Washington Nationals: 2017 NLDS Tale of the Tape

Bullpen (Non-closers)

We will get to the closers eventually, but this year, we are devoting a slide this year to the rest of the relievers. While the bullpens have not been finalized for both teams in this series, we can still look at who might be some of the key relievers for both teams.

On the Cubs side, they made the big trade for Justin Wilson at the deadline to help Davis, but that hasn’t gone great. Over his last 23.2 innings, the left-hander had 22 walks and an ERA of 4.94. He will be on the roster, but maybe he’s not someone Maddon relies on.

The relief pitcher with the most strikeouts on the Cubs since the break is Carl Edwards Jr. (44). The 26-year-old right-hander has given up just two runs since September 1 and opponents hit .134 against him this year with six home runs.

In the first two games, keep an eye on Pedro Strop. This will be Strop’s first game at Nats Park since he hit Trea Turner in the wrist on June 29. He has pitched in 16 career postseason games dating back to 2012 with the Orioles and hitters had a .191 average in the second half.

Of course, if we are talking Washington Nationals bullpen, we have to talk about two members of the “Law Firm.” Brandon Kintzler’s season didn’t end on a great note, but he had a 0.82 ERA in the seventh inning and was dominant in that role as a groundball pitcher.

As for Ryan Madson, the Nats will rely on his postseason experience to carry the day in the eighth. The veteran right-hander has pitched in 42 postseason games and has two World Series rings. With a fastball in the late 90’s in velocity, he had 32 strikeouts to three walks in his final 21.2 innings.

Outside of the setup pitchers, the Cubs might have the better long man in John Lackey, who has pitched on the big stage before as a starter. If he is in the bullpen, that will be something different for him. With that being said, the Washington Nationals scored ten runs against him in two starts this year.

While the Nats don’t have a strong long man option between Edwin Jackson or A.J. Cole, keep an eye on Matt Albers and Sammy Solis. Both pitchers can throw multiple innings. Albers ended the year with a .166 batting average against and had the most strikeouts in the ‘pen outside of the law firm.

Advantage: The surprising stat to look at between these two teams is the Cubs bullpen had a 5.73 ERA against the Washington Nationals this year. Now, the Nats had a 5.09 ERA, but their bullpen has been excellent to watch in the second half.

While the Cubs have good relievers of their own, this is where you are more likely to see Maddon go to Davis for a multiple inning save than Baker going to Doolittle. If we are going with that scenario in mind, I think Kintzler and Madson give the Nats the edge.