phillies Road To The Postseason Starts Tonight In DC
If you follow me then you know I absolutely despise the Nationals. My hate began when Jayson Werth signed with them following the 2010 season. Jayson and I have rekindled our friendship when he joined the 08′ squad for alumni weekend and after he called out all the baseball nerds for ruining the game. Love ya Jay.
My hate still runs deep though. I hate the fact of how entitled they have been all these years. How they were gifted Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg in back-to-back drafts with the first overall picks. How they had the balls to rest Stephen Strasburg in the 2012 playoffs with the idea that their window would forever be open. They had the balls to fire Davey Johnson, Matt Williams and Dusty Baker after only two seasons each, a .570 combined winning % and 4 playoff appearances. Most importantly, I hate the phony Washington Nationals fan base. A team that has averaged 92 wins since 2012 yet ranked 14,11,12,11,14,11 in attendance during those 6 winning seasons which should result in their baseball team taken away from them. That or just go back to being Baltimore Orioles fans. Shout out BarstoolNate.
Currently, the Washington Nationals are 7.5 GB of first place. MLB dot com currently has them at 12.2% to make the postseason. It’s been a while since I have done one of these and I kind of miss doing it, so here is tonight’s preview for the upcoming Phillies v. Nationals series which could turn out to be the most important series of the year.
Vince Velasquez
8-9 4.13 ERA 1.27 WHIP
vs.
Tanner Roark
8-12 4.13 ERA 1.28 WHIP
Roark has been exceptional since the All-Star Break. In those 5 starts, Roark is 5-0 with a 1.77 ERA with a .529 OPS against. They weren’t easy games for Tanner either as he had to face the Brewers, Cubs and Cardinals. Roark has always sort of struggled against the Phillies aside from the 2016 season. This season alone he is 0-3 with a 5.40 ERA and 1.80 WHIP against the Phillies. To make matters worse for him he is really struggling at home this season pitching to a 4-6 record and 5.00 ERA on his own rubber.
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Notable Bats vs. Roark
Odubel Herrera: 16-35, 6 XBH
Jorge Alfaro: 5-7, 1 HR
Justin Bour: 3 HR
Velasquez has always been shaky against the Nats. His 5.28 ERA against them is his worst against any team that he has made 4 or more starts against. However, he has had moderate success at Nationals Park in his career including his lone start this season where he went 5, allowed 1 hit and 1 ER. Vinny will Vinny tonight as he always does. He will overthrow more often than not, run deep counts and miss his spot a dozen times. Left-handed bats murder him with a combined .795 OPS against this season so he will have to be really careful with Bryce and Daniel Murphy. However, when Vinny is on, he is fucking on. In his 8 wins this season, his WHIP is 0.76.
Notable Bats vs. Velasquez
Daniel Murphy: 4-10, 3 XBH
Bryce Harper: 5-9, 1 HR, 3 BB
Ryan Zimmerman: 4-9, 2 XBH, 2BB
Rumor of the day is Bryce was claimed off waivers. That can’t be good for team morale. It’s only a matter of time now…
— Tyler Carnall (@PhillyTByrd) August 21, 2018
Despite the fact the above names are hitting a combined .334 with 17 HR and 62 HR since the All-Star break, this team is extremely beatable tonight. If the Phillies can somehow get to the bullpen early who have been absolutely miserable in August with a 5.22 ERA, then the game is ours. The Phillies offense has been quiet for some time now, but have historically hit well in Nationals Park with a .841 OPS in 91 games there.
Tonight is the most important game of the year for the Philadelphia Phillies and a win is an absolute must. It’s time for Gabe’s squad to heat up tonight. It’s ime to take back over the NL East. But most importantly, it’s time bury the Nationals back into the pits of despair in which they came.
In Gabe We Trust. Go Phils.