My Team - Nationals versus Dodgers

Proposed starters -

Friday: Strasburg vs Nolasco
Saturday: Gonzalez vs Kershaw
Sunday: Zimmerman vs Grienke

(Starters subject to change, especially immediately after the break)

OK, so the All-Star break is over. It seemed way too long. As much as the Nationals have struggled, they're only six games out of first place in the NL East. The Dodgers are better off in some ways. Although they're right at .500, they're only 2.5 games out of first in the NL West.  The Dodgers are 9-4 so far in July. The lineup seems to be gelling as the weather heats up.

These teams are so much alike. Leadoff-caliber guys (Span/Crawford). High-priced lefty hitters at first base (LaRoche/Gonzalez). Young phenom outfielders you can't ignore (Harper/Puig). Expensive outfielders who've battled injuries since becoming rich (Werth/Kemp). Two-way, All-Star caliber shortstops (Desmond/Ramirez). Ace pitchers that can be tough on the opposition.

When the teams last met in mid-May, the Dodgers took the last two of the three-game set in Chavez Ravine. Zimmermann got a win in game one, but Haren and Detwiler pitched well in close, low-scoring losses the next two nights.

I expect this three-game series to be similar to that one. Nolasco is competitive, but Kershaw and Grienke can be lights out. Kershaw has maybe the best stuff of any lefty starter in the game, while Grienke is precise and economical with his pitches. Each of those two is capable of going deep into the game without being overly taxed.

Runs will be hard to come by. The Nats need to do a better job with RISP, although there may not be many. Leaving runners on, especially in the early innings, will be tough to overcome. Brandon League is the Dodgers' closer, and he has blown four saves. However, the Nationals' late-inning lightning from last year isn't present as much this season.

Los Angeles is led by 1B Gonzalez. Puig has been an energizing force since coming to the majors, and guys like A.J. Ellis, Mark Ellis and Andre Either can hurt an opponent with clutch hitting. Ramirez is healthy, and is one of best power-hitting shortstops in the game.

This part you can clip-and-save from here on out: Washington needs to win a lot, possibly nearly every series from now to the end of the season if they hope to fulfill the promise of the preseason predictions. They need to get to Nolasco on Friday night & try to build momentum for the rest of the weekend.