District Daily: Consistent rotation highlights division-winning season
By Pablo Roa
Oct 6, 2014; San Francisco, CA, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher
Doug Fister(58) pitches during the first inning against the San Francisco Giants in game three of the 2014 NLDS baseball playoff game at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Good morning DoD readers! Start off your week with some great Washington Nationals from around the web in our District Daily:
Consistent rotation highlights division-winning season
WASHINGTON — The Nationals had a good enough team to go to the World Series, but they fell short by losing to the Giants in the National League Division Series.
The Nats fell off at the plate in the postseason, hitting .164 in the four games.Bryce Harper and Anthony Rendon were the only hitters who performed admirably in the series. Did the four-day layoff after the regular season hurt them? One may never know.
The regular season, on the other hand, was great for the Nationals. They won their second division title in three years, this time by 17 1/2 games over the Braves and Mets. It helped that they had a dominant rotation, led by Stephen Strasburg and Jordan Zimmermann. Read full article here.
MLB: Anatomy of Washington Nationals’ Fall From Grace
(Erik Schaal, Wall St. Cheat Sheet)
It has been a rough year for favorites in the 2014 MLB postseason. If the Oakland A’s losing to Kansas City with Jon Lester on the hill didn’t baffle anyone, two losses by Clayton Kershaw in the Dodgers’ quick demise had to make the most astute odds makers scratch their heads. The recurring theme of this year’s MLB playoffs has been the near-certain exit of any team “destined” for the World Series. Here is a look at the fall of the Washington Nationals, the consensus favorites of MLB experts everywhere, following their NLDS exit. Read full article here.