Washington Nationals Series Preview: Nationals vs. Pirates (6/19-6/21)
Jun 6, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen (22) hits a home run against the Atlanta Braves in the fourth inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
It was an up-and-down week for the Washington Nationals (34-33). Despite putting up 16 runs and 23 hits in a win over the Rays on Tuesday, they lost three out of four games in the series and now they wait to see if their superstar right fielder will be out for an extended period of time.
In the top of the sixth inning of Thursday night’s 5-3 loss, Bryce Harper injured his left hamstring on a throw to the plate. He is out of the lineup tonight and will be undergoing more tests to see how severe the injury is.
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Despite being a game over .500 and having lost six of 11 games this month, the Nats still are only 1.5 games behind the New York Mets in the NL East. The Nats will continue their eight game homestand this weekend when they face the Pittsburgh Pirates (39-27), who are one of the hottest teams in baseball right now.
Clint Hurdle’s squad,, who has made the playoffs each of the last two seasons, is coming into the Nation’s Capital on an eight-game win streak and they are 13-3 in the month of June. During this eight game win streak, they have given up just seven runs. While they are still four games behind the Cardinals in the NL Central, this is a team that is getting it done at all facets of the game.
While Pittsburgh is only 17th in runs scored in baseball, they have found ways to get on base. This month, they are second in the National League in batting average (.277) and fourth in team on-base percentage (.329). Center fielder Andrew McCutchen is hitting .294 this season with eight home runs and 42 RBI’s with 12 of those RBI’s coming this month.
Another player to watch on Pittsburgh’s offense is left fielder Starling Marte. He is hitting .285 this season with 12 home runs and 45 RBI’s. Plus, he has 13 stolen bases on 18 attempts.
The strength of this Pittsburgh team is their rotation. The Nats won’t see Gerritt Cole this weekend, who is 11-2 with a 1.78 ERA. But, the Pirates are getting contributions from all five starters. This month, Pittsburgh has the best team ERA in the month of June at 1.86 and they have the best starters ERA in the NL for the season at 2.83. Even with Harper, offense might be tough to come by this weekend.
Even though Jason Grilli is no longer in the bullpen, Pittsburgh’s bullpen still has the second best ERA in the NL at 2.51. Their closer, Mark Melancon, has 23 saves in 24 chances, has given up seven earned runs in 33.2 innings, and has not blown a save since April 21.
With that being said, Let’s take a look at the three pitching matchups for this series:
Next: Tonight's Matchup
Jun 14, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher A.J. Burnett (34) pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies during the fourth inning at PNC Park. The Pirates won 1-0 in eleven innings. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
A.J. Burnett (6-2, 1.89 ERA) vs. Joe Ross (1-1, 3.46) – 7:05 PM ET, MASN2 + WUSA9
Even at age 38, A.J. Burnett is pitching at an All-Star rate. The 38-year-old right-hander has given up two runs or fewer in eight of his last ten starts. Last season, Burnett had a 4.59 ERA and gave up 109 runs when he was with the Phillies. Now that he’s back in Pittsburgh for the first time since 2013, Burnett has become one of the veteran leaders in the rotation.
In his last start against the Phillies, he went nine innings, gave up no runs on five hits, struck out four, and walked one in a no-decision. He has thrown 85.2 innings this season, which is top ten in the National League. One of the problems in the past for Burnett has been his control. While he does have 24 walks this season, he has walked just six batters in his last five outings.
Against the Nationals, Burnett is 12-5 in 23 outings with a 3.19 ERA. Last season, he was 4-2 with a 3.57 ERA as a member of the Phillies. The guy to watch is Anthony Rendon, who is 7-for-16 with three home runs and nine RBI’s against him.
Even with Doug Fister back, Joe Ross remains in the rotation and will be making his third career start tonight. So far, the 22-year-old has been great with his control as he has only walked one batter in his two starts. Last time out, against the Brewers, Ross went eight innings, gave up two runs on seven hits, struck out eight, and walked one to get his first win in the big leagues.
Ross’ last start was critical when you consider that the Nats had lost the first two games to the Brewers in that series. The right-hander has a strong fastball and has been able to get hitters to hit the ball on the ground. He has 25 combined groundball outs in two games.
