The Washington Nationals may be the biggest threat to the Los Angeles Dodgers’ chances of a World Series berth though they’re currently riddled with injuries in the lineup. Nevertheless, they’re still sizable favorites on the road against a San Diego Padres team with a ton of holes throughout its roster.
This series will be contested from Thursday, August 17, 2017 through Sunday, August 20, 2017 at Petco Park in San Diego.
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Pitching Matchups
Even with Stephen Strasburg on the DL, the Nationals should hold the starting pitching advantage across the board in this four-game series.
The Padres will turn to Jhoulys Chacin, Luis Perdomo, Travis Wood and Dinelson Lamet in that order.
Chacin is the only one of the San Diego starters with an average ERA+. Chacin is 11-8 with a 4.06 ERA and 1.274 WHIP in 24 starts. He’s been a reliable starter pretty much every time out. He won’t give you too many shutout performances, but save his August 7 loss against the Reds, he’s allowed three or fewer runs in 13 of his last 14 starts.
Surprisingly, the Padres are 13-11 when Chacin is on the mound though they did lose his last two starts. Chacin also only lasted 4.1 innings the last time he faced Washington. He allowed three runs and gave up eight hits in that game.
Perdomo is 6-7 with a 4.95 ERA and 1.521 WHIP in 21 games. He’s been much more up-and-down than Chacin. In his last start, he gave up five runs against the Dodgers. He’s allowed 12 runs in his last three starts, spanning 18 innings of work.
Wood—who starts on Saturday—will be making his fifth start since the Pads acquired him for the Royals. He’s 1-1 with a 5.57 ERA in his four starts for San Diego. Overall, he’s 2-4 with a 6.46 ERA in 32 games—including seven starts.
San Diego will wrap up the series with Lamet, another young gun with upside, but overall, he’s just 6-4 with a 5.00 ERA. His last few appearances have been better. He’s allowed six total runs in his last four games. He’s totaled 23.1 innings in those games so he’s not one to go deep in the game.
On the Nationals’ side of things, they’ve yet to announce their rotation for the series, but Edwin Jackson is likely to get the start for Washington.
He’s made five starts for the Nats and has looked good in that brief stint. He’s 3-2 with a 3.30 ERA in those five starts and has been a more than capable fill-in for the injured Strasburg and Joe Ross.
Max Scherzer could get the next start. He’s the reigning Cy Young Award winner and is having another Cy Young quality year. He’s 12-5 with a 2.25 ERA. Gio Gonzalez is having a great season as well while Tanner Roark and A.J. Cole provide a bit less quality, though still matchup favorably to the Padres’ collection of arms.
Injury Report
Howie Kendrick got the start in left for the Nationals in their latest game. Andrew Stevenson started in right-field as the Nats outfield has been decimated with injuries.
Even with the injuries, Daniel Murphy, Ryan Zimmerman and Anthony Rendon offered a middle of the order with both power and average. All three hitters are batting over .300 with an OPS+ of at least 139.
The latest injury blow to this team is the hyperextended knee of Bryce Harper. The injury wasn’t as bad as it looked, but he’s on the 10-day DL and will miss this series. He joins fellow outfielders like Adam Eaton and Jayson Werth out of commission. Even Brian Goodwin recently sat out a couple of games due to injury concerns.
Beyond just the offense, the Nationals also have Joe Ross and Stephen Strasburg out of the rotation.
Even with all the injuries, the Padres don’t have the personnel to matchup. They have four hitters that’ve put up above-average seasons per OPS+, but Wil Myers, Yangervis Solarte and Cory Spangenberg are all sporting OPS+ numbers just over 100. Only Jose Pirela has been significantly better and he doesn’t match up with Washington’s fearsome trio still in commission.
Player to Watch
Brad Hand was one of the biggest bullpen trade chips on the market this past July and Washington was the team most in need of bullpen help.
Despite rumors, Hand stayed in San Diego and is now a player to watch as the lefty fills in as the closer, opening the set-up role for others.
Hand closing out games builds up his value, added saves to an already impressive stat line. Hand did blow a save last week, allowing three runs to the Reds, that was the only outing he’s allowed a run since June 10.
Having a good closer typically doesn’t do a rebuilding team much good, but it could nail down a win if the Padres are tied or leading after eight.
On the other side, Brandon Kintzler gave up his first run in a National’s uniform on Tuesday, but Sean Doolittle threw a scoreless frame. The trio of Kintzler, Doolittle and Ryan Madson are all important for this pen.
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