- 2 days ago
The Nats blew their third game in a row. The bullpen issues have boiled over into something that needs change.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00The Nationals, though, Danny, we were both in the ballpark last night.
00:05That was demoralizing.
00:08Three losses in a row, all of which would be
00:13worst loss of a season kind of losses, honestly.
00:16Like when the year ends and you've played 162,
00:19you'll be able to remember, if you were in the ballpark,
00:22the night that they gave up 14 to the Phillies
00:26almost exclusively in the 8th and 9th innings.
00:28And it's three straight nights where the underbelly of this team
00:33got cut open and was just poured out on the field for everybody to see.
00:38As a four-game sweep over the Phillies, which was possible,
00:42or a series where you pretty easily could have won three out of four.
00:45They were down to the final pitch in the ninth inning with two strikes,
00:48with two outs, in multiple losses with a lead.
00:51You end up losing the series, dropping three out of four.
00:54They've now lost seven out of eight, I believe, overall.
00:58And they have fallen to 500.
01:02But that was painful last night.
01:04That was just a real back to the shins.
01:07We're joking in the press box to each other, you know, guys,
01:13as we're hanging out.
01:13How many runs do they need to go into the 8th inning,
01:17go into the 9th inning for you to feel comfortable?
01:19And every Philly fan, and there were plenty of them there,
01:22is sitting there smug.
01:23They all know.
01:24We're getting tweets from guys.
01:26Guys are chirping us.
01:27Our boy Ryan Spader is like, you know they're winning, right?
01:29Talking about as a Phillies fan.
01:31When they're down 5-0 in the 6th inning.
01:34Because the Nats didn't add on.
01:35Because Caber Ruiz had a terrible at-bat with the bases loaded.
01:38Whether you get a hit or not, two outs, I mean, it's a hard game.
01:40But swings at three non-competitive strikes, and you give away an opportunity.
01:44When C.J. Abrams comes up after a leadoff double from Daylon Lyle,
01:49three pitches, see you sit down, you're not adding a run there.
01:51You're going, okay, maybe it comes back and bite you.
01:53None of that matters.
01:54When your bullpen is covered in kerosene, walking into a fire.
02:00That's what this is.
02:02When you score five runs in five innings against Christopher Sanchez,
02:06a likely Cy Young one or two.
02:08When you put four runs on the board against that guy,
02:11that's grown-ass man work.
02:14That's big time.
02:15And your starter out-duels him.
02:18Goes six innings.
02:19Can't come out, throws the ball as good as he has in months
02:21against an excellent lineup.
02:23He goes six innings, two runs.
02:25He out-duels a Cy Young winner or second-place finisher.
02:29That needs to be a win.
02:31Sorry, it does.
02:32Well, that's what is so painful about this series to me was
02:35that the Nats kept showing the resilience that has made them
02:39a playoff-caliber team this year.
02:41Now, we've said it over and over again,
02:43but whenever they have a bad series at home and hit the road,
02:45they immediately go out, jump out to a 3-0 lead, win a game, win a series,
02:49and they come back with a strong road trip, right?
02:53That San Francisco Giants meltdown disaster fiasco debacle
02:57that happened going back almost two weeks ago now,
03:01when everyone said, that's going to be it.
03:03The season was fun, but you're not going to bounce back from this.
03:06This is one of those losses that completely changes the direction of a year.
03:10They immediately responded.
03:12They have done it every single time.
03:14They get knocked down.
03:15They get up, standing eight count.
03:16They keep swinging, and next thing you know,
03:18they're back in the corner, and they've got another wind, right?
03:22Tuesday night was a horrific loss, and it felt like,
03:26all right, well, tomorrow the Phillies are probably just going to beat you 8-1,
03:29and they'll have all the momentum.
03:31The Nats come back.
03:32They take the lead.
03:331-0 on a solo shot.
03:352-0 on a second solo shot.
03:36The Phillies get back in front 3-2,
03:39and then Curtis Meade, it's a two-run home run,
03:41and now it's 4-3, and they're on the verge of winning.
