Washington Nationals vs. Detroit Tigers Series Preview (5/9/5-11)

The Washington Nationals begin a seven game homestand tonight with an Interleague matchup against the Tigers

The Washington Nationals (19-12) just finished up a ten game road trip and went 5-5. However, they come into tonight reeling after losing all four games of their series against the Chicago Cubs.

Yesterday, Bryce Harper reached base seven times without an official at-bat (six walks) and the team went 1-for-19 with runners in scoring position. Plus, in the series, the bullpen gave up ten runs over the course of 12.1. Tonight, the Washington Nationals are back home where they will begin an Interleague series against another struggling team, the Detroit Tigers (14-16).

Brad Ausmus’ team was swept at home in a three game series against the Rangers over the weekend and they have lost six games in a row. They come into tonight’s game seven games behind the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central.

The Tigers went out and added left fielder Justin Upton to a six-year deal (two-year optout) to a potent lineup. However, Upton is hitting only .235 with two home runs and nine RBI’s and two-time MVP Miguel Cabrera has four home runs and 13 RBI’s through his first 30 games. While Detroit is tied for 18^th in baseball in runs scored, keep an eye on third baseman Nick Castellanos, who leads the American League in hitting (.375) and is fourth in RBI’s (24).

On the mound, Detroit’s starters’ ERA have a 4.74 ERA, which is the fourth worst in the American League. No pitcher in their rotation has an ERA under five, except former National Jordan Zimmermann. Zimmermann, who will pitch Wednesday, has given up five runs in his first six games.

Finally, Detroit made changes to their bullpen when they signed Mark Lowe and traded for Justin Wilson as well as closer Francisco Rodriguez (7-for-8 in saves). However, Detroit’s bullpen has a combined opponents’ batting average of .276, which is the second highest in the AL (Rangers – 2.77).

Before this series gets underway, here is my breakdown of the three pitching matchups:

Next: Tonight's Matchup

Anibal Sanchez (3-3, 5.87 ERA) vs. Stephen Strasburg (5-0, 2.36) – 7:05 p.m ET, broadcast on MASN and ESPN

So far this season, Sanchez has only thrown 30.2 innings, which is the second fewest of any Tiger starter who started the year in the rotation (30.1 inning by Mike Pelfrey). For the first time this season, Sanchez went seven innings in a game in his last start.

Against the Indians on May 4, the 32-year-old right-hander went seven innings, gave up four runs on four hits, struck out seven, and walked three on 103 pitches in a loss. The problem for him has been his control. He has walked 18 batters (third in the AL) and three or more batters in four of his six outings.

Sanchez has made 21 career starts against the Washington Nationals, dating back to his time with the Marlins. He is 9-1 in those games with a 1.98 ERA. Ryan Zimmerman is 11-for-48 (.229) against him with one home run and three RBI’s.

After the Nats had to use their bullpen a ton this weekend, they will need Strasburg to go deep into the game tonight. He only went six innings in his last start against the Royals on Wednesday, but remember the Nats had a 6-0 lead before he even took the mound. He gave up two runs on five hits, struck out seven, and walked one on 95 pitches in the win.

This season, Strasburg has pitched into the seventh inning or later in four of his six starts. Plus, he has seven or more strikeouts in each of his last five games. If he gets the win tonight, he will tie Jake Arrieta for the most wins of any starter in the National League.

His only start against the Tigers came back on July 30 in Comerica Park. Strasburg went seven innings, gave up five runs on six hits, struck out seven, and walked three in a loss. Justin Upton is 9-for-31 (.290) against him with two home runs and five RBI’s.

Prediction: This game tonight is going to come down to which pitcher will go deeper into the game when you consider that both teams are in need of a win. With that being said, I trust Strasburg more than Sanchez to get the win and snap the Nats’ four game losing streak while extending Detroit’s to seven.

Next: Tomorrow's Starter

Michael Fulmer (1-1, 6.30) vs. Joe Ross (3-1, 1.23) – 7:05 p.m, MASN/MLB Network

Back at the trade deadline last season, Fulmer was acquired in a deal with the Mets that sent Yoenis Cespedes to New York. He was called up to make his Major League debut back on April 29 against the Minnesota Twins and has made only two starts in his career.

In those games, he has gone five innings in each, but he struggled in his last outing against the Indians when he gave up five runs on ten hits and gave up a couple of home runs. The 23-year-old right-hander has an average velocity of 94.6 miles per hour on his fastball (according to Fangraphs) to go with a changeup and slider.

As for Ross, he put up a good showing in his last start against the Cubs, albeit in a losing effort. On Thursday, at Wrigley Field, Ross went six innings, gave up two runs on five hits, struck out nine, and walked two on 103 pitches in a 2-0 defeat.

In that outing, Ross threw 15 first pitch strikes to the 27 batters he faced, but the fourth inning was his main struggle when the Cubs scored two runs after loading the bases with no one out. With that being said, the 22-year-old right-hander has not given up more than two runs in any outing and he leads the Nats with a .198 opponents batting average against.

Prediction: This is a tough matchup to call when you consider that neither team has seen the opposing pitcher and it’s intriguing when you consider both pitchers were taken in the first round of the 2011 MLB Draft. For me, I’m going with Ross because he has more of the track record, but this one could go either way.

Next: Wednesday's Pitching Matchup