My Team - Nationals at San Francisco

Projected starters -

Monday: Duke versus Vogelsong
Tuesday: Strasburg versus Cain
Wednesday: Gonzalez versus Bumgarner

Washington won the first two of a four-game set at San Diego, but let a sloppy game get away in game 3 Saturday night. The fourth game was a nightmare, where Haren got smoked. Now, for the last three of this 10-game West Coast swing, the Nationals go to San Francisco. The defending champions are in second place, a game behind Arizona, in the NL West.

Led by Buster Posey, they are a team that seems to be competitive each day. Posey is one of the best players in the game, and thrives in the spotlight. Guys like Pablo Sandoval and Hunter Pence provide power, and aren't afraid to hit late in counts or late in games. They do make a few errors, though. A fielding percentage of .979 is just ahead of the Nats' .977. Infielders 2B Marco Scutaro (7 errors), SS Brandon Crawford (6) and 3B Sandoval (5) lead the way in that dubious distinction.

On the mound, Vogelsong and Cain are off to slow starts. Vogelsong has a opponents' batting average against of .333 so far. Cain's BAA is .234, but he's given up 13 home runs this season. So, if Washington is gonna break through, it seems like the first two games are where they have a better chance.

With Detwiler's injury, Zach Duke gets a start on Monday night. He's had ups and downs in his long man role, but he's on the roster for this type of spot start. His .344 BAA this season doesn't bode well.

For Washington's offense, Harper is starting to cool off a bit. Running into that wall in Dodger Stadium didn't help matters. Zimmerman, LaRoche and Desmond are warming up with the weather, but Span's OBP has settled around .335. They need him up around .385 or better, since he's the catalyst for the rest of the order.

I expect both teams to string together base hits Monday. Fire up the merry-go-round, since numerous base runners will run laps around the bases. Neither starter will dominate. Tuesday will be yet another pitchers' duel with a rally being three consecutive singles or similar. Wednesday, Bumgarner's mixing of pitches and location will give him the edge.

I think the Nats will win Monday and Tuesday, but lose on Wednesday.