03:43And again, it's two outs and two strikes,
03:45and then you give up another home run,
03:47this time a two-run homer to a terrible former Nat
03:49who's on his second team of the year.
03:51He's on the AL All-Star ballot, by the way, still.
03:53Derek Hillis.
03:54You know?
03:55I guess.
03:55This is where we are.
03:56He shouldn't be on any All-Star ballot.
03:57That's true.
03:57Unless it's the hit a home run against the Nats in the late innings every game.
04:00Then he's a Hall of Famer.
04:01All-Star ballot.
04:02But you lose that game.
04:04And then Christopher Sanchez is on the schedule on a getaway day
04:07after back-to-back devastating losses,
04:09and you go,
04:10all right, well, this is a scheduled L.
04:12He's going to go out and do what he does,
04:13which is seven innings, four hits, one run,
04:16and probably nine strikeouts.
04:18And they scored four runs off of him in the first inning.
04:20They did the thing again.
04:22They're up 5-0.
04:23How many times can you do everything right
04:27and kind of run 24 miles of the marathon
04:30and then pass the baton to the leg of your relay race
04:34for them to just sit on their ass
04:35and watch everyone else pass them?
04:38And that is what continually is happening.
04:40I think the most demoralizing thing as a baseball fan
04:43is when your bullpen is just a disaster.
04:45It is.
04:45And, you know, again,
04:46I was not close to being a major leaguer,
04:48and I'm not comparing myself.
04:49But I can tell you,
04:50having played in some baseball games,
04:52it's not the same.
04:53If you give up,
04:55if you're just going back and forth
04:56and they've got eight and you've got three,
04:57and, okay, that's that,
04:59you lose the game.
04:59It's a bummer,
05:00but you kind of have some moment to accept it.
05:01When you think you're going to win
05:03and it's snatched away from you,
05:05it ain't the same.
05:05I don't know how else to say that.
05:06But when everybody else gets you to the point
05:09and you're going,
05:10horse, drink the water,
05:11and the horse kicks the water over
05:13and then somehow starts a fire,
05:14it ain't the same.
05:16It is a gut punch.
05:18Now, these guys get to the major leagues,
05:20A, because of their ability,
05:21but B, because of their makeup.
05:22They don't wear it like fans do.
05:24They're not bothered.
05:25As you can see,
05:25the next night,
05:26the next day,
05:27the next whenever,
05:28they're right back out on the grind,
05:29doing their routine,
05:30doing their prep,
05:31doing their game day stuff,
05:32and they're going to attack
05:33and they're going to,
05:33you know,
05:34try to put some runs on the board
05:35and see what happens.
05:36But at a certain point,
05:37it becomes,
05:39okay, man,
05:40we've,
05:40my unit,
05:41my group,
05:42turned in great work.
05:43What are you going to do?
05:44It's like a,
05:44it's like a kicker
05:45that can't make it in football
05:46where it's like the defense is great,
05:47the offense is great.
05:48That's a good comp.
05:49And now all of a sudden,
05:49this guy,
05:50this guy,
05:50this little twerp,
05:51can't put the ball between the uprights.
05:53I'm playing with a broken femur
05:55and this dude can't just put that foot to the ball
05:57and kick it 30 yards straight.
05:59Like,
06:00it is agonizing.
06:01Because as good as Cavalli was,
06:02six innings,
06:03two runs,
06:03seven strikeouts,
06:04you mentioned he was better than Sanchez.
06:05He gave up a two-run homer.
06:07He did.
06:07It was 5-0.
06:08It made it 5-3.
06:10And, you know,
06:10at that point,
06:10the Phillies get a little bit of momentum.
06:12So if you're looking at just like
06:14the moments where
06:15the Phillies had the biggest spike
06:17in win percentage expected,
06:19that was a pretty significant one.
