First, we have to marvel at the game Scherzer pitched last night!  I want a DVD of this gem.  Striking out 9 straight the third time thru the Mets batting order was the frosting on the cake!  In both no-nos Max was one fluke play away from a perfect game.  And I think he had three one-hitters this season too.

The Post has a great article today (by James Wagner) about the 11 games the Nats should have won but didn’t.  The main culprit was their bullpen, constructed by Mike Rizzo and mis-managed by Matt Williams.  These games made the difference between winning the division and not even making the playoffs.

Another thing for us to ponder is this:  If the Nats had not spent a small fortune on Scherzer, they would have had money around the date of the trade deadline to shore up the bullpen (and would not have acquired Mr. Pap-smear).  They could have got either Chapman or Kimbrel instead, plus one or two others.

What if?