The Washington Post - USA (2022-05-29)

SUNDAY, MAY 29 , 2022. THE WASHINGTON POST EZ M2 D5

will remain on the roster after Sanchez was designated for assignment.

Kieboom update Infielder Carter Kieboom had season-ending Tommy John sur- gery Friday, and Martinez said it went well. He added that he be- lieves Kieboom will be ready for 2023 spring training as long as his recovery goes as planned. The 24-year-old had been dealing with an elbow issue since March and did not play this season.

Robles was the Nationals’ last hope in the ninth, but he struck out looking. Here’s what else to know about the doubleheader:

Machado gets the call Washington called up right- handed reliever Andres Machado from Class AAA Rochester to fill the 27th roster spot for the doubleheader. Machado has a 2.45 ERA in 11 innings, but Martinez has struggled to find situations to use the 29-year-old. He was optioned May 10 in favor of Carl Edwards Jr. Machado didn’t pitch in either game of the doubleheader but

Baseball

BY SCOTT ALLEN

Within two months of celebrat-
ing their World Series triumph
with a victory parade through the
streets of downtown Miami, the
1997 Florida Marlins were unrec-
ognizable. After spending
$89 million on free agents and
adding longtime manager Jim
Leyland the previous offseason,
owner H. Wayne Huizenga or-
dered then-general manager
Dave Dombrowski to slash pay-
roll. Huizenga, who claimed he
lost $34 million during the cham-
pionship season, had resolved to
sell the team after failing to
secure government support for a
taxpayer-funded retractable-roof
stadium.
“Baseball never has seen any-
thing like this perverse magic: a
living, breathing champion
sawed in half before our eyes,”
The Washington Post’s Thomas
Boswell wrote as the Marlins
were in the midst of trading
Bobby Bonilla, Moises Alou, De-
von White, Robb Nen, Kevin
Brown, Al Leiter and Jeff Conine,
the only starter remaining
from their 1993 expansion sea-
son. “But here’s the trick: They’re
not going to be put back togeth-
er.”
By the trade deadline in 1998,
the Marlins’ payroll was a paltry
$13 million. Not surprisingly, the
team lost a franchise record 108
games that season, finishing with
a .333 winning percentage that
remains the worst in baseball
history by a defending World
Series champion. It deserves a

giant asterisk because the pandemic-shortened season was only 60 games, but the Nationals’ .433 winning percentage in 2020 ranks second on that list. Since the first World Series in 1903, 18 teams have finished below .500 the year after they won the championship. Five of those instances have occurred since the Marlins established the new low for post-World Series futility, most recently by Washington. The Atlanta Braves are in early danger of joining the club this season. Through 2020, the average winning percentage by a team the year after it won the World Series was .572. A multiyear regression like the one the Nationals have experi- enced since their World Series triumph, which came after a 19-31 start, is even more rare. Barring another stunning turnaround, Washington is poised to become only the fourth champion to finish below .500 in each of its next three seasons. The group in- cludes the 1918 Boston Red Sox and the 1993 Toronto Blue Jays, whose subsequent seasons were shortened because of World War I and the players’ strike, respec- tively, and the 1997 Marlins. The 2013 World Series champion R ed Sox are the only other team to finish below .500 in their first two years after winning a title. By contrast, 69 World Series cham- pions have finished .500 or better in each of their next three seasons. Injuries and poor pitching doomed the Nationals’ hopes of

repeating in 2020, while the pro- hibition against fans in the stands because of the pandemic denied the team the windfall normally afforded a World Series champion. Washington’s fire sale would come at the trade deadline a year later, when General Man- ager Mike Rizzo dealt Max Scher- zer, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, Brad Hand, Yan Gomes, Daniel Hudson, Josh Harrison and Jon Lester. Washington finished 2021 with 97 losses and a .401 winning percentage that ranks fifth worst among teams in their second year after a World Series title. Two months into this season, the Nationals were on pace for a team-record 108 losses. Their World Series championship, which fans never got the chance to celebrate in person in 2020, feels like ages ago. If Washington, which had a .397 winning percentage through Wednesday since winning the title, finishes with at least 98 losses in 2022, it will have a worse three-year winning percentage post-championship than the dismantled 1997 Marlins. (The Marlins’ .406 winning percentage from 1998 to 2000 ranks ahead of only Connie Mack’s 1914-16 Philadelphia Ath- letics, who were swept in the World Series one year after their 1913 championship and then, be- set by defectors to the Federal League, won one-fourth of their games over the next two seasons for a three-year winning percentage of .382.) This year’s ugly start continues a precipitous fall for a Nationals

