Nats able to save Corbin for NLDS Game 1
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WASHINGTON -- The Nationals beat the Brewers, 4-3, in the National League Wild Card Game on Tuesday, and it didn’t go according to plan.
It went even better than expected.
• NLDS presented by Utz, Game 1: Tonight, 8:30 p.m. ET on TBS
In a best-case scenario, Washington mapped out using just five pitchers the club included on its Wild Card Game roster. The Nats ended up only using three, most importantly being able to stay away from Patrick Corbin, who was available but on short rest.
Shop for postseason gear: So the Nationals, ready to risk everything in a win-or-go-home game, checked off a big box on Tuesday night.
“I will tell you,” manager Dave Martinez said flatly after the win, ‘“Patrick Corbin will start Game 1.”
What will follow Thursday's series opener in Los Angeles is left up to educated guessing. Aníbal Sánchez, who hasn’t pitched since Sept. 25, is the most likely candidate to take the ball vs. the Dodgers in Game 2 on Friday.
Then the Nats have a decision to make: Go back to either Max Scherzer or Stephen Strasburg on four days' rest for Game 3, or plug their fifth starter -- most likely rookie Austin Voth -- for the Sunday tilt?
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If they were to take the latter course, it would ensure no more than three starts total for their top three starters. If they were to go straight to Scherzer and Strasburg in some order in Games 3-4, they would be able to use Corbin in Game 5, leaving only one game not started by that fearsome front three.
• Strasburg's relief paves way for Nats' comeback
The decision will most likely hinge on the results of the series’ first two contests.
Scherzer has made 12 starts on four days’ rest in 2019, including three of his last four outings at the end of the regular season. Strasburg, meanwhile, has made 17 such starts, with stats even better on four days' rest as opposed to five.
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Scherzer on four days' rest in 2019: 12 GS, 2.61 ERA, opponents’ line of .235/.281/.372
Strasburg on four days' rest in 2019: 17 GS, 2.59 ERA, opponents’ line of .193/.268/.281
Even though the Nationals will be starting their de facto No. 3 starter on Thursday, they think Corbin’s performance this season puts him right on par with whomever the Dodgers throw out, whether it be Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw or Hyun-Jin Ryu.
And while Sánchez wouldn’t be the choice for Game 2 if Washington opened the series on full rest, the club has adored his performances against top-tier teams all season. Its crafty 35-year-old owned a 2.91 ERA in nine starts against the Braves, Dodgers, Cubs and Twins in 2019.
But the Nats will take this reality and the hard decisions rather than the alternative: A season dead in the water on Oct. 1.
“It's going to be tough,” said Trea Turner, “but I think if there's a team that's ever been ready to face some adversity, it's this one right here.”