NL Wildcard - Tuesday 7:05 - TBS

[Buck You]

I don’t think there’s anyway that we can resign both moose and grandall unless mark opens his pockets. Maybe one of them? Our biggest issue is the lack of starting pitching coming up from the minors. We will have:

Woodruff
Houser
Lyles
Davies
Anderson

Which isn’t bad but World Series staff? Nah, only if our offense is elite and much better with risp. Burnes and peralta not being able to start I think really set us back. I’m thinking division champs next year but more than that? I don’t know.

[Kerb Hohl]

I don’t think there’s anyway that we can resign both moose and grandall unless mark opens his pockets. Maybe one of them? Our biggest issue is the lack of starting pitching coming up from the minors. We will have:

Woodruff
Houser
Lyles
Davies
Anderson

Which isn’t bad but World Series staff? Nah, only if our offense is elite and much better with risp. Burnes and peralta not being able to start I think really set us back. I’m thinking division champs next year but more than that? I don’t know.

Unfortunately unless you tank and hit the jackpot, that’s all you can ask for as a small market. Get to the playoffs and pray. I could also see making a big splash at the next deadline or two. I know we don’t have much left for chips in the minors but they may acquire an ace as the Yelich window winds down.

[Kerb Hohl]

I will stick my head out here on this take:

I don’t have a problem with “call stands” on HBP.

If you showed me that video and did not tell me the call on the field I would say, “99% chance it hit the bat first and only the bat, foul ball.”

But there is no definitive still frame showing me the ball only hitting the bat and nothing else. So I don’t have clear and obvious evidence to overturn like I would a play at first base where the 1B’s foot is clearly on the bag and the runner’s isn’t. So I’d still maybe have overturned but I’m not going to riot over “call stands.”

[Buck You]

I will stick my head out here on this take:

I don’t have a problem with “call stands” on HBP.

If you showed me that video and did not tell me the call on the field I would say, “99% chance it hit the bat first and only the bat, foul ball.”

But there is no definitive still frame showing me the ball only hitting the bat and nothing else. So I don’t have clear and obvious evidence to overturn like I would a play at first base where the 1B’s foot is clearly on the bag and the runner’s isn’t. So I’d still maybe have overturned but I’m not going to riot over “call stands.”

I think that was def a “tie goes to the hitter” scenario. But mlb replay sucks and I think the replay center are too stuck up to reverse a lot of calls cuz of the fear of alienating the umpires. It’s about to be 2020, how do we not have better camera angles?

[jimmybones]

Holy ****. Lots of thoughts. For a season as long as baseball, a wild card scenario, it’s pretty bonkers to think of a one elimination scenario in general. And then in a game as crazy as baseball where crazy **** happens all the time, man. A LOT of emotional and not rational responses here, understandably so.

-that ball hit the bat first, I’m still mind blown at anything other than that being the verdict.

-Hader should not be back. No one would trade anything for Hader... were all disappointed but, come in.

-Grisham. Incredibly disappointing play? Yes. Does it say ANYTHING about his future as a big leaguer? Not even a little bit. Even if a play is easy, a guy will eventually mess one up after hundreds of tries, nba players miss layups, soccer players miss open nets. Just because it happened in a major spotlight doesn’t make it any worse than those other times and just because it upset you as a fan doesn’t mean it’s more egregious than when it happens during the regular season and far less people care.

-Counsell is not a bad manager and I will not second guess any of his bullpen managing at all this game. My only slight beef was only possibly letting Pom start the 8th because he was absolutely cruising but I can’t at all argue the logic of Pom 2/Hader 2. Also, as a manager, once you put Hader in there in the 8th, there is no turning back. If you have any shot of making any meaningful run then Hader would be a huge part of that, there’s no way you take him out.

[dinderdan]

Hader really needs to work on that slider, tossing up a slider up and away here and there is not effective. Gotta keep them guessing, not just sitting on a fastball down the middle.

[sdn40]

Hader needs to evolve. His success lasted longer than I thought. My initial impressions when first seeing him were that once you got past the arm angle and length, it's an 85 mph fastball that you have to lay off of if high in the zone. Maybe overly simple, but we are talking MLB hitters here and Hader's been around the block a couple times now.

[Jollay]

That was as painful as anything I've been associated with in my existence, sports-wise.

Give credit. I went out with thousands of Nats fans after--all class to me whole time. Much respect, though this hurts.

[Jollay]

This hurts.

[BUCKnation]

Hader really needs to work on that slider, tossing up a slider up and away here and there is not effective. Gotta keep them guessing, not just sitting on a fastball down the middle.

His command was way off on both of his pitches. Fastball often wasnt close, but the slider was nowhere near.

[Siefer]

That was a brutal experience. Hader wild, crappy call on the HBP, and then the rec league softball error in the outfield. And that was the game.

The ump was absolutely awful after he got hit in the head earlier in the game. The strike zone was nonsense for both teams, with some of the weirdest ball and strike calls I've seen in a while. Robot umps can't be implemented fast enough.

[paulpressey25]

I will stick my head out here on this take:

I don’t have a problem with “call stands” on HBP.

I concur with this take. Looked to me like it hit both wrist and bat simultaneously. That said, the intent of the HBP rule is to protect the hitter. The pitch from Hader was coming in high and outside, right at the batter. And Taylor wasn't even hanging over the plate, like some batters do, i.e. inviting to be hit by a pitch. I don't think you bail the pitcher out on the technicality that it might have hit the end of the bat a millisecond first.

Hader had no control last night. I thought some of those pitches were going to sail over the umps head at times.

[MissKhriddleton]

I'm getting 2017 NFC championship vibes from this one. Hell of a run going in but right from the start it's going to feel like we have no chance and watching to the end is going to be painful. 7-1 Nats is my prediction.

Hope I'm wrong.

I was wrong. It turned out to be the 2015 NFC Championship game.

[tski1972]

I'm still sad.

[paulpressey25]

I'm still sad.

Be sad about last season. Crew was one home win away from going to the World Series with a loaded team.

Last night was house money.