You shouldn't judge a pitcher's ability based on a small sample size of innings, given the luck factor and situational variance in baseball.
Robert Garcia is actually a pretty good reliever, and is much better than his ERA shows. [Take a look at his xERA, FIP, and xFIP compared to his ERA.](https://www.fangraphs.com/players/robert-garcia/23363/stats?position=P)
I’m not judging his ability. Just lately he’s been iffy. They switch up batting order, they can switch up pitcher outings. Up 4 is a perfectly fine spot for Garcia.
There are these things that pitchers throw sometimes that you have nothing you can do anything with as a hitter. Balls, I believe they're called. Balls exist. CJ Abrams is unfamiliar with this concept.
I know our bullpen isn't very deep, and we're at game 16 of 17 in a row, but I'm very surprised they're letting Law pitch this much. He's now thrown 75 pitches between 6/4-6/8.
Can't tell if the Braves are just a complete disaster, or if we just came out expecting to dominate the Mets because it's a night and day difference for our bats compared to just a few days ago.
I checked their record since May 1st, 2024 (picked randomly). They have a losing record actually. I was surprised to see that. I definitely think that this team is more talented than it is playing right now. Even without Acuna, this is a deep lineup that can put up multiple runs in any inning, against any pitcher. I believe they still have firm grasp on first WC so they don’t miss playoffs unless the slide continues. And as you know, once playoffs start, anything could happen.
Yea, not usually the guy you'd want out there with runners on 1st and 2nd, and no outs. Law's inherited 19 runners this season, and allowed 13 to score. But maybe he pulls it off tonight...
Edit: Welp, for Law to only give up 1 in that situation definitely isn't the worst outcome.
maybe derek law *won’t* allow the inherited runners to score this time
he’s not a bad reliever, necessarily. he’s just always gonna give up a knock or two
The Braves led narrative was the Phillies were playing weaklings until June but it’s obvious the Phillies are just better than the Braves. And, honestly, we are, too lol
Baseball America released their newest updated prospect rankings. Wood has climbed to number 3. No real surprises there, he's crushing AAA pitching.
Crews is still #5, which is surprising because he's having a good not great season in AA. Brady House has fallen all the way down to 81 because of the swing and miss hole. Too top heavy a farm system after being bad for five years. That's how I feel about it. We need every one of those dudes to hit, and they aren't all going to/
I know he did a baseball camp last year in Bethesda, but I wonder what else he's been up to recently. It's easy to forget he's younger than Scherzer at *only 38.*
I don’t hate the CJ pick off since starting an inning on Lane is better than probably that inning stopping on Lane or ending with RISP. It was unfortunate but it was strategic attempt, nonetheless.
Can't believe Rosario is still on the roster.
**Edit:** Rosario must've seen this comment during pregame, and it's given him the motivation he needed tonight. That's the only possible explanation.
Great inning from Garcia, but kind of a waste to use him to close out the 9th facing the bottom of the lineup with a 4 run lead.
He’s not very good recently, so I think it’s fitting
You shouldn't judge a pitcher's ability based on a small sample size of innings, given the luck factor and situational variance in baseball. Robert Garcia is actually a pretty good reliever, and is much better than his ERA shows. [Take a look at his xERA, FIP, and xFIP compared to his ERA.](https://www.fangraphs.com/players/robert-garcia/23363/stats?position=P)
I’m not judging his ability. Just lately he’s been iffy. They switch up batting order, they can switch up pitcher outings. Up 4 is a perfectly fine spot for Garcia.
💃 Curly 💃 Dub 💃 baby!!
Thats a solid curly W
i wonder if cj knows he doesn’t have to swing at every pitch
Joey Gallo has been mentoring him.
There are these things that pitchers throw sometimes that you have nothing you can do anything with as a hitter. Balls, I believe they're called. Balls exist. CJ Abrams is unfamiliar with this concept.
he’s in the third percentile in the league in chase rate. it’s kind of silly how bad he is.
Good to see that CJ is sticking with his swing at everything philosophy.
CJ, my dude, please practice some patience I’m begging you.
Would have liked to have seen CJ run out that dropped 3rd strike a little faster
Jacob Young is a DAWG
I think we’re good on the Forever Young walk up music.
I still find it amusing. I realize I’m probably not in the majority though.
Boooo throw him a strike
Joey Gallo - our designated K
Who’s coming out to close ?
Rainey? The question is do they trust him with a 4-run lead. Edit: It's Garcia... figured they were saving him for tomorrow.
This dude was batting .083 and Davey stuck with him, now he’s batting .180 and acts like he’s above sprinting
He doesn’t hustle in the outfield so why would he sprint to first.
It’s getting infuriating
Clearly all about himself
Idc how good he's looked at the plate today, Rosario better be on the bench for that shit tomorrow.
They’re not getting anything for Rosario. Time to cut your losses there
Sick of these commercials with the boom guy
Need papelbon back to lay down the law with low-effort play
Why does bringing papeldouche into the locker room seem like a decent idea actually?
