Definitely Werth It!

(Rob Carr/Getty Images)

Jayson Werth sent the nation's capital into a frenzy with his walk off home run in game 4 of the NLDS.  Werth's Washington Nationals tied the series at 2-2 with their exhilarating 2-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals, setting up a deciding game 5 tomorrow night.  After being shut out in game 3 of the series, the Nationals were finally able to put a couple of runs on the board off the bats of Werth and Adam Laroche who hit a home run in the 2nd inning.  Werth's towering solo homer came off a fastball from converted reliever Lance Lynn, as a result of a magnificent 13 pitch at bat.

(John McDonnell/Washington Post)

Southpaw Ross Detwiler, a St. Louis native completing his first year in the National's starting rotation, shook off his nerves and pitched a 6 inning gem, in which he allowed no earned runs.  Starting pitcher Jordan Zimmermann pitched a flawless 7th inning out of the bullpen, striking out all three batters he faced.  Tyler Clippard, Washington's setup pitcher, and Drew Storen, the team's closer, struck out 5 combined batters.

Gio Gonzalez, a 21 game winner and a Cy Young candidate, will start the series finale Friday night against Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals.

Nationals win first postseason game in 79 years

Tyler Moore hit a game winning 2 run double
(Jeff Roberson/AP)

On Sunday afternoon the first postseason baseball game in 79 years was played by a Washington D.C. Major League Baseball franchise.  The Washington Nationals, the pride of the nation's capital after winning an MLB best 98 games during the 2012 regular season, continued their historic season by defeating the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2 in game 1 of the NLDS.

Gio Gonzalez, a National League Cy young candidate after winning a majors leading 21 games this season, started the game for Washington.  Gonzalez gave up only 1 hit in 5 innings pitched, but struggled with his command and walked a season high 7 batters.  Gonzalez walked 4 in a wild second inning in which he gave up the only 2 runs of the game on a wild pitch that got by catcher Kurt Suzuki, and on a sacrifice fly by Jon Jay with the bases loaded.  Nationals manager Davey Johnson decided to trust his ace and allowed Gonzalez to continue to pitch for three more innings.

The Cardinals' starting pitcher Adam Wainwright, in his first season back from Tommy John surgery, struck out 10 batters in a masterful 5 and two thirds innings pitched.  Wainwright baffled the Nationals and demonstrated complete control of his knee buckling curve ball.  Wainwright only struggled for a brief stretch of the second inning during which Suzuki put the Nats on on the scoreboard first with an RBI single to the left field gap that brought home first baseman Adam Laroche.

Jayson Werth robbed the St. Louis of a home run
(Dilip Vishwana/Getty Images)

Two crucial momentum shifting defensive plays by the Nationals prevented the Cardinals from pulling away in the latter innings of the game.  In the 6th inning, right fielder Jayson Werth leaped over the right field wall and robbed Daniel Descalso of a 2 run homer that would have given the Cardinals a 3 run lead.  The second crucial event occurred after Washington relief pitcher Ryan Mattheus entered the game with the bases loaded and 0 outs in the 7th inning.  On the first pitch Mattheus threw, the Cardinal's Allen Craig hit a ground ball to Washington shortstop Ian Desmond who threw to home plate for a force out that prevented the Cardinals from scoring.  On the very next pitch, Mattheus got St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina to chase a pitch outside.  Molina hit a ground ball to third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, who flipped it to Danny Espinosa at second base.  Espinosa then leaped over a sliding Cardinal and threw the ball to Laroche at first base for the double play, allowing the Nationals to escape the dire situation unscathed.

Drew Storen struck out Matt Holiday
to end the game
(photo by Nir Levy)

In the top of the 8th inning with left fielder Michael Morse and Desmond both on base, rookie Tyler Moore pinch hit for Mattheus and hammered a 2 run double to put the Nats ahead.  Moore's hit was the biggest of the year for the Nationals and continued a trend of bench players coming up huge for the team.  Reliever Tyler Clippard and closer Drew Storen each disposed of all three of the batters they faced in the last two innings to retain the lead for the Nats.  Storen struck out 6 time all-star left fielder Matt Holiday on three pitches to end the game.
The series will continue tomorrow with the Nationals' Jordan Zimmermann facing Jaime Garcia of the Cardinals.

