Post by Commissioner Erick on Aug 16, 2020 12:20:09 GMT -5
St. Louis Cardinals (15-12) @ Washington Nationals (15-11)
STL: Daniel Mengden (2-2, 2.89)
WAS: Franklin E. Perez (3-1, 3.60)
The Washington Nationals and St. Louis Cardinals faced each other in last year's National League Wild Card Game and have big expectations for 2024. Each team is off to a solid start, but is in second place in their division again, making the two teams the favorites for this year's Wild Card Game.
In that case, the Game of the Week between the Cardinals and Nationals could be a win-or-go-home preview for October.
Washington has come into the game on a losing streak, dropping four in a row. Some hitters are playing well, but the team isn't clicking on all cylinders. Bryce Harper's struggles have been the most concerning. He's hitting just .222 with three home runs, one of the least productive stretches of his career. He's still drawing walks, but the Nationals have missed his transcendent offense carrying them in close games.
At least Mike Trout has put his early-season struggles behind him and is playing like a superstar again. Over the last two weeks, Trout has five home runs, a .378 average, and has brought his OPS on the season up to .970. Juan Soto has played well in his return to the lineup, with a .345 average and pair of homers in 10 games, and Victor Robles now has an OBP of .407. If Harper can turn things around, if Kyle Seager can bump his average above .173, if Wil Myers gets his average above .200, then Washington can get back to having one of the best offenses in the league. Those are still big ifs though. Nobody thinks Harper can be this bad over the course of a season, but nobody anticipated Trout's season-long struggles last year.
The Cardinals, meanwhile, have gotten nothing from their veteran supporting cast. Joc Pederson is hitting .172 with one home run. Josh Donaldson is batting .160. Buster Posey has just five RBIs. Jose Adolis Garcia is batting .212. Austin Meadows is leading off with a .289 OBP. As a result, despite Addison Russell and Nick Pratto playing great, the Cardinals have the worst offense in the league. That's bad regardless of who the opponent is, but is especially troubling giving they'll be facing two-time All-Star Franklin E. Perez. Perez has just a 0.93 WHIP this year as he's not giving up base runners. He allowed just two hits and two walks against the Cardinals in 7.1 scoreless innings in last year's Wild Card Game, so he has experience dominating St. Louis lineup. The Cardinals will need their supporting cast to play well if they have a chance of winning this game.
Questions for the GMs:
For Justin Jones, so many of your veterans are struggling. Do you have any plans to jump start your offense?
Luis Contreras has only worked 1.1 innings this year. Why has he been limited so much?
Sandy Alcantara has looked tremendous now as a full time relief arm. How do you plan on using him as the year goes on?
For Jake Pennel, you went with Soto over Ezequiel Garay this past week. Why did you go back to Soto in the lineup?
Your bullpen is down to 11th in ERA. How do you feel about your new-look bullpen?
What are your options if Wil Myers continues to struggle?
TRIVIA: Who has the most doubles all time for the Nationals?
STL: Daniel Mengden (2-2, 2.89)
WAS: Franklin E. Perez (3-1, 3.60)
The Washington Nationals and St. Louis Cardinals faced each other in last year's National League Wild Card Game and have big expectations for 2024. Each team is off to a solid start, but is in second place in their division again, making the two teams the favorites for this year's Wild Card Game.
In that case, the Game of the Week between the Cardinals and Nationals could be a win-or-go-home preview for October.
Washington has come into the game on a losing streak, dropping four in a row. Some hitters are playing well, but the team isn't clicking on all cylinders. Bryce Harper's struggles have been the most concerning. He's hitting just .222 with three home runs, one of the least productive stretches of his career. He's still drawing walks, but the Nationals have missed his transcendent offense carrying them in close games.
At least Mike Trout has put his early-season struggles behind him and is playing like a superstar again. Over the last two weeks, Trout has five home runs, a .378 average, and has brought his OPS on the season up to .970. Juan Soto has played well in his return to the lineup, with a .345 average and pair of homers in 10 games, and Victor Robles now has an OBP of .407. If Harper can turn things around, if Kyle Seager can bump his average above .173, if Wil Myers gets his average above .200, then Washington can get back to having one of the best offenses in the league. Those are still big ifs though. Nobody thinks Harper can be this bad over the course of a season, but nobody anticipated Trout's season-long struggles last year.
The Cardinals, meanwhile, have gotten nothing from their veteran supporting cast. Joc Pederson is hitting .172 with one home run. Josh Donaldson is batting .160. Buster Posey has just five RBIs. Jose Adolis Garcia is batting .212. Austin Meadows is leading off with a .289 OBP. As a result, despite Addison Russell and Nick Pratto playing great, the Cardinals have the worst offense in the league. That's bad regardless of who the opponent is, but is especially troubling giving they'll be facing two-time All-Star Franklin E. Perez. Perez has just a 0.93 WHIP this year as he's not giving up base runners. He allowed just two hits and two walks against the Cardinals in 7.1 scoreless innings in last year's Wild Card Game, so he has experience dominating St. Louis lineup. The Cardinals will need their supporting cast to play well if they have a chance of winning this game.
Questions for the GMs:
For Justin Jones, so many of your veterans are struggling. Do you have any plans to jump start your offense?
Luis Contreras has only worked 1.1 innings this year. Why has he been limited so much?
Sandy Alcantara has looked tremendous now as a full time relief arm. How do you plan on using him as the year goes on?
For Jake Pennel, you went with Soto over Ezequiel Garay this past week. Why did you go back to Soto in the lineup?
Your bullpen is down to 11th in ERA. How do you feel about your new-look bullpen?
What are your options if Wil Myers continues to struggle?
TRIVIA: Who has the most doubles all time for the Nationals?
