Washington Nationals At Dodgers Series Preview (6/20-6/22)
Tonight, the Washington Nationals begin a three game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Here’s our preview
The Washington Nationals (43-27) began their ten game road trip by splitting a four game series against the San Diego Padres at PETCO Park. In their two wins against San Diego, the Nats scored 15 runs. But, the last two games involved the bullpen giving up six runs in the eighth on Saturday and a bad outing from Gio Gonzalez on Sunday.
Despite some of the negatives in those last two games, the player who had the best game of the series on the Nats was Michael Taylor. Taylor went 4-for-4 with two home runs and a hustle double in the loss yesterday.
Today, the Washington Nationals continue their road trip when they begin a three game series at Dodger Stadium against the Los Angeles Dodgers (38-33). Even though the Dodgers have won three straight games, they are 6.5 games behind the San Francisco Giants in the NL West.
For Dave Roberts’ squad, the offense has struggled to hit for average this month. Their .218 batting average in June as a team is the second worst in the National League (Phillies – .203). But, they are tied with the Cubs for the most home runs (28).
The player that leads the Dodgers in the three major categories on offense is 22-year-old shortstop Corey Seager. Seager is hitting .280 this season with 15 home runs, 36 RBI’s, and has a .342 on-base percentage. The three hitters with 10+ home runs on the Dodgers are Seager, center fielder Joc Pederson (12) and right fielder Trayce Thompson (11).
In terms of starting pitching, the Dodgers have the fifth lowest ERA in the NL (3.53), but their rotation isn’t as strong as it was last year when they had Zack Greinke, who is now with the Diamondbacks. This year, Los Angeles is 13-1 when Clayton Kershaw pitches (25-32 in other games).
When you look at the bullpen, they have one of the better closers in the NL In Kenley Janssen (1.59 ERA, 19-for-22 in saves) and they have the best bullpen ERA in the NL (3.08).
Before this series starts tonight, here is my breakdown of the three pitching matchups:
Next: Tonight's Matchup
Stephen Strasburg (10-0, 2.90) vs. Clayton Kershaw (10-1, 1.58) – 10:10 p.m ET, broadcast on MASN2/ESPN
In Strasburg’s last start against the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday, he gave up a home run to Ben Zobrist to begin the game. After that, he put up a strong performance against a good lineup. He went seven innings, gave up one run on six hits, struck out eight, and walked one in a no-decision.
Despite getting a no-decision, Strasburg kept his undefeated record intact. His ERA is 3.72 and has allowed four home runs in three starts in June; he has 28 strikeouts to four walks in 19.1 innings. Plus, he is 5-0 with a 2.11 ERA in six starts away from Nats Park this season.
Against the Dodgers in his career, Strasburg is 1-0 with a 1.71 ERA in four starts, but he hasn’t faced Los Angeles since 2014. Adrian Gonzalez (.274, six home runs, 32 RBI’s) is 4-for-9 (.444) with a double and a RBI in his career against Strasburg.
Right now, Kershaw has to be the favorite to take home his fourth NL Cy Young Award and his third in the last four seasons. In his last start against the Diamondbacks on June 15, he went 7.1 innings, gave up two runs on five hits, struck out 11, and walked one in his tenth win of the season.
Kershaw’s unbeaten streak isn’t as long as Strasburg, but he hasn’t lost a game since April 26 against the Marlins (nine starts). The Dodgers ace leads the National League in strikeouts (133), innings pitched (108), and WHIP (0.66). His command has been impressive as he has only seven walks this season.
The Washington Nationals haven’t had much success against Kershaw. In 13 games (12 starts) against the Nats, he is 9-2 with a 2.19 ERA and has won seven straight outings (five runs in 54.2 innings pitched). Jayson Werth is 9-for-29 (..310) with two solo home runs against Kershaw.
