Washington Nationals undone by inexperience, say St. Louis Cardinals - MLB Update
Some of the St. Louis Cardinals' players have pointed out that Washington Nationals were undone by their inexperience in the last match of the National League Division Series.
They believe despite the fact the game was in their control, they failed to stay calm under pressure and finish the match as winners.
Outfielder for the Cardinals, Skip Schumaker is of the view that experience holds paramount importance when it comes to clinching victories in the crucial matches.
One of the Cardinals’ players has even made the mockery of how Gio Gonzalez struggled on the mound.
Gonzalez gave up runs while starting for the Nationals in that game. In light of the fact that he was the most consistent pitcher with regard to winning matches for the team in the regular season, it was an aberration.
What led to the sudden decay in control of Gonzalez was his inability to handle pressure.
Gonzalez is among the contenders for winning the Cy Young Award in the season. He along with Stephen Strasburg lifted the Nationals to wins on a consistent basis in the regular season.
He is disappointed that he could not lead his team when his contribution was needed the most.
“I left winning, and that’s all that matters,” Gonzalez said. “I gave the team a chance. That’s what they wanted out of me. I think we all battled.”
Schumaker watched the Nationals while their confidence dropped all of a sudden as the decisive moments arrived in the match.
“Before the series started, I said you really couldn’t put a price tag on experience. A lot of guys had the bright-eyed, deer-in-the-headlights look. And I’m not going to mention names, but we saw them taking a couple of deep breaths between pitches, and
they were up four or five runs. When we saw that, we started talking,” Schumaker said.
The Cardinals in contrast to the Nationals won the World Series last year. No wonder, they exploited the weaknesses of the Nationals and did not allow them to proceed further in the season by clinching the NLDS victory.
Nationals have not been in the playoffs for years. They recorded an incredible win-loss record in the regular season, which was even better than the Cardinals. Yet, they could not keep them from stealing glory in the last game of the NLDS.
When some of the Nationals’ officials were asked regarding their fifth game collapse, they appeared to be extremely satisfied with their overall performance.
Although they are heartbroken with the way they squandered their chance, they aim to build on their experience and play well in the upcoming years.
They are making preparations with the goal of going deep in the post-season next year and end up achieving something substantial.
Tags: