Washington Nationals’ Davey Johnson optimistic for upcoming games - MLB Update
Losing two games out of the total three played in the playoffs so far has put Washington Nationals on the verge of leaving the season without achieving anything substantial.
The Nationals were incredible during regular season but all of a sudden they seem to be collapsing in the post-season.
Against all odds, Washington’s manager Davey Johnson is hopeful that they will bounce back. He believes they still have the chance to clinch the series victory.
On Wednesday the Nationals were routed by the St. Louis Cardinals. Edwin Jackson who started for the Nationals was roughed up in the beginning of the match.
As he gave up runs in the initial few innings, the momentum shifted toward the Cardinals and due to this the Nationals could not come back in the game.
In the last two contests the Cardinals have defeated the Nationals comprehensively.
The dominance that they showed against them can easily demoralise the opposition and can make it extremely hard for them to fight back from now onward.
With confidence down, it can be expected that the Nationals will continue losing matches and getting their post-season expedition ruined as a result.
Regardless of the dominance of the Cardinals in the last two matches, Johnson strongly believes that his team is capable of fighting hard and living up to the challenges.
The Nationals, by winning the next match, can tie the series and from there they can set their eyes on earning the decisive victory in the last game of the NLDS.
In order to make sure his players put up improved shows in the upcoming matches, Johnson will be looking to fix issues with the offence.
In the game on Wednesday the Nationals produced reasonable number of hits but their batters could not send the base-runners aboard when the latter were in scoring positions.
In light of this, Johnson will like to see his batters striking home-runs. The names like Bryce Harper, Michael Morse and Jayson Werth have yet to fire in the series.
Their credentials to rough up even the best pitchers can be the area the optimism of Johnson stems from.
As Johnson realises that batters like Werth and Harper had the Nationals putting up a great number of runs on the scoreboard in the regular season, he can be hopeful that they step up in the fourth game of the ongoing NLDS.
“I take nothing for granted. We are not out of this by a long shot,” said Johnson. “Keep us in the ballgame tomorrow, get a few key hits and we’re right back in it. Shoot, I’ve had my back to worse walls than this.”
For the fourth game, Johnson has decided to send Ross Detwiler on the mound.
He will be hoping that Detwiler meets the expectations and helps the Nationals winning such an important game.
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