Hudson away? Sánchez, Doo keep Cards at bay
ST. LOUIS -- When asked Friday afternoon about closer Daniel Hudson missing Game 1 of the National League Championship Series due to the birth of his child, Nationals manager Dave Martinez offered words of encouragement while acknowledging the obvious: “We’re going to miss him.” Hudson had been one of the
ST. LOUIS -- When asked Friday afternoon about closer
Hudson had been one of the few reliable options in Martinez’s bullpen -- at points, perhaps the only one. Without him, the Nats faced the prospect of dipping heavily into a collection of relievers that contributed to Washington’s league-worst 5.66 regular-season bullpen ERA.
Then
That’s one solution.
Game | Date | Result | Highlights |
---|---|---|---|
Gm 1 | Oct. 11 | WSH 2, STL 0 | Watch |
Gm 2 | Oct. 12 | WSH 3, STL 1 | Watch |
Gm 3 | Oct. 14 | WSH 8, STL 1 | Watch |
Gm 4 | Oct. 15 | WSH 7, STL 4 | Watch |
“He picked us up today, big time,” Martinez said. “That was huge, just to go from him straight to Doolittle.”
Not until Friday morning did Martinez learn his closer would land on the paternity list. While Martinez was happy to give Hudson the chance to be with his wife, he understood what it might mean for his end-of-game strategy. No Nationals reliever has been as steady as Hudson, a midseason trade acquisition who hasn’t allowed an earned run since August.
And unlike in previous rounds, Martinez wouldn’t be able to bridge the gap between his starters and late-inning relievers with other starting pitchers. In a best-of-seven series with only two off-days,
Enter Sánchez, who had pitched in the eighth inning or later in just one of his last 81 regular and postseason starts. Watching Sánchez work Friday amidst a low-40s October chill, Martinez, out of superstition, refused to slip a jacket over his Nationals sweatshirt. Even when Sánchez allowed a two-out single to
Like Sánchez, Doolittle wasn’t an obvious candidate to stretch beyond his usual workload. The left-hander went two and a half months without recording more than three outs in a game, in part because of knee tendinitis and fatigue. He did snap that streak in NLDS Game 4, however, and had retired nine consecutive batters entering the NLCS.
Now it’s 13. Whether due to his manager’s sartorial decisions or not, Doolittle buzzed through the final four outs with much the same ease that Sánchez retired the first 23: he began by inducing three consecutive groundouts, then blew a fastball past Marcell Ozuna at 95 mph to end the game.
“It was just about finding a way to maximize our strengths and give us a chance to win,” Doolittle said.
Friday, that meant using only two pitchers on a night when Hudson, Scherzer,
• Dress for the NLCS: Get your Nats gear here
Not only was that an untenable option in the NLCS, but Hudson’s absence compounded the issue. Even if Sánchez pitched well, it was difficult to imagine a scenario in which the Nationals might avoid turning to
That Sánchez and Doolittle carried the Nationals was, in catcher
“I think the mood of the guys in the bullpen, we really wanted to find a way to pick [Hudson] up and allow him to enjoy a really special moment with his wife and his family,” Doolittle said. “We’re obviously looking forward to having him back because he's been so huge for us, but I think it went really well. … It felt really good to be able to seal it.”
Anthony DiComo has covered the Mets for MLB.com since 2007. Follow him on Twitter @AnthonyDiComo, Instagram and Facebook.