franchise that posted the fourth- most wins in baseball from 2010 to 2019. With the oldest roster in baseball the year they won the title, perhaps a World Series hangover was to be expected, but after last season’s teardown, it’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. “The plan is to reboot this thing in a quick manner,” Rizzo said Wednesday on 106.7 the Fan. Here’s a closer look at the three teams to finish below .500 in at least their first three years after winning the World Series — and when they returned to contender status.

1918 Boston Red Sox Led by two-way star Babe Ruth, the Red Sox went 75-51 to capture the American League pennant by 2^1 / 2 games over the Cleveland Indians in a season cut short by World War I. The Red Sox defeated the Chicago Cubs in the World Series for their fifth title. It would be their last until 2004. 1919: 66-71-1, sixth in A L, 201 / 2 games back Boston opened the season as the American League favorite but failed to meet expectations. Pitching was primarily to blame; Carl Mays and Sam Jones struggled to repeat their 1918 success. In his final year with the Red Sox, Ruth hit 29 home runs. 1920: 72-81-1, fifth in AL, 251 / 2 games back After trading Ruth to the Yan- kees during the offseason, the Red Sox opened the year a sur-

prising 10-2. By the end of June, they were 11 games back of first- place New York. 1921: 7 5-79, fifth in A L, 231 / 2 games back Ruth hit 59 home runs for the Yankees, who repeated as AL champs. The Red Sox hit 17 round-trippers as a team. And then what happened? Things got worse before they got better. The Red Sox lost 93 games in 1922 and finished last in the AL eight times in the next nine years. Boston didn’t make it back to the World Series until 1946.

199 3 Toronto Blue Jays After winning 95 games, the Blue Jays defeated the Philadel- phia Phillies on Joe Carter’s walk- off home run in Game 6 to capture their second straight World Series title. 1994: 55-60, third i n A L East, 16 games back Even before the strike ended the season in August, Toronto’s bid to become the first team in 20 years to win three consecutive titles was doomed. Starting pitch- ers Dave Stewart and Juan Guz- man struggled, finishing with ERAs of 5.87 and 5.68. Toronto suffered its first losing season in 12 years. 1995: 56-88, fifth i n A L East, 30 games back The Blue Jays’ .405 winning percentage was their worst since

Closer Duane Ward ap-
peared in only four games after
missing the entire 1994 campaign
with a rotator cuff injury.

199 6: 74-88, fourth i n A L East, 18 games back Young slugger Carlos Delgado hit 25 homers and Ed Sprague hit a team-high 36, but Toronto scored the second-fewest runs in the AL. And then what happened? The Blue Jays finished last in the AL East in 1997 before climb- ing back above .500 and posting their first of six consecutive third- place finishes the following year. Toronto didn’t return to the post- season until 2015.

199 7 Florida Marlins In only their fifth season, the Marlins won 92 games and be- came the first wild card to win the World Series. 1998: 54-108, fifth i n N L East, 52 games back The gutted Marlins’ ERA was a league-worst 5.18. 1999: 64-98, fifth i n N L East, 39 games back Florida’s pitching improved, but its offense was the worst in the league. 2000: 79-82, third i n N L East, 15^1 / 2 games back The Marlins returned to re- spectability behind Cliff Floyd and a young lineup featuring Derrek Lee, Preston Wilson and Luis Castillo. And then what happened? Florida won its second World Series title in 2003, again as a wild card. The Marlins have made one playoff appearance since.

Neil Greenberg contributed to this report.

ANALYSIS

The Nats’ extended World Series hangover has few peers

NATIONALS ON DECK

vs. C olorado Rockies

Today1:35MASN2

at New York Mets

Tomorrow 7:10 MASN

Tuesday7:10 MASN Wednesday1:10 MASN

at Cincinnati Reds

Thursday6:40MASN Friday6:40MASN

Saturday4:10 MASN June 51 :40MASN

Radio: WJFK (106.7 FM)

PHOTOS BY JONATHAN NEWTON/THE WASHINGTON POST

“For there to be a lot of home runs, you have to hit the first one first,” said Victor Robles, left, who went nearly 10 months without a homer.

