This will be the 3rd time the Nats have faced Tom Koehler this season as the Nats send Jordan Zimmermann to the mound. This will be JZ’s 21st career start vs. the Marlins and he has a career 3.28 ERA against them.
You have to wonder if Bryce Harper circled this date on his calendar. Bryce has 5 career HRs against Koehler which include 3 HRs on 5-6-15 and 1 on 7-29-15 and 1 on this exact date 2 years ago. Of Bryce’s 86 career HRs, he’s hit 5.81% of them off of Koehler, and you can do some fun math on how that % could change today. In case you’re wondering, Bryce’s 2nd favorite pitcher is Sean O’Sullivan who he has hit 3 career HRs against.
Harper HR off of Koehler 5/6/15 Photo Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Let’s review how all the Nats previously have hit Koehler in career stats:
Ramos .400 BA, Harper 7-21 .333 BA with a 2.792 2015 OPS and that’s not a typo, Matt den Dekker .333, Werth .333 BA with a 1.164 OPS, Escobar .308, RZ .294, Desi .250 with a .786 OPS, Rendon .111 BA & .429 OBP
Espi 0-9 with 4 K’s, MAT 0-4, CRob 0-1
Historic numbers say you sit Espinosa and MAT if you are into small sample sizes.
Lineup guess if Yunel Escobar and Michael A. Taylor “rest”:
- Werth
LF - Rendon 3B
- Harper
RF - RZ 1B
- Ramos C
- Desi SS
MdD CFTrea T 2B- JZ P
Here is the acutal batting order:
- Werth RF
- Rendon 3B
- Harper CF
- RZ 1B
- CRob LF
- Desi SS
- Ramos C
- Espi 2B
- JZ P