Griffin leads the Redskins to a 4th quarter comeback victory against the Buccaneers

Robert Griffin III orchestrated his first game winning drive
(Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

Week after week, rookie sensation Robert Griffin III makes the Washington Redskins appear wiser and wiser for having mortgaged the future in order to select him in the 2012 NFL draft.  In a must win game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in week 4, Griffin led the Redskins to the first 4th quarter comeback of his career.  The Buccaneers had just made a field goal to take a 22-21 lead over the Redskins with 1:47 remaining in the game, when Griffin led the Redskins offense onto the field at their own 20 yard line.  Washington had blown a commanding 21-3 lead, and to make matters even more dire, Griffin's headset was malfunctioning, preventing him from communicating with his coaches on the sideline.  Despite the adversity, Griffin displayed his preternatural poise by brilliantly moving the Redskins offense down the field and managing the clock like a ten year veteran.  Griffin calmly dissected the Buccaneers defense in completing all four of his pass attempts on the drive, including two for over 15 yards.  On a 2nd and 6 play with under 40 seconds remaining, Griffin recognized that the Bucs prevent defense provided him with ample running room, and took off, picking up 15 yards.  Even after a false start penalty moved the Redskins back five yards, Griffin was able to hit Santana Moss on a crossing route for a seven yard gain to set up Billy Cundiff's game winning field goal.

Cundiff was in the midst of one of the worst games of his career, having missed all three of his field goal attempts, including both a 31 and a 41 yard attempt.  Cundiff's final field goal attempt of the day, a 41 yarder with only 3 seconds remaining in the game, redeemed him by putting the Redskins up 24-22, and made him a hero in the nation's capital, until at least next week.

Besides orchestrating the game winning drive, Griffin was sensational throughout the game, completing  74% of his pass attempts for 323 yards and rushing for 43 yards and a touchdown.  His use of the hard count to draw the Tampa Bay defense offsides was astounding for a player making only his 4th NFL start.  Griffin was hit far less against the Buccaneers than he had been during the Redskins two previous losses to the Rams and Bengals, an encouraging sign for Redskins fans.  The return of left tackle Trent Williams solidified the Redskins offensive line, which limited the Bucs to 4 quarterback hits after giving up 13 to the Bengals. Additionally, Griffin had only three designed runs, limiting the abuse he could take from the Bucs defense.

Much credit must be given to offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and head coach Mike Shanahan for their creativity in the offensive game plan.  The Redskins offense threw the Buccaneers defense off guard by having Griffin take snaps under center, something he rarely did in the first three games of the season.  The Shanahans ran plenty of misdirection plays, and limited the use of the triple option, which was a staple of the Washington offense throughout the first 3 games,  but often resulted in Griffin being hit hard.  On the final play of the third quarter, the Shanahans demonstrated their offensive genius through a trick play in which Griffin lateraled the ball to wide receiver Brandon Banks, who then lateraled back to Griffin across the field.  After receiving the ball, Griffin completed a 30 yard pass to tight end Niles Paul who was wide open.  Griffin's 103.2 passer rating ranks 4th in the NFL through a quarter of the season.

Alfred Morris had a 39 yard touchdown run
(Rick Carioti/The Washington Post)

Griffin received plenty of help offensively from rookie running back Alfred Morris, who ran for 113 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries.  In the second quarter of the game, Morris broke several tackles en route to a 39 yard touchdown, which he celebrated by pretending to hit a home run.  Morris has the 5th most rushing yards in the league through 4 games.  As a team the Redskins have the league's top ranked rushing attack and third ranked offense.

Defensively, the Redskins were very effective in the first half, limiting the Bucs to only two field goals. The Redskins front seven put constant pressure on Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman, led by outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan who had a sack and a pass batted down.  The Redskins pass rush in the opening half helped out the much maligned secondary, which shut down the Buccaneers passing game.  Cornerback Deangleo Hall intercepted a pass which led to a Redskins touchdown.  The second half was a much different story, as the Buccaneers aerial attack abused the Washington secondary in scoring 19 unanswered points.  The key to the Redskins success defensively appears to be pressuring the quarterback, however, without Brian Orakpo and Adam Carricker both of whom have suffered season ending injuries, achieving a consistent pass rush will be a very difficult task.

