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Washington Nationals: Clutch home runs keep NLDS hopes alive

By Ricky Keeler

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 07: Ryan Zimmerman #11 of the Washington Nationals celebrates with Daniel Murphy #20 of the Washington Nationals after hitting a three run home run against the Chicago Cubs in the eighth inning during game two of the National League Division Series at Nationals Park on October 7, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 07: Ryan Zimmerman #11 of the Washington Nationals celebrates with Daniel Murphy #20 of the Washington Nationals after hitting a three run home run against the Chicago Cubs in the eighth inning during game two of the National League Division Series at Nationals Park on October 7, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

Harper finds his timing at right time

The more at-bats that Bryce Harper was going to get this postseason, the quicker the timing would come back. Sometimes, it takes all but one swing to find the groove again and Harper might’ve done that with his towering home run in the eighth.

Before that home run, Harper was showing good patience at the plate throughout the game despite little results. In his four at-bats, he saw a total of 24 pitches, which was the most by any hitter on both sides. He had a seven pitch at-bat against Jon Lester in the fourth and an eight pitch at-bat in the sixth (both ended in groundouts).

Now, you could argue that the Cubs should’ve gone to Wade Davis for a five out save in the eighth. But, Maddon stuck with his right-hander and it ended up costing him as Harper took a hanging curveball and absolutely crushed it. That is impressive considering how teams have struggled against Edwards Jr.’s breaking ball this year:

With that home run, Harper now has five career postseason homers (most in Nats/Expos history) and the sixth home run he’s hit in the eighth inning or later this year (.400 average in the regular season).

The question is if  Maddon makes the same decision again should that situation happens in the next two games at least. Whether it happens or not, the move by Maddon and the hanging curve by Edwards Jr. might’ve just woken up Harper and the Nats offense.

Finally, check out this quote postgame by Gonzalez about Harper’s clutch ability, which is by far the quote of the night

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