Washington Nationals: The west coast and Quaker State beckons

After an off-day, the Nationals will fly back to D.C. for a ten-game home stand.  The first three games will be against the 2017 N.L. Wild Card champion Arizona Diamondbacks.  The D-Backs are cruising as they sit atop the N.L. West at 12-5.

This team will likely be the toughest test for the Nationals in the next few weeks as the Diamondbacks do everything well.  Their pitching is excellent with a fearsome three-man tandem of Zack Greinke, Robbie Ray, and Zack Godley.  And that’s not to mention the team leader in pitching WAR, Patrick Corbin, who threw a one-hit shutout against the Giants earlier in the season.

This team also hits well.  MVP candidate Paul Goldschmidt is off to a great start and A.J. Pollack, now fully healthy, is raking. Leadoff man David Peralta has come on for this team, batting .356.

There is no glaring weakness with this team.  The well-roundedness of the club along with 2017’s Manager of the Year Torey Lovullo make them a World Series contender.

There are lots of matchups to watch with two heavyweights squaring off, but one specifically to keep an eye on is the strikeout pitchers of Arizona against the Nationals lineup.

Greinke, Ray, and Corbin all have strikeout percentages north of 29% this season, which is exceptional.  This might spell trouble against a Nationals lineup that has some strikeout issues. Michael A. Taylor, Wilmer Difo, Ryan Zimmerman, and Matt Wieters are all strikeout prone.

While the top of the lineup is not as vulnerable to strikeouts, having them on base does the team no favors when the middle and bottom of the order can’t put the ball in play, let alone drive them in.