Washington Nationals: 5 storylines to watch as Nats conclude huge homestand

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The Washington Nationals begin a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies tonight; here are five storylines to keep an eye on.

The Washington Nationals are coming off of a series win against the Milwaukee Brewers. Despite getting shutout in the first game of the series, the Nats still managed to score 23 runs in the three games.

The series featured one of the most dynamic offensive performances in major league history on Thursday afternoon. The Nats scored 15 runs and tied several records. In the third inning, Brian Goodwin, Wilmer Difo, Bryce Harper, and Ryan Zimmerman combined to hit four consecutive home runs, which tied a major league record. After a Daniel Murphy fly-out, Anthony Rendon joined the home run parade, crushing the Nats’ fifth homer of the inning, which also tied a major league record.

After all was said and done, the Nats had eight homers, which was one short of the National League record for homers in a game. On top of all the homers, Andrew Stevenson also checked in with his first major league hit.

The Colorado Rockies, under the leadership of Bud Black, have played surprisingly well this year. Before the season, PECOTA projected that the Rockies would win just 76 games. However, they are currently on pace for 91 wins. If the season ended today, they would be the second Wild Card team and would make the playoffs for the first time since 2009.

Although the Rockies have put together a solid season, they have struggled a bit lately. They are coming off of a brutal series in St. Louis in which they were swept.

This is the second time the Nats and Rockies have played each other this year. Back in April, the Nats won a four-game series in Colorado and scored at least 11 runs in three of the four games. If this series is anything like that April series, we are in for an entertaining series between two playoff-caliber teams.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at five key storylines for what should be a competitive weekend series.

Two elite third basemen

Nolan Arenado won the Gold Glove Award for National League third basemen last season, his fourth in a row, but Anthony Rendon was also named a finalist.

Arenado and Rendon are arguably the top two NL third basemen, and are both five-tool players. The two rank in the top three among all NL third basemen in WAR, hits, doubles, batting average, slugging percentage, total bases, extra base hits, and total pitches seen.

Barring anything unexpected, both Rendon and Arenado should be in the conversations for MVP, Gold Glove, and Silver Slugger.

One stat that’s interesting is WAR. As Daniel Murphy pointed out, Fangraphs loves Rendon. According to Fangraphs, Rendon leads the NL in WAR, at 5.0. Arenado’s WAR is still exceptional, but he is far behind Rendon, at 3.7. Arenado receives much more national attention, but stats point to Rendon being the better player.

When the Nats and Rockies played each other back in April, Rendon got the best of Arenado. Throughout the four-game series, Rendon hit .308 and Arenado hit .250.

Throughout their careers, Rendon and Arenado have both performed well when the Nats and Rockies match-up. In 25 games against Colorado, Rendon owns a .305/.339/.390 slash line with nine doubles. In 26 games against Washington, Arenado owns a .313/.346/.596 slash line with six homers and six doubles.

Both players have also played extremely well throughout July. Rendon has hit .406 with five homers, while Arenado has hit .392 with eight homers.

Rendon and Arenado have both been among the best players in the NL this year and should put on quite the show throughout this series.

Back-End of the bullpen acquisitions

The Nats’ bullpen has been the worst in the league for a majority of the season. It was obvious that they needed to make a trade to acquire a few impact relievers, and they did just that. They recently acquired Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson from Oakland, instantly transforming the bullpen.

Doolittle, who has been the Nats’ closer since being acquired, is 2-for-2 in save opportunities. While he hasn’t blown a save, his outings have been adventurous. He has walked four batters in four innings, including a lead-off walk in three of his four appearances.

When throwing strikes, Doolittle has been hit hard at times. He has an overpowering fastball, which is consistently in the upper 90’s, but he throws it too much. In his first three appearances, Doolittle threw nothing but fastballs. Opposing hitters have taken notice of this and are hitting his fastball hard since they can sit on it.

Prior to the trade, Doolittle had spent his entire career in Oakland, so it’s possible that he is still adjusting to playing for a new organization and will settle in. He should be a key member of the Nats’ bullpen for the next few years.

Everyone knew Madson was also a solid acquisition, but nobody expected him to look as good as he has so far. The 36-year-old has consistently thrown his fastball in the upper 90’s, while also featuring a curveball and change-up in the low to mid 80’s. His height, 6’6″, has enabled him to get excellent downward action on his fastball, making him near impossible to square up.

The Rockies have also bolstered the back-end of their bullpen. On Wednesday, they acquired Pat Neshek from the Phillies. Neshek hasn’t made his Rockies debut yet, which will likely come at some point this weekend.

Neshek, who was also rumored to be a Nats trade target, is a great acquisition for Colorado. The 36-year-old has pitched to a 1.12 ERA in 43 games this year. He only allowed five runs for Philadelphia, two of which came on a Michael Taylor home run. Neshek appears to be another late-inning option for Bud Black to use along with Greg Holland, Jake McGee, and Adam Ottavino.

