3 Bold Predictions for Nationals-Brewers Wild Card Game
By Chris Russo
It's a battle of redemption for two 50-year-old franchises yet to find their own Commissioner's Trophies. The Milwaukee Brewers have stayed put, while the Washington Nationals have spent the last decade washing the failure of Montreal off of their veneer, and both teams face off in the 2019 National League Wild Card game Tuesday night, looking to buck history. Here are three bold predictions for the tense, one-game series.
3. The Nationals Only Use Sean Doolittle Out of the Bullpen
Sean Doolittle has had a comparatively down year, considering he's Washington's most tried-and-true late-game option. Just look at his 4.05 ERA, typified by his performance against the New York Mets. Yet, May and August were the only months were had an ERA above three, and he posted a 2.25 ERA in September. The Nats might go with the hot hand, especially with Max Scherzer willing to pitch deep into the game, and Stephen Strasburg volunteering to follow behind him. If any non-starter other than Doolittle pitches, something's gone wrong.
2. Nationals Overuse Their Bench
Against conventional wisdom, Washington has an eight-man bench for this game, and is only carrying a nine-man pitching staff. Usually, teams go light on pitching for the Wild Card, but...this light? Their bench includes veteran hitters and fielders like Brian Dozier and Gerardo Parra, as well as a fan favorite in Michael A. Taylor, who can field and run the bases well. There's even a third catcher available in Raudy Reed. Matt Adams also has a history of pop in late innings. Expect a cavalcade of moves as Washington attempts to justify their roster construction.
1. Brewers Use a Minimum of Six Pitchers
The Brewers live and die by their bullpen. Even if Brandon Woodruff pitches especially well on Tuesday night, expect Craig Counsell to stick by the formula that nearly got his team to the World Series last year: get it to Josh Hader at the back end by ANY MEANS NECESSARY. They've gone to the bullpen pretty quickly in the past, and they're going to use the Wild Card as a showcase for said strategy.