Washington Nationals: Five To Watch Against Spiraling Phillies
By Drew Douglas
The Washington Nationals begin a weekend series against the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday; here are five players to keep an eye on.
The Washington Nationals began this week by losing three straight games, headlined by continued bullpen issues, but are coming off of arguably their best win of the young season. The Philadelphia Phillies, on the other hand, are having one of the worst months in team history so far. After finishing April right around .500, they are just 2-7 to begin May.
Through the Nats’ first 34 games, nine have been against the Phillies, which, for all you math experts out there, is just over a quarter of their games. The matchups between the two teams have been pretty evenly contested, with the Nats going 5-4. Although Philadelphia is in the process of rebuilding, the Fightin’ Phils always manage to do just that against the Nats.
Last year, the Nats dominated Philadelphia, winning 14 of their 19 matchups, but the Phillies are a much improved team this year. The off-season additions of Pat Neshek, Howie Kendrick, and Michael Saunders have coincided well with the development of their young core, putting them in a much better position to win in 2017.
The Phillies also announced some great news for their organization on Thursday. Their manager, Pete Mackanin, agreed to a contract extension through next season with a club option for 2019. This shows that they are trusting the rebuilding process and are attempting to keep continuity with a familiar face at the helm during their rebuild. Extending Mackanin is one of the lone bright spots from what has so far been a disappointing month for the Phillies.
Both teams are suffering from various injuries, but could receive some help during this series. Shawn Kelley and Koda Glover could potentially both return during the series, and Howie Kendrick is scheduled to work out and test his oblique over the weekend.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at five key players for what should be a fun Mother’s Day weekend series.