GAME 1 Nationals 13, Rockies 7 ROCKIES AB RHBI BBSOAVG Joe dh............................. 511101 .278 Daza lf ............................ 412010 .370 Blackmon rf .................... 513100 .234 Cron 1b........................... 512302 .311 McMahon 3b................... 500002 .247 Rodgers 2b..................... 311010 .244 Grichuk cf ....................... 422000 .279 Iglesias ss...................... 401100 .305 Díaz c.............................. 300102 .209 TOTALS 38 712727 — NATIONALS AB RHBI BBSOAVG Hernández 2b................. 512000 .282 Thomas lf ....................... 410012 .198 Soto rf ............................ 411011 .232 Cruz dh........................... 321220 .231 Bell 1b............................ 432010 .301 Franco 3b........................ 512201 .257 Adams c.......................... 331221 .208 Robles cf......................... 413600 .248 Escobar ss...................... 502101 .220 TOTALS 371314 13 76 — COLORADO............. 310 300 000 —7 12 1 WASHINGTON........ 530 300 02X—1 3140 E: Daza (1). LOB: Colorado 7, Washington 8. 2B: Iglesias (10), Soto (9), Franco 2 (13), Hernández (12), Escobar (4). HR: Cron (13), off Sanchez; Robles (1), off Goud- eau; Adams (3), off Stephenson. RBI: Cron 3 (37), Igle- sias (14), Díaz (8), Joe (13), Blackmon (19), Cruz 2 (26), Robles 6 (19), Escobar (8), Franco 2 (23), Adams 2 (5). SB: Robles (2), Grichuk (2). SF: Díaz. ROCKIES IP HRER BB SONPERA Gomber .................... 11 / 3 7883159 5.51 Goudeau.................... 22 / 3 4333364 7.08 Chacín.......................... 21001034 6.38 Estévez........................ 10000214 5.79 Stephenson.................. 12220015 5.56 NATIONALS IP HRER BB SONPERA Sanchez.................... 32 / 3 8770375 8.33 Ramírez ....................... 22002138 2.25 Edwards Jr................ 11 / 3 1000219 2.45 Arano........................... 21000136 3.92 WP: Ramírez (1-0); LP: Gomber (2-5). Inherited runners-scored: Goudeau 3-3, Ramírez 1-1, Edwards Jr. 1-0. HBP: Goudeau (Escobar), Chacín (Robles). WP: Gomber, Goudeau. T: 3:37. A: 20,294 (41,339). HOW THEY SCORED ROCKIES FIRST Connor Joe grounds out. Yonathan Daza singles. Charlie Blackmon singles. Yonathan Daza to second. C.J. Cron homers, Charlie Blackmon scores, Yonathan Daza scores. Ryan McMahon strikes out swinging. Brendan Rodgers grounds out. Rockies 3, Nationals 0 NATIONALS FIRST Cesar Hernandez singles. Lane Thomas flies out. Juan Soto doubles. Cesar Hernandez to third. Nelson Cruz singles, Juan Soto scores, Cesar Hernandez scores. Josh Bell singles. Nelson Cruz to second. Maikel Franco strikes out swinging. Riley Adams walks. Victor Robles singles, Riley Adams to second, Josh Bell scores, Nel- son Cruz scores. Alcides Escobar singles, Victor Robles to third, Riley Adams scores. Cesar Hernandez lines out. Nationals 5, Rockies 3 ROCKIES SECOND Randal Grichuk singles. Jose Iglesias doubles, Randal Grichuk scores. Elias Diaz flies out. Connor Joe called out on strikes. Yonathan Daza lines out. Nationals 5, Rockies 4 NATIONALS SECOND Lane Thomas walks. Juan Soto flies out. Nelson Cruz walks. Lane Thomas to second. Josh Bell singles. Nel- son Cruz to second. Lane Thomas to third. Maikel Fran- co doubles, Josh Bell to third, Nelson Cruz scores, Lane Thomas scores. Riley Adams called out on strikes. Vic- tor Robles singles, Maikel Franco to third, Josh Bell scores. Alcides Escobar called out on strikes. Nationals 8, Rockies 4 ROCKIES FOURTH Brendan Rodgers singles. Randal Grichuk singles. Bren- dan Rodgers to second. Jose Iglesias flies out. Brendan Rodgers to third. Elias Diaz out on a sacrifice fly, Bren- dan Rodgers scores. Connor Joe singles, Randal Grichuk scores. Yonathan Daza singles. Connor Joe to second. Charlie Blackmon singles, Yonathan Daza to third, Con- nor Joe scores. C.J. Cron pops out. Nationals 8, Rockies 7 NATIONALS FOURTH Josh Bell walks. Maikel Franco lines out. Josh Bell to second. Throwing error by Yonathan Daza. Riley Adams walks. Victor Robles homers, Riley Adams scores, J osh Bell scores. Alcides Escobar pops out. Cesar Hernandez flies out. Nationals 11, Rockies 7 NATIONALS EIGHTH Josh Bell flies out. Maikel Franco doubles. Riley Adams homers, Maikel Franco scores. Victor Robles pops out. Alcides Escobar flies out. Nationals 13, Rockies 7

