Remember Last Night When The Nationals Are Underdogs In The World Series

The Washington Nationals are going to the World Series. Their rotation was dominant, their lineup came up with timely and big hits when needed. They have looked incredible in this postseason run. Not to brag, but someone saw this coming a few weeks ago.

Now the reason I’m writing this is not to gloat, well, maybe a little, but it is as a cautionary reminder. This series is over and the World Series doesn’t start for another week. We have short attention spans. We will forget this series in a couple of days. We will be blinded by the Yankees-Astros. That series promises to be absolutely must-watch baseball for the remaining four games. No matter which team comes out of the American League, they will be favored over the Nationals. They will have home field.

The point I am making here is when you are placing your series bets when we know our matchup, don’t discount these Nationals. This rotation is as good as it gets. As I wrote above, the bullpen is not good. We know that. But Dave Martinez has found a way to mitigate that weakness. He is using his starters as long as he can and then using them in relief. The Nationals will be able to set their rotation however they choose, likely Scherzer, Strasburg and Corbin. If they opt to go with a three man rotation, they can use Anibal Sanchez, who has been excellent, as their top relief arm. Throwing arms that dominant will be tough to beat. I think the Yankees are the better matchup for Washington, simply because their rotation does not stack up against the Nationals. The Astros are close and they have a lineup that doesn’t quit. Either way, you’ll be getting plus money on the Nationals and at this point that is something well worth considering.