Series Preview: Phillies @ Nationals

Pitching Matchups, Times, & TV Listings

Friday, May 24^th, 7:05PM – Jordan Zimmermann v. Kyle Kendrick (MASN HD)

Saturday, May 25^th, 7:15PM – Dan Haren v. John Pettibone (FOX)

Sunday, May 26^th, 1:35PM – Stephen Strasburg v. Cole Hamels (MASN HD)

The Nationals return home after going 4-6 on their west coast road trip.  After losing series to the Giants and Dodgers, and splitting a series with the Padres, Jordan Zimmermann will hope to get the homestand off to a good start and turn Washington’s fortunes around.

Series Preview

As many people may not have expected, only one game separates the Phillies and the Nationals in the NL East standings.  Surprisingly, this is the first matchup between the two teams as they battle for second place behind the Braves.  Injuries continue to plague the Nationals, as they will go into this series without an important bat in Jayson Werth, and two important arms in Ross Detwiler and Ryan Mattheus.

Neither of these teams have been performing offensively, as both teams are looking for a stable lineup to put on the field every day.  Injuries and underperforming players have led to bottom of the league stats in offensive production.  This series could see three very low scoring affairs, although the 2^nd game of the series could be different with the inexperience of John Pettibone, and the unpredictable results of Dan Haren.

Jordan Zimmermann has been the rock of the starting rotation for the Nationals this year, and it is good for them that he is the one to start off this homestand.  He will go up against Kyle Kendrick, who has also been a very steady arm in the Phillies rotation.  The Nationals have never seen John Pettibone, as he just made his major league debut this year.  It will be interesting to see how the Nats bats handle the rookie Pettibone, and the recently shaky Cole Hamels.

Notes

·         If you haven’t heard, Ryan Mattheus has gone on the DL after punching his locker and breaking his hand.  Yunesky Maya and Fernando Abad have been called up to fill in the bullpen.

·         Jayson Werth’s recovery date continues to be moved back.  He is now expected to return to the team in early June. 

Song of the Series:  Upside Down by Paloma Faith

If you follow the Nationals, or any pages related to the Nationals on twitter, then you may have noticed their profile pictures being upside down.  This has just been done in an attempt to turn around the fortunes of the Washington Nationals.  Players, broadcasters, fans, and team officials are all in.  It truly is an honor to be a part of the Washington Nationals community

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Matchup of the Series: Cole Hamels v. Bryce Harper

We all remember the scandal from last year.  Cole Hamels beans Bryce Harper because he thought the rookie needed to learn a lesson.  Harper then scored, and went on to have one of the most phenomenal rookie seasons of all time.  So this time around, Hamels may be in need of a lesson, which could make him regret what he did last year.  Baseball fans from around the nation will be watching this matchup on Sunday.