Nats take 13-16 record to New York to face Mets
We here at the Maryland Sports Blog do not recommend gambling. But we also know that a preseason bet that the Nats would be tied for second place in the NL East after 29 games, only three games under .500, would have won you a huge pile of money. Washington has defied the experts’ predictions so far – and aside from the Atlanta Braves, who are comfortably in first place, so have the other teams in the division. The Miami Marlins share second place with Washington, while the Mets and Phillies are both 9-19.
Spring stats predict nothing
Based on the Nationals’ spring results, one might have predicted the team would be hitless wonders, whose success or failure depended almost entirely on the performance of its pitching staff. Only Brady House, who hit well over .400 in spring, looked like an offensive threat. The regular-season results so far have flipped all that on its head. Washington’s offense is among baseball’s best so far, while the pitching – with few exceptions – has been suspect.
Who’s hot?
Everybody? Washington is tied for third in the NL with 156 runs scored, and the team’s 245 hits rank sixth. James Wood caught fire after a dreadful start, and now leads the National League with 10 homers. His 27 runs scored are second in the NL. Wood and CJ Abrams are tied for eighth place with 21 RBI apiece. Nasim Nunez leads the league with 13 steals.
Wood continues to strike out too often – he leads the NL with 45 – but he also leads the league in walks with 28.
Griffin has been great, but …
Foster Griffin, fresh from three years in Japan, has been everything the team could have hoped for. He is 3-0 with a 2.67 ERA – the only Washington starter with a sub-4 ERA, though Jake Irvin and Cade Cavalli have pitched effectively of late. The bullpen has proven to be inconsistent at best. Four different pitchers have earned saves, with only Clayton Beeter and Gus Varland (two each) having more than one. Overall, Washington ranks dead last in the NL with a 5.21 ERA.
Momentum going to NY Washington won two of three games against the White Sox in Chicago over the past weekend, while the Mets were swept at home by the Rockies. Cavalli is slated to start the second game of the series, but Zack Littell and Miles Mikolas are expected to start the other two games, and they have been the Nationals’ worst starters this season. If you’re a Mets fan, you have to like your chances … but you also have to expect the worst. Washington should take two of three in New York.