Prediction: With the hot temperatures tonight in Los Angeles, the odds aren’t in favor for the Nats, who haven’t beaten Kershaw since 2010. This is a good test for Strasburg to go up against one of the best pitchers, if not the best pitcher in the game. I expect him to handle himself well, but the unbeaten streak will come to an end as the Dodgers take the opener in a low-scoring game.
Next: Tomorrow's Matchup
Tanner Roark (6-4, 3.14) vs. Scott Kazmir (5-7, 4.64) – 10:10 p.m., MASN
Even though Roark didn’t have one of his best starts against the Padres on June 16, he found a way to get the win. He went six innings, gave up four runs on seven hits, struck out five, and walked two to win his third game in his last four starts.
Roark did have a lot of success with getting the Padres to hit ground balls (11). But, six of San Diego’s seven hits were singles. The only extra-base hit was Myers’ home run in the bottom of the fifth.
During this four stretch where Roark is 3-0, the Nats have scored 30 runs, including eight or more in three straight games, so he has been getting plenty of run support. He has a 3.00 ERA in two games against Los Angeles, but he has never made a start. Gonzalez is the only Dodger hitter with a RBI against Roark (one home run).
After losing Zack Greinke in free agency, one of the moves the Dodgers made was to sign Scott Kazmir to a three-year deal worth $48 million (opt-out after this year). Even though Kazmir has had his struggles, he has not lost a start since May 9 against the Mets (seven starts).
In his last outing against the Brewers on June 16, he went four innings, gave up three runs on five hits, struck out eight, and walked two in a no-decision. He has 31 walks in 14 starts and has failed to go past the fifth inning in three straight outings.
Kazmir is 1-0 with a 4.66 ERA in two outings against the Washington Nationals, but he hasn’t faced them since 2014 when he was with the Oakland Athletics. The two players with home runs against him are Werth and Ryan Zimmerman.
Prediction: I predict that this game will be the one that has the most offense in this series. Both pitchers have received good run support from their respective offenses (Dodgers have scored 27 runs in Kazmir’s last four starts). This game could go either way, but I will go with the Nats in a close game.
Next: Wednesday's Matchup
Joe Ross (6-4, 3.13) vs. Julio Urias (0-2, 4.50) – 10:10 p.m, MASN2/ESPN
With the two pitchers in Wednesday night’s game having a combined age of 42 years old, this could be a matchup we see for a long time. First, let’s start with Ross. On June 17 against the Padres, Ross went six innings, gave up three runs on six hits, struck out six, and walked two in a win.
Even though Ross gave up a first inning single to Matt Kemp, he allowed only one run over the final five innings. The 23-year-old right-hander is 3-0 in his last five starts and has had a quality outing in four of those. By going six innings against San Diego, Ross has already passed his Major League innings total from last season.
Ross made one start against the Dodgers last season on August 11. In that game, he went 4.2 innings, gave up five runs on six hits, struck out one, and walked four in a loss. Yasiel Puig was 2-for-3 that night with a triple, a home run, and five RBI’s. Puig is currently rehabbing from a hamstring injury.
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Back on May 27, Urias made his Major League debut against the Mets. The 19-year-old left-hander dominated at triple-A Oklahoma City (4-1, 1.10 ERA in eight games) before being promoted to the big leagues.
In his last game against the Brewers on June 18, Urias threw five shutout innings, gave up five hits, and struck out eight. Over his last three games, he has 22 strikeouts to three walks.
According to Fangraphs, Urias has an average velocity of 93 miles per hour on his fastball to go with a curveball, slider, and changeup. Urias hasn’t gone more than 5.1 innings in any game and has never thrown more than 87.2 innings (2014) in any professional season.
Next: Nationals Player Of The Week (6/13-6/19): Max Scherzer
Prediction: I think the key in this game is going to be can the Washington Nationals offense show patience early in the game against Urias. If they can work the count and get him out of their game, I like their chances even though both teams have had their bullpen issues. Both pitchers fare well, but I like Los Angeles to take two out of three because they have the reliable closer in Kenley Janssen.