Washington Nationals: 5 storylines to watch as Giants visit DC

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

The Washington Nationals are coming off of a series win against the Miami Marlins. This series featured excellent starting pitching from the Nats’ three healthy regular starting pitchers, Max Scherzer, Gio Gonzalez, and Tanner Roark.

Scherzer returned from a minor neck issue to pitch a seven-inning gem in game one, Gonzalez returned from paternity leave to twirl seven phenomenal innings in game three, and Roark continued his resurgence with six fantastic innings in game four. Scherzer, Gonzalez, and Roark all pitched very well, which allowed the Nats to win all three of their starts and win the series.

The Nats’ bullpen also pitched tremendously. In the Nats’ three wins, the bullpen combined for seven shutout innings. Brandon Kintzler, Ryan Madson, and Sean Doolittle have all been huge additions to the bullpen, transforming it from a glaring weakness to a strength.

Finally, the series featured one of the most dynamic individual offensive performances in team history. Ryan Zimmerman broke out of his mini-slump in game three, going 4-for-4 with two homers and finished a triple short of the cycle. To make his performance even more memorable, Zimmerman set the franchise record for RBI’s, passing Tim Wallach, who was across the field serving as Miami’s bench coach.

The San Francisco Giants, who are experiencing their usual odd-year struggles, have played better recently. They are coming off of a series win against the defending World Series champion Chicago Cubs.

Although the Giants are 35.5 games back in the NL West and 19.5 games back in the Wild Card race, they have won four of their last five series. However, the Nats swept the Giants when the two teams played in late May so the Nats have played well against them this season. Despite the fact that the Nats swept in May, it was an extremely competitive series. If this series is anything like their previous meeting, we are in for an entertaining weekend series.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at five key storylines for what should be a competitive three-game set between two of the top franchises in the National League.

Possible bad blood

The Nats swept the Giants in their first matchup this season, but the lasting image from that series is Bryce Harper charging the mound after being plunked by Hunter Strickland. Strickland was upset about homers from 2014 and held a grudge for 969 days.

The two finally met again this season and Strickland decided to act on his grudge, hurling a 98 mph fastball right into Harper’s hip. This was obviously intentional, which led to Harper charging the mound and a benches-clearing brawl.

One of the most negative repercussions of the brawl was the concussion suffered by Michael Morse. Morse entered the center of the scuffle, seemingly attempting to break it up, but collided with teammate Jeff Samardzija.

Morse ended up with a severe concussion and has not played since. The former National would’ve received a much-deserved warm welcome back to Nationals Park had he been in action. On top of a lengthy DL-stint, Morse’s career may be over. He is still dealing with symptoms over two months later and is reportedly considering retiring. He is one of the best people in baseball and it is an absolute shame that his career may have been ended by the immature actions of his teammate.

It’s not unusual to see a team retaliate after one of their players is intentionally hit by a pitch, but the Nats never retaliated. This is most likely because it was fairly obvious that the Giants had nothing to do with Harper getting plunked; it was solely on Strickland.

Since the Nats didn’t retaliate in San Francisco, it’s highly unlikely they’ll retaliate during this series, barring anything unexpected. However, it’s still something to keep an eye on throughout the series.

Max Scherzer

Scherzer returned from a minor neck issue to shut down the Marlins over seven innings on Monday. Everything was extremely encouraging, except one detail that came out after the game. His neck still hurt when he threw his breaking ball.

The Nats have taken a cautious approach with all of their injured players, which has been made possible by an enormous lead in the division. Scherzer is included in this, as he could’ve been ready to start against the Cubs, but was pushed back to face Miami the next day.

Considering the Nats’ cautious approach, we can assume that Scherzer being listed as a probable starter means he is cleared to pitch and isn’t at risk of aggravating his neck. However, the fact that his neck still feels weak and hurts when he throws his breaking ball is a bit discouraging.

Even if Scherzer doesn’t aggravate his neck, this can have an effect on his start. If his neck is bothering him, he may avoid his breaking ball more than usual and rely on his fastball more. The Giants know that his neck bothers him on breaking balls, so they may be sitting on his fastball, which would give them a definite advantage.

This will be Scherzer’s second start against San Francisco this season, and his first was among the best of his career. Scherzer started at AT&T Park on May 31 and threw nine masterful innings, allowing just one run. This was Scherzer’s first of two complete games this season, which are seemingly becoming more rare by the day.

If Scherzer’s neck feels better for this start and he is able to utilize his entire repertoire, look for him to have another phenomenal start against San Francisco.

Denard Span’s return to DC

Denard Span played for the Nats from 2013-2015 and was always a fan favorite. He served as an outstanding leadoff hitter, with his lowest batting average being .279 in 2013. He provided a spark at the top of the lineup, with the offensive highlight of his Nationals career being his 29-game hitting streak in 2013.

While Span hit .292 throughout his tenure with the Nats and led the National League in hits in 2014, he was mostly known for his defense. He was an amazing defensive center fielder and made countless unbelievable catches while “spanning” the outfield.

Since departing Washington for San Francisco, Span has continued to hit well. While his .266 batting average last season isn’t up to the standards he set in a Nationals uniform, he is displaying signs of declining due to aging, which is what caused the Nats to let him walk. While his batting average last season was his lowest since 2011, he enjoyed a dramatic power increase. His 11 homers were a career-high and the most he ever hit for the Nats was five.

