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Washington Nationals: Nationals May Road Trip is Brutal

By Ross Shinberg

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 02: Sean Doolittle #63 of the Washington Nationals enters the game in the eighth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Nationals Park on May 2, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 02: Sean Doolittle #63 of the Washington Nationals enters the game in the eighth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Nationals Park on May 2, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images) /
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May 3-5: The Philadelphia Phillies

The Nationals begin the first game of a ten-game road trip in the City of Brotherly Love against the division-leading Phillies.

It’s early in 2019, but the Nationals are 3-2 against the Phillies.  The run differential is Nationals +13. However, that is mostly due to a 15-1 drubbing that occurred on April 10.

Both teams won and lost a one-run game against each other, further demonstrating how closely these teams have played each other (for the most part).

The margins are razor thin, and the Nationals will need to be on the good side of variance as they must win this series to remain competitive in the N.L. East.

Player to Watch: Rhys Hoskins

The best hitter on the Phillies to start this season is Rhys Hoskins.

Hoskins is slashing .278/.409/.602 with a 166 wRC+.  Hoskins’ wRC+ mark ranks eighth among qualified hitters in all of Major League Baseball.

However, the Nationals have done an excellent job of keeping him in check.  In his short, yet productive, career, Roskins has recorded 142 plate appearances against the Nationals.

In those appearances, Hoskins has a .191 batting average and a .809 OPS.

The projected starters for the Nationals in this series are Jeremy Hellickson, Patrick Corbin, and Anibal Sanchez.

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