The Washington Nationals are facing a few of the ex-Washington Nationals in Philadelphia in a key doubleheader for the Phillies. There is actually one fewer ex-Nats’ player as Josh Harrison was released. The Nats’ starter in the first game today is Trevor Williams, as he returned from an extended leave on the bereavement list, and the Nats had to skip his start on Saturday. He will have to face a trio of ex-Nats in Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, and Bryce Harper. By the way, Harper said after Sunday’s game that he wished that he started his career in Philadelphia. Is he still upset that the Nats won a World Series just 8-months after he signed with the Phillies?
With the doubleheader rules, the Nats added Amos Willingham as their 27th player, and he will be available for both games. The good news about yesterday’s rainout was that the Nats bullpen got a rest day. The trio of Kyle Finnegan, Jordan Weems, and Andres Machado all pitched three straight days in the weekend sweep of the Reds. The good news is that none of them had massive pitch counts. When you have a 4-game winning streak, you usually have to count on your high leverage relievers, and that is what the Nats did to close-out each win over the weekend. The Nats bullpen has a 2.39 bullpen ERA since the All-Star break and that is the best mark in the NL.
Of note in this game, the Phillies will pitch their best pitcher, Zack Wheeler, for this game against Williams, and the lefty Ranger Suarez in game 2.
“The team’s playing really well together. Doing the little things. Getting guys over [on the bases]. Getting guys in with two outs. Our pitching, I can’t say enough about what they’re doing. Our bullpen is coming in and locking the door. They’re playing well right now.”
— manager Dave Martinez said
The Nats starting pitchers have a combined ERA of 4.68 for 22nd best in MLB.
Here is how they rank:
No. 5 Starter: Patrick Corbin 5.03
No. 4 Starter: Jake Irvin 4.93
No. 3 Starter: Trevor Williams 4.72
No. 2 Starter: MacKenzie Gore 4.34
No. 1 Starter: Josiah Gray 3.54
Here is your Baseball Savant Statcast Link for the game.
Washington Nationals vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Stadium: Citizens Bank Ballpark, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1st Pitch: 4:05 pm EDT
TV: MASN2
Radio: 106.7 The Fan radio and via the MLB app
