Washington Nationals: 5 storylines to watch as Dodgers visit

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

The Washington Nationals are coming off of a series loss against the Atlanta Braves, which featured the Nats looking extremely flat in their first series after winning the division. The first two games were especially rough, with Gio Gonzalez and Max Scherzer combining to allow 12 runs in 11 innings.

These two games were extremely uncharacteristic of the Nats’ outstanding rotation, and people grew concerned. However, the Nats have already clinched a playoff spot, so now the main goal is for everyone to stay or get healthy for the postseason.

The Los Angeles Dodgers, on the other hand, are coming off of a series win against the San Francisco Giants. A few months ago, that sentence would’ve seemed completely redundant. However, a few days ago, that sentence would’ve seemed rather surprising.

The Dodgers, at one point dubbed the greatest team ever, crumpled in late August into September and played like one of the worst teams in the league. Then, they got to play the Giants, the worst team in the league, and lost the first game of the series. Fortunately for the Dodgers, they turned things around and went on to win the series, but their skid is not completely in the rear view and has left a lasting impact on the baseball world.

Now that the 11-game losing streak has come to an end, maybe the Dodgers can relax, but they face a challenge in a three-game series at Nationals Park. Both teams are coming into the series with postseason births already clinched, but neither team is playing particularly well.

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

Rematch of last year’s NLDS

The Nats and Dodgers have a bit of history, as the two teams faced each other in the National League Division Series just a year ago. Neither team had enjoyed much postseason success, but that would end for one of them.

Unfortunately, it was the Dodgers whose poor luck ran out. The Nats and Dodgers fought hard and it made for a great series, but the Dodgers ended up winning the series in five games.

Sticking with the theme of a poor postseason track record, Clayton Kershaw had always struggled in the postseason, even appearing human. For whatever reason, his postseason demons left him for the series and he absolutely dominated the Nats.

Kershaw’s unbelievable series peaked in game five, when he came out for his first major league save, just two days after throwing 110 pitches. His luck, however, eventually ran out. In the National League Championship Series against the Chicago Cubs, Kershaw was tasked with pitching game six and forcing a game seven, but he could not get the job done. He lasted just five innings and allowed five runs, being handed the loss in the Dodgers’ final game of 2016.

While the Nats lost the series, there were several positives. Jose Lobaton and Chris Heisey, two bench players, both hit enormous home runs to put the Nats in a good position to win. Trea Turner, Jayson Werth, Daniel Murphy, and Ryan Zimmerman all also had outstanding performances throughout the series.

In the end, the Nats came up just short, but have a chance for revenge this weekend when the Dodgers return to DC. This will definitely be worth keeping an eye on throughout the weekend.

Possible NLCS Preview

In all likelihood, the Nats and Dodgers will enter the postseason with the two best records in the National League. Because of this, the chances of them meeting in the National League Championship Series are somewhere between slim and none. Don’t ask me why; it just seems to always work that way. Baseball is weird.

If the Dodgers are able to right the ship from their skid, a Nats-Dodgers NLCS matchup isn’t hard to imagine. The two teams have both had outstanding regular seasons and are two of the most well-rounded teams in the league.

If this happens, it will be interesting to see how last year’s NLDS compares to the NLCS this year. Last year’s NLDS was a phenomenal series between two great teams, and a best-of-seven series between the Nats and Dodgers would be very entertaining.

It will be a historic season for the Nats if they face the Dodgers in the NLCS, regardless of the result. Since returning to DC, the Nats have failed to make it past the NLDS. They have had the best record in the league heading into the postseason, they have been the hottest team in the league heading into the postseason, they have had a six-run lead in an elimination game, and they have still never made it out of the NLDS. Like I said, baseball is weird.

While this weekend series is the final regular season matchup between the Nats and Dodgers, there is a definite possibility that the two will match-up again in the postseason. This should be in the back of everyone’s mind throughout the weekend.

Daniel Murphy’s track record against the Dodgers

Certain players seem to perform exceptionally well against certain teams. This is exactly the case with Daniel Murphy.

Murphy is such a good hitter that he performs exceptionally well against multiple teams. While the New York Mets are the most well-known example, he also crushes the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 48 regular season games, Murphy owns a slash line of .301/.339/.422 to go with his 13 doubles, 20 RBI’s, and 17 runs scored.

While with the Mets, Murphy faced the Dodgers in the 2015 NLDS and dominated. He wasn’t particularly well-known nationally, but this was the beginning of his coming out party. He led the Mets to the NLCS, crushing three homers and batting .333 in the five-game series.

Then, Murphy faced the Dodgers in the postseason again, this time with the Nationals. In the 2016 NLDS, Murphy hit a whopping .438 with six RBI’s and three runs scored. While he didn’t woo the world with another unbelievable postseason home run streak, he was still extremely productive.

This season, Murphy has hit .273 in three games against the Dodgers, so he has enjoyed some success agains them already this year. How he performs this weekend and how the Dodgers decide to pitch to him will be worth keeping an eye on.

The Dodgers’ recent skid

On August 22, Sports Illustrated speculated as to if the Dodgers were the best team of all time. At the time, the Dodgers were on an unbelievable pace and while dubbing them as the best team of all time was most likely a bit premature, you could make the argument.

Unfortunately for the Dodgers, Sports Illustrated spoke too soon. Since that article was published, the Dodgers are just 5-17. This skid featured the Dodgers losing 11 straight games and losing 16 of 17.

Throughout this stretch, instead of playing like the World Series favorites that they were believed to be, the Dodgers played like one of the worst teams in the league. At one point, Justin Turner even said that the Dodgers are currently baseball’s worst team.

The  Dodgers have now won two in a row, but the skid is not completely in the rear view. If they do not figure things out and go on a deep postseason run, that is what people will remember, a feeling familiar to Washington sports fans. No matter what they did or did not do in the regular season becomes completely irrelevant in the postseason.

On the flip side, if they go on a deep postseason run or even win the World Series, the terrible skid will be completely forgotten.

While the Dodgers have ended their 11-game losing streak, it is still fresh in everyone’s minds. If they struggle in DC this weekend, people will continue to panic. For that reason, how the Dodgers perform this weekend is worth keeping an eye on.