06:21There are plenty of times
06:22where at the plate,
06:23as you said,
06:23with an at-bat for Ruiz
06:24with the bases loaded
06:25or James Wood
06:26or C.J. Abrams
06:27in a pinch hit opportunity
06:28or Curtis Meade
06:30or any of your really good players
06:31at the plate,
06:32you know,
06:32if you do something
06:33to change the complexion
06:35of the game there,
06:35maybe you win the baseball game.
06:38The part we'll focus on is
06:40you had the lead,
06:41you got one job,
06:42protect the lead,
06:43and they couldn't do it.
06:44And I think what was so debilitating
06:46last night as a fan
06:47and what was so excruciating
06:48about last night was
06:50it was immediate again.
06:51Yeah.
06:52Because of the last two nights,
06:54you could just feel it.
06:55When the bullpen door swings open
06:57and Mitchell Parker runs out,
06:59which how and why
07:00that's still happening,
07:01I don't have an answer for you.
07:03We're going to talk a lot
07:04about the bullpen
07:05and the 10,000-foot view
07:06of the organization
07:07and what direction
07:08the Nats should and could go
07:09and what might Paul Taboni
07:10be thinking
07:11and how could this front office
07:13go about fixing this.
07:14I can't explain away
07:15the Mitchell Parker thing
07:16and why that's still happening,
07:17but it is.
07:18And so he was the first guy
07:19out of the chute
07:20with a three-run lead
07:21and he faces five batters
07:23and he goes single,
07:24single,
07:24walk,
07:24walk,
07:25and the bases are loaded
07:26and a runs in
07:27and there's one out
07:28and the Phillies
07:28are right back in the ballgame
07:29and they're only down two.
07:31But he's coming in, Danny,
07:33wearing the weight
07:33of the last two nights.
07:35Yep.
07:35Knowing everyone's waiting to go,
07:37is the bullpen going to blow it again?
07:38Is the bullpen going to blow it again?
07:39Yes.
07:40So it's not just about
07:41this one pitch
07:41or this one out
07:42or this one in.
07:43It becomes that referendum,
07:44you're right.
07:44I saw it with Clayton Beter.
07:46Yeah.
07:46Beter, who's got really good stuff
07:48and actually throws 97-98
07:50and has a good slider
07:51and strikes out
07:52nine and a half per nine.
07:53The only member
07:54of the Nationals bullpen,
07:55by the way,
07:55who strikes out
07:56more than a batter per inning,
07:57believe it or not.
07:58That's a crazy stat.
07:59In a bullpen
08:00where they don't have
08:00any of the 88 pitchers
08:02in baseball
08:03who average 98 miles an hour
08:05with their fastball this year,
08:06another crazy stat.
08:08But Clayton Beter comes on
08:10and he could not find
08:11the strikes on.
08:12I think he threw
08:12ten straight balls,
08:13he had two walks
08:14and a 2-0 count.
08:15And you could just tell,
08:17Danny,
08:17he was pitching
08:18with the weight of the world
08:19on his shoulders
08:20because he knew,
08:21okay,
08:22two nights ago
08:22it was Brad Lord
08:23and last night
08:24it was Love Lady
08:26and tonight
08:27someone's going to be
08:28the guy that everybody
08:29once sent down.
08:30that pressure mounts.
08:30I mean,
08:31you've seen it,
08:31it transcends sports.
08:32You've seen it in everything.
08:33You've seen the team
08:34that is normally a good
08:35free-throw shooting team
08:36all of a sudden
08:36when the crowd's going nuts
08:38and everyone's hitting
08:38their thunder sticks
08:39and now they can't make one
08:40and now you pull one short
08:42and then the great
08:42free-throw shooter
08:43comes up there
08:43and he can't make one
08:44and it becomes an epidemic.
08:46That's what's happening
08:47right now.
08:47The bad unit
08:48is now facing
08:49the extra amount
08:50of scrutiny and pressure
08:50and that ain't good.
08:52But this is what's so
08:52tough about baseball.
08:54It's frankly what I love
08:54about the sport
08:55but as a fan
08:56it's what's really,
08:57really hard.
