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OT: Raise the Jolly Roger: New season of plundering begins

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Frustrating loss but you're not going to win every game. I am concerned with Keller, but I'll wait for temperatures to warm up before judging him too harshly.

I really think Davis needs to pick it up at the plate. If he's hitting in a prime spot to pick up RBIs, he needs to be getting RBIs. But he's still at 0 so far this year and has not gotten a hit multiple times with RISP.
 
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Yeah, rotten game. This is why winning the first game of the series is an ace in the hole, because you can step up tomorrow and take the series despite a shitty performance from one of your main starters and the offense rolling over, and then everything is hunky dory.

Losing is inevitable in baseball and it's not rocket science that you'll find yourself there after a game like this. Curious to see how they respond tomorrow and glad Shelton got thrown out. Josiah Gray is worse than Williams, so the offense should be able to get going.
 
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I worry a bit that the tricky thing is that a regular or two might get some rest with the getaway day / afternoon game and the home opener Friday. It will be a frustrating time because it feels like this is an important series to pick up, though it's also not the end of the world.

I think as long as we go full blast with the power bats of Cruz, Tellez, and Reynolds, we should be set. The way to beat Josiah Gray is by cranking dingers, so none of those guys should be sitting.

I would imagine Cutch probably sits, and perhaps we go DH for Davis, though maybe it makes sense not to. I could see something like Hayes at DH, sliding Triolo to 3rd, and getting Joe in at 2B. We'll see, I don't think it's bad to regularly rest guys, but we need to make sure we convert this to a series W or it will really be a downer as we get to the first homestand.
 
Are the regulars not concerned with basic fundamentals being absent in every game, most of them multiple instances?

Beyond Keller struggling, Davis not hitting like a middle of the lineup guy, I find the constant errors, baserunning blunders, etc to be the most glaring issues. Been a theme under Shelton and company.

Remember the Marlins and Nats are both crap teams so keeping expectations in check is paramount for sensible people.
 
DJ Spinoza said:
I worry a bit that the tricky thing is that a regular or two might get some rest with the getaway day / afternoon game and the home opener Friday. It will be a frustrating time because it feels like this is an important series to pick up, though it's also not the end of the world.

I think as long as we go full blast with the power bats of Cruz, Tellez, and Reynolds, we should be set. The way to beat Josiah Gray is by cranking dingers, so none of those guys should be sitting.

I would imagine Cutch probably sits, and perhaps we go DH for Davis, though maybe it makes sense not to. I could see something like Hayes at DH, sliding Triolo to 3rd, and getting Joe in at 2B. We'll see, I don't think it's bad to regularly rest guys, but we need to make sure we convert this to a series W or it will really be a downer as we get to the first homestand.
Click to expand...

Gray is also better than we think. We struggle against righties with good junk balling.
 
It is pretty funny to me that you have a guy batting 500 and Shelton moves him down to 9Th. I know it’s early in the year but milk every ounce of a guy’s streak that you can.

Agreed on Davis needing to hit more with RISP. That early at bat killed us. I’m also worried his development is going to get crushed because of Andy “horse’s ass” Haines and his garbage approach.

Also Cruz needs to be a super star at the plate. We’re relying on it.
 
Any belief that this team could compete for the playoffs in 2024 relied upon an assumption that Keller would be, at worst, a solid #2/#3 starter. Since May 21 of last year, Keller now has now made 24 starts and has an ERA of 5.18 in those starts. Even more troubling than just the results, at least to me, is his drop in velocity and the fact his cutter is absolute batting practice fodder. If his velocity and command go the way of Contreras last year, even Skenes and Jones aren't going to save this rotation. They need to get this fixed.
 
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I know you want more out of your starter but outside of one very bad inning he had 5Ks and really, 5 runs given up with 4 that early in the game, was not an insurmountable spot to the Nats

We had 4 hits... That's brutal
 
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Keller has to be better. I think that's the most worrying long-term thing, because it's been a trend going back to last year and he got smacked around by two bad lineups, including a Nationals lineup that is really bad.

A 4-game winning streak buys you a nice amount of cushion. I think to some extent (and I'd very much include myself in this), nerves are running high right now because it feels like a golden opportunity is slipping away. Snagging Monday's game from the jaws of defeat really set the stage for another possible sweep when you looked and saw Keller vs Williams as an automatic W and then today as a chance to keep it rolling.

But it's also fine to go back to the old baseball logic that winning the first game in a series is so crucial, because we pull this one out today, it's the same difference besides the worrying status of Keller for the longer haul.

We could also lose today and it wouldn't matter a ton. It's more about the general picture shaping up, and avoiding the big slides that become difficult to make up ground on once the season actually has its legs. After today, we'll be facing 3 much better teams, so it would feel much better to have 5-1 under our belt before the next important 9 games, as a 2-7 slide is pretty easy to imagine there.

I'm probably just reiterating the obvious here. Today is the first little test of the season, as a solid team needs to be able to handle business today with a veteran on the mound and a pitcher who can be hit around. While the offense faltered yesterday, they did still manage to work Williams out of the game after the 5th inning. It's not simple to win when you only score 3 runs, but I think the loss can clearly be hung on Keller, especially him giving up the 5th run even though it didn't ultimately end up mattering.

But it's also just, sometimes that game happens because it's baseball. Losing today is completely in the cards, which then magnifies the next games further. Blown opportunity or not, win today and I think anyone would say that 5-2 heading into the first home stand would have been a best case scenario if you were presented with it on Opening Day.
 
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we have 156 games to go. Let’s try to remember that. Also telling myself that.

Will Smith, another first round catcher from Louisville, looks like a stud for the dodgers but his first few years was a learning curve. Again there’s legit concern over the pirates and their ability to develop but Henry has the tools to be a solid bat
 
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