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Game 1 WPA: Shhh! My boss might hear you commenting. Nats 9, Mets 7

This was not a crisply-played game on either side, despite the occasional stretches of competence. Well, let's hope everyone is tuned up by Opening Day, I mean it's gotta be coming up Real Soon, right? Let me check my calendar... uh... hmm. Anyhow, a lot of up-and-down in this one.

By Doghouse
Fear the beard.
Fear the beard.
Elsa

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Via Fangraphs.

  • Mixed bag: Stephen Strasburg (-24.1%) walks only two and fans ten over 6IP, but gives up a three-run gopher ball in the 1st to put the Nats behind early (-26.9%).
  • Slow starter: Adam LaRoche (+7.1%) cranks a two-run shot in the 2nd to get the Nats within one (+16.4%).
  • Rallier/junk-timer hero: Anthony Rendon (+16.5%) doubles in a run to get the Nats within one in the 7th (+15.6%), then he hits a meaningless three-run bomb in the 10th to pad his stats with the game well in hand score the winning runs (+12.4%).
  • Shutdown/Meltdown: Drew Storen (+7.9%) shuts 'em down with a 1-2-3 7th (2 Ks) to keep it tied. Sadly, Tyler Clippard (-26.8%) melts down in the aeyth, giving up the go-behind solo shot (-29.0%).
  • Sharp-dressed man: Denard Span (+25.4%) draws a two-out, bases-loaded, game-tying walk in the 7th (+20.6%), then ties it again with a two-out, RBI double in the 9th (+38.9%).
  • Unhelpful: Ryan Zimmerman (-26.2%) can't match DSPAN's heroics, whiffing to end the 7th with the bases loaded in a tie game (-11.9%), then flying out to leave it tied in the 9th with runners 2nd/3rd (-13.5%).
  • A good debut: Aaron Barrett (+11.7%) earns a shutdown in his first MLB appearance, fanning two, keeping it tied, and getting us some Free Baseball with a 1-2-3 9th inning.
  • Extra inning rally: Jayson Werth (+12.2%) singles to lead off the 10th (+8.2%), takes second on a Jose Lobaton (+8.8%) broken-bat single (+11.8%), gets to third on a passed ball (+12.9%), and finally scores the go-ahead run on an Ian Desmond (+16.9%) sac fly (+13.3%).
  • Honorable mention: Danny Espinosa draws a paradigm-defying, two-out, pinch-hit walk in the 9th (+6.0%), coming back from 0-2 to extend the rally that later tied the game.
  • ONE OF US! Jeremy Blevins (fangraphs broke, but not many%) gives up half of the lead in the bottom of the 10th via a two-run homer, but manages to close it out interestingly and get young Barrett his first MLB win!

I know the 7 train goes to Shea Citi, but Duke from DC wants you to dance on a different line:


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