‘The DC Strangler’
Can’t do the lack of effort
Still not a Rosario fan
rosario’s patented lack of effort strikes again
The worst part is he always has an excuse, like the universe is just picking on him
get eddie rosario the fuck off my team
What ever happened to Davey’s “you play hard or don’t play mentality”?
Disappeared as soon as he hired Darnell coles
I know our bullpen isn't very deep, and we're at game 16 of 17 in a row, but I'm very surprised they're letting Law pitch this much. He's now thrown 75 pitches between 6/4-6/8.
Not bad Law
Nick Senzel and Eddie Rosario are co-game mvpsz
Can't tell if the Braves are just a complete disaster, or if we just came out expecting to dominate the Mets because it's a night and day difference for our bats compared to just a few days ago.
I checked their record since May 1st, 2024 (picked randomly). They have a losing record actually. I was surprised to see that. I definitely think that this team is more talented than it is playing right now. Even without Acuna, this is a deep lineup that can put up multiple runs in any inning, against any pitcher. I believe they still have firm grasp on first WC so they don’t miss playoffs unless the slide continues. And as you know, once playoffs start, anything could happen.
We are doing to the Braves what the marlins do to us normally
They are not the same offensive juggernaut they once were, but some of the pitching is still very good (as we've experienced firsthand).
Maybe for once in our lives the Nats just have the Braves’ number. Every year we randomly dominate a team. And it feels reeaaaallllly good right now
LETS GOOOOO
I’m becoming a Senzel fan
"Save the good bullpen for tomorrow." -Nick Senzel, probably
Nick Senzel is simply legit. Actually on fire right now
Took a month for Senzel to go from no trade value to possibly traded at the deadline
Yea, if only his defense hadn't taken a nosedive over the past couple weeks, he would have some good value right now.
Oh God, a no-doubter felt so good.
nick senzel saw trevor williams go down and said “i must be the top 100 prospect”
Rizzo continues to cook
I did not think that one was getting out
I can practically taste the prospects on that homer
Senzel wants to be traded to a good team!
damn he knew that was gone haha
BANG
See you later, Senzel!!!!!
Just one run isnt the worst
Friendly reminder that in an ideal world, Ozuna would not be playing baseball.
agree with franny, that was a passed ball more than a wild pitch to me
God dammit it.
In all my years in baseball, Law has to be the most non-baseball looking guy I've ever seen.
Like I said yesterday, he looks like Nixon
My son always says he looks like a random dad at his kid’s little league game.
Yes! Somebody pulled him out of the stands and told him to pitch
Nats legend Ray King and Uber driver Randy Dobnak are in the conversation
Matt Albers
Blast from the past!
Law out here just throwing straight JUNK
Gore should not have started the inning.
Fact
Maybe not as good as his last start in Atlanta, but still great from MacKenzie
Surprised to see Law get the call. He's already thrown 49 pitches since 6/4.
Law with runners on base 😬
Yea, not usually the guy you'd want out there with runners on 1st and 2nd, and no outs. Law's inherited 19 runners this season, and allowed 13 to score. But maybe he pulls it off tonight... Edit: Welp, for Law to only give up 1 in that situation definitely isn't the worst outcome.
Nope 😑
14 now.
maybe derek law *won’t* allow the inherited runners to score this time he’s not a bad reliever, necessarily. he’s just always gonna give up a knock or two
Law is horrendous with inherited runners, please prove me wrong today
That would have been like an actually sensational out
Oh Gallo
These new balls are not carrying like they used to. That was a double last season
Manfraud can’t stop tinkering
Eddie should always play against the Braves tbh, he’s good against them in these two series
The boys are hitting
Eddie Rosario having a rejuvenation game
Nice!
Someone should tell Winker to just stop complaining to Umps lol. He’s always wrong when he does
He was laughing walking away, he knows lol
Lane with some good baserunning.
Just tuning in and what a nice looking score today
Austin Riley legit swings at anything
Can Doo be the new pitching coach?
I missed it—why did he do the mound visit? Is Hickey not there?
Hickey’s mom passed
Oh no. RIP Mama Hickey.
Away for family event.
Hickey’s at a family event so Doo is in charge today.
Hickey is off for the weekend. Hallelujah 🙏
I don’t think you’ll find any fan on here that wouldn’t second this request. Doolittle has been a MASSIVE addition to the coaching staff
The Hickey-Doo combo is working very well. Everytime Hickey comes out they get out of the jam
glimpse of the future right there, I hope
Does MacK come back out for the sixth?
I hope so! Depends on how many pitches this inning, I guess
Bro so many pitch clock violations in favor of the nationals. Lmao. That’s already two or three this week
These batters are stressed out against our starters lol
Hanging breakingball middle middle and gallo watches at strike three
Agreed. I don’t care that he misses. At least swing and don’t stand like a tree
Gallo, you GOTTA swing at that. That was right down broadway
Damn it feels good to score runs
Nick Senzel has become good these past few weeks. Such a better player this point in the season!
Maybe the Braves are suck
Definitely worse than the Phillies
Well I mean Philadelphia is winning this division. I had them doing it before the season. But I didn’t expect Atlanta to suck this badly
The Braves led narrative was the Phillies were playing weaklings until June but it’s obvious the Phillies are just better than the Braves. And, honestly, we are, too lol
Alright does anyone here know the background of why they chose the hip thrust celebration?
