Washington Nationals: Five To Watch Against Spiraling Phillies

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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.

Jayson Werth

Jayson Werth has gotten off to an outstanding start to his age 37 season, batting .299 with six homers in his first 30 games. He has greatly benefited from facing his former team so often to begin the season. In eight games, he boasts a slash line of .433/.485/.767. He also has three homers, which is a tenth of his 30 at-bats. Werth has absolutely crushed the Phillies so far, and he should be looking forward to another three great games.

Unfortunately for Werth, this series is being played at Nationals Park and not Citizens Bank Park. In six games at his former stomping grounds, he owns a slash line of .478/.520/.913. Everyone boos when Werth returns to Citizens Bank Park, including Max Scherzer, possibly providing a little extra motivation to haunt his former team. After his last trip to Philadelphia, Werth jokingly said, “All I hear is cheers. There’s a lot of love going on out there.”

Werth’s offensive success has carried over into May, and he has already recorded four multi-hit games in just nine games played. To make this even more impressive, he has been battling an illness for a few days. He talked his way into the lineup on Wednesday after not being included in the original lineup due to his illness, and it paid off big time.

He ended up going 2-for-3, and was arguably the player of the game. He led off the bottom of the ninth, with the Nats losing 6-4, and set the tone for the inning with an epic 11 pitch at-bat capped by a home run. The Nationals went on to win the game 7-6 on a Matt Wieters walk-off single, but that may not have been possible without Werth’s unbelievable home run.

Werth is currently on fire at the plate and always does damage to his former team, so he appears ready to have another outstanding series against the Phillies.

Aaron Altherr

Aaron Altherr was forced to take on an everyday role after Howie Kendrick suffered an oblique injury, and he has taken full advantage of his opportunity. The young outfielder is hitting .433 in May, and is yet to go hitless. He also has five multi-hit games in just eight games played. These are both extremely impressive stats, but what’s even more impressive is the fact that he currently has hit a three-run homer in three consecutive games.

After hitting just .197 last year, the 26-year-old outfielder is enjoying quite the breakout season. He is also a great defensive outfielder. According to FanGraphs, he has posted a .943 revised zone rating (RZR) so far in 2017. To put that in context, .940 and above is considered excellent. If he is able to sustain that over the course of the entire season, he should finish in the top ten for RZR.

Finally, Altherr possesses above average speed. His speed allows him to cover lots of ground in the outfield and steal a few bases. In 2016, he went 7-for-9 on attempted stolen bases, and he is 3-for-4 so far this season. While he’s no Trea Turner, he is capable of adding some value with his legs.

With Kendrick nearing a return, the Phillies will have a decision to make as to who sits. Kendrick was arguably their biggest off-season acquisition and is a great veteran presence, so it’s difficult to envision him getting benched. Another one of their off-season acquisitions, Michael Saunders, may find himself on the bench if he does not quickly improve. He has gotten off to a sub-par start, batting just .236. Despite the fact that he is coming off of an all-star season in Toronto, he could soon find himself riding the bench.

Koda Glover and Shawn Kelley

It’s no secret that the Nats need bullpen help. Their bullpen has been among the worst in the league, and has cost them quite a few games early in the season. Some help is finally on the way; despite all the trade rumors, it’s not David Robertson, Kelvin Herrera, or even Alex Colome. It’s Koda Glover and Shawn Kelley.

Glover and Kelley were named co-closers after the Blake Treinen experiment failed, but they were both injured shortly after. Glover was placed on the 10-day disabled list on April 26 with a left hip impingement after an outing in Colorado. Glover has a history of hip injuries, and his hip could potentially become a recurring issue.

Kelley was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a lower back strain on May 5, but it was retroactive to May 2 so he’s eligible to return on Friday.

Both Glover and Kelley have pitched recently, and Dusty Baker said they could both be back as soon as this weekend. Glover pitched a scoreless inning for the Double-A Harrisburg Senators, and said he felt good afterwards.

Kelley is not expected to go on a rehab assignment, but he did throw a simulated game on Wednesday. If everything goes according to plan, he should be back in the bullpen on Friday night.

Glover and Kelley will both be welcome additions to the struggling ‘pen. Matt Albers and Enny Romero have taken over the closer’s role in their absence, but have not fared too well. Glover and Kelley’s return should put everyone back into their normal roles, which will hopefully help the bullpen.

If Glover and Kelley are able to return this weekend, they are definitely worth keeping an eye on.

Odubel Herrera

Odubel Herrera has become arguably the best player on the talented Phillies squad. That isn’t too shabby for a former rule five draft pick. Herrera has quickly become one of the best rule five draft picks of all time, and has paid huge dividends for the Phillies.

Herrera also seems to always hurt the Nats. He is a career .258 hitter against the Nationals, but that doesn’t quite do him justice. Against the Nats’ probable starters for the series, Tanner Roark, Gio Gonzalez, and Max Scherzer, Herrera hits .429, .273, .321 respectively.

The second baseman turned center fielder can also make an enormous impact with his glove. According to FanGraphs, he has a .914 RZR so far this season, which is great. That’s especially impressive, considering he was primarily an infielder until 2015. He has already made a few gold glove-caliber plays to rob the Nats of hits, as pictured above.

The 25-year-old center fielder has performed well at the plate in May, batting .262 in nine games. He also has four multi-hit games this month, and is riding a three game hitting streak.

The Nats will need to do their best to keep Herrera off the bases, because he is also capable of making an impact with his legs. He has three stolen bases so far this season, and is always a threat to run. He typically bats third, and allowing a speedy runner on base while facing the heart of the lineup could be trouble.

Herrera has a good history against the Nats and has gotten off to a solid start in 2017. Limiting his production should be a priority for the Nationals this weekend.

Ryan Zimmerman

Ryan Zimmerman is currently enjoying a comeback season for the ages. The face of the franchise leads the MLB with a .393 batting average and 13 homers, and has been arguably the best player in the league.

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The 32-year-old first baseman has gotten off to an outstanding start in 2017, but struggled a bit during the series against the Orioles, going just 1-for-14. The Phillies coming to town should be just what the doctor ordered, as Zimmerman has a slash line of .308/.333/.769 in nine games against them this year.

He has hit especially well against a couple of the Phillies’ probable starters. Nick Pivetta, a former Nats prospect, will be starting for Philadelphia on Friday night. During his second career start last Friday, Zimmerman went 2-for-3 with a homer against him. Seeing Zimmerman step into the batter’s box will not be a pleasant sight for the rookie as he seeks his first win.

Zimmerman also has good career numbers against Saturday’s probable starter, Vince Velasquez. He is 4-for-8 with a homer, double, and four RBI’s against the right-hander.

Zimmerman will also have a little extra motivation this weekend since it’s Mother’s Day weekend. His mother, Cheryl, suffers from multiple sclerosis (MS), and this is an issue near and dear to Zim’s heart. He has even founded the ziMS foundation to raise money towards finding a cure. He will undoubtedly want to have a great weekend in honor of his mother.

Zimmerman has been on fire to begin the 2017 season, but he has especially crushed the Phillies. Look for him to stay locked in and have a solid weekend series.

Next: Our Conversation With Andrew Stevenson

The Nationals have gotten off to a phenomenal start in 2017, while the Phillies are quickly spiraling out of control. Jayson Werth, Aaron Altherr, Koda Glover, Shawn Kelley, Odubel Herrera, and Ryan Zimmerman should be players to watch during what looks to be a great Mother’s Day weekend series between the Nats and Phillies.

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