 

Griffin dazzles in his debut as the Redskins defeat the Saints 40-32

Robert Griffin III (photo by Nir Levy in preseason)

The Robert Griffin III era began with a bang as the Washington Redskins pounded the New Orleans Saints 40-32 in week 1 of the 2012 NFL season.  Griffin, the Redskins rookie quarterback, put on a dazzling performance by connecting on 19 of his 26 pass attempts, including two touchdown passes.  His 320 passing yards were the second most all time by a quarterback in his NFL debut.  Griffin completed his first 8 passes of the game, including an 88 yard touchdown to the newly acquired Pierre Garcon, on which he demonstrated his resoluteness by hanging tough in the pocket and delivering an accurate pass despite having pressure in his face.  Griffin showed off his incredible blend of athleticism, pinpoint accuracy and arm strength on the opening play of the second quarter, when he eluded a defender who seemed to have a certain sack, shuffled to his right and launched a 26 yard pass on the run to tight end Fred Davis at a spot where only he could catch the ball.  Griffin posted a 139.9 passer rating in the game, and lead the Redskins to their first 40 point regular season game since 2005.

Robert Griffin III under center
(Photo by Nir Levy in the preseason)

The Redskins offensive line was spectacular, providing Griffin with plenty of time to operate in the pocket, allowing only 1 sack on a broken play, and paving the way for rookie running back Alfred Morris in run protection.  Morris, a 6th round pick out of little known Florida Atlantic University, was a workhorse back for the Redskins in the season opener, rushing for 96 yards and 2 touchdowns on 28 carries.  Garcon made his impact felt in his first game as a Redskin, with 4 receptions for 109 yards, including the aforementioned 88 yard touchdown catch.

The Redskins defense was excellent in the game, limiting the Saints to only 32 rushing yards, forcing 3 turnovers and sacking the Saints All-Pro quarterback Drew Brees twice.  The Redskins were able to fluster Brees, one of the league's best players, intercepting him twice and forcing the most accurate quarterback of all time to post his worst single game completion percentage in nearly 6 years.

Robert Griffin III (photo by Nir Levy in the preseason)

New Redskins kicker Billy Cundiff was a perfect 4/4 on field goal attempts.  Cundiff was an All-Pro kicker in 2010, but was released by the Baltimore Ravens after missing a potentially game tying field goal in the waning seconds of the team's AFC championship loss to the New England Patriots last season.

(All Photos were taken by Nir Levy)

Gio Gonalez and the Nationals shut out the Cardinals

Gio Gonzalez pitched the first complete game shutout of his career as the Washington Nationals defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 10-0 to earn their 80th victory of the season.  With the win, the Nationals extended their lead over the Atlanta Braves in the NL East to 6.5 games and continued their impressive run following a recent 5 game losing streak.

Gio Gonzalez pitched a complete game shutout
(photo taken by Nir Levy)

Gonzalez won his MLB leading 17th game of the season, struck out 8 and lowered his ERA to a career best 3.10.  Gonzalez retired the first 9 batters he faced and did not allow a hit through 4 innings.  Following the game, manager Davey Johnson claimed that Gonzalez would have been limited to 120 pitches in the game; his pitch count ended up being 119.  Gonzalez was acquired this offseason from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for three of the Nationals' top nine prospects.  He has been nothing short of an absolute ace this season, leading the NL in opponents' batting average and slugging percentage, ranking 4th in strikeouts, and nearly ranking in the top 10 in both ERA and WHIP.  After the game Gonzalez was honored with a gatorade shower and a whipped cream pie to the face by teammate Edwin Jackson.

Bryce Harper has been very hot of late
(photo taken by Nir Levy)

Gonzalez was provided with ample run support by the Nationals' offense, which has outscored opponents 26-5 over the team's current three game win streak.  Right fielder Jayson Werth had 3 hits, and third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, center fielder Bryce Harper and first baseman Adam Laroche each provided the team with 2 RBIs in the offensive explosion, which included Zimmerman's 17th home run of the season.  Werth and Harper, the first two batters in the lineup, have been especially hot of late, with Harper batting 0.428 with 3 homers and 8 RBI over the team's 3 game win streak, and Werth batting 0.358 during the month August.


All Photos were taken by me, Nir Levy.

Strasburg and the Nationals defeat the Braves 4-1

Stephen Strasburg (photo by Nir Levy)

Stephen Strasburg absolutely dominated the Atlanta Braves and earned his 15th win of the season in breathtaking fashion.  Strasburg's Washington Nationals defeated the Braves 4-1, improving their record to an MLB best 77-46 and taking a season high 7 game lead over the Braves in the NL East.  According to coolstandings.com, the Nationals now have a 99.8% chance of qualifying for the playoffs.  Postseason baseball has not been played in the nation's capital since 1933.

