Washington Nationals: 5 to watch in second half start against Reds

Scott Feldman

In last month’s series against the Washington Nationals, Feldman was the only Reds pitcher to pick up a win. Back on June 25, he went seven innings, gave up two runs on seven hits, struck out five, and walked two on 119 pitches (season-high).

At age 34, Feldman is by far the oldest healthy starting pitcher left on the Reds and could be a possible trade option for a contender if he has a good couple of starts in the next week. He is only making $2.3 million this year.

Feldman only went five innings in his last start, but that shouldn’t take away from the great June that he had. In six starts, he was 3-1 with a 2.97 ERA and opponents hit .246 (.272 in the month of May).

While Great American Ball Park is not a good pitcher’s ballpark, Feldman seems to have success there. In nine starts in that ballpark, he is 4-2 with a 3.00 ERA and has averaged six innings per start. Meanwhile, on the road, his ERA in nine outings is 4.99.

If you are looking for a Nats player to watch in this game, it might be shortstop Stephen Drew. In his career against Feldman, Drew is 7-for-16 with two triples, two home runs, and five RBI’s against him. He did not get the start in last month’s outing.

Since Feldman is pitching on a getaway day for the Nats, it shouldn’t surprise anyone if he has another good start. Plus, the microscope will be more on the opposing pitcher than him.