08:58There is no clock.
08:59I mean,
08:59now there's a pitch clock
09:00but like,
09:01you gotta get 27 outs,
09:02bud.
09:03You are required.
09:03You have to.
09:05And tonight,
09:05there's another game
09:06and the Orioles are looming
09:08and you might have
09:09a lead again
09:10and then what happens?
09:11We say with the fielders
09:12the ball finds you.
09:13Yep.
09:14There's gonna be someone
09:15on that mound tonight.
09:16You know,
09:17three nights ago
09:17and then two nights ago
09:18and then last night
09:19Butera's kind of said
09:20the same thing post-game.
09:21His anger has increased
09:23and his terseness
09:23has increased a tad
09:24but he's essentially said
09:26someone's gotta get these outs.
09:27We gotta find someone
09:28who can get these outs.
09:30What are you supposed to say?
09:31Yeah.
09:32There's not good options.
09:33I'm texting with someone
09:34last night at the ballpark
09:35and they go,
09:36you can't bring in Beater here.
09:37I said,
09:37why?
09:38He's got the best stuff
09:39of anyone in their bullpen
09:40that's available.
09:41And they said,
09:41because he walks too many guys.
09:43And I said,
09:43well you can't leave
09:44Mitchell Parker out there.
09:45And they said,
09:45why?
09:46And I said,
09:46because he's their worst reliever
09:47and he's walking everybody.
09:48Not only does he get washed
09:49when it's in the zone
09:50it ain't good either.
09:51No.
09:52But he wasn't even close
09:53in walking a run home.
09:54Now they bring in Beater
09:55and he walks another run home
09:56but the point of the dude's story is
09:57you got someone saying
09:59you can't bring in Beater.
10:00I'm saying you can't stick with Parker.
10:02What is it that you'd say
10:03you should do here?
10:03Right.
10:04But you're also going,
10:05well I also can't bring in
10:07Poulin or Rebolta
10:08or you named a couple other guys.
10:11Just as Lawrence
10:11had never pitched for the team
10:12had an ADRA.
10:13His first opportunity
10:15is not going to be
10:16to protect a one-run lead
10:17in that spot.
10:17Yeah, we can try that.
10:18They end up sending
10:19Gus Varlin down
10:20who's been struggling.
10:21Lovelady's whip
10:22is up around two
10:23and he's a lefty
10:23with an average against
10:24from lefties of like 350.
10:27I mean, they don't have it.
10:28Lord's been their best reliever
10:29at a terrible inning
10:30in this series.
10:31Rebolta's probably the guy
10:32right now,
10:33the 28-year-old
10:34former 12th rounder
10:35that I would give
10:35the highest leverage
10:36opportunities to
10:37other than Lord
10:38if he's more of a
10:39multi-inning, mid-inning guy.
10:42But it's bad.
10:43And they'd both thrown
10:44two straight days
10:44so they weren't available.
10:45I mean, that was kind of
10:46my point about last night.
10:47And there's no fixes.
10:48There's no fix.
10:49Like, what are you
10:49supposed to do right now?
10:50So we talked about this yesterday
10:52and I think ultimately
10:53I'm of the mind
10:54that I don't want to
10:56if I'm putting myself
10:57in Paul Timoni's shoes.
10:58I'm much thinner
10:59and I'm handsome
11:00and I'm young.
11:00But I'm basically going,
11:02I don't care what my plan was.
11:03I can't let this fester.
11:06This is now bad enough
11:07where I go,
11:08I can't start looking guys
11:09in the eye
11:11and because I generally
11:12sort of roll my eyes
11:12and kind of scoff at the
11:13wait, what about the team guys?
11:15Yeah.
11:16This is different
11:16than what you were saying yesterday.
11:18This is what I was saying yesterday.
11:19It is.
11:19In general, I go,
11:20what do you say?
11:21Like when people go,
11:21what do you say to the team?
11:22I go, be professional,
11:23do your job.
11:24And that's my answer.
11:2599.9% of the time.
