Washington Nationals will upset the Los Angeles Dodgers in NLDS
The Washington Nationals are heading into Dodger Stadium with the best rotation in the NL and that’s just one reason why they will upset the Dodgers.
The Washington Nationals came back from a two-run deficit in the National League Wild Card Game against the Milwaukee Brewers bullpen after their starter practically shut them down. Well, now they are facing the Dodgers.
This could be a recurring theme in the National League Division Series, as the Dodgers have a good rotation but not a great bullpen.
So, if the Nats struggle out of the gate, Nats fans won’t be worrying as much as they were on Tuesday night because they know the team has shown the ability to make a comeback in a matter of ten minutes.
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On the other hand, some of the Dodgers’ biggest players in the 2019 season were on the bench last postseason when they lost a second consecutive World Series.
Cody Bellinger, who should place second in the MVP voting to Anthony Rendon, was one of the guys on the bench because he couldn’t hit left-handed pitching.
He has scuffled down the stretch at the end of September, and with that, I’m not confident he will produce in October, especially against the three-headed monster in Washington.
Another big reason why the Nats will upset the Dodgers is because of their rotation.
Patrick Corbin is starting Game 1 on Thursday, and he has a lot of success when he is on the mound against his ex-divisional foe.
He has compiled over 100 strikeouts in his career with an opponent batting average of just .252 against LA.
Stephen Strasburg might be the MVP of the series for the Nats if they were to win. He is projected to start games 2 and then 5 if necessary.
He kept the lead at just 2 when he came in out of the bullpen, not allowing a single run in three innings of work. If he is able to replicate that performance over a span of his two starts, it will be hard for the Dodgers to win the 2nd and 5th game of the series, which could settle their fate and lead to an early exit.
I know Max Scherzer, who is projected to make the Game 3 start, struggled in the Wild Card game but he has recently been successful vs the Dodgers. This season, he has only allowed a couple of runs but struck out 7 against Los Angeles this season.
If the Washington Nationals rotation performs, then it gives them a great chance to upset the Dodgers in the NLDS.