I need for Brad Hand to be great. Not just good, great. Yes, I want him to have success so the Washington Nationals can keep pace in the National League East. Though, I also need him to be good to keep New York Mets fans from chirping on Twitter.
There was abundant elation when Hand decided to sign with the Nationals this offseason. We love Daniel Hudson, though he is not a closer by trade and showed his weaknesses in a rough 2020 season.
Where do the Mets enter the picture, aside from being a divisional rival? After bringing in Francisco Lindor, Carlos Carrasco and James McCann, the Mets were rumored to land Hand in free agency, before he skirted them at the ninth hour.
Mets close to agreement with free-agent reliever Brad Hand, source tells The Athletic.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 15, 2021
For my sanity when facing Mets fans, I need Nationals reliever Brad Hand to right the ship quickly.
Mets fans have their own dilemma right now and misery loves company. Rather, they are going to throw insults at Hand while shielding the fact Lindor is hitting .194, McCann .220, and Carrasco has yet to appear in a game this season.
Now technically one pitcher can’t blow two saves in the same outing, but yes, Hand was unable to hold the lead on two different occasions in game two against the Yankees. He failed to keep the score tied in game three as well, and walked away with the loss.
Hand has always had issues with the Yankees, and does not have good career numbers against Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge. With this in mind, we questioned whether his usage was appropriate in game two.
Aside from the latest blemish on the record (which gets magnified because it was against a New York team), Hand has been very reliable for the Nationals in the early going.
Lotta hate on the twitter feed for Brad Hand, who entered this series with 10 innings pitched, a 0.00 ERA and 0.80 WHIP, 3 saves and 2 wins. 🤷🏼♂️
— Christopher Nahlik (@nahlikcj) May 9, 2021
One thing about Twitter, the trolls are going to troll. I’d rather Brad Hand not give haters ample material to throw back at Nationals fans. Especially Mr. Met and and his entourage. For this reason, Brad Hand, I’m going to need you to locate your 2020 self and get back to hanging zeroes. No more of this walking the leadoff hitter either. Thanks, man.