Washington Nationals: 5 Things To Watch Against Arizona
By Chris Lacey
After splitting a two-game series against the Los Angeles Angels, the Washington Nationals will continue their road trip with a three-game set against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Washington Nationals (57-37) had mixed results in their last series against the Los Angeles Angels, by splitting two games in Anaheim.
They scored a meager four runs and were shut out for just the second time this year in the series finale. The dearth of runs scored by them was a surprise, considering they swept the Cincinnati Reds in four games in the previous series and totaled 35 runs.
The Nationals are still in a good position with the second-best record in the National League, leading the NL East by 11 games over the Atlanta Braves and are 5-1 since the All-Star break. They took two of three games against the Arizona Diamondbacks earlier in the year at Nationals Park and will look to continue the trend of playing good baseball in the desert.
The Diamondbacks (55-40) stumbled after the break, by getting swept by the Atlanta Braves in three games, but rebounded by winning two of three games against the Reds. It’s going to take a Herculean effort for them to catch the Los Angeles Dodgers, as they trail them by 10 ½ games in the NL West.
However, the team occupies the top Wild Card spot in the Senior Circuit.
They made major news a couple of days ago, by acquiring outfielder J.D. Martinez from the Detroit Tigers for three minor-league infielders. Martinez had an auspicious debut with his new team, as he was hit on the wrist in his first game.
It’s possible that he will play in this series facing the Nats depending on the health of his wrist.
Here are the pitching matchups for the series:
Tonight: Max Scherzer (11-5, 2.01 ERA) vs. Zack Godley (3-4, 3.09) – broadcast 9:40 p.m. ET, broadcast on MASN2
Tomorrow: Tanner Roark (7-6, 4.98) vs. TBD – broadcast 8:10 p.m. ET, broadcast on MASN2
Sunday: Stephen Strasburg (10-3, 3.31) vs. Robbie Ray (9-4, 2.97) – broadcast 4:10 p.m. ET, broadcast on MASN2