Philadelphia Phillies vs. Washington Nationals Weekend Preview

A preview of this weekend’s series between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Washington Nationals

After suffering through a 0-6 homestand, the Philadelphia Phillies fared better in Miami, taking two out of three. The road may become a bit more imposing this weekend, as they’ll have to travel to Washington where they will face the first-place Nationals in a four-game series.

Washington Nationals

Record: 81-57 (1st place in National League East)

Manager: Dusty Baker

The last time they met

The Nationals visited Philadelphia last week, and the Phillies’ bats went completely silent. They scored a total of three runs in the three-game sweep. The good news for the Phillies was that despite the sweep, their starters pitched well. Jake Thompson, Jerad Eickhoff, and Vincent Velasquez all delivered quality starts.

What’s the deal with the Nationals

Reason to hate the Nationals

With their team in first place and taking on a division rival, Nationals Park is sure to be packed with Natitude this weekend. There will be so much Natitude that the Philadelphia Phillies will assuredly be left gaping in amazement.

If only the Phillies could match that level of Natitude.

Nationals player who isn’t entirely horrible

Since being called up in mid-July, rookie Trea Turner has made a big impact on the Nationals. Spending time in both center field and second base, he has an impressive .344 batting average to go along with six home runs in only 209 at bats. Mostly batting out of the leadoff spot, he’s helped make up for the disappointing performances of Ben Revere and Michael Taylor.

Nationals player who is horrible

During his two-plus seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, Ben Revere was a flawed player. He had little power, a weak throwing arm, and sometimes took bad routes in the outfield. That said, he also had some strengths: He hit for a good average and was one of the fastest players in the majors. I always believed that he’d be a good complementary piece on a contending team.

Revere is now on a contending team, but he has not been a good complementary piece. He’s batting only .214, and although it seems impossible, his slugging percentage has somehow dropped from season’s past.

Phillies player who has been hot lately

Speaking of flawed players, Freddy Galvis has had an interesting season. His defense has been superb, and he might hit 20 home runs, but his on-base percentage is one of the worst in baseball.

The Phillies hope he can continue to play the way he has the past two weeks. He has a .341 OBP during that time and has also slugged three home runs.

Reasons for optimism

They will not have to face Stephen Strasburg who has traditionally done well against them.

Thompson, Eickhoff, and Adam Morgan will be starting in the series, and they all pitched well in their last starts. Hopefully, they can build off that success.

Um…that A.J. Ellis seems like a positive presence in the clubhouse, huh?

Reasons for pessimism

Jayson Werth is inexplicably having a great year, and as you may have noticed, he loves to do well against the Phillies.
Jonathan Papelbon is no longer with the Nats. The Phillies seemed to have his number, so this lessens the chances of a ninth inning comeback.
They will have to face Max Scherzer who is 3-0 with a 2.48 ERA against them this season.

Tweet of importance

The Phillies were tied for first place at 24-17 on May 18. Since that date: 36-59. That's the worst record in baseball.
— Joe Giglio (@JoeGiglioSports) September 4, 2016

Ah, the good old days of May

Next: What is Pete Mackanin Doing?

Prediction

The Phillies will pull out Friday’s game. Unfortunately, that’s the only game in the four-game set that they’ll win.

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