World Series Game 6: Nationals turn to Stephen Strasburg with season on line
With the Washington Nationals season — and hopes of winning the World Series — on the line, they turn to Stephen Strasburg in Game 6.
Is there really anyone else you’d want on the mound for the Washington Nationals in Game 6 than Stephen Strasburg?
I know Max Scherzer has been the best pitcher in baseball for years now, and the Washington Nationals will still need him to win this series, but there is no one I trust more right now than Stras.
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In this postseason, Strasburg has allowed just 6 earned runs on 25 hits and 2 walks with 40 strikeouts over 28 innings. And the Nationals have yet to lose a game that he’s pitched in this postseason.
In fact, if Strasburg gets the win in Game 6, he’ll tie Randy Johnson (2001) and Francisco Rodriguez (2002) with the most wins in a single postseason (5).
And you could make the argument that Strasburg didn’t even have his best game in Game 2 when he gave up 2 runs on 7 hits and a walk with 7 strikeouts over 6 innings.
He only had one 1-2-3 inning in that game.
He’s only given up seven or more hits in a game nine times this season.
But none of that is going to mean anything unless the Nationals offense gets back on track. They’ve scored just a single run in each of the last three games.
The odds would tell you they are due to score more than 1 run in Game 6.
It won’t be an easy task as they go up against Justin Verlander again, but maybe they left their hot bats in Houston.
Justin Verlander vs. Nats hitters — round 2
As great as Justin Verlander has been in his career, it’s hard to believe that he doesn’t have a win in the World Series.
He made two World Series starts in 2006 against the St. Louis Cardinals and lost both of them giving up 10 runs (7 earned) in 11 innings.
Verlander got another chance with the Detroit Tigers in the 2012 World Series but gave up 5 earned runs in just 4 innings against the St. Louis Cardinals.
He pitched really well in the Houston Astros 2017 World Series win, but got a loss and a no-decision in two starts despite giving up just 5 earned runs in 12 innings.
And then obviously the Nationals got the best of him in Game 2 of this World Series as he gave up 4 earned runs in 6 innings.
Combine that all together and he’s now 0-5 in World Series games with a 5.73 ERA in 33 innings.
But you know that’s just going to fuel Verlander’s fire even more.
Just like Strasburg, we didn’t exactly see the best from Verlander in Game 2 as he only had one 1-2-3 inning.
And things really unraveled once he came out of the game.
Kurt Suzuki is still on the Nationals postseason roster, and it would be great if he could start in Game 6 as he owned Verlander in Game 2 with a single and a huge home run to start the seventh inning rally.
Trea Turner had a pair of hits against Verlander in that game, while Anthony Rendon doubled in a pair of runs and walked against him.
Stephen Strasburg vs. Astros hitters — round 2
The Nationals are going to ask Stephen Strasburg to give them one more brilliant performance in 2019.
And hopefully it won’t be his last act as a Washington Nationals player.
Strasburg hasn’t given up more than 3 runs in a start in over two months, and he’s gone at least 6 innings in all but one of those starts during that time.
The Nationals will need him to give at least that good of a performance — if not more with the way the offense has been lately — in Game 6 on Tuesday night.
We all know he’s more than capable of delivering in this World Series. He’s gone at least 6 innings in every postseason start this year, and he’s thrown 105 pitches or more in his last three postseason starts.
This is Stephen Strasburg’s game. Dave Martinez will not go to the bullpen in this one unless he absolutely has to — there is no one in that bullpen I trust more to get the Nationals out of a jam than Strasburg.
Martinez can’t play this like a normal elimination game where you yank your starter at the first sign of trouble, the Nationals only chance is if Strasburg works deep into this game.
Jose Altuve, who might be the MVP of the entire postseason and the World Series if the Astros win, doubled and singled off Strasburg in Game 2.
Micheal Brantley had a pair of singles off Strasburg in that game, Yordan Alvarez reached twice off him, and Alex Bregman took him deep in the first (the only runs Strasburg allowed).
Preview and Prediction
How is this Nationals team going to respond after getting hit in the mouth in DC?
It kind of seems like the summery of their season, right?
They got beat down and torn up early in the year, but then bounced back to earn a Wild Card spot.
But even then nobody really thought they’d get past the mighty Los Angeles Dodgers, especially in a Game 7 at Dodger Stadium, but they got it done.
And then nobody gave them a chance in the World Series against the Houston Astros, but they took the first two games in Houston.
Now that they once again find themselves down and everyone ready to give up on them, how are they going to respond?
I really feel like it’s up to the offense — and more specifically, Anthony Rendon.
The Astros have done a great job of neutralizing Rendon in this World Series. The Nationals third baseman is 4-for-20 in the World Series with 2 doubles, 2 RBI, and 2 walks.
It’s not like he’s been completely absent, but when he’s had his chances to come up big, he’s fallen flat.
And this after he hit .412 in the NLDS and .417 in the NLCS.
I’ve been saying it for a while now, but if the Nationals are going to have any chance at winning this World Series, Rendon has to have a big moment. And that moment needs to come in Game 6.
I have little doubt that Strasburg is going to give us at least 6 innings of 3 runs or less. The question will be, can the offense get to Verlander early and often to make them start looking towards a Game 7?
Winner: Nationals
Next. Nats still have clear path to WS. dark
I’m putting all my chips on Strasburg in this game. I think he’s going to have a dominating performance and the offense will do just enough to send this World Series to a Game 7.