Moments That Mattered: Game 18
By Andrew Flax
Source:
Most Important Nationals Hit: Jayson Werth‘s ground into double play (-19.8%)
Sadly, I believe this is the first time the most important Nats hit has hurt the team’s Win Probability Added. Down 2-0, the Nats had a threat mounting with two runners on and no outs in the eighth. In a 3-0 count, Jayson Werth swung and hit into a double play, all but ending the threat. After the game, Werth said, “I was trying to do too much.” Of course, after that, the Nationals would not score and would fall 2-0.
Most Important Nationals Pitch: John Buck‘s solo homer (-11.5%)
Apr 19, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Mets first baseman Ike Davis (29) is congratulated at home by catcher John Buck (44) after hitting a solo home run off Washington Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg (not pictured) during the sixth inning of an MLB game at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
As the first batter in the second inning, Buck mashed a Jordan Zimmermann pitch slightly down and in into the upper deck in left field, demonstrating an incredible amount of power in blasting his seventh home run of the year. The winds were not favorable for home runs yesterday, and the Nats often flew out to the warning track, making Buck’s mammoth round-tripper all the more impressive. Zimmerman pitched well, allowing only two runs in five innings, but was undone by a two-walk, one-error fourth inning that took nearly 30 pitches and fortunately allowed the Mets to score only one run.
Champ of the Game: Denard Span (+6.9%) was the only offensive starter with a positive WPA, going 0-2 but walking twice. For New York, Dillon Gee (+20.4%) entered the game with an 8.63 ERA but locked down the Nats for 5.2 IP until his control left him in the sixth.
Chump of the Game: Werth (-24.5%) was one of only four Nats to get a hit, going 1-4, but the double play was extremely damaging to his overall score. Daniel Murphy (+5.5%) was 1-4, but his hit had a WPA of only 0.5%, and a few other routine outs were enough to push him to the bottom on a day when no Met had any extraordinary offensive performances, good or bad.