So, the Washington Nationals fought off elimination in game four, despite a whole pile of weird that prefaced Wednesday’s matchup against the Chicago Cubs. Ace starter Stephen Strasburg—Schrodinger’s Cat in this experiment—existed for 24 hours in a state of uncertainty. He was sick with the flu or wasn’t. He’d thrown a bullpen before Tuesday’s rainout of Game 3. Or he’d thrown it on Monday. He wanted to start, but maybe no he really didn’t. Tanner Roark was going to start, but so was Strasburg.
Nothing made sense, and given the weird collapses and misfortune that pockmark manager Dusty Baker’s career, Nationals fans and media were in a bit of a tizzy for 24 hours.