District Daily: ‘Typical Jordan’ sparks Nationals, Echoes of past in decision to go with Storen
By Pablo Roa
Oct 4, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher
Jordan Zimmermann(27) pitches to San Francisco Giants center fielder
Gregor Blanco(7) in the first inning in game two of the 2014 NLDS playoff baseball game at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Rob Carr/Pool Photo via USA TODAY Sports
Good morning DoD readers! Start off your Sunday with some great Washington Nationals articles from around the web in our District Daily:
Gem unrewarded, but ‘typical Jordan’ sparks Nats
WASHINGTON — Jordan Zimmermann retired 26 Giants on Saturday night in Game 2 of the National League Division Series, but when he left one out shy of a second straight shutout, a long night at Nationals Park was less than half complete.
After Nationals manager Matt Williams pulled Zimmermann for closer Drew Storen with two outs in the top of the ninth and the game tied at 1, Zimmermann spent the rest of the six-hour, 23-minute marathon — the longest by time in postseason history — watching helplessly. The right-hander went back to the clubhouse, then returned to the dugout, hanging out with the ever-growing group of relievers that entered and exited the game. Finally, San Francisco’s Brandon Belt homered in the 18th, and the Giants took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series. Read full article here.
Echoes of past in Nats’ decision to go with Storen
WASHINGTON — Drew Storen remembers how he was one out away. How he held a two-run lead against the Cardinals in the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 2012 National League Division Series, needing a single out to send the Nationals to the franchise’s first NL Championship Series in more than three decades. How he gave up four runs that day, silencing a ballpark and entering a two-year exile from the closer’s role.
Because Storen is human, it would have been natural for all that to creep into his mind on Saturday, entering NLDS Game 2 with a one-run lead, the tying run on first and two outs in the ninth. He was the incoming half of a controversial move; though Nats starter Jordan Zimmermann had thrown just 100 pitches up to that point and had not allowed a hit since the third inning, manager Matt Williams replaced Zimmermann with Storen, who had not appeared in a playoff game since his four-run meltdown two years ago. Read full article here.
National pundits make fun of the Nats Game 2 crowd
(Dan Steinberg, Washington Post)
Game 2 of the Nats-Giants series was the longest in MLB playoff history.
This was both a good and a bad thing. Good, because everyone kind of goes to the ballpark hoping to see history, and this certainly qualified.
But bad because the game started in the afternoon and ended after midnight. Over more than six hours, the temperatures dropped significantly, and the winds blew, and the concession stands mostly closed down, and so some people left. I had friends and loved ones at the game; they communicated their noticeable discomfort, no matter what your weather app said about the temperatures. Read full article here.