After hours of confusion and controversy, the Washington Nationals will start Stephen Strasburg in Game 4 of their NLDS. A look at how we got here.
On one of the most chaotic game days in their history, the Washington Nationals will start Stephen Strasburg in Wednesday afternoon’s essential Game 4 of their National League Divisional Series.
Word leaked from the official Chicago Cubs lineup. Tanner Roark, the original Game 4 starter, is available out of the bullpen.
Thought to be the starter after rain wiped out Tuesday’s scheduled game, Dusty Baker announced Strasburg would not start on his normal day in the rotation. A variety of reasons were given over the last 18 hours from an asthma attack running to mold in the hotel’s air conditioning unit to the flu.
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One of those is correct, but not being forthcoming immediately backfired on the Nats and Strasburg. It is not clear if there are any restrictions or if Roark piggybacks the start.
The timing of this distraction and decision came at the worst point for Washington. With bats in a deep freeze, the last thing needed was a controversy in from of a must-win game. Yet, less than three hours before game time, here we are.
If Strasburg is fine, this could be the lift needed forcing this NLDS back to Washington Thursday for a winner-take-all Game 5. A Nats win whitewashes the whole affair as the Los Angeles Dodgers take the stage front and center.
A loss Thursday starts the off-season in the worst possible way; the season undone by a major distraction in the hours before the game. If Washington loses Thursday, what Strasburg does later today sets the tone for the winter ahead.
Of course, the assumption is the offense strings together a base runner or two. When you have a team on-base percentage of .200, starting pitching is not the problem. Moving Jayson Werth to second in the lineup is a genius or season-ending move.
For a team priding itself on stability and controlling the message, this is a terrible day. Confusion helps nobody and you could scoop it with an ice cream spoon at lunchtime. Perhaps the distraction sets the offense at ease. After all, their bad performance is no longer the focus.
Earlier, Ricky Keeler and I discussed the day:
Stranger things happen over the course of a playoff series, but this is high on the list.
Next: Dusty's job on the line?
Whatever happens over the next few hours, Wednesday, October 11, 2017 will be remembered for years.