Stephen Strasburg (photo by Nir Levy)

Strasburg tossed 10 dazzling strikeouts in 6 innings to pad his league leading strikeout total and lower his ERA to a minuscule 2.85.  The right hander overpowered the Braves with a devastating arsenal of pitches that included a fastball that averaged a blistering 96.2 mph, a changeup that routinely tops 90-91 mph and a knee-buckling curveball.  The torrid speed of Strasburg's fastball helped disguise his similarly scorching changeup, which he threw 8 times in the game for 4 strikeouts.  Strasburg's performance is especially impressive given that he was forced to deal with the second rain delay of his career.  The game was paused for 51 minutes after the second inning due to heavy rainfall.  If the delay had spanned a mere 10 minutes longer, manager Davey Johnson would have removed Strasburg from the game.

Ian Desmond (photo by Nir Levy)

Strasburg received plenty of run support from his teammates who ensured he would walk away with yet another curly W.  The Nationals have suddenly become one of the league's top offenses, leading the majors in runs scored since the all-star break.  Shortstop Ian Desmond belted a towering home run in the 2nd inning for the first run of the game.  Desmond leads all shortstops with 19 home runs despite having missed a month this season due to an oblique injury.  In the 5th inning catcher Jesus Flores brought home Desmond and first baseman Adam Laroche with a 3-run homer to put the game out of reach.  It was Flores' first home run in nearly two months.

Jesus Flores (photo by Nir Levy)

Strasburg has now pitched over 145 innings this season and is rapidly approaching his widely discussed "shutdown day."  Nationals' general manager Mike Rizzo has repeatedly declared that Strasburg will be shut down for the season once he reaches an innings total of between 160 and 180.  This is Strasburg's second season back from Tommy John surgery, which was performed in order to repair a torn ligament in his elbow. Standard medical procedure states that a pitcher should be limited in his first two seasons back from the surgery.

All photos in this post were taken by me, Nir Levy.

Washington Redskins Quarterback Preview

Robert Griffin III was drafted 2nd overall by the Redskins
(Al Bello/Getty Images)

After a nearly two decade long search for a franchise quarterback, the Washington Redskins believe that they have finally found their savior in the form of Robert Griffin III, whom the team drafted with the 2nd overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft.  The Redskins were forced to part with an unprecedented package that included three first round picks and a second round pick in order to acquire a high enough pick to draft Griffin.  Griffin, a product of Baylor University, won the Heisman trophy this past season as the most outstanding player in college football.  He has every trait that a team wants from a franchise quarterback both on and off the field.
Griffin possesses elite athleticism which he uses to elude defenders as a runner, and more importantly, extend plays with his feet.  He ran the 40 yard dash at the NFL combine in a blistering 4.41 seconds, has a 39 inch vertical jump, and even qualified for the semifinals of the 400 meter hurdles at the 2008 Olympic trials.  Unlike many mobile quarterbacks, Griffin also has the ability to make every throw.  He demonstrated his pinpoint accuracy during his senior year at Baylor by completing an astounding 72.4% of his passes.  He is also lauded for his quick release and his absolute cannon of an arm.
Griffin's work ethic and intangibles are considered to be among his strongest attributes.  He is an army child and had discipline and hard work drilled into him at an early age.  He stays out of trouble and doesn't party, drink alcohol or smoke.  Griffin's magnetic personality has earned him the immediate respect of the entire Redskins' locker room.  The veterans listen to him and the younger players revere him, an extremely rare occurrence for a 22 year old.
The Redskins' backup quarterback is Rex Grossman, who started 13 games for the team last season and has mastered offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan's offense.  Grossman is a very capable backup and has demonstrated the ability to move the offense and lead a team to a victory if he is given the opportunity to play.  Grossman's fatal flaw is his penchant for turning the ball over.  He had 20 interceptions last season along with 8 fumbles and single handedly lost a few games for Washington last season.
The Redskins' third string quarterback is Kirk Cousins, whom the team drafted in the 4th round of this past NFL draft with the hope that he will eventually become the team's primary backup.  Over his final three seasons at Michigan State, Cousins won more games than any other quarterback in the Big 10 conference.  He threw 3 touchdown passes in the 4th quarter of the Redskins' second preseason game against the Chicago Bears.

Robert Griffin III
(John McDonnell/The Washington Post)

The Redskins faithful have sky high hopes for RG3 who undoubtedly has the talent and desire to deliver.  The fans need not temper their excitement at the arrival of the franchise savior, but should keep in mind that he is a rookie playing behind an offensive line that will likely have trouble protecting him.  As long as Robert Griffin is able to stay healthy and show improvement through the various peaks and valleys of his rookie season, 2012 will be a success for the Washington Redskins.