Washington Nationals look to Ross Detwiler after Edwin Jackson disappoint in NLDS - MLB Update
Allowing St. Louis Cardinals early momentum, Edwin Jackson disappointed Washington Nationals in the third game of the National League Division Series.
In such a critical match, he let the Nationals down.
As a result, he has put them on the brink of an exit from the post-season.
His failure has made it extremely important for Ross Detwiler, who will start the fourth game, to step up and help the Nationals stay in the series by winning the match.
In light of the fact that all the starters employed on the mound by the Nationals so far in the playoffs have struggled, Detwiler will be under pressure. Producing splendour on the mound in the form of great number of scoreless innings in such a high profile
game will not be easy.
This is more so due to the momentum gained by the Cardinals’ batters right now.
As they appear to be thrashing anyone stepping on the mound, it is hard to believe that Detwiler can stop them.
Earlier the Nationals’ manager Davey Johnson acknowledged that they lack playoff experience. Due to this, his hurlers are not performing up to their potential.
The Nationals boast quality pitchers on rotation and yet they are struggling to keep the Cardinals from scoring substantial number of runs against them.
Inability to control the throws in the initial innings and keep them in appropriate areas was the main reason why Jackson could not ensure victory for the Nationals on Wednesday.
His manager Johnson is of the view that whenever Jackson dominates in the beginning, he ends up finishing strong.
"He couldn't get the ball down early, that was the key," Johnson said. "When he starts throwing a lot of quality strikes on the knees, early in the game, he usually throws a strong game. But he was up from the start, and you can't do that against a good-hitting
ballclub."
Detwiler will be looking to learn lessons from the way Jackson leaked runs in the game and make sure he does not repeat the mistakes committed by him.
It will be interesting to see how he tackles the pressure and helps the Nationals in the fourth game of the series.
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