Washington Nationals at Philadelphia Phillies: Five Players To Watch This Weekend

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Apr 3, 2017; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Cesar Hernandez (16) hits a home run during the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports /

Here are five players you should watch in this weekend’s Washington Nationals series at Citizens Bank Park against the Philadelphia Phillies

In their first series of the 2017 regular season, the Washington Nationals took two out of three games from the Miami Marlins at Nats Park. While the Nats lost the series finale 4-3 in ten innings last night, there were a lot of positives to take from the series.

First off, the starting pitching trio of Stephen Strasburg, Tanner Roark, and Gio Gonzalez gave up a total of four earned runs in 20 innings. On offense, the Nats have hit six home runs (second most in the National League) and two of them have come from first baseman Ryan Zimmerman (5-for-12).

This afternoon, the Nats will be at Citizens Bank Park to take on the Philadelphia Phillies for the start of a three game series. In 2016, the Nats won 14 of the 19 matchups, scored a total of 81 runs, and won eight of nine games at Citizens Bank Park. Bryce Harper, Daniel Murphy, and Jayson Werth each drove in ten or more runs against Philadelphia.

In the Phillies first three games of the season, they lost two out of three games to the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ballpark. Their leading hitter in those games, center fielder Odubel Herrera went 4-for-10 with three walks and Daniel Nava hit two home runs in yesterday’s loss

These are the scheduled three pitching matchups for this weekend’s series:

Today: Max Scherzer vs. Vincent Velasquez – 3:05 p.m ET – broadcast on MASN/MLB Network

Tomorrow: Jeremy Guthrie vs. Aaron Nola – 7:05 p.m – MASN2

Sunday: Stephen Strasburg (1-0, 2.57) vs. Jeremy Hellickson (1-0, 1.80) – 1:35 p.m – MASN2

Before we get into my five players to watch for this weekend’s series, listen to last night’s recap of the Nats loss via our postgame DoDcast:

So, here are my five players to watch, which will include three players from the Nats and two from the Phillies:

Matt Wieters

It’s only been three games, but Wieters is off to a decent start behind the plate for the Nats. His two out single in the seventh inning on Monday helped keep the inning alive for Adam Lind to hit the go-ahead pinch-hit two run home run

One day later, the former Baltimore Oriole went 3-for-3 at the plate with a walk, a double, and a two-run single in the fourth inning. Down in the eighth spot of the batting order, Wieters gives the Nats depth and another power option at the bottom of the lineup.

Heading into this weekend, Wieters doesn’t have much experience against the Phillies pitching staff. He has no at-bats against Velasquez or Nola, but he has faced Jeremy Hellickson when the Phillies right-hander was with the Rays.

In 30 at-bats, Wieters has six hits and four RBI’s against Hellickson, but he hasn’t faced him since 2013.

Of course, another thing to watch for Wieters is his defense. He will get the chance to catch Stephen Strasburg a second time Sunday.

However, it will be more interesting to see how he helps Saturday’s starter (most likely Jeremy Guthrie) get through the ballgame. Plus, his passed ball in yesterday’s game and being crossed up by some of the pitchers has to bring some concern early on in the season as he gets used to everyone.

On Wednesday, we saw a little bit of miscommunication between Roark and Wieters, but Roark was able to get back into rhythm and pitch a strong more game. The more reps Wieters gets, the more he will be able to understand each pitcher’s tendencies.

It is only three games, so Wieters will need more at-bats to get back in the swing of things. But, he has had some good moments so far.

Freddy Galvis

In the first three games of the season, three players have hit home runs and one of them is their shortstop, Freddy Galvis. Galvis hit a solo shot in Monday’s win over the Reds, but he is 0-for-6 in the last two games.

Last season, Galvis had the best year of his career. He had a slash line of .241/.274/.399 with 20 home runs, 67 RBI’s, and 17 stolen bases in 23 attempts. He was tied for second on the team in stolen bases, second on the team in RBI’s, and fourth in home runs.

When the Phillies faced the Washington Nationals last year, Galvis was one of their better hitters in those matchups. In 18 games, he hit three home runs (tied for most on the team) and six RBI’s (tied for second).

Galvis has been hitting in the eighth spot in the first three games, so he can also bring some power to the bottom of the order, but he probably can’t steal as many bases compared to second baseman Cesar Hernandez, who is in the leadoff spot.