Both the Nats and Rockies have recently made trades to bolster the back-end of their bullpens, and it should be interesting to see how the new relievers fare with their new teams.

The Nats’ potent offense

The Nats have scored the most runs in the National League this year, even without several of their starters. Adam Eaton, Trea Turner, Jayson Werth, Michael Taylor, Chris Heisey, and Ryan Raburn are all currently on the disabled list. However, the Nats’ depth has been incredible and has allowed the offense to continue to click without their stars.

Wilmer Difo, Brian Goodwin, and Taylor have all played much more than anyone expected due to various injuries, and they have filled in extremely well. The three have all performed as if they were regulars and have all hit at or near the top of the lineup.

The starters that are still healthy are also playing very well. The Nats had three of the eight starting position players in the All-Star Game, and rightfully so. Ryan Zimmerman, Daniel Murphy, and Bryce Harper have all had MVP-caliber seasons.

The Nats have continued to rake this month, scoring the third-most runs in the NL, despite getting shutout three times.

When the Nats and Rockies played each other in April, the Nats offense had an outstanding series. In four games, they scored 46 runs. To put things into perspective, the Cincinnati Reds have scored just 80 runs in 23 games this month. The Nats scored over half of that in only four games.

In addition to scoring 46 runs in four games, Trea Turner also hit for the cycle. He’s currently on the DL, but he had a phenomenal series at Coors Field.

Unfortunately for the hitters, this series will be played at Nationals Park. Nationals Park is a neutral park, but Coors Field is an extremely hitter-friendly park so Nationals Park will seem like The Polo Grounds after the last series.

The Nats have had the best offense in the National League this season, and they have been especially hot lately. It’ll be interesting to see if they’re able to continue to rake against Colorado this weekend.

Ian Desmond’s return to DC

After spending the first seven years of his career playing for the Nats, Ian Desmond has since played one season for the Texas Rangers and has now joined the Rockies. Desmond was always a fan favorite in Washington and was a fantastic member of the Nationals, both on and off the field.

After playing shortstop for the Nats, Desmond became an outfielder in Texas. His athleticism allowed him to quickly become a very good defensive outfielder and he only made 12 errors, which was the best of his career.

Since signing with Colorado, the versatile Desmond has played both first base and left field, committing only three errors. He has also hit well, batting .285 with five homers in 65 games.

When the Rockies come to DC this weekend, it will be the first time Desmond has returned since he left after the 2015 season. It will also be the first time he has ever played against the Nats.

When the Nats and Rockies played each other in April, Desmond was still recovering from a broken hand, which was suffered late in Spring Training. Unfortunately, Desmond may also be unavailable for this series.

On Tuesday night in St. Louis, Desmond aggravated a calf injury that he suffered at the beginning of this month. He spent a couple weeks on the disabled list, but had since returned and was playing without any issues until Tuesday.

The Rockies had an off-day on Thursday, so he didn’t need to miss a game, but may not be healthy enough to play this weekend. It would be a shame if he is unable to play at Nationals Park because he should receive a well-deserved warm ovation.

Hopefully Desmond is healthy enough to play this weekend, and it will be interesting to see how he is received and how he performs in his return to Nationals Park.

Erick Fedde’s MLB debut

On Thursday, the Nats placed Stephen Strasburg on the 10-day disabled list with a right elbow nerve impingement. Sammy Solis has been called up to take his roster spot, but Erick Fedde will be called up on Saturday and start in Strasburg’s place.

Fedde, the Nationals’ top pitching prospect, has had a solid season in the minors. Between AA and AAA, he has pitched to a 3.72 ERA in 27 appearances (11 starts). He began the year as a starter, but was moved to the bullpen to conserve his innings and prepare him to possibly join the Nats bullpen.

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The Nats eventually transitioned Fedde back into a starter after his brief relief stint, but he is still in the process of stretching his arm back out. By turning him into a reliever, they compacted him a bit and he must build his stamina back up.

Fortunately, his arm is stretched out enough to make his MLB debut on Saturday. In his last start, he pitched five innings and allowed two runs. The Nats would be happy to get five innings out of him on Saturday.

If Strasburg ends up being injured long-term or Edwin Jackson continues to struggle, Fedde may be needed to fill out the back-end of the rotation. The Nats have also been rumored to be in the running to acquire another starting pitcher, though, so Fedde may not have all that pressure on his shoulders.

It will be a lot of fun to watch Fedde make his MLB debut on Saturday against the Rockies, although they will be a tough opponent. For more on Fedde, check out our interview with him.

Next: Strasburg's DL stint causes headaches

The Nationals have built a huge lead in the NL East, while the Rockies are surprisingly in the Wild Card race and appear to be a legitimate contender. The elite third basemen, recent bullpen acquisitions, the Nats offense, Desmond’s return to DC, and Fedde’s debut should all be storylines to watch during what looks to be an entertaining weekend series between two of the top teams in the National League.

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