Good afternoon DoD readers, and welcome to today’s District Daily! As you enjoy today’s off say, get caught up on the latest Nats News with some great Washington Nationals articles from around the web below.
In today’s Daily, Kyle Brostowitz of the Nationals’ official blog, Curly W Live, discusses Max Scherzer. As Brostowitz notes, Scherzer was named the National League Player of the Month Monday after a phenomenal week on the mound.
Of course, the fact that Scherzer is the NL Player of the Week isn’t surprising. The right-hander—in the midst of arguable the best season of his career—has put up dominant numbers all season long and his two starts over the last week were no exception.
It started last Sunday when Scherzer pitched a complete game shutout over the Brewers, striking out 16 batters. Just when it looked like he couldn’t get any better, Scherzer was even more dominant his next time out, tossing his first career no-hitter in a phenomenal performance against the Pirates Saturday. On the week, Scherzer went 2-0 with 26 strikeouts and a somewhat impressive 0.00 ERA, allowing just one hit.
The last week is just the most recent string of dominance for Scherzer, who has been spectacular all season long. Overall, the right-hander is 8-5 with a 1.76 ERA and 123 strikeouts in 14 starts. Scherzer is the second Nationals player to earn NL Player of the Week honors this season, with Bryce Harper earning the distinction twice in the month of May. It’s the second time this season that Scherzer has been recognized by Major League Baseball, as the right-hander was named NL Pitcher of the Month in May.
Also in today’s Daily, MLB.com’s Jacob Emert discusses Drew Storen and his passion for pitching when the game is on the line. As Emert notes in his article, Storen has been phenomenal all season long, converting 20 of the 21 save opportunities he’s had.
More from Max Scherzer
- Washington Nationals: Don’t Hold Your Breathe On A Max Scherzer Reunion
- Washington Nationals: Max Scherzer Scratched From Game 6 Reminiscent Of 2019
- Washington Nationals: Max Scherzer and Trea Turner bring wealth of Postseason experience to Dodgers ahead of Postseason run
- Nationals: Max Scherzer comments have me rethinking my fandom
- Washington Nationals: How Did The Nats Do In The All-Star Game?
Unlike in previous seasons, the Nationals have full faith in Storen as the closer and, unless something unexpected happens, the position belongs to him and only him for the rest of the season. So far, Storen has excelled as the Nationals’ closer and has developed into one of the best relievers in baseball.
The last three outs are the hardest outs to get in a baseball game, so we can’t expect Storen to be perfect all season long. But based on what we’ve seen from the right-hander this year, it’s safe to say that the Nationals’ have an elite closer who they can count on to put the game away every single night. And for a team with World Series aspirations, having a weapon like Storen in the back of the ‘pen is absolutely invaluable.
Be sure to check out the articles below, they’re definitely worth a read. And as always, stay tuned to DoD for all your Washington Nationals needs.
Max Scherzer earns NL Player of the Week award on heels of no-hit performance
(Kyle Brostowitz, Curly W Live)
Following his first career no-hitter on Saturday — and on the heels of 18.0 consecutive scoreless, one-hit frames — Washington Nationals right-handed pitcher Max Scherzer earned the National League Player of the Week award on Monday. Major League Baseball made the announcement on MLB Network.
Scherzer did not allow a hit while striking out ten Pittsburgh Pirates en route to the second no-hitter in Nationals history (2005-present) and the fourth no-hitter in Washington D.C. baseball history. It was the second no-hitter in Major League Baseball this season. Read full article here.
Built to close: Storen relishes life on the line
WASHINGTON — From the very first moment Drew Storen was thrown into the fire, he knew he had found his home.
Closing out baseball games — and all the pressure and responsibility that accompany it — had him hooked.
“You really become addicted to that adrenaline and that pressure,” Storen said. “First tough spot I got put in, I was like, ‘This is what I love right here.’ Starting is great and everything, but I want to be the guy on the mound when the game is on the line.” Read full article here.