GAME 2 Rockies 3, Nationals 2 ROCKIES AB RHBIBBSOAVG Joe rf .............................. 400012 .272 Grichuk rf ....................... 000000 .279 Daza cf............................ 511100 .361 Blackmon dh................... 502101 .239 Cron 1b........................... 312010 .317 Rodgers 2b..................... 501000 .243 Iglesias ss...................... 403100 .319 Hilliard lf ........................ 301010 .167 Hampson 3b................... 300001 .150 McMahon 3b................... 000000 .247 Serven c.......................... 410001 .263 TOTALS 36 310335 — NATIONALS AB RHBIBBSOAVG Hernández 2b................. 411002 .281 Ruiz c.............................. 401000 .281 Soto rf ............................ 300012 .228 Cruz dh........................... 402102 .238 Bell 1b............................ 400002 .294 Hernandez lf................... 411100 .307 Franco 3b........................ 401001 .257 Strange-Gordon ss......... 401000 .280 Robles cf......................... 401002 .248 TOTALS 35 282111 — COLORADO............. 002 000 100 —3 10 0 WASHINGTON........ 100 001 000 —282 E: Franco (7), Robles (4). LOB: Colorado 11, Washington

2B: Hernández (13), Cruz 2 (5), Franco (14), Ruiz
(11), Strange-Gordon (1). HR: Hernandez (4), off Kuhl.
RBI: Daza (9), Blackmon (20), Iglesias (15), Cruz (27),
Hernandez (23). SB: Robles (3), Strange-Gordon (2). S:
Hampson.
ROCKIES IP HRER BB SONPERA
Kuhl .......................... 61 / 3 7221795 3.56
Kinley........................ 12 / 3 1000327 1.00
Bard ............................. 10000112 3.12
NATIONALS IP HRER BB SONPERA
Adon............................. 66202389 6.08
Finnegan ..................... 13110117 3.44
Cishek.......................... 21001127 4.26
WP: Kuhl (4-2); LP: Finnegan (1-1); S: Bard (11). Inher-
ited runners-scored: Kinley 1-0. HBP: Adon (Cron). T:
2:53. A: 26,535 (41,339).
HOW THEY SCORED
NATIONALS FIRST
Cesar Hernandez doubles. Keibert Ruiz lines out. Cesar
Hernandez to third. Juan Soto strikes out swinging.
Nelson Cruz doubles, Cesar Hernandez scores. Josh Bell
lines out.
Nationals 1, Rockies 0
ROCKIES THIRD
Garrett Hampson grounds out. Brian Serven reaches on
error, advances to second. Throwing error by Maikel
Franco. Connor Joe grounds out. Yonathan Daza sin-
gles, advances to second, Brian Serven scores. Throw-
ing error by Victor Robles. Charlie Blackmon singles,
Yonathan Daza scores. C.J. Cron hit by pitch. Charlie
Blackmon to second. Brendan Rodgers grounds out.
Rockies 2, Nationals 1
NATIONALS SIXTH
Nelson Cruz strikes out swinging. Josh Bell strikes out
swinging. Yadiel Hernandez homers. Maikel Franco
pops out.
ROCKIES SEVENTH
Yonathan Daza grounds out. Charlie Blackmon called
out on strikes. C.J. Cron singles. Brendan Rodgers sin-
gles. C.J. Cron to second. Jose Iglesias singles, C.J. Cron
scores, Brendan Rodgers out at third.

