Washington Nationals: Interleague Series Scouting Report
The Washington Nationals are set to do battle with another American League Central team that was a powerhouse earlier in the decade.
Last week, the Washington Nationals took two of three games from the Detroit Tigers and will look to win another series against an American League Central foe.
Much like Tigers fans, supporters of the Kansas City Royals yearn for better days.
The players that took the Royals to back-to-back World Series appearances, including a win in 2015, are no longer with the team. Players such as Eric Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain, Mike Moustakas, Greg Holland, and Wade Davis have moved on to other organizations.
Now, manager Ned Yost is coaching a rebuilding baseball team that is 29-58 and ranks dead last in their division.
The Royals still have talented players, particularly on the offensive side, but the quality of that talent quickly drops off in the latter portions of their batting order.
Whit Merrifield paces the Royals team and sets the tone for them in the leadoff spot. The 2019 All-Star is slashing .308/.355/.500 with 11 home runs and 12 stolen bases.
Hitting behind Merrifield in the heart of the order are the Royals’ power bats, Hunter Dozier, and Jorge Soler.
Hunter, with no relation to Brian, leads the Royals in slugging percentage (.560) and isolated power with a .260 mark.
Soler, acquired by Kansas City from the Chicago Cubs in the Wade Davis trade, leads the team in home runs with 23, which is also tied for the 10th most in the MLB.
After these players, the Royals don’t have other players that strike fear in the hearts of their opponents.
Their offense ranks 5th worst in the MLB with a .711 OPS.
Their starting rotation is dreadful, ranking 6th worst in the MLB with a 5.30 rotation earned run average. The bullpen isn’t much better, posting the 10th worst bullpen ERA at 4.77.
The Royals struggle to score runs, and their pitching staff is bad at preventing runs, hence their awful record.
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The Nationals are slated to send Austin Voth, Max Scherzer, and Patrick Corbin to the hill in this series. This is a winnable series for the home team, and anything less than a series win should be considered a disappointment.