Three defeats in a row will not the Washington Nationals - MLB Update
The Philadelphia Phillies hammer a three-game sweep to the Washington Nationals. This can demoralise the latter to an extent of diverting their focus and initiating a decline. However, their third baseman Ryan Zimmerman is confident that the series loss
will not affect them much and that they will keep winning games in the season.
On the question that if the panic prevails after the three straight losses in the club-house Zimmerman has thoroughly nullified such a perception.
He calls the defeats against the Phillies normal, believing that despite the unloading of the roster by them they still have players that can beat any side. Therefore, instead of calling into question the ability of some of the Nationals’ batters to perform
well against a mediocre side he is of the view that the Phillies boast quality pitchers that can outwit even the best of hitters.
Similarly, Washington’s first baseman Adam LaRoche is least concerned about the matches ahead and contends that they are the top team in the Division because they are capable of bouncing back from the most hopeless of situations. He clarifies that they can
build up long winning streaks even without Ian Desmond and Michael Morse in the line-up.
"That's the reason we're in the position we're in," LaRoche said. "We've had guys that filled in all year and kept us in games and won a lot of games. It's nice to have [Morse and Desmond] in there, but we can get by without them with the bench we've got."
Meanwhile, Zimmerman acknowledges the credentials of the pitching staff possessed by the Phillies. The likes of Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels can restrict batters throughout the nine innings.
"People forget that's a good team over there," Zimmerman said. "I mean, I know they've traded some people away, but any time you have to come in [and face their pitching staff] it's going to be a tough series.”
As the Nationals head to play their remaining matches in the season, it will be interesting to see as to how the manager Davey Johnson copes with the current situation and helps the team come out of it successfully.
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