While Galvis had some success against the Nats last year, his numbers aren’t great against Scherzer or Strasburg. He is a combined 8-for-42 with a RBI against both of those pitchers.

Other Phillies hitters to watch in this series include two of the players that the team hope to build around in the future. Third baseman Maikel Franco had 25 home runs last year and center fielder Odubel Herrera, who got a contract extension this winter, hit 15 homers and stole 25 bases in 2016.

Max Scherzer

Due to getting a late start to spring training games, Scherzer was unable to pitch in the opener. However, he gets a chance to pitch in the Phillies home opener this afternoon in a ballpark he is very comfortable pitching in.

Since joining the Washington Nationals in 2015, Scherzer is 4-0 in five outings at Citizens Bank Park. As for his overall numbers against the Phillies, he is 6-0 over a nine start stretch.

At the U.S. Naval Academy last Saturday, Scherzer got to have one last exhibition start and had a decent outing against the Red Sox. He went five innings, gave up two runs on six hits, struck out four, and walked one in a no-decision.

Now that he is using the traditional grip on his fastball, there shouldn’t be many issues for Scherzer in this game. The only thing that could happen is if he doesn’t locate his fastball and someone like Maikel Franco takes him deep. Plus, can he continue to work out the chemistry between him and Wieters?

If there’s one hitter to watch against Scherzer on the Phillies, it’s new right fielder Michael Saunders. From his time in the American League, Saunders is 2-for-9 against Scherzer with three RBI’s (both of those hits were doubles).

In fact, only two Phillies have hit a home run against the right-hander (Andres Blanco and Cameron Rupp). If all things go right and the trends hold, expect Scherzer to stay unbeaten against the Phillies.

Aaron Nola

A lot of people talk about the young talent the Mets have in the rotation and rightfully so. With that being said, don’t sleep on the young arms in the Phillies rotation. If the Phillies are going to have success in the future, one pitcher to watch is Aaron Nola.

Nola, who will be making his 2017 debut Saturday night, only made 20 starts last season because of an elbow injury. In the first two months of last season, teams hit .193 and .209 respectively, so he does have a lot of talent.

The pitch that fools hitters the most is the breaking ball. According to Brooks Baseball, teams have a .176 average against that pitch with four home runs and 119 strikeouts since 2015.

In six career starts against the Nats, Nola has yet to win a game as he is 0-3 with a 5.40 ERA, but his 35 strikeouts are the most he has against any team in his career. Two hitters to watch against Nola are Bryce Harper (7-for-11, two home runs, five RBI’s) and Jayson Werth (4-for-14, two home runs, five RBI’s).

If Nola were to stay healthy, the Phillies have a decent rotation to work with. Jeremy Hellickson (Sunday’s starter) had a good opening day against the Reds as he went five innings and gave up one run in a win.

Against Scherzer on Friday, the Phillies will give the ball to Velasquez, who had 152 strikeouts last season in his first year in Philadelphia. The 24-year-old right-hander had a rough end to his season as he went 0-4 with a 5.33 ERA in his final nine starts.

Shawn Kelley

After last night’s tough outing by the bullpen, the Washington Nationals relievers will be under the microscope in Philadelphia. One reliever to keep a close eye on is Shawn Kelley.

In the 4-3 loss last night, Kelley pitched the eighth inning and gave up a two-run home run to J.T. Realmuto that ended up tying the game. While one game isn’t too much to be concerned over, keep in mind that Dusty Baker warmed him up in each of the first two games and didn’t use him.

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Of course, everyone remembers how Kelley’s season ended last year. He had a great month of September, but ended up leaving Game 5 of the NLDS early because of injury.

If Kelley is going to be used against the Phillies, he has a good track record against them based on last year’s numbers. In six games, he gave up one hit, struck out five, and had an opponents batting average of .083.

With most of the bullpen pitching yesterday and Blake Treinen having thrown back-to-back days, Kelley could be the one that’s called upon for a save situation today if needed. If that’s the case, then it will be interesting to see if he can bounce back and have better command of his slider.

On the Phillies side, their bullpen has given up three home runs in the first three games. One of those home runs came on Opening Day when their closer, Jeanmar Gomez, gave up a two-run shot to Scooter Gennett.

Gomez is already named the closer for the start of the season. But, if he struggles, do the Phillies turn to the veteran in Joaquin Benoit or try another reliever like Hector Neris for that role?

Next: 2017 Minor League Opening Day Preview

Which players will you be watching this weekend? Let us know in the comments section.

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