Span is hitting well again this season, batting .269 with seven homers in 88 games, but his defense is not what it once was. According to FanGraphs, his ultimate zone rating (UZR) is -3.3, which is considered below average. His UZR in 2013 was a whopping 10.2, which is considered great.

Nats fans always loved Span, and with good reason. He was a great all-around player during his time in DC, while also making a huge impact in the community. When he returns to DC tonight, he should receive a well-deserved welcome back.

The Nats’ incredible depth

The Nationals have been extremely snakebit when it comes to injuries this season, with someone new getting injured seemingly every night. Despite the plethora of injuries, the Nats currently have a 15 game lead in the division. This has been made possible by the Nats’ incredible depth and several under-the-radar players stepping up big time.

Brian Goodwin and Wilmer Difo have both been outstanding off the bench this year, but have also been given regular playing time due to various injuries. Goodwin, who has played all three outfield positions due to injuries to Adam Eaton, Michael Taylor, and Jayson Werth, has played Gold Glove-caliber defense and done a phenomenal job all over the lineup.

Although he has been striking out a bit too much since the All-Star Break, Goodwin has been among the Nats’ most dangerous hitters. After going 0-for-4 in the first game against Miami, he went 3-for-5 with two runs scored in game two, 1-for-4 with two runs scored in game three, and 2-for-4 with two runs scored in game four.

Goodwin has also been great in clutch situations. On Thursday night, Goodwin led off the bottom of the eighth in a tie game and crushed a go-ahead homer into the second deck. The Nats needed a run to give the three-headed monster a lead and Goodwin provided just that.

Difo has also been fantastic this season. His versatility has been extremely beneficial, as he’s filled in all over the infield and minimally in the outfield. On top of playing great defense all over the infield, he has also had a remarkable season at the plate. His versatility applies to the offensive side of things as well, as he’s hit all over the lineup and performs in whatever role he fills.

Adam Lind has probably been the best bench player in the league this season, and has come through on numerous occasions. His most recent clutch hit came on Monday when he singled in the go-ahead run (Difo, big surprise) in the bottom of the eighth. He gets a hit seemingly every time up and has been phenomenal in the clutch.

Adrian Sanchez and Andrew Stevenson, two of the Nats’ most recent call-ups also had a huge impact on the Miami series. Sanchez played in three of the four games and went 6-for-10 with three doubles, an RBI, and three runs scored. He also spent two games in the two-hole, proving that Dusty Baker is quickly growing confident in the young infielder’s abilities.

Although Stevenson never got a plate appearance on Thursday, he was one of the most impactful players. He came in as a pinch-runner for Lind and stole a base. Although he didn’t end up scoring, he put lots of pressure on Drew Steckenrider. The stolen base was big, but Stevenson made his biggest impact in the field. With the tying run on third with two outs in the ninth, Dee Gordon poked a weak line drive down the left field line. It looked like the ball was going to fall in for a hit, but Stevenson laid out to make an absolutely unbelievable game-saving catch.

The Nats have dealt with a plethora of injuries this season, but several players have come up and filled in admirably. With plenty of Nats still injured and Anthony Rendon feeling a bit under the weather, look for the Nats’ depth to come into play this series.

A matchup of two struggling starters

AJ Cole and Matt Moore will match-up on Sunday afternoon, and they have both experienced struggles this season. Cole, a 25-year-old righty, has been used as a spot starter for the Nats over the last few seasons and is currently needed with Stephen Strasburg and Joe Ross on the disabled list.

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Cole pitched well against the Phillies in early May for his first start of 2017, but has struggled in his two starts since. He got the nod last week in Miami, his second start of the season, and allowed five runs and four walks in five innings. It wasn’t a great start for Cole and the Nats lost 7-0.

Despite struggling, Cole was given another start on Tuesday. He faced Miami again and didn’t fare much better. He allowed four runs in five innings and the Nats lost 7-3, their only loss of the series.

Both of Cole’s rough starts this year have been against Miami, so maybe pitching against a different opponent will lead to better results. Nick Hundley is the only Giant to ever face Cole, and he’s hitless in three at-bats.

Moore, who was acquired by San Francisco in a deadline deal with Tampa Bay last season, has had a season to forget this year. In 23 starts, he has pitched to a 5.88 ERA, which is by far the highest of his career. He’s also struggled this month, pitching to a 7.36 ERA in two starts.

This start won’t be any easier for Moore, as Howie Kendrick, Daniel Murphy, Anthony Rendon, Matt Wieters, and Ryan Zimmerman have all hit over .300 against Moore throughout their careers. Kendrick and Wieters have been especially impressive, doing it in over 20 at-bats.

Cole and Moore have both struggled this season and haven’t shown any signs of improving recently, so this could be a high-scoring affair.

Next: No need to fret over Harper's future

The Nationals have built a huge lead in the NL East, while the Giants are in the middle of a nightmare season and are completely out of the playoff picture. Possible bad blood, Max Scherzer’s start, Denard Span’s return to DC, the Nats’ incredible depth, and two struggling starters on Sunday should all be storylines to watch during what looks to be an entertaining weekend series.

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