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Washington Nationals: 5 To watch in visit to Pittsburgh

By Ricky Keeler

May 10, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Francisco Cervelli (29) is greeted by third baseman Josh Harrison (5) after hitting a two run home run in the ninth inning against Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Kenta Maeda (not pictured) at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
May 10, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Francisco Cervelli (29) is greeted by third baseman Josh Harrison (5) after hitting a two run home run in the ninth inning against Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Kenta Maeda (not pictured) at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /
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Washington Nationals
Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports /

The Washington Nationals begin a six game road trip tonight in Pittsburgh against the Pirates. Here are five players to watch in this series

There was a lot of drama in the Washington Nationals (24-13) weekend series against the Philadelphia Phillies. All three games were decided by one run with the Nats wins coming thanks to a walk-off home run by Bryce Harper on Friday and a late two-run home run by Michael Taylor Sunday night.

Of course, it’s hard to ignore more issues for the bullpen over the weekend. In the doubleheader on Sunday, the Nats bullpen gave up five of the nine runs that were scored by the Phillies. Plus, they had to Jacob Turner in Game 2 in the eighth, which puts Wednesday’s starter in doubt right now.

Tonight, the Nats are at PNC Park to begin a three game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates (16-22), who are in last place in the NL Central. PNC Park was the ballpark where the Washington Nationals clinched the NL East title last year and they were 4-2 against the Pirates in their six meetings.

It’s been a rough season for Clint Hurdle’s team so far. Outfielder Starling Marte is currently out because of a PED suspension and third baseman Jung Ho Kang is still not with the team due to his legal issues in South Korea.

On the injury side, pitcher Jameson Taillon is out as he underwent surgery for suspected testicular cancer and our thoughts and prayers are with Taillon in that fight.

When you look at Pittsburgh’s offense, they are one of the worst in the game. Their team is in the bottom five in the league in runs scored, batting average, and home runs. Right now, their home run leader is first baseman Josh Bell (7) with center fielder Andrew McCutchen not too far behind (6).

From a pitching perspective, the Pirates starters have a 4.24 ERA (fifth in the National League), but they only have nine wins to show for it. The main reason for that is their bullpen.

In D.C, the Nats bullpen is not very good, but Pittsburgh’s isn’t much better. They have a bullpen ERA of 4.06 (tenth in the NL) and an opponents batting average against of .267 (Nats are last – .280).

Despite their struggles, the Pirates do have a closer who can shut down games in Tony Watson (8-for-9 in save chances) and a good setup option in former Nats lefty Felipe Rivero (0.87 ERA, 22 strikeouts in 20 games).

Before we look at the players to watch in this series, here are this week’s pitching matchups:

Tonight: Stephen Strasburg (3-1, 3.28 ERA) vs. Chad Kuhl (1-3, 5.81) – 7:05 p.m ET, broadcast on MASN

Tomorrow: TBD vs. Gerrit Cole (1-4, 3.06) – 7:05 p.m, MASN

Thursday: Tanner Roark (3-1, 3.88) vs. Tyler Glasnow (1-3, 7.98) – 12:35 p.m, MASN/MLB Network

Now, here are my five players to watch in the series, starting with the Washington Nationals leadoff hitter:

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