Washington Nationals (53-57 / 5th in the NL East / 18 GB)
Last Series vs. Rockies: July 8-10, 2011 (L 1-2 at Nationals Park)
Right before the All-Star break, the Nats dropped a very uninspiring series to the Rockies in which each team only scored five runs across three games. Naturally, the game the Rockies lost was a Sunday afternoon contest. Go figure.
The first two games of the series saw the Rox squeak out a couple of on-run victories. In the opener, Jonathan Herrera led the charge with two hits and a walk. In addition, Ty Wigginton and Cole Garner each hit run-scoring singles. Jason Hammel had a strong effort (for him, at least), going 6.1 innings and allowing two runs on five hits. Huston Street nailed down the save by striking out two in the ninth. Wilson Ramos homered for Washington in the loss, while Michael Morse picked up a hit and an RBI.
Game two saw more of the same - not many runs, nor many opportunities. Ryan Spilborghs and Todd Helton each had two hits, and one of Helton's was a fourth inning home run that got the Rockies on the board. Old Todd would knock in another run on a groundout in the sixth, putting the Rockies ahead for good. Ubaldo Jimenez pitched eight innings of one-run ball, striking out eight and walking just one. Street picked up another save despite making things interesting, as he got the much-maligned Jayson Werth to ground into a game-ending double play. Morse and Ian Desmond each registered two-hit efforts in the loss.
The finale pitted Jhoulys Chacin against Jordan Zimmermann, and Zimmermann emerged victorious after holding the Rockies scoreless for 6.1 innings, allowing just four baserunners while striking out six batters. Chacin was marvelous in his own right, giving up just a run on four hits in seven frames, but run support was obviously an issue as the Rox were shutout 2-0. Helton picked up two more hits in the losing effort, while Ian Stewart had a pair of his own. The Nats scored their two runs on a Roger Bernadina single and a Rick Ankiel solo homer.
Latest Series Results: L 1-3 at Philadelphia; L 1-2 at Arizona
After going 40-38 under Jim Riggleman and John McLaren, the Nats have fallen below .500 due to poor performance under new manager Davey Johnson (13-19).
With all of that being said, they still have...
Although some of the other Washington hitters (namely, Danny Espinosa) have fallen off a bit since the last time these two teams met, this Gargantuan has kept mashing. Morse leads the club in most offensive categories, including wRC+ (148), homers (18), and being intense. Ryan Zimmerman is finally starting to regain his form after missing a large chunk of the first half due to injuries. And, Laynce Nix, despite losing some playing time recently to the newly-acquired Jonny Gomes, has posted a 113 wRC+ and remains a nice weapon off the bench. Aside from those guys, the club has experienced some pretty hefty regression offensively, and they possess very poor depth at the major league level. Jayson Werth is just barely an above-average hitter (102 wRC+), and that just doesn't cut it for a guy who signed a $140 million deal.
On the mound, the Nats are still led by Jordan Zimmermann, who is still suffering from bad luck (6-9 in 2011). He has a 123 ERA+, and has walked just 22 batters this season while striking out 98, good for a 4.45 K/BB ratio, by far the best among Washington pitchers. John Lannan (105) is the only other above-average pitcher in the rotation in terms of ERA+, including the recently-traded Jason Marquis. The Nationals' lone All-Star representative, Tyler Clippard, remains dominant out of the bullpen, with 74 strikeouts in 60.2 innings against just 20 walks. Drew Storen, who was almost traded to the Twins at the deadline, has racked up 27 saves and has a K/BB ratio north of 3.
Thursday through Sunday: 4-game series at Coors Field
Expected Pitching Matchups
Thursday, August 4, 2011 @ 6:40 PM MT
Friday, August 5, 2011 @ 6:40 PM MT
Saturday, August 6, 2011 @ 6:10 PM MT
Sunday, August 7, 2011 @ 1:10 PM MT
Expected Lineup
| Name | Position | AVG | OBP | SLG | wOBA | wRC+ | HR | RBI |
| Rick Ankiel | CF | .240 | .302 | .376 | .304 | 89 | 6 | 23 |
| Danny Espinosa | 2B | .226 | .314 | .420 | .327 | 105 | 17 | 55 |
| Ryan Zimmerman | 3B | .286 | .354 | .417 | .343 | 116 | 5 | 21 |
| Michael Morse | 1B | .315 | .364 | .548 | .390 | 148 | 18 | 61 |
| Jayson Werth | RF | .226 | .331 | .386 | .322 | 102 | 13 | 42 |
| Jonny Gomes | LF | .212 | .338 | .398 | .328 | 107 | 11 | 31 |
| Ian Desmond | SS | .229 | .278 | .323 | .271 | 67 | 4 | 31 |
| Wilson Ramos | C | .249 | .327 | .414 | .319 | 100 | 9 | 34 |
Bench
| Name | Position | AVG | OBP | SLG | wOBA | wRC+ | HR | RBI |
| Jesus Flores | C | .194 | .219 | .226 | .201 | 18 | 0 | 0 |
| Alex Cora | IF | .217 | .282 | .256 | .251 | 53 | 0 | 6 |
| Brian Bixler | Util | .192 | .263 | .250 | .229 | 38 | 0 | 1 |
| Laynce Nix | OF | .264 | .307 | .484 | .339 | 113 | 14 | 39 |
Closer
Injuries