Washington Nationals Rapid Reaction: All Win Streaks Come To An End
By Ricky Keeler
Jul 1, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Doug Fister (58) throws to first as Washington Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos (40) is shown on the play unable to get an Atlanta Braves batter out in the sixth inning of their game at Turner Field. The Braves won 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Fister Leaving The Ball Up In The Zone
When you talk about Doug Fister, there are two things that come to mind. Those two things are the fast pace that he likes to pitch and that he knows how to get the ground ball outs from opposing hitters when he needs them.
Through the first three innings, Fister did not give up a hit, only allowed one batter to reach base (Cameron Maybin walk in the first), and struck out two. Then, in the fourth, the 31-year-old left-hander ran into a bit of trouble.
With one out and Maybin on first after a leadoff single, Fister hung a 2-2 curveball to A.J. Pierzynski that was pulled foul. Two pitches later, Fister left a 3-2 fastball down and in, which the Braves catcher pulled to right field for a two-run home run. When Uribe stepped to the plate, the Nats pitcher had no command and fell behind 3-0. He left a fastball over the plate and Uribe crushed it to dead center field for a home run of his own. Fister would end up giving up four runs in the inning, the only runs the Braves would score in the game.
As F.P. Santangelo of MASN pointed out during the broadcast, you can tell how a Fister start went based on his groundball out totals. Last night, he had six groundball outs, which is tied for the second lowest he has had in an outing this year. As far as the flyball outs go, there were eight, but the right-hander has had six double-digit flyball out games this year.
The Nationals need Fister to keep the ball down in the zone. Otherwise, opposing hitters will be able to crush it because it’s only coming in at about 85-86 miles per hour. That is why opposing hitters have been able to hit .287 against him this season.
Next: Wisler Lacks Command, but Nats can't take advantage