Washington Nationals: 5 storylines to watch at Wrigley Field

Ryan Zimmerman looking for momentum

Like most of the Washington Nationals offense, Ryan Zimmerman struggled against the Miami Marlins this week. He was 0-for-12 and struck out five times out of the cleanup spot. But, this was after hitting four home runs within a three day period last weekend.

While this series is only three games, Zimmerman could use some success against the Cubs if these two teams do meet in the postseason. Back in June, the Nats first baseman was 2-for-16 with a double and drove in three runs.

Dating back to last season when Joe Maddon kept walking Bryce Harper to face him, Zimmerman is 6-for-48 with six RBI’s and has struck out 15 times. There is no way to tell if the Cubs are in Zimmerman’s head because its only one opponent. However, a great series this weekend could go a long way into changing Maddon’s strategy.

Outside of the great weekend last week, Zimmerman has struggled since the All-Star break. While he has 13 RBI’s in his last 62 at-bats, he has also struck out 17 times and hit .210. The 17 K’s are tied with Harper for second on the team and six behind Brian Goodwin (23).

If Zimmerman struggles this weekend and doesn’t get the clutch hits with Harper on base, would Dusty Baker end up using Murphy or Rendon behind Harper and drop Zimmerman further down in the order? Whatever the outcome is this weekend, a lot of the national attention is going to be on Zimmerman based on what happened last year.