Wire Taps: Victor Robles-palooza!; Daniel Murphy’s dip in production; Could the Nationals catch the Dodgers?

OKay, so this is getting really, really real. As in, the Nationals could hypothetically (though, most likely won’t) clinch tomorrow. It’s September 8th, by the way.

Here’s the news from Nats Park.

Nats call up Robles for stretch run
The team's top prospect, and a universal top-10 major league prospect, is getting the call. At least for a month.

Victor Robles finally gets the call
Bad news: Brian Goodwin is probably done for the year. Good news? With not too much high-stakes baseball left in the regular season, the Nats get to take their prized prospect for a big-league test drive.

10 things older than Victor Robles, now the youngest player in MLB
Mario Kart 64? Austin Powers? In Robles' mind, they're ancient relics. "Mmm Bop" by Hanson? Not a chance. AOL? Take a wild guess.

Daniel Murphy's (odd) dip in production
Murphy, sometime around August, started striking out a lot more and hitting a lot fewer extra base hits, mainly due to the fact that he's swinging at more pitches out of the zone. Also, his ground ball rate is up. What's going on here?

Dodgers' swoon gives rest of the league, Nats included, hope
The invincibility of the Dodgers and the inevitability of the Postseason coronation of Los Angeles has decreased by a considerable amount in the last few weeks. The sound you hear is the Nats, Indians, Astros, and D-backs cheering.

Could the Nationals catch the Dodgers? Should they even want to?
The Nats would need to make up around ten games, which would be difficult at this point, but not impossible. But would they really want to face the Wild Card winner?

Sean Doolittle: Efficient warmup key to health
Instead of throwing a bunch of pitches in the bullpen, the closer prefers to throw as few pitches as possible to warm up. And as long as they're good pitches, he thinks that it'll reduce stress on his arm and keep him healthier.

The official guide to September for Nats fans looking around the league
The Dodgers will finish with the best record, and the NL Central is still up for grabs, as is the AL Wild Card. Here are a few series Nats fans should be paying attention to, for one reason or another.

Suzuki walks off Marlins
The Nats' magic number went down to 4 (FOUR) with Atlanta's win last night.

Turner shows off baseball IQ after Bautista's baserunning mishap
It could've been an easy double play for the Phillies, but thanks to Trea Turner's sharp wit, Rafael Bautista was able to stay on second.

Today’s Game: Phillies vs Nationals — 7:05 PM
Probable Pitchers: Jake Thompson vs Max Scherzer
Magic Number: 4