NL Wild Card Game Preview: Brewers vs Nationals
The 2019 NL Wild Card game is upon us and it features the Milwaukee Brewers and Washington Nationals. Who has the best lineup, best rotation, and Who will win?
An awful start for the Washington Nationals nearly saw them outside of the picture, however, they rectified this from June on. The Milwaukee Brewers‘ loss of Christian Yelich seemed to be an imminent death sentence, but it actually caused them to surge to a playoff berth.
The overall roster construction of these teams is somewhat similar, where a collection of productive hitters is led by one or two stars. The elite presence of Yelich being deprived of the Milwaukee Brewers lineup is, of course, detrimental, as the Washington Nationals still have the presence of Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto.
The bullpen’s have had equal struggles with far more security at the back end as opposed to the middle. Sean Doolittle and Daniel Hudson anchor the Washington bullpen that has found a great deal of ridicule in 2019 for blown leads. Likewise, Josh Hader has basically been the only reliable option for the Brew Crew.
The Nationals have the upper hand in terms of rotation and while that may not seem to be of much import for a play-in game it still can have an impact on the outcome. Someone such as Stephen Strasburg or Patrick Corbin can pitch an inning of relief- depending on their schedule- and bridge between the starter and relievers.
The Brewers can do this as well, due to rotational depth, yet the quality of the starter is just not the same.
NL Wild Card Preview: Washington Nationals vs. Milwaukee Brewers
The Pitching Matchup
In a one-game playoff, a pitcher as dominant as Max Scherzer can be wielded like a weapon. While this is a veritable fact, Scherzer has not been the same pitcher since returning from the back injury that held him on the sidelines for about a month. Mind you, he has not been particularly bad, simply not dominant.
It also should be noted that the Nats ace has been more than anything been focusing on rounding into form. At first, he was only going four innings per start but has now worked it up to six innings on a consistent basis. It is more than likely that Scherzer will not have any restrictions with the Nationals’ season hanging in the balance.
The other side of this matchup will likely not see much length from their rotation. Brandon Woodruff suffered an injury in July and only returned in mid-September. Since his activation, he has posted two outings of 2 hitless innings- two per outing.
While he looked to be in form in each of those innings, he cannot realistically be expected to provide any length. It will likely be a three to four-inning outing with the bullpen- or perhaps another starter- picking up where Woodruff leaves off. A candidate to do this would be Drew Pomeranz– a starter turned reliever- or Jordan Lyles, who has been a productive addition to the Brewers rotation.
The presence of Scherzer’s struggles makes this game more competitive, considering the loss of Yelich on the side of the Brewers. The gap also remains close because the rotational depth of the Brewers is so vast.
NL Wild Card Preview: Washington Nationals vs. Milwaukee Brewers
The Prediction
Although this game will likely be close it should be determined by the team that gets the most out of the starter. It seems clear cut that the Nationals are primed to get more length out of Max Scherzer than can be expected out of any combination of Woodruff and Pommerenz or Lyles.
If Scherzer ends up being ineffective that is a different story altogether, but that cannot be relied upon.
The other discrepancy between the two lineups is that the Nationals have the two best hitters in the game. Rendon and Soto can wear down an opposing pitcher in the same way Yelich would have. Yasmani Grandal and Mike Moustakas are exceptional hitters too- the Brewers probably have the more well-rounded of the two lineups. Without Yelich the top-heavy Nats lineup will make a difference in the one game nature of this playoff.
In essence, this game could be settled early on. If the Nats are able to build up an early lead it is very possible that they would not cede it. Picture this: Scherzer for seven to Daniel Hudson and finally to Sean Doolittle. It seems to be a daunting task for the Brewers.
Next. What does the Brad Ausmus signing mean for Joe Maddon?. dark
NL Wild Card final prediction: 4-2, Washington Nationals win.