Washington Nationals: Who should pitch Game 2 of the NLDS?

One of the toughest decisions Dusty Baker will have to make is which Washington Nationals starter will pitch Game 2 of the NLDS?

If he is healthy, Max Scherzer is going to pitch Game 1 for the Washington Nationals in the National League Division Series next month. Right now, Dusty Baker has two great options to go for Game 2 against whoever wins the National League Central.

While Baker’s decision might come down to which opponent it ends up being, the Nats have good choices in Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez. Both pitchers have proven that they can be relied options in big situations, but there are many factors that can determine which one is the better choice for the second home game.

The first factor is to take a look at how each pitcher does at home. This year, Gonzalez has been one of the best pitchers at home in the league. While he has only four home wins in 13 starts, opponents are hitting .210 in those games and the ERA is at 1.87.

As for Strasburg, his home numbers aren’t bad (4-2, 3.60 ERA, .232 BAA in 11 starts), but his road numbers are much better. Away from Nats Park, the right-hander has a .198 batting average against and is 8-2 with a 2.06 ERA in 13 outings. Plus, he would be arguably the favorite in any Game 3 matchup, if he is healthy.

More from District on Deck

Since Strasburg has missed time this year due to injury, the only NL Central team he’s faced between the Cubs, Cardinals, and Brewers is the Cubs. In that one outing against Chicago back on June 28, Strasburg struck out 13 and gave up two earned runs over seven innings in a win.

Gonzalez has more of the sample size against the central this year and has actually performed well. He did have a bad outing in Milwaukee last night, but that was arguably one of his worst performances this year. In total, he’s given up ten runs in 33 innings and seven of those are against the Brewers.

Despite Gonzalez having success this season, one thing to keep in mind will be how teams do against left-handed pitching. This year, the Cubs have scored the third most runs in the NL against lefties. As for Milwaukee and St. Louis, they are in the bottom six in runs against southpaws. So, if the Cubs win the NL Central, then maybe the edge goes to Strasburg.

Now, Baker has gone back-and-forth with using six pitchers and once the division is wrapped up, maybe the Washington Nationals decide to go to a six man rotation again. Either way, both pitchers should be in a position to throw in that game.

If I were Baker, my choice would be Gonzalez. While its tough to disagree with either choice, Gonzalez’s numbers with runners in scoring position this year have been outstanding. In those situations, teams are hitting just .137 with 37 strikeouts.

Those numbers are a far contrast to last season to when teams were hitting .333 in those situations against the left-hander. Last postseason, Gonzalez didn’t even finish five innings against the Dodgers and there were fans that didn’t have much confidence in him. Now, it is safe to say Gonzalez will have earned that trust in October.

Next: Victor Robles era begins in D.C.

Once again, there wouldn’t be a bad decision in this matter because the Washington Nationals have one of the best rotations in baseball. Strasburg has been great (26 inning scoreless streak), but Gonzalez has been consistent all season long. Of course, Baker still has a month to make that choice.

Home/Nationals News