Washington Nationals: Easy Upcoming Series Present Great Opportunity

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The Washington Nationals have an extremely easy schedule for the next couple weeks; they must take advantage of this opportunity and win as many games as possible.

Now that we’re about halfway through May, the Washington Nationals have an extremely easy schedule. Until they play the Dodgers on June 5, they don’t play anyone projected to finish .500. This is a great opportunity for the Nats to distance themselves from the rest of the division, and it is imperative that they take advantage of it.

Despite all their bullpen struggles, the Nats have won nine of their 12 series so far. They can’t win every game, but they will be in a good position if they are able to continue to win series.

If the Nats take advantage of their easy upcoming schedule, they should distance themselves from the rest of the division, allowing Dusty Baker to rest starters. It could also allow the bullpen to attempt to work things out in a low stress situation. The Nats have lots of quality arms in their bullpen, but most of them have underachieved thus far.

The Nats should be able to make the playoffs with a struggling bullpen, but that will not fly in the playoffs. Relievers working things out will be the difference between keeping prospects and forcing Mike Rizzo to trade prospects to address the bullpen.

The easy upcoming series present a great opportunity for the Nats on multiple fronts. The next few weeks could end up making a huge difference in how the Nats fare for the rest of the season and postseason.

Atlanta Braves

After the Nats finish up the three-game set in Pittsburgh, they travel to the Braves’ brand new stadium, SunTrust Park. The Nats fared well during their first trip, sweeping the Braves and ending their five-game winning streak.

The Braves haven’t gotten off to a very good start, although they were not expected to be competitive this year. They currently sit at 16-21, and they aren’t expected to improve much throughout the year. According to FanGraphs, they are projected to finish 71-91, and have a 0.8% chance of making the postseason.

Atlanta has received lots of production from their usual sluggers, Freddie Freeman, Matt Kemp, and Nick Markakis. However, they haven’t gotten much offense from anyone other than those three. Shortstop Dansby Swanson has gotten off to a rough start to his age 23 season, hitting a miniscule .184 in 34 games. His 36 strikeouts are also the most on the team. He is widely regarded as a future star, but isn’t quite ready yet.

Their starting rotation has been among the worst in the league so far. Mike Foltynewicz leads the quintet with a 4.04 ERA. That’s not terrible, but it should definitely not lead the rotation. Off-season acquisitions, Bartolo Colon, R.A. Dickey, and Jaime Garcia have not been what the Braves had in mind when they acquired them. Their ERA’s are 6.80, 4.22, and 4.33 respectively.

Following the trend of off-season acquisitions not going as planned, the Braves will be without Sean Rodriguez for the entire season. The utility man was involved in a car accident shortly after signing a two-year deal with Atlanta, and required shoulder surgery. Although he wouldn’t have made the Braves a competitor, he definitely would’ve helped them become a little more competitive and provided a great veteran presence for their young core.

Seattle Mariners

The Nats have an off-day following their series in Atlanta, and then play host to the Seattle Mariners. The two haven’t matched up since August of 2014, when the Nats won two of three in Seattle.

So far in 2017, the Mariners have struggled despite having lofty expectations entering the season. PECOTA, which is usually fairly conservative, predicted that the Mariners would win 87 games and make the playoffs as a Wild Card team. They have failed to meet expectations, getting off to an 19-22 start, and now have just a 15.8% chance of making the playoffs.

Jerry Dipoto continued his overhaul of the Mariners’ roster, acquiring Jean Segura, Mitch Haniger, Marc Rzepczynski, and Drew Smyly, among others. Some moves have paid off, but others have yet to make an impact.

Segura and Haniger have been excellent for Seattle so far, batting .370 and .342 respectively. However, not all of their moves have gone so well. For example, Smyly hasn’t thrown a single pitch in a Mariners uniform. After a strong showing in the World Baseball Classic, Smyly had to be placed on the 60-day DL with a strained left elbow.

Edwin Diaz was also possibly hurt by the World Baseball Classic. He served as Puerto Rico’s closer, and featured electric stuff, but has not been the same in the regular season. In 16 games, he has a 5.28 ERA and was recently removed from the closer’s role.

The Mariners have been extremely injury-plagued, and many of their stars have spent time on the DL. Haniger, Robinson Cano, Felix Hernandez, Hisashi Iwakuma, and James Paxton are among their players currently on the DL. While most of them will probably return in time for the Nats series, their absence has greatly contributed to the Mariners’ struggles.

San Diego Padres

The Nats gear up for a nine-game West Coast trip by hosting the San Diego Padres for three games. Although the Padres were among the worst teams in the league in 2016, they gave the Nats some trouble, winning four of their seven matchups. The Padres finished 68-94 last season, and are projected to do even worse this year. After getting off to a 15-27 start, they are projected to finish 64-98 and are the only team in the MLB with a 0.0% chance of making the playoffs.

The Padres offense has been led by Wil Myers, but that isn’t saying much. Myers has followed up his breakout 2016 campaign with a .294 start in 2017, but he is still almost 100 points behind the Nats’ leader, Ryan Zimmerman.

Rookie center fielder Manuel Margot has also gotten off to a solid start, batting .272 in 36 games out of the leadoff spot. He has good speed and has five stolen bases, but has also been caught stealing five times.

Third baseman Ryan Schimpf, who homered 20 times in 89 games a year ago, has continued to hit the long ball. However, that’s about the extent of his production; his .154 batting average and 48 strikeouts are both worst on the team.

