Cubs vs. Nationals NLDS Game 5: 3 x-factors for Washington

CHICAGO, IL - OCTOBER 11: Manager Dusty Baker of the Washington Nationals celebrates with his team after defeating the Chicago Cubs 5-0 in game four of the National League Division Series at Wrigley Field on October 11, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

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CHICAGO, IL – OCTOBER 11: Matt Wieters /

2. Matt Wieters

Now we’re into the players that are flying under the radar. The veteran catcher hasn’t had a very strong season. He only hit .225 with a .632 OPS. Those aren’t numbers that will keep the opposing pitcher up at night, wondering how they can get Wieters out.

Wieters has hit worse versus right handed pitching, which puts him at a statistical disadvantage against Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks. However, let’s dive a little deeper into the stats. All information comes from brooksbaseball.net:

"Kyle Hendricks has thrown 9,868 pitches that have been tracked by the PITCHf/x system between 2014 and 2017, including pitches thrown in the MLB Regular Season, the MLB Postseason and Spring Training. In 2017, he has relied primarily on his Sinker (86mph), Change (79mph) and Fourseam Fastball (86mph), also mixing in a Curve (73mph)."

Wieters saw a total of 192 pitches inside the strike zone and he got a hit on 47 of them, for a .244 batting average. That’s nearly 20 points higher than his total average for the season. In addition, Wieters has hit for a .246 average at home and the Nationals should consider hitting him eighth in the order. If Hendricks stays in the strike zone, there’s a decent chance Wieters can get a hit in a big spot.

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