Philadelphia Phillies Weekend Preview: Washington Nationals
By Mike Lacy
The Philadelphia Phillies weekend series against the Washington Nationals is previewed.
Thankfully, the Phillies are done with the Cubs. The Phils had to face the best team in baseball six times over the past two weeks, and predictably, most of the games didn’t go well for them. Unfortunately, things won’t get much easier this weekend as they’ll have to face another first-place team.
Washington Nationals
Record: 36-23 (1st in National League East)
Manager: Dusty Baker
The last time they met
When the Philadelphia Phillies visited Washington in May, they surprised just about everyone by sweeping a three-game series. However, the Nationals exacted revenge when they visited Philadelphia a few weeks later, as they earned a sweep of their own.
What’s the deal with the Nationals
The Nationals are coming off a three-game sweep of the White Sox and have opened up a 3.5 game lead in the NL East. Their first-place status has been built mostly on their pitching staff which carries a 3.21 ERA – third-best in the league. Their offense is capable of scoring runs in a hurry, though. They lead the league in home runs.
Reason to hate the Nationals
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They’re probably going to end up winning the East again, much to the delight of those Natitude-filled Washington fans who become passionate as soon as the Capitals are eliminated from the playoffs. Their inevitable playoff loss will surely be disheartening to those diehards who haven’t already stopped paying attention in favor of the Redskins.
Nats player who isn’t entirely horrible
2015 was the fourth straight season where Daniel Murphy recorded a WAR value between 1.0 and 2.0. Accordingly, most people considered him a good, but not great player.
Then, he had an outstanding postseason where he was named the MVP of the NLCS. He cashed in on that success by signing a sizable free agent deal with the Nats. To many people’s surprise, instead of being a Pablo Sandoval-like bust, he’s having a career year. His .376 batting average and 1.025 OPS lead the league.
Nats player who is horrible
Ben Revere was always a slow starter with the Philadelphia Phillies, but he’s taken it to an extreme this season. More than two months in, he’s batting only .188, and as is his custom, he’s not exactly compensating with a lot of power.
Starting pitching preview
A preview of the expected pitching matchups for the series
Jeremy Hellickson vs. Stephen Strasburg
The last time Hellickson pitched in Nationals Park, he threw seven shutout innings in a 3-0 win. He’ll probably have to pitch that well again because Strasburg has been one of the best pitchers in the National League. Strasburg did leave his last start due to cramping in his leg. The injury isn’t thought to be serious, but it’s something to watch out for.
Nola continues to pitch like an ace, and pitched six shutout innings in his last start. He’s already faced the Nats five times in his career, and the Phillies are 1-4 in those games.
Roark was bailed out by the offense in his last start, but that poor start was the exception this season. He’s pitched very well against the Phillies, giving up two runs in 14 combined innings.
Adam Morgan vs. Joe Ross
Morgan may have saved his job thanks to a quality start against the Cubs earlier this week. Due to the uncertain status of Vincent Velasquez, he will probably stick around for a little while longer, but it would behoove him to pitch better.
Despite a rough outing against the White Sox this week, Ross is having a strong sophomore season with a 2.92 ERA. He has had his way with the Phillies in 2016. He’s only allowed one run in two starts.
Reason for optimism
The Philadelphia Phillies haven’t lost a game in Washington this season, so maybe the DC weather agrees with them. It also doesn’t hurt that they’ll miss Max Scherzer‘s turn in the rotation and Strasburg may not be at full strength.
Reason for pessimism
Despite missing Scherzer, the Philadelphia Phillies are facing three good pitchers who have had success against them. And unlike the Phillies, the Nats’ lineup has plenty of hitters who can make a pitcher pay.
Prediction
The Philadelphia Phillies have the pitching advantage in one of the three games, so I’ll say that’s the one in which they come out ahead.