Gio Gonzalez fails to lead Washington Nationals to victory in final game of NLDS - MLB Update
While Gio Gonzalez was incredible in regular season, in the playoffs he has been below par. He has struggled with his command and control. Unable to absorb the pressure, he has allowed free passes and helped the opposition score runs against him.
In the absence of Stephen Strasburg, he is the Nationals’ spearhead in the pitching department. No wonder the Nationals sent him on the mound as starter in the first and the fifth match of the National League Division Series.
Unfortunately he has not lived up to the challenges. Despite recording great number of wins during regular season, he has not stepped up for the team when his contribution was needed the most.
Consistent performances in the regular season have made Gonzalez a strong candidate for winning the Cy Young Award.
He will be disheartened for not lifting the team in the important matches. On Friday, he could not provide the Nationals a strong start as he gave up runs.
Although he earned valuable support from the offence, far from capitalising on it, he allowed the Cardinals to bridge their deficit and come close to blowing the Nationals' lead.
Gonzalez will like to forget the numbers he posted in the playoffs with regard to ERA and walks. In-fact his outings at the mound in the playoffs have somehow eclipsed his overall dominance as a reliable starter for the team.
"I left winning, that's all that matters," Gonzalez said. "Gave the team a chance, and that's what they wanted out of me. I think we all battled, we all gave it all we had. We left it all on the field."
Nationals’ manager Davey Johnson is unhappy with the way his pitchers walked batters and permitted the Cardinals to score runs.
"You know, the problem with all the adversity we've gone through this year and then to give up that many free passes, you know, that's not the way you win ballgames," Johnson said. "It's tough.”
Disappointment after playing so well all through the season is an obvious consequence of the defeat on Friday for the Nationals.
The Nationals will be looking to build on the positives witnessed in the season and prepare a World Series Championship winning team for the next year.
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