Trevor Cahill has been a pleasant surprise for the Padres, leading the rotation with a 3.27 ERA. The rest of the rotation has not fared as well, with Jhoulys Chacin, Clayton Richard, Jered Weaver, and Luis Perdomo all struggling to begin the season.

The Padres have played just about as poorly as they were expected to, and the Nats must take advantage of playing them before a long West Coast trip.

San Francisco Giants

The Nats begin their West Coast trip in San Francisco, where they have struggled over the past couple seasons. In the last two seasons, the Nats have gone 2-6 at AT&T Park. However, this hasn’t been a normal season for the Giants.

As strange as the Giants’ even-year magic is, their odd-year curse is just as strange. It’s as if they’re a completely different team in odd years. 2017 has been no different. The Giants have gotten off to a less than optimal start, winning just 17 of their first 42 games. They are projected to improve, but still won’t finish how they’d like. FanGraphs projects that they will finish 79-83, and gives them a 12.7% chance of making the postseason.

Buster Posey has been his usual self this year, batting .375 with seven homers in 31 games, but the rest of the offense has struggled.

They have also had a revolving door of left fielders, with Eduardo Nunez, Gorkys Hernandez, Jarrett Parker, Aaron Hill, Justin Ruggiano, and Chris Marrero all seeing time in left. Fortunately for San Francisco, the emergence of Christian Arroyo has allowed them to move Nunez to left field full-time.

The Giants’ season has also been derailed by injuries, most notably Madison Bumgarner. Bumgarner suffered bruised ribs and a sprained left shoulder in a dirt bike accident on an off-day in late April. The Giants have greatly missed their ace, as Matt Cain leads the starting rotation with a 4.04 ERA. Bumgarner had a 3.00 ERA in four starts prior to his injury. He has already missed almost a month, and may not return until August. His irresponsibility has been extremely costly to the Giants thus far.

Other notable injuries include Hunter Pence and Mark Melancon. Pence’s injury has not helped with their lack of outfield depth and has contributed to the revolving door of San Francisco outfielders. Melancon’s injury has also been costly. The Giants’ Achilles heel in 2016 was their bullpen, so they signed Melancon in the off-season. He had gotten off to a decent start this season, but his absence creates a hole in the back of the bullpen.

The Giants are once again suffering from an odd-year curse, and the Nats must take advantage of playing them at less than full strength.

Oakland Athletics

The Nats finish up their easy stretch with three games in Oakland. The Athletics have struggled in 2017, getting off to a 16-22 start. According to FanGraphs, they are projected to finish at 77-85 and currently have a 7.7% chance of making the playoffs.

The Nats and A’s haven’t played each other since 2014, a series that did not go well for the Nats as they were swept at home.

To show how long it’s been since the two played each other, only two of the six pitchers of record from the 2014 series are still with the same team. The first game’s pitchers of record were Tommy Milone (now with the Mets) and Doug Fister (currently a free agent). The second game’s pitchers of record were Sean Doolittle (still with the A’s) and Drew Storen (now with the Reds). Finally, the third game’s pitchers of record were Scott Kazmir (now with the Dodgers) and Gio Gonzalez (still with the Nats).

The Athletics series will be an interesting one to watch for Nats fans. The Nats and A’s have been frequent trade partners, and the A’s have several players who could potentially help the Nats. If the Nats are still having bullpen issues, Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson are two trade candidates that the Nats could be interested in.

Sonny Gray is another A’s player who has had his name floated in trade discussions in the past. If Jacob Turner doesn’t work out as the fifth starter and Joe Ross continues to struggle in AAA, the Nats could look to trade for Gray. The A’s will not be competitive this year, so they could be looking to sell at the trade deadline, and Mike Rizzo and Billy Beane always seem to be able to work out a deal.

Los Angeles Dodgers

After six straight series against non-contending teams, the Nats face the very competitive Los Angeles Dodgers. The Nats will be looking to get revenge after the Dodgers eliminated them in the playoffs last season. Both teams are off to great starts so far.

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The Dodgers have begun the season 23-18. According to FanGraphs, they are projected to finish 96-66 and have a 98.1% chance of making the playoffs. Los Angeles has been led by outstanding play from Nats killer, Justin Turner. In 36 games, he is hitting .359 and has only struck out 19 times.

Another exceptional offensive performer has been Corey Seager, who has been able to avoid a sophomore slump. In 38 games, he is hitting .282 with six homers. Receiving that much offensive production from the shortstop position has been extremely beneficial for the Dodgers.

The Dodgers have also enjoyed a typical season from Clayton Kershaw. In eight starts, he has posted a 2.43 ERA, which ranks second in the National League.

Nationals’ off-season target, Kenley Jansen has done a phenomenal job of locking down games for the Dodgers. So far, he is 7-for-7 in save opportunities, and has pitched to a 1.23 ERA.

These six upcoming series are a crucial part of the Nats’ season. They have an easy stretch of the schedule, and they must take advantage of this opportunity by winning as many series as possible. The Mets are currently struggling, so if the Nats can get hot, they can distance themselves and coast into the playoffs.

The Nats relievers can also attempt to work out their issues, which have cost the team quite a few games early in the season. The bullpen must improve if the Nats plan on making a deep playoff run.

Next: Ryan Zimmerman Chasing Triple Crown History

If the Nats are able to take advantage of the easy upcoming series, it could set the tone for the remainder of the season and the postseason. The upcoming series could mean more to the Nats than they appear to.

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