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Washington Nationals: Grading the starting rotation so far

By Blake Finney

CINCINNATI, OH - MARCH 31: Stephen Strasburg #37 of the Washington Nationals gets a visit from pitching coach Derek Lilliquist in the sixth inning of the game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on March 31, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Nationals won 13-7. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH - MARCH 31: Stephen Strasburg #37 of the Washington Nationals gets a visit from pitching coach Derek Lilliquist in the sixth inning of the game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on March 31, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Nationals won 13-7. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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Washington Nationals
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It’s finals time in schools across America so it’s time to give grades to some of the Washington Nationals. We look at how the starting rotation is fairing.

One of the main reasons behind the Washington Nationals success so far this season has been their starting rotation. With Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg leading the way, the Nats have one of the best rotations in baseball right now.

Their starters’ ERA leads the National League with 2.91 and trails only the Houston Astros’ 2.24 for the MLB lead. But that isn’t the only stat that the Astros are pipping them to for the league lead.

They also sit second in behind Houston in pitching wins with 19 compared to 21 for the Astros. The Nats are also edged out in strikeouts with 289, which is over 40 more than the nearest challenger in the NL. But the Astros stand tall again with 322 in that department. So it’s pretty clear they’re at the top of the pecking order in terms of their rotation.

Not only are the aces delivering, the bottom of the rotation has largely been able to at least keep the team in games. And when those pitchers do that, with the offense the Nationals have, they’re going to have a chance to win the majority of games.

What exactly is making this rotation so dominant this season? Well each of the pitchers has their own strengths and weaknesses, and are succeeding in different ways.

So it’s time to get those pens and pencils out for the mid-May examination in the Nats rotation. As we examine each of the starters individually, before the dreaded grading.

So who’s top of the class, and who needs to come back for summer school?

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