Washington Nationals Series Preview: Nats at Phillies (6/26-6/28)
By Nick Engle
Jun 23, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg (37) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Atlanta Braves at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports
Stephen Strasburg (4-5, 5.90 ERA) v. Kevin Correia (0-1, 4.30 ERA) 1:35 PM EST on MASN
The Nationals start Stephen Strasburg on Sunday for the series finale against Kevin Correia for the Phillies.
It is no secret that Stephen Strasburg has struggled so far this year. In fact, it is arguably his worst stretch of his career. There are many different theories about why he hasn’t pitched up to expectations, but I think there are good things in the future for Stras this year.
Last start, he had his best start of the year going five shutout innings against the Braves. His fastball touched 98 and he had command of all his pitches. His ERA is still high at 5.90, but if you look a bit deeper, that should start to come down. His BABIP is still absurdly high at .383 and his FIP, at 3.70, suggests his ERA should come down as well.
Again, the Phillies start a pitcher they didn’t expect to contribute at all this year in Kevin Corriea. In fact, he wasn’t even a part of the organization until June 5 when the Phillies signed him to a minor league contract. Correia started this year in the Mariners’ farm system, but it wasn’t long before they released him. He was picked up by the Giants, but was also later released. He is a journeyman at best and the Phillies are in rough shape in their starting rotation if they have to turn to Corriea to plug the gaps.
Advantage: Stephen Strasburg
It is hard to call for a sweep of the Phillies right after the Nats swept the Braves and the Pirates, but I just can’t see how Scherzer, Gio, and Stras could lose against the back-end of the struggling Phillies starting rotation. I do not fully trust that Stephen is back to his old self, but he looked relaxed and in command and his numbers suggest he is due for a great second half of the season. I don’t expect the journeyman Corriea to put up much of a fight against this Nationals lineup and the Nationals should sweep the Phillies pushing their win streak to nine.