Washington Nationals: 5 storylines to watch post NL East clincher
By Ricky Keeler
Pitching matchup of the week
Whenever I do these five storylines before each series, I like to give you a look at my favorite pitching matchup of the week. For me, it’s the finale of this series between Foltynewicz and Roark because both pitchers are going in opposite directions.
Over his last seven starts going back to August 1, Foltynewicz is just 1-6 and has given up 27 runs in 32.1 innings. The surprising stat out of those bad numbers is that he’s only given up two home runs. However, the Braves are looking for a lot more production from him.
According to Brooks Baseball, the sinker has been the pitch that opposing hitters have crushed in the second half. Against that pitch, teams are hitting .378 and have a slugging percentage of .533. True, 24 of the 34 hits have been singles, but that pitch isn’t fooling anyone.
While Foltynewicz is 1-1 against the Nats this year, his ERA in those four starts in 6.61 and he’s given up four home runs in 16.1 innings. Three of those home runs are from Brian Goodwin and Bryce Harper and they aren’t playing this week. However, Daniel Murphy and Ryan Zimmerman each have three hits against him.
As for Roark, he is back to being the definition of consistency. Since August 1, he has given up three runs or fewer in each of his last seven starts spanning a stretch of 44 innings. Since the All-Star break, teams are hitting .206 against the right-hander in his last ten starts.
If there’s one thing to nitpick at about Roark’s performances in the second half, he has given up nine home runs. Most of the time you might see him hang a curveball or one of his offspeed pitches because he will go to that pitch often. Despite the home runs, he has had a quality start in six of his last seven games.
Roark has not been good against the Braves this year when you consider he has an ERA of 9 in two games (one start). However, in 12 appearances before this year (dating back to 2014), he was 4-1 with a 2.36 ERA, so which Roark will show up Thursday? Nick Markakis is back for the Braves and the outfielder is 6-for-19 with three home runs in his career against Roark.