Washington Nationals Series Preview: Nats Head to Boston for Interleague Clash With Red Sox

Apr 8, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Jordan Zimmermann (27) throws during the first inning against the New York Mets at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

The Washington Nationals entered their series with Philadelphia hoping to get back on track after a rough opening series against the Mets. Instead, they managed to drop two more games, including one in which the bullpen managed to cough up a late lead before losing in extra innings on Saturday. While they managed to avoid a similar fate on Sunday thanks to a wild pitch and a great defensive play by Ryan Zimmerman, the Nats will need better performances if they hope to string some wins together against a Boston team just one season removed from its latest World Series title.

The Red Sox have gotten off to a good start in 2015. They started by taking two of three from the Phillies in Philadelphia before heading to New York and taking two of three from the rival Yankees. So far, the pitching for Boston has been good, but the offense has been even better. The Red Sox have scored at least six runs in all of their wins. If Washington wants to take control of the series at Fenway, they’ll need every bit of their rotation to step up.

The series against the Sox will feature some fairly intriguing head-to-head match-ups. Monday, Jordan Zimmermann will take the mound against former Tiger Rick Porcello. Tuesday, Stephen Strasburg will face off against Justin Masterson, and on Wednesday, Gio Gonzalez will get the start against Wade Miley.

Here, we’ll take a look at each of the pitching match-ups and tell you which team holds the advantage for each game. Let us know your thoughts in the comments!