Proposed starters -
Monday: Strasburg vs Minor
Tuesday: Gonzalez vs. Terehan
Wednesday: Zimmermann vs Medlen
(starters subject to change)
Yeah, the Nats took two of three at Milwaukee. A Milwaukee team with up to twelve rookies on its' current roster. The sweep was within reach, but that 5-run Brewers' 6th inning on Sunday put an end to that hope. A few walks, a couple of batted balls that eluded Washington fielders, and voila. What's done is done.
As I type (before Atlanta's Sunday night game at Philadelphia), Washington is twelve (yes 12) games behind Atlanta in the NL East. The pitching matchups for this series look good. Washington is gonna need the very best they can get from their starters. Atlanta's pitchers are still pretty good, even with Tim Hudson (fractured ankle) and Paul Maholm (bruised wrist on his left - pitching - arm) on the DL.
Minor leads the starters with 11 wins, a 2.75 ERA, 134 K and has their only complete game this season. He's gonna be tough to deal with. Terehan isn't far behind (8 wins, 3.02 ERA, 117 K and a 1.18 WHIP). Medlin's numbers aren't quite as good (8-10, 3.85 ERA, 1.37 WHIP), but the way the Nats have hit lately, who's to day Medlin won't have his best start of the year?
Yeah, the Braves' bullpen misses Venters and O'Flaherty, but Kimbrel is still the closer. He still blows batters away. If Atlanta's starters go deep into games where the bridge to Kimbrel is short, it's gonna be a frustrating series for Washington.
Offensively, 1B Freeman, 3B Chris Johnson, LF Justin Upton, C Brian McCann, C-OF Gattis and 2B Uggla all have power. SS Simmons has surprising power as well. This lineup has very few guys a team can pitch around.
Something plaguing Washington's starters is that one "flat tire" inning. A starter (like Taylor Jordan versus Milwaukee Sunday) is cruising along the first four or five innings. Then, a walk or error extends an inning. A hit drops in between fielders. Maybe a pitch gets hit to a gap with runners on base. Suddenly, a close game becomes another Washington loss. If Nats' starters lose concentration against Atlanta, we might see this play out each night.
On defense, 3B Johnson (11) and 2B Uggla (10) have double-figure error totals. Simmons is cat-quick and has a strong arm at SS. In the outfield, Justin Upton is average throwing the ball. His brother B.J. has physical tools, but can lose focus on defense. Washington may be able to run on both of them. Heyward in RF has a pretty good arm, but must charge balls to have a chance to throw out runners.
I hate to say it, but Atlanta may very well sweep this series. If that is the case, it will just confirm how bad this year has been for Washington. Maybe the Nats can win on Wednesday night. That would be little consolation with Philadelphia coming into Nationals' Park the next weekend. It never ends, does it?
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