Nats complete their return of the season with a winning card

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The path was different this time, very different.

There was no division title, no victory in early September, no opportunity to activate cruise control and enjoy the beautiful and sweet descent to the playoffs.

No, this time the citizens had to win it. They had to come back from the beginning to the end of 19-31, which left more than a few observers wondering if major changes were about to happen. They had to make a remarkable run that saw them play a .645 clip for four full months, which was not yet enough to chase an escaped Braves team with its second consecutive National League title .

The only way this time was taken by the wild card, a dangerous path but that gives at least a chance to the teams to play until October. Nationals of 2019 now have this chance.

Truner-Swing-Blue-Sidebar.jpg "src =" https://www.masnsports.com/nationals-pastime/images/Truner-Swing-Blue-Sidebar.jpg "width =" 375 "height =" 247 "class = "mt-image-right" style = "float: right; margin: 0 0 20px 20px; "/> Thanks to a double scan of the Phillies that included a huge explosion by <strong>Trea Turner</strong>and thanks to a late seven-point rally against the Cubs by the Pirates in the water, the Nationals won their fifth playoff game in eight years tonight.</p> <p>Next Tuesday, they will play Wild Card in Newfoundland, probably against the Brewers, here on South Capitol Street or Miller Park.</p> <p><strong>Daniel Hudson</strong>, a July 31 acquisition to help repair a leaking pen, was the man on the mound who recorded the last three outings of the 6-5 Nationals victory against the Phillies.</p> <p>However, they had to wait another minute for this to become official. Once Kyle Schwarber was ranked second at PNC Park, the magic number was zero and the Nats could celebrate.</p> <p>After taking care of business in the first game of this afternoon, a comfortable 4-1 win that officially eliminated the Phillies, the Nationals knew that they would at least have a chance to conclude this game tonight. They also knew that this would not only require a winning performance in the nightmare, but also help in Pittsburgh, where a Pirates club that has lost nine games in a row would need to beat a team of Cubs by losing six times in a row to put his season on the edge of the abyss. .</p> <p>Neither of the two parties cooperated very early. The Cubs took a 1-0 lead and watched Kyle Hendricks win a non-hitter in sixth. The Nationals, meanwhile, have dug a hole 4-0 behind two of the most surprising surprises. <strong>Max Scherzer</strong>.</p> <p>Brad Miller, the Phillies forward with 22 assists against Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins, scored a Scherzer 0-1 fastball in the center of the field for a three-run homer in the top of the first run. This is the first time the Ace of the Nats has surrendered since April 4, 2018, when the Braves player, Preston Tucker, won.</p> <p>And Miller had not finished tormenting Scherzer. He took over the top of the fourth quarter and quickly crushed the center-right change for his second match in as many batting strikes, leaving the crowd (and the guy on the mound) in a temporary state of shock.</p> <p>In fact, Scherzer has not launched well. He finally allowed only five hits in six innings, including two singles in the infield. He scratched 10 when he only walked one. Alas, these two big Miller swings completely changed Scherzer's last pitch line, not to mention leaving the Nats in a hole.</p> <p>And so, it did not seem like tonight would be night. Except then bats came to life in Pittsburgh and Washington, as did the South Capitol Street crowd. While the Pirates accumulated seven points at the bottom of the seventh, the Nationals loaded the bases at the bottom of the sixth.</p> <p>And when Turner launched a 0-1 turntable by Jared Hughes in the back of the field, this balloon exploded. Just like that, the fast leader with a surprising pop had delivered his second Grand Slam career. And just like that, the Nationals had taken a 6-4 lead and were nine out of a win.</p> <p>Of course, it would not be that simple, as they still needed their desk to get those nine outs. And they would need to do it after four regular pen members (<strong>Tanner Rainey</strong>, <strong>Fernando Rodney</strong>, <strong>Sean Doolittle</strong>, Hudson) were used during the afternoon game.</p> <p>So that was it <strong>Hunter Strickland</strong> to launch the seventh, which included the highly anticipated bizarro-world revenge rematch between right-handed throwing and Harper. The story, for those who have forgotten: Harper, playing for the Nats, has dominated twice off Strickland, throwing for the Giants, in the 2014 series of the National League Division. Three years later, Strickland intentionally forced Harper with a pitch, triggering a fight for cleaning benches and suspensions.</p> <p>The two men met last year, and Strickland retired from Harper. But now that they have changed their uniforms, it was a long-awaited meeting, with local fans suddenly looking for the bad guy. What happened? What usually happens when these two meet. Strickland fell behind in the 3-1 count, then slid a fastball on the board. Harper destroyed it by sending the ball to a height of 6 to 5 on the center right field.</p> <p>This was however only a simple footnote that night. That night did not belong to Harper and the Phillies. He belonged to the nationals, who return to the playoffs. They may have taken a harder path this time, but they are back. And so, they still have a chance to play in October.</p> </div> </pre> </pre> <p>[ad_2]<br /> <br /><a href=Source link