Franco throwing error and scored on a two-out single by Yonathan Daza. Daza advanced to second when Robles missed the cutoff man — his throw bounced off the pitch- er’s mound and over the head of Adon and catcher Keibert Ruiz, who was behind the plate. Charlie Blackmon made Adon pay for Robles’s error with an RBI single to give the Rockies a 2-1 lead. After Yadiel Hernandez let the Nationals level the score, the Rockies took the lead right back with three two-out singles off Kyle Finnegan in the seventh, including the go-ahead hit by José Iglesias. Colorado finished with 10 hits — all singles. Dee Strange-Gordon’s double to start the bottom half presented the perfect opportunity for Rob- les to produce again. Batting ninth this time, Robles attempted to bunt Strange-Gordon to third base but fouled off two pitches before popping out to the catcher on his third attempt. “We didn’t want him bunting [with two strikes],” Martinez said. “He is seeing the ball; he is swinging the bat better. So we’d rather see him try to drive in a run.” Strange-Gordon ended up at third later in the inning and Cruz doubled in the eighth, but the Nationals couldn’t drive in the tying run either time. Seven of the Nationals’ eight hits went for ex- tra bases (six doubles and Her- nandez’s homer), but they some- how managed just two runs.

a nine-game hitting streak in which he’s batting 15 for 32 (.469). But after that, the Nationals didn’t score again until Yadiel Hernandez homered in the sixth to tie it at 2. The lack of support spoiled a solid outing by rookie Joan Adon and continued a trend. Washington had scored just 14 runs in his nine outings entering Saturday. Adon trimmed his ERA from 6.97 to 6.08 over six innings in which he gave up six hits and two unearned runs. In the third, Brian Serven reached second base on a

nated for assignment after the day’s second game. Stephen Stras- burg is slated to make his second rehab start for the Fredericksburg Nationals on Sunday as he inches closer to a major league return, but it’s unclear who will fill San- chez’s spot in the rotation until Strasburg returns. Robles couldn’t deliver the same offensive spark in the night- cap, going 1 for 4 with two strikeouts. Cruz put the Nationals ahead with a double in the first inning that scored César Hernán- dez, who also doubled. Cruz is on

before Robles worked a full count
against the Rockies’ Austin
Gomber and pulled a single into
left to put the Nationals ahead 4-3.
The Nationals chased Gomber
after 1^1 / 3 innings. Maikel Franco’s
double against reliever Ashton
Goudeau brought home two runs,
and Robles singled again to score
Josh Bell and make it 8-4.
It has been a journey at the
plate in his six-year career, and
this season has been no different.
Robles, 25, started 0 for 18 with
seven strikeouts as he worked
through swing adjustments with
hitting coach Darnell Coles. He
recorded his first hit April 17 at
Pittsburgh, beginning a 13-game
stretch in which he went 15 for 40
and raised his average to .259. But
that had tumbled to .228 entering
Saturday.
“It’s him putting in the time,
putting in the work with [Coles]
every day, and he’s swinging a lot
better,” Martinez said. “We’re try-
ing to get him not to chase and
stay in the zone. He did really well
today. He took some really tough
pitches and he laid off them,
which is great.”
Robles finished 3 for 4 to boost
his batting average to .248. The
Nationals had 14 hits, and all nine
batters reached base — helping
the team overcome another
rough outing by Sanchez. He al-
lowed seven earned runs in 3^2 / 3
innings, inflating his ERA to 8.33
in seven starts, then was desig-

NATIONALS FROM D1

Robles rises as Nats split with Colorado

Nationals starter Aaron Sanchez was rocked for seven earned runs in 3^2 / 3 innings of Game 1 a nd was later designated for assignment.

The Washington Post - USA (2022-05-29)

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