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Washington Nationals' skipper Dusty Baker didn't think it was that big a deal, but he did spend most of his pregame press conference with reporters talking about the fact that Wilson Ramos was catching Gio Gonzalez tonight.
It's the first time in 2016 that the Nationals' left-hander won't have Jose Lobaton, his unofficial personal catcher behind the plate receiving his pitches.
"I don't think it's a big deal," Baker said, when asked about giving Ramos the start. "That's his job to catch whoever and that's Gio's job to throw to whoever's back there."
"Part of the reason is because Ramos was just off on Saturday, and it's a little hard to keep your -- I mean, he's one of our key guys on our offense. It's hard to keep your stroke if you're on an every-other-day program.
"So, I just thought it would be best -- because there's going to be some point in time where [Lobaton] might be hurt or somebody other than him is going to have catch Gio, whether it's in the playoffs, World Series... next week? At some point in time, so it's no big deal."
It's not a big deal okay? But he did keep Gonzalez and Lobaton together as they have been in previous seasons after he took over on the bench in the nation's capital?
"It's been hard and fast the whole time and so I just kept going the way it was," Baker explained before the series opener with New York. "I didn't necessarily make it right or wrong.
"I've done that in the past, where I've had designated catchers for designated pitchers, but it's backfired on me a couple times when the designated catcher got hurt and he no longer could catch and both were kind of lost, you know what I mean?
"I know it's a big game, but again, you're playing these Mets, you've got to have some offense in there at the same time.
"Not saying that [Lobaton's] not, but Ramos is one the premier offensive catchers in the game, and he didn't catch Saturday because we got in so late on Friday, so would you like to see Ramos on the every-other-day program?"
The answer from the reports assembled in the nation's capital was a resounding, "No."
Especially against New York, since Ramos has crushed Mets' pitching in his career to the tune of a .302/.318/.526 line, 13 doubles and 10 home runs in 54 games and 201 plate appearances against the Nationals' divisional rivals.
Ramos also entered the three-game set with the Mets with a .347/.389/.525 line, nine doubles and four home runs, 33 games and 126 PAs into his seventh major league season.
The 28-year-old backstop started strong this year, with a .316/.328/.491 line in 15 games and April, and after he returned from a stint on the bereavement list, he's been even better with a .377/.441/.557 line in 18 games in May.
"His level of concentration is big," Baker said. "I'm really surprised how he's been better, because I know he's hurting after the death of his grandfather. And usually that kind of -- unless you're a very strong-minded person or you're playing for that person, you usually have periods of concentration lapses and sometimes you're not there, you know what I mean?"
But again... going back to the Gonzalez/Lobaton duo? Did Baker talk to his pitcher and catchers before making the decision to go with Ramos tonight?
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Photo © Brad Mills/USA TODAY Sports
"About a week or so ago I had asked Gio to talk to Ramos, and vice versa," he said. "I haven't talked to [Lobaton] yet, which I want to do today.
"And I told Ramos last night, when the bus got in that he was catching Gio today, and I told Mike Maddux this morning when I saw him, so I don't know, you guys kind of make it seem like it's the seventh game of the World Series."
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