This is where Brian Dozier hit his home run last night (Photo by Steve Mears)
Tonight’s game begins the countdown from a 100 games to the end of the season. While the Nationals have made some moves in the last week in the standings, they need to be playing better than .600 baseball which is 6-4 baseball every ten games. It is the right-handed Erick Fedde who gets the start tonight against another of the Padres’ lefty pitchers. San Diego sends Nick Margevicius to the mound tonight. He made his debut this season and has started 10 games for the Padres with a 5.40 ERA. The 22-year-old got smoked in his last start which was against the Marlins, and he was pulled after 3.0 innings giving up 5 runs. In modern baseball, Margevicius is considered a soft-tosser with a fastball averaging 89.7 mph. He throws a changeup, curveball, and slider also in his repertoire. The key is to sit fastball or wait for a hanging breaking pitch. The fun stat on him is lefties are crushing him in some big reverse splits with a .348 batting average and a 1.102 OPS.
Last night the Nationals scored in the first inning and the bats went almost silent after the second inning. Margevicius has a 7.09 ERA in Petco Park, and overall you get him second time through the order where the OPS is .979. Be patient but attack the mistake pitches.
For Fedde, he is still pitching in the spot vacated by Jeremy Hellickson when he went on the 10-day IL. If Fedde can show he belongs, there could be a possibility that he stays. The more pressing decision will come late tomorrow on by Sunday when the Nationals have to make a procedural move for Trevor Rosenthal whose 30-day rehab stint is up on Sunday. Most expect Rosenthal to be activated and given a second chance at redemption with the hopes that he can be a useful part of the Nationals’ bullpen, and that would fit the typical Mike Rizzo modus operandi. But maybe Rizzo will cut him loose and turn the page and just eat the $8 million guaranteed salary. Right now Rosenthal’s ERA with the Nats is at 4.0 runs an inning which equates to a 36.00 ERA. Let’s be real, there are position players who could pitch to a lower ERA. Clint Robinson will forever have that 0.00 ERA.
Washington Nationals at San Diego Padres
Stadium: Petco Park, San Diego, California
1st Pitch: 10:10 pm EDT
TV: MASN2, FOX Sports – San Diego, MLB.TV
Nats Radio: 106.7 FM The Fan; SiriusXM® ( Streaming Internet 869)
Line-up subject to change (without notice):
Tonight in San Diego:
Turner SS
Eaton RF
Rendon 3B
Soto LF
Kendrick 1B
Dozier 2B
Robles CF
Gomes C
Fedde RHP— Talk Nats ⚾ (@TalkNats2) June 7, 2019
