Washington Nationals Series Preview: Nationals-Yankees (6/9-6/10)
Jun 6, 2015; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees catcher Brian McCann (34) hits a two run home run in the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY
June has not been a good month for the Washington Nationals (30-27) so far. They have lost both series this month and eight of their last ten games overall. This past weekend, the Nats lost three of their four games against the Chicago Cubs. While the club has had some injuries to the rotation, the problem for the Nationals has been on offense.
Over the last seven games, the team has scored 18 runs, which is the lowest of any team in the National League. Even though Anthony Rendon is back in the lineup, the Nats will look for others in the lineup to stay consistent and help Bryce Harper, who will play his first career series in the Bronx. That task will not be easy as they head to Yankee Stadium to take on a team that has won six straight games.
Even though the Nationals beat the Yankees in both games at Nats Park last month, this is a different Yankees squad. Even without Jacoby Ellsbury, New York has been able to drive in runs via the long ball. They have hit 74 home runs, which is second in the American League. This month, the Yankees have hit 11 home runs and scored 37 runs (most in the American League). New York (32-25) is 1.5 games ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East.
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The two guys who have been the big surprises for New York this season are first baseman Mark Teixeira and designated hitter Alex Rodriguez. Teixeira has hit 17 home runs this season and leads the AL in RBI’s with 45. As for A-Rod, he will be in the lineup for these two games (was a pinch-hitter at Nats Park). Rodriguez has drawn 29 walks this season and has hit 11 home runs.
Another Yankee player that is on fire at the plate is former Braves catcher Brian McCann. McCann is hitting .255 with nine home runs and 35 RBI’s, but has four home runs over his last ten games and is coming off a month of May in which he drove in 21 runs.
New York does have issues in their middle reliever after designating David Carpenter for assignment last week. They only have one right-hander outside of Dellin Betances for the middle innings (Esmil Rogers). That being said, Betances and closer Andrew Miller (17 runs) continue to be one of the dominant late inning combinations in the game.
With Masahiro Tanaka back in the rotation, the Yankees have a good 1-2 combo in Tanaka and Michael Pineda (7-2, 3.33). Even though CC Sabathia and Nathan Eovaldi have been question marks this season, one name to watch is Adam Warren. The reliever turned starter has given up two runs or fewer in five of his last six starts.
Let’s take a look at the two pitching matchups that will take place at Yankee Stadium this week:
Next: Tonight's Matchup
Jun 3, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka (19) throws against the Seattle Mariners during the sixth inning at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports
Max Scherzer (6-4, 1.85) vs. Masahiro Tanaka (3-1, 2.76) – 7:05 PM ET, MASN and MLB Network
Right now, these are two of the best pitchers in the game and it should be an entertaining pitcher’s duel tonight at Yankee Stadium. Let’s start by taking a look at Scherzer, who has a lot of experience pitching in the Bronx (4-2, 3.79 ERA in six starts)
Last time out, against the Blue Jays, Scherzer did not look like the guy who won NL Pitcher Of The Month for May. He went six innings, gave up four runs on six hits, struck out five batters, and walked two in the loss. It was the first time that Scherzer lost a game since April 23 against the St. Louis Cardinals.
While Scherzer still was effective without as much velocity on his fastball, he was not able to figure out Kevin Pillar, who hit two home runs off of him. It could be possible that the right-hander was still feeling some fatigue after his 13-strikeout performance against the Chicago Cubs on May 27. Nevertheless, he is still giving the Nats length in outings that they desperately need. He has thrown six innings or more in every start this season. Teixeira does have a home run against Scherzer, but he is only 3-for-13 against him.
When you look at Masahiro Tanaka, all of the talk before the season was about how the 26-year-old right-hander would pitch this season after having a slight tear in his UCL last July. While Tanaka has recently come back from a forearm strain, his last start against Seattle brought back flashes of the player that went 13-5 with a 2.77 ERA last season.
In that outing, Tanaka went seven innings, gave up one run on three hits, struck out nine and did not walk a batter. He threw 78 pitches (58 strikes) and had his fastball go as fast as 96 miles per hour. While there will always be a worry when Tanaka takes the mound, he has given up a combined two earned runs in his last three starts. He has never faced the Nationals in his career.
Advantage: I don’t expect either pitcher to have a bad outing in this one. Scherzer should bounce back, but the Yankees have that confidence that whenever Tanaka takes the mound, they are going to win. Due to the Nats unfamiliarity with Tanaka, I am going to give the Yankees the slight edge here, but look for a 3-2, 4-3 kind of game. Runs will be at a premium in this one.
Next: Tomorrow's Matchup
Jun 4, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Gio Gonzalez (47) throws to the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Gio Gonzalez (4-3, 4.57) vs. Nathan Eovaldi (5-1, 4.16) – 1:05 PM ET, MASN
Wednesday afternoon’s game is a rematch of a matchup that took place on May 19 at Nats Park. Both pitchers had a rough outing, but neither pitcher had a decision in this game. This was the game in which Ryan Zimmerman had the walk-off two-run home run in the bottom of the tenth against Andrew Miller.
Gio Gonzalez got off to a rough start in his last outing against the Chicago Cubs on June 4. He gave up a run before he retired a single batter and gave up two runs in the first inning. However, he rebounded well and kept Chicago off the board for the remainder of the night. He went six innings, gave up two runs on four hits, struck out six, and walked four in a 2-1 loss.
While Gonzalez’s command was off, the fact that he kept a good offense to just two runs was encouraging. That being said, his start against the Yankees on May 19 was the opposite. After retiring the first nine Yankees in order, he gave up six combined runs in the fourth and fifth inning. Those six runs were tied for the most runs he has given up in a start this year.
Against the Yankees, Gonzalez is 1-5 with a 7.30 ERA in seven starts. He has not defeated the Yankees in a start since 2009. Teixeira is 6-for-18 against the Nats left-hander with two home runs and five RBI’s. Yankees’ third baseman Chase Headley is another player to watch in this game. He is 3-for-11 with two doubles, a home run, and three RBI’s against Gio.
In that outing on May 19, the Yankees gave Nathan Eovaldi a 6-2 lead, but he could not hold the lead nor finish the fifth inning. He went 4.1 innings, gave up five runs on seven hits, struck out two, and walked two. He gave up two home runs in that outing, one to Ian Desmond and one to Bryce Harper.
While the former Marlin right-hander does have five wins this season, opponents have hit .314 against him. In addition, he is coming off a start against the Angels where he walked four batters and could not get out of the sixth inning in a game that the Yankees led 8-1. In his 11 outings this season, he has only made it out of the sixth inning three times.
Eovaldi does have experience facing the Nationals from his time in the NL East. He has a 2-4 record in eight starts against the Nats with a 5.32 ERA. Anthony Rendon is 7-for-17 against Eovaldi with a RBI, but the guy to watch is Bryce Harper. Harper is 6-for-14 lifetime with a RBI against him.
Advantage: This is a matchup where I expect both teams to put up a ton of runs. It is expected to be in the upper 80’s in terms of temperature, which means the ball could be flying out of the stadium. If the Yankees have to use Miller and Betances Tuesday, I think the Nationals have the edge in a very close game. Give me the Nats to get the split in this series by a final score of 9-7.