NLDS game four (Werth’s walk off)

Games like this one are why I love baseball.

Normally, I’m a big advocate of pitchers throwing strikes. But it’s interesting that the starters who were throwing strikes, Jordan Zimmermann and Edwin Jackson, were hammered, whereas Gio Gonzalez and Ross Detwiler were missing the zone quite a bit, but were also missing bats. I wonder if Zimmermann might be more successful if he wasn’t quite so consistent and left the batter with a bit more uncertainty.

Although this game won’t quiet the Stephen Strasburg shutdown skeptics, I really don’t think we could have asked for a better game from Strasburg than what Detwiler delivered this afternoon.

I really liked Davey Johnson‘s decision to bring Zimmermann in to pitch the seventh. I think the Cardinals were getting a little too used to the back of our bullpen. JZimm pitched brilliantly.

While it won’t be remembered in the same way as Jayson Werth‘s walk off home run will be, Ian Desmond‘s diving catch to end the top of the ninth was almost as critical to the Nats’ win. If he’d missed the catch, Kozma would have scored and put the Cardinals ahead. It was played a bit awkwardly, but thankfully he caught it.

This was an evening that will be long remembered, especially if the Nats can win again tomorrow. I can’t wait for tomorrow night!