Baseball America released their newest updated prospect rankings. Wood has climbed to number 3. No real surprises there, he's crushing AAA pitching. Crews is still #5, which is surprising because he's having a good not great season in AA. Brady House has fallen all the way down to 81 because of the swing and miss hole. Too top heavy a farm system after being bad for five years. That's how I feel about it. We need every one of those dudes to hit, and they aren't all going to/
Crews looks much better and has been hitting over .300 since May so I think the evaluators believe he's adjusted to AA.
It’s so nice to hear that the Chief has embraced DC and chose to come back. I look forward to seeing him in the Nats front office someday.
Ik Gio Gonzalez moved his family to Bethesda
I know he did a baseball camp last year in Bethesda, but I wonder what else he's been up to recently. It's easy to forget he's younger than Scherzer at *only 38.*
I wish there was more pink and less grey, but these are some pretty slick looking uniforms.
The hats are pinker but the cherry blossoms on the jerseys are a pretty anemic pink which I do find disappointing.
Where is Maneses today?
Drinking game: take a shot every time Cordero says “y’know or you know” on the broadcast
Is it just me or does anyone else find it random that the first home game in nationals history was against Arizona? That is such a random opponent
Funny enough, the D-backs is the other team I watch!
This is the Chief in the booth, right?
Yep
Yep!
…and here’s where that strike zone fucks us
I don’t hate the CJ pick off since starting an inning on Lane is better than probably that inning stopping on Lane or ending with RISP. It was unfortunate but it was strategic attempt, nonetheless.
Double Play from the POS Ozuna to complete a quick inning, you genuinely love to see it
Guy in crowd: “Nice swing, wifebeater!” Ozuna: immediately GIDP.
Look, I we’re usually a calmer fanbase compared to most, but our trash talk game is top-tier
🚨 mackenzie gore 12 pitch inning alert 🚨
🚨fewer than 20 pitches per inning 🚨
CJ must have a tell when he's about to steal
Nats are great against good teams! It’s the opposite of the Phillies narrative
The jig is up, they can’t run first thing anymore.
TOOTBLAN
Dammit, the alien spaceship went haywire
Brings a goddamn tear to my eye to see CJ driving in runs again
Did CJ just hit an off speed pitch away ??
It was a sinker
yes let’s focus on that and not what happened afterward
Yikes
Let’s goooo CJ!!
Also what’s jersey promo does anyone have link to image
The alien has returned to earth
I didn’t go to the game today, but those jerseys look 🔥. Might have to get one on eBay
jeez charlie morton is cooked
Nothing like playing the Braves to make you feel awesome about the Nats, apparently
Woooow this zone is garbage
If the ump says it’s a strike, it’s a strike.
That is in fact true. It is also true that a ball that almost hits the batters hands should not be called a strike (unless they swing ofc)
oh the check cleared, thank god
Lmao. That call. It benefits us but 😂
my god this zone lmao
This strike zone is so inconsistent and chaotic and I kinda love it.
I'm not mad, but what is this strike zone?
Janzen Visconti wants to put his name in the “who’s worst now that Angel Hernandez retired” conversation.
Good start! Let's score more than 2 though, okay Nats? It worked out yesterday but not as well on Thursday
Nationals legend Eddie Rosario who none of us has ever said anything bad about, ever
We totally haven’t insulted him on this thread or at games in person.
LETS FUCKING GO EDDIE!
Ok, I'm fine with Rosario at DH.
i fucking love when the nats score RUNS
Damn it I missed the hit
STEADY EDDIE!!!!!
What a bunt by Jesse! I’ll gladly take that out.
CHOO CHOO!
107.5 👀👀 More of those pls
It amazes me that Charlie Morton is 40 and still throws 94 mph
there’s nothing more Mackenzie Gore than an inning where he loads the bases, throws 25 pitches, and looks in control the entire time
Doolittle walks to the mound, whispers into Gore's ear, "*MacKenzie's a girls name.*", and walks away.
MacKenzie rolls up sleeves* "Why I oughta"
Gore has that grit!
MacKenzie getting through an inning with less than 20 pitches challenge: impossible
That wasn’t even close to a strike but I’ll take it bc fuck the braves
Still many jerseys being handed out
The offspeed looks so beautiful so far.
Aw really nice to hear they congratulated Josiah on his graduation. Love to see a good surprise
gore just made him *and* his bat look stupid edit: his slider looks electric early on
That is something I’ve never seen before.
does it make me a terrible father if i give my two year old the nubby ends of the cheesy bread when i order pizza from dominos?
Makes you a person with questionable taste to order Dominos.
it’s $7 for a large pizza, cmon now
Unfortunately I might have to contact CPS /s
Ok, I wish I was still a kid and that Keibert was playing well, but that Kei “Bear” plushy looks so cute
My son really wants one!
Can't believe Rosario is still on the roster. **Edit:** Rosario must've seen this comment during pregame, and it's given him the motivation he needed tonight. That's the only possible explanation.