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Game 3 WPA: Deepest bullpen in the league. Washington Nationals lose to Miami Marlins 4-3 in extra innings but win opening series in their MLB season of baseball-playing.

Game 3 WPA: Deepest bullpen in the league? Nationals lose to Marlins 4-3 in extra innings...

By Doghouse
MLB: Miami Marlins at Washington Nationals
Remember when Gio was in the game? Good times.
Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Image courtesy Fangraphs.

(What do these graphs mean?)

  • Pitcher wins are dumb, anyway: Gio Gonzalez (+37.0%) throws 6 scoreless with 7 Ks (mostly looking) and one walk before the rain comes back.
  • [Rizzo points to head]: Adam Eaton (+3.6%) smacks a first-inning solo shot just over the out-of-town scoreboard to get the Nats the early lead (+10.1%).
  • Not “closer” material (although “closers” are dumb): Koda Glover (+9.6%) lets a runner get to 2nd but holds the one-run lead in the 7th to earn a shutdown.
  • Old guys rule: Jayson Werth (+3.7%) cranks a 7th-inning solo bomb into the visiting bullpen for a welcome insurance run (+9.8%).
  • Also not “closer” material: Shawn Kelley (-25.7%) gives up a two-run homer (-31.5%) and the lead to earn a meltdown in the aeyth.
  • THE KIDS CALL HIM ZIM! Ryan Zimmerman (+6.0%) bounces one off the fence at the front of the batter’s eye for a go-ahead solo bomb with two outs in the ayeth (+31.7%), making up for his bases-loaded, inning-ending GDP in the 3rd (-13.1%).
  • How many “not-closers” are we going to see tonight, anyway? Sammy Solis (+3.7%) puts two on with no outs but gets a big GDP (+31.5%) to exit with 2 outs and a runner on third, eliciting a yawn from the WPA hamsters.
  • Oh, goody, the “closer”: Blake Treinen (-23.5%) can’t get the last out before giving up the tying run, earning his own meltdown.
  • [Sad trombone]: Trea Turner (-21.0%) lines into a double play with two on in the 9th to send the game to extras (-20.9%).
  • [Rizzo looks at his shoes and whistles uncomfortably]: Joe Blanton (-29.8%) gives up a go-behind run in the 10th to record the bullpen’s third meltdown of the evening.
  • Rally, quashed: Daniel Murphy (+11.2%) singles to put two on with one out in the 10th (+12.6%). Zim pops up (-16.5%) and then Anthony Rendon (-19.5%) does, too (-17.2%) to end the game.

Tonight’s WPA brought to you by stormy weather:

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