Nationals Win First Ever Playoff Game, Take Control of Series

Throughout the regular season, the Nationals compiled the best record in the MLB because of the combined effort of their star players and supporting cast.  Whenever the stars struggled, there was always someone there to step-up.  It was no different Sunday as the Nationals took their first ever playoff game thanks to Tyler Moore and the bullpen.

With the shutdown of Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez was the clear ace.  Davey Johnson hoped for a strong outing from the starter to relieve the pressure off his inexperienced lineup, but Gio struggled to control his pitches.  In five innings, Gio allowed only one run, but gave up seven walks and a wild pitch that brought in the first run.  He settled down, but it was not the effort we have grown used to seeing this year.

The bullpen stepped up and held the Cardinals scoreless through the remaining four innings.  Craig Stammen came in to relieve Gio, followed by Ryan Mattheus who needed only two pitches to bail the Nationals out of a jam in the seventh.  The Cardinals loaded the bases with no outs thanks to an error by Adam LaRoche, a single, and Matt Holliday being hit by a pitch.  The Cardinals grounded into a force out at home, then grounded into a double play on the next pitch.  Tyler Clippard held the Cardinals at bay and Drew Storen came on in the ninth for the save.

While the bullpen bailed out a lackluster performance from Gio, it was Tyler Moore who stepped in to give the offense they needed.  Down 2-1 in the top of the eighth with runners on second and third, Johnson sent up Chad Tracy.  When the Cardinals responded with a call to the bullpen for lefty March Rzepcynski, Johnson rolled the dice and sent in Moore instead.  The gamble paid off.  Moore singled to right bringing in both runners and the Nationals took a 3-2 lead.

Taking the first in a series is always important, but for the Nationals it may well prove pivotal. It is important to start off on the right foot against the defending champions on their own field, especially with how inexperienced the Nationals are.  Now the first win is in the books, the jitters are gone; the players can get back into the rhythm of playing baseball.  Plus, with the ridiculous playoff format that awards the lower-seeded team the first two home games, it is crucial to steal one on the road.  Now, the Nationals need two wins in the remaining four games, and three of those four are in DC.

Lets not get carried away here.  This was only one win.  The Nationals still need two more and the Cardinals have won five straight games when facing elimination.  The defending champion are not a team that panics.  Still, it says a lot when a team as young as the Nationals can come back to win a game like this.  It is the ugly, unconventional games that prove the character of a team and the Nationals just passed a big test in St. Louis.

It was close, it was unconventional, and sometimes ugly, but the Nationals have their first ever playoff win and that’s all that matters.

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