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Washington Nationals can’t slow down the Jacob deGrom Cy Young train

By Blake Finney

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 16: Max Scherzer #31 of the Washington Nationals and the National League and Jacob deGrom #48 of the New York Mets and the National League stand in the outfield during Gatorade All-Star Workout Day at Nationals Park on July 16, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 16: Max Scherzer #31 of the Washington Nationals and the National League and Jacob deGrom #48 of the New York Mets and the National League stand in the outfield during Gatorade All-Star Workout Day at Nationals Park on July 16, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /
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The Washington Nationals faced an uphill battle against New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom. The right-hander dominated them, and may have secured the Cy Young.

National League Cy Young candidate Jacob deGrom opposed the Washington Nationals on Friday night. The ace may well have taken a huge step towards securing the silverware this offseason with a dominating performance.

The right-hander went seven innings, allowing just one run on three hits and a walk while striking out eight. The sole run the Nats got off him was on a Ryan Zimmerman deep sac fly in the third inning, and rarely even threatened against the starter.

Entering the season’s final month, deGrom was neck and neck with Max Scherzer and Aaron for the Cy Young. However, in September, the Mets ace has separated himself from the pack, becoming the award’s favorite.

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This month, Jacob deGrom has compiled a 2.33 ERA with 35 Ks to just five walks and allowed a WHIP of 0.67. Scherzer, on the other hand, has a 5.00 ERA with 41 Ks and six walks and a 1.15 WHIP. Nola has had a similarly poor month with a 5.01 ERA, 33 Ks, six walks and a 1.11 WHIP.

Though it appears Scherzer will get a crack at a historic 300 strikeouts, deGrom has just been the better overall pitcher. There’s no shame in losing to someone who’s had an equally historic year, and the NL East is blessed to have these three dueling it out for a few more years yet.

On-base streaks still alive

Despite the loss, the Nationals do at least have a few on-base streaks lurking among their team.

Anthony Rendon extended his streak to 29 games with leadoff a walk in the second inning off of deGrom. The third baseman is having a torrid September, hitting .347 with a 1.060 OPS and should continue to impress down the stretch.

Rendon’s best friend Trea Turner also now has been on-base in a career-high 21 straight games following his double in the ninth inning. The young shortstop seems to be regaining his patience at the plate, with 11 walks compared to 15 Ks in September as he bids to be the leadoff hitter next season.

Voth starts instead of Roark

Nats manager Davey Martinez announced after the game that Austin Voth will get the chance to start Saturday’s game. It will be the right-hander’s second career major league start, with his first being against the very same Mets earlier this year.

Voth will hope to improve on that outing, as he only lasted 4.1 innings, allowing seven runs on nine hits and three walks, while striking out three. At the very least, it will be good to see if he has learned from his previous outing, in an otherwise meaningless game.

Tanner Roark was initially scheduled to go, but he’s only just returned to the team from the birth of his third child. Congratulations are in order for the Roarks, and Tanner will make his next, and likely final start of the season on Wednesday against the Miami Marlins.

Finding a Catcher for 2019. dark. Next

The Washington Nationals confirmed their season series loss to the New York Mets with defeat on Friday. It’s arguably one of the major causes for their official elimination from the NL East this year, losing disappointing games against poorer teams.

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