Wire Taps: Gio Gonzalez triggers 2018 contract; Jayson Werth out again; Nationals focused on health, not home field...

Alright, to be fair, if you Tomahawk Chop at Nationals Park, the Braves are probably gonna win there in the next 72 hours. Just how it works, I’m pretty sure.

Here’s the down-low from D.C.

Which Nationals pitcher (or person named Clayton Kershaw) should be the Cy Young winner?
Gio, Max, Strasburg, and Kershaw all have great cases for Cy Young Awards, but it seems like (by most measurements) that the main dogfight is between Scherzer and Kershaw.

Jayson Werth misses fifth straight game due to shoulder injury
After being hit by a pitch in a rehab assignment, Werth's shoulder has still been hurting him, so the Nats gave him some prolonged time off to fix it for once and for all before he gets on the field again.

On an otherwise listless night, Gio Gonzalez reaches important contract threshold
An unimpressive and tired start left Gonzalez with well more than 180 innings pitched on the season, good enough to trigger his 2018 contract's vesting option, and securing him one last guaranteed year as a National.

Health, home-field on Dusty's mind as Nats now look to October
With the division wrapped up, Dusty Baker still has a few things that he wants to do before the Nats put the postseason patches on their uniforms. (Also hidden in here: Bryce is feeling better!)

Are Nationals Park crowds lame? Two Post columnists debate:
Should Nats fans accept that what's there, is, for the foreseeable future, what's gonna be there? Or should they be hoping for more -- bigger crowds, more intensity, and all that jazz?

The Nats are focused on health, not home-field, post-clinch
Dusty Baker prefers that his players would focus on keeping themselves healthy and hitting/pitching as they approach October instead of going all-out for home field.

The Nats have clinched, so just let Teddy win for the love of god
Teddy Roosevelt is back to his old ways of losing. The Nats should let him win now that they've clinched, and, moreover, Jayson Werth needs to see him win one last time.

Nationals will open 2018 in Cincinatti
The Nats will play the Reds in Cincy on Opening Day in March next year, and have their home opener less than a week later against the Mets.

Today’s Game: Braves vs Nationals — 7:05 PM
Probable Pitchers: Luiz Gohara vs Max Scherzer
Magic Number for #2 seed in NL: 9