Advantage: While I give Ross a good chance in this game, it is a tall order to beat A.J. Burnett, who has been one of the best pitchers in the National League this season. With the Nationals having consistency issues on offense and Pittsburgh’s rotation pitching well right now, I give the Pirates the slight edge in this one, but Ross will keep the Nats in this game.
Next: Tomorrow's Matchup
Jun 14, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Washington Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer (31) pitches in the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Francisco Liriano (4-5, 2.94) vs. Max Scherzer (7-5, 1.93) – 4:05 PM ET, MASN2 and WUSA9
This matchup on Saturday afternoon is the best pitching matchup of the weekend on paper because it features two pitchers that are some of the best strikeout throwers in the National League.
For Francisco Liriano, he is coming into this start off back-to-back eight inning shutout performances. In his last start against the White Sox, he gave up two hits, walked one, and struck out 12. He has struck out ten or more batters in three of his last five starts. In three starts this month, he is 1-1 with a 1.57 ERA in 23 innings.
If there is one thing to nitpick about the 31-year-old lefty, it’s the fact that he has walked 27 batters this season. However, he has just three walks in June and opponents this season are hitting .176 against him. In two starts against the Nats, he is 1-1 with a 2.84 ERA. Denard Span has the most hits of any Nats player against Liriano (4-for-9 with a RBI).
As for Max Scherzer, he is coming off of a historic outing against the Brewers. Last Sunday, he threw a complete game one-hit shutout, struck out 16 batters (a Nats record) and walked one. The only hit Scherzer gave up was a bloop base hit to Carlos Gomez in the seventh inning. After giving up four earned runs in his last two starts, the 30-year-old right-hander was back to true form.
He has thrown 100 or more pitches in his last six starts and opponents are hitting .195 against him this season. He is second in the National League in innings pitched and ERA. Against the Pirates, Scherzer is 3-2 with a 3.05 ERA in seven games (six starts). Andrew McCutchen is 4-for-14 against him with a home run and three RBI’s.
Advantage: This is a game that should be low scoring based on the way these two pitchers can rack up the strikeouts. Both starters have had their best stuff as of late, but I think Scherzer edges out Liriano this one in a 2-1 kind of game. The Nationals still have offensive issues, but they do just enough for Scherzer.
Next: Sunday's Matchup
Jun 16, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Charlie Morton (50) pitches against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning in an inter-league game at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Charlie Morton (5-0, 1.62) vs. Gio Gonzalez (4-4, 4.82) – 1:35 PM ET, MASN2 and WUSA9
With all the talk about Gerrit Cole, Burnett, and Liriano, Charlie Morton goes under the radar in Clint Hurdle’s rotation. In his five starts this season, he has gone into the seventh inning or later in four of them. When you look at the 31-year-old’s number, he is not going to be a pitcher that strikes out a ton of batters (15 in 33.1 innings).
However, like Doug Fister, he is a pitcher that relies on the groundball outs. He has ten or more groundball outs in all five outings, including 20 in his first start of the year against the Marlins. Last season, Morton went 6-12 with a 3.72 ERA. Against the Nationals in his career, he is 2-3 with a 4.70 ERA in six starts. The Nats player to watch in this one is Wilson Ramos. Ramos is 5-for-11 with a RBI against Morton.
Last time out, Gio Gonzalez was not able to get out of the fourth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays. He went 3.1 innings, gave up five runs on eight hits, struck out one, and walked three. Gonzalez has not won a game since May 24 against the Phillies, which is a span of four starts.
In three starts this month, the 29-year-old left-hander has a 5.17 ERA, but his main problem has been the walks, which tend to lead to big innings. In his last four starts, he has walked 12 batters. Right now, Gonzalez’s 31 walks are in the top five in the National League.
Against the Pirates, Gonzalez is 2-0 with a 3.64 ERA in five starts. Josh Harrison, the Pirates’ second baseman, is 5-for-9 against him with two home runs and five RBI’s.
Advantage: Right now, it is tough to trust Gonzalez when he is walking batters left and right. While Morton doesn’t have stuff that will blow you away, he is a pitcher that is going to get you to hit ground balls to get out of an inning. With the Pirates on a roll right now, I like Pittsburgh to come into Nats Park and take two out of three.