11:26This is now to the point
11:28where regardless of what my plan is,
11:30I have to do something.
11:31Wow.
11:32I have to.
11:32So we literally had this conversation
11:34if you weren't listening yesterday.
11:36And that's kind of what I was saying,
11:38which is this isn't even really
11:39about making the playoffs.
11:41This isn't necessarily about
11:42appeasing a fan base
11:43that's getting riled up.
11:44This is about a clubhouse
11:45which can pretty quickly
11:47start pointing some fingers
11:49and get antsy
11:49and start losing hope.
11:51And then all of a sudden
11:51the bottom caves in
11:53and you're losing 10 out of 13
11:54because it's that bad
11:56that something has to be done.
12:00Yesterday was your breaking point
12:02then after a third straight
12:03and another player got demoted.
12:04It was.
12:05And I don't know what it would.
12:07I mean, it takes my threshold
12:08for whatever that you want to call that,
12:10whatever phenomenon that is,
12:11I think it's higher than most.
12:12Because again, my axiom is
12:13that's what the money's for.
12:15As John Ham once said on Mad Men,
12:19do your job, be a professional.
12:21But at some point,
12:23and yesterday was some point
12:24where it,
12:25because it was so inevitable,
12:26I'm telling you,
12:27every Philly fan,
12:28every jackass Philly fan
12:29that was there
12:30is sitting there smugly smiling
12:33and elbowing the Nats fan next to them
12:35going,
12:35we're going to win it.
12:36We're winning this one
12:36when they're down 5-0.
12:39They all knew
12:40it was going to happen.
12:41Bryce told one of the Nats
12:43after the game on Tuesday,
12:46the first game,
12:47the Danny Ruye in the tunnel,
12:48800 runs in the night.
12:50The Ruye spectacular.
12:50Game.
12:51He told one of the Nats,
12:53he's like,
12:53we actually still thought
12:54we were going to win
12:54because we thought
12:55as soon as we got to the bullpen
12:57in those late innings,
12:58we still were alive.
12:59And once the ball started
13:01rolling downhill,
13:01no, we kind of felt good.
13:03That's how teams feel
13:04against this bullpen.
13:05Yeah.
13:05That's scary.
13:06That's dangerous.
13:07That's ominous.
13:08That is not where you want to be.
13:09That's hope that they have
13:11that they can always
13:12come back to beat you.
13:13But we're going to talk more
13:15about the bullpen
13:16and kind of what can be done,
13:17what Paul Tabone should do
13:18as the day goes on.
13:19I will say,
13:20I don't think this is that nuanced.
13:23As I've thought a lot about this,
13:26they're going to try
13:27to find ways to upgrade.
13:28They're going to do everything
13:29they can to get their guys better.
13:32But I think at its core,
13:34this is a team
13:37that is playing better
13:38than they're supposed to.
13:39And because of that,
13:41fan expectations have risen
13:42higher than they should be.
13:44And then internally,
13:46probably the front office's
13:47expectations were,
13:48are,
13:49they haven't met
13:50maybe where the fans are
13:52at this point.
13:52I don't know.
13:53And as good as that is
13:54for everyone to be excited,
13:56I don't think they're going out
13:58and adding and buying
13:59and making trades.
14:01I just don't see it that way.
14:02They've said,
14:03very transparently,
14:04this is going to take time.
14:05They're ahead of schedule.
14:07There was no reason
14:08to spend on the bullpen
14:09because they weren't going
14:09to be particularly good.
14:11And I don't think
14:12that's going to change much.
14:13But,
14:14now at 500,
14:15it would make it really easy
14:16for Paul Tabone
14:17to not add anything
14:18if they continued to lose
14:19and they got to find a way
14:20to get a win tonight
14:21in Baltimore against the Orioles.
14:23I want to talk about
14:24this wild story in the NFL
14:25where a defensive back
14:28is being charged
14:30with kidnapping
14:30and armed robbery.
14:32You're listening to
14:32Grant and Danny.
Comments