Series Preview: Phillies at Washington Nationals

The Phillies (3-6) head to the nation’s capital  to take on the Washington Nationals (3-6) for a 4-game series against the World Series favorites. The Nationals are coming off a series loss to the Red Sox in which their only win came in yesterday’s a 10-5 victory. The Phils arrive in D.C. as the losers of 4 in a row.

Remember those heady days of just four years ago, when the Phils trotted out a “Four Aces” starting rotation, and rode them all the way to a franchise-record 103-win season? Well the Nationals have put together a very similar rotation of their own, and the Fightins will have to face their four best over this long weekend.

More from That Balls Outta Here

• 3 Reasons to get excited for Phillies’ Craig Kimbrel signing
• 11 Free-agent deals the Philadelphia Phillies wish fell through
• Phillies-Mets owners’ rivalry grows after shocking Carlos Correa deal
• Could Rich Hill become ‘Jamie Moyer 2.0’ in Phillies rotation?
• Does Bailey Falter have a future in Phillies’ rotation?

The struggling Nationals got their leader and star outfielder, former Phillies star Jayson Werth, back on Monday when he was activated off the 15-Day DL. Werth spoke on his return from his shoulder injury, “I’ve never had this before, so I don’t know how it’s going to go. Every indication is that it’s going to continue to heal and to progress and all that…But I feel like we’re good. It’s been tested. I’ve been playing. I really don’t know what else to do other than go out here and play, so that’s what we’re going to do.” So far he has just 1 hit and 2 runs scored.

The Nationals do not have a ton of hitters killing the ball at this time. Among players receiving consistent time now, Yunel Escobar (.286/.375/.343), Michael Taylor (.270/.308/.486), and Bryce Harper (.250/.325/.444) lead the way for the Nats.

The Phillies retaliate with their own crop of hitters hitting above .250 over the season’s first week and a half: Cody Asche (.500/.571/.667), who as TBOH’s own Ethan Witte has written today, is mashing the ball right now, as well as Freddy Galvis (.345/.406/.379) and Odubel Herrera (.250/.300/.429) are the current top producers for the Phillies.

Nationals Park has similar dimensions to Citizens Bank Park, with outfield fences that go 337, 402, and 335 feet to left, center, and right field respectively. CBP runs 329, 401, and 330 feet to those points.

Pitching Matchups:

Game 1: Cole Hamels v. Doug Fister – Hamels (3.75 ERA) is looking to build on his last start, one in which he went 7 innings to only allow 1 earned run and 2 hits while picking up 5 strikeouts. Fister (0.00) seeks a start like his last game against the Phillies (6.1 IP, 0 ER, 6 hits, 1 S0) in order to maintain his perfect ERA.

Game 2: Sean O’Sullivan v. Max Scherzer –  O’Sullivan (3.00 ERA) is trying to prove he belongs in the Phillies plans on a more permanent basis, so he will try to re-create the success he had the last time out last week against the Nats. In that start he had a line of 2 earned runs allowed, 5 hits, and 5 strikeouts over 6 innings. Scherzer (0.66 ERA) will try to mimic his last line (6 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 8 SO) as well. When asked about his start, Scherzer said “My fastball command was kind of off, but I had good command of my off-speed pitches… I only gave up one run, and that’s something I can hang my hat on.”

Game 3: Aaron Harang v. Jordan Zimmerman – In 12.1 innings pitched, Harang (0.73 ERA) has only allowed 1 earned run while picking up 9 strikeouts. He has simply been the best pitcher for the Phils so far, and hopes to keep that mojo rolling into Saturday. Zimmerman (8.64) ERA, on the other hand, is looking for a major turnaround. His last time out, he allowed 8 runs (7 earned) and 9 hits over 2.1 innings. Zimmerman spoke to the media about his troubles: “I really didn’t have a feel for the ball and didn’t know where it was going all day.” He looks to get that under wraps on Saturday.

Game 4: David Buchanan (unofficial) v. Stephen Strasburg – As of Thursday morning, the Phillies website does not announce a starter for Sunday, but the pitcher is presumably still Buchanan (11.42 ERA) unless something odd occurs. Buchanan is still trying to right the ship after allowing 11 earned runs, 16 hits, and 6 walks over 8.2 innings and 2 starts. Strasburg (6.75 ERA) is also ready to move past his pedestrian start his last time out (5.1 IP, 5 ER, 10 H, 5 SO).

KEYS TO THE SERIES:

Once again try to be patient and chase the aces early – Just like the Mets series, the Nationals are throwing a plethora of great starting pitching at the Phillies. The Phils hitters need to be disciplined, waiting the Nats starters out in hopes that they can drive the talented hurlers pitch counts up, and get them out of the games sooner. Then, the Phils will be able to go to work on the Nats’ pen as they did this last weekend.

Capitalize on RISP- Yesterday the Phillies were 2-16 with runners in scoring position. This seems to be a theme so far this year and it needs to change. You can’t win ballgames if you can’t capitalize on your chances to score runs. The Phils have scored just 22 runs across their first 9 games, an average of fewer than 2 1/2 per game. If that rate continues, they’re likely to get swept again.

BROADCAST INFORMATION:

Game 1 (Thursday)- 7:05 PM, TV: CSN, MLBN, Radio: 1210 FM, 94 AM, 1480AM (Spanish Language)

Game 2 (Friday)- 7:05 PM, TV: CSN, Radio: 1210 FM, 94 AM, 1480AM (Spanish Language)

Game 3 (Saturday)- 1:05 PM, TV: CSN, MLBN, Radio: 1210 FM, 94 AM, 1480AM (Spanish Language)

Game 4 (Sunday)- 1:35 PM, TV: CSN, MLBN, Radio: 1210 FM, 94 AM, 1480AM (Spanish Language)

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE for the Washington DC area this weekend

Today

Partly sunny, with a high near 70. Southeast wind 7 to 10 mph.

Tonight

A chance of showers after midnight. Cloudy, with a low around 56. Southeast wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Friday

Showers likely, mainly after noon. Cloudy, with a high near 72. South wind 7 to 9 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Friday Night

A chance of showers, mainly before 9pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 55. Light northwest wind. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Saturday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 78. Northwest wind 3 to 6 mph.

Saturday Night

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 51.

Sunday

A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 65. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Sunday Night

Rain likely. Cloudy, with a low around 53. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

INJURY REPORT