The Nationals get set to face their NL East rival the Philadelphia Phillies for three games and get to avoid Cliff Lee which is good news as he is by far the Phillies best pitcher so far this season. Instead the Nationals get hard-luck Cole Hamels who faces off in the finale against Stephen Strasburg.
Let's get historical on all of you. On the off day, I did some research.
The 159 runs the Nationals have scored in their first 47 games this season is bad enough for seventh worst since 1969 and the worst since moving to Washington. Never have they had a record over .500 in that time (best was 21-25 in 1971) and they never were higher than fourth in the standings (in 1998, with a 17-30 record). So if you keep saying to yourself that you can't remember a more inept offense to start the season since 2005, you're right. The worst in Washington was in 2007. The team was 18-29 with 169 runs scored.
And while we're talking about streaks, if the Nationals only get better from here, they will match their worst 47 game stretch from last season. Yes, last year they had a 47 game stretch that went 24-23. That was from games 19-65. They scored 182 runs in that span. So, don't worry. The Nationals may be disappointing, but if the best is yet to come, they can still match last season.
Probable Pitchers
Friday, 7:05 p.m.
WSH: Jordan Zimmermann (7-2, 1.62 ERA)
PHI: Kyle Kendrick (4-2, 2.82 ERA)
Saturday, 7:15 p.m.
WSH: Dan Haren (4-5, 5.54 ERA)
PHI: Jonathan Pettibone (3-0, 3.00 ERA)
Sunday, 1:35 p.m.
WSH: Stephen Strasburg (2-5, 2.66 ERA)
PHI: Cole Hamels (1-7, 4.45 ERA)
Projected Phillies Lineup (via MLB Depth Charts)
SS Jimmy Rollins
CF Ben Revere vs RHP
3B Michael Young
1B Ryan Howard
RF Delmon Young
LF Domonic Brown
2B Freddy Galvis
C Erik Kratz
BENCH
C Humberto Quintero
IF Kevin Frandsen
IF/OF Michael Martinez
OF John Mayberry CF vs LHP
OF/IF Laynce Nix
BULLPEN
RHP Jonathan Papelbon
LHP Antonio Bastardo
RHP Justin De Fratus
RHP Chad Durbin
LHP Jeremy Horst
RHP Michael Stutes
RHP B.J. Rosenberg
WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Batting
G
AB
R
H
2B
3B
HR
RBI
BB
K
SB
CS
AVG
OBP
SLG
Zach Duke
10
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1.000
1.000
1.000
Bryce Harper
41
139
28
40
7
1
12
23
22
27
1
2
.288
.383
.612
Ryan Zimmerman
33
117
15
32
5
2
3
23
18
31
3
0
.274
.372
.427
Ian Desmond
46
175
19
47
14
2
6
19
9
44
5
1
.269
.301
.474
Denard Span
44
173
18
46
7
2
0
11
16
28
5
2
.266
.332
.329
Jayson Werth
27
100
17
26
2
0
4
10
6
21
2
0
.260
.308
.400
Wilson Ramos
14
48
4
12
3
0
2
6
4
8
0
1
.250
.308
.438
Kurt Suzuki
33
102
8
25
5
1
2
9
11
16
2
0
.245
.322
.373
Anthony Rendon
8
25
2
6
1
0
0
1
5
7
0
0
.240
.367
.280
Steve Lombardozzi
37
91
7
20
4
1
0
6
3
12
0
2
.220
.245
.286
Adam LaRoche
44
151
17
33
4
0
7
20
18
50
1
0
.219
.300
.384
Gio Gonzalez
10
14
1
3
0
0
1
1
1
3
0
0
.214
.267
.429
Chad Tracy
24
39
1
7
0
0
1
3
3
13
0
2
.179
.238
.256
Dan Haren
9
18
1
3
1
0
0
1
0
9
0
0
.167
.167
.222
Danny Espinosa
39
141
10
23
9
0
3
12
4
40
1
0
.163
.196
.291
Jordan Zimmermann
9
20
1
3
0
0
0
0
1
8
0
0
.150
.190
.150
Tyler Moore
28
66
4
8
4
0
1
8
3
27
0
0
.121
.157
.227
Roger Bernadina
32
61
5
7
0
1
0
1
4
22
1
0
.115
.194
.148
Jhonatan Solano
5
9
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
.111
.200
.111
Stephen Strasburg
10
20
1
2
1
0
0
0
0
7
0
0
.100
.100
.150
Ross Detwiler
8
14
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
11
0
0
.000
.067
.000
Eury Perez
5
5
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
.000
.000
.000
Craig Stammen
12
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
.000
.500
.000
Drew Storen
18
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
.000
.000
.000
Ryan Mattheus
14
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
.000
.000
.000
Tyler Clippard
19
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
.000
.000
.000
Rafael Soriano
21
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
.000
.000
.000
Henry Rodriguez
13
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
.000
.000
.000
Yunesky Maya
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
.000
.000
.000
Pitching
W-L
G
GS
CG
SHO
SV
BS
IP
H
R
ER
HR
BB
K
ERA
WHIP
Jordan Zimmermann
7-2
9
9
3
1
0
0
66.2
49
13
12
3
9
45
1.62
.87
Tyler Clippard
3-1
19
0
0
0
0
0
18.0
7
5
5
1
11
19
2.50
1.00
Stephen Strasburg
2-5
10
10
0
0
0
0
64.1
51
28
19
5
21
62
2.66
1.12
Ross Detwiler
2-4
8
8
0
0
0
0
45.2
56
16
14
3
10
23
2.76
1.45
Craig Stammen
2-1
12
0
0
0
0
1
22.2
22
7
7
2
5
23
2.78
1.19
Rafael Soriano
1-1
21
0
0
0
13
3
21.0
19
8
7
2
4
15
3.00
1.10
Gio Gonzalez
3-2
10
10
0
0
0
0
59.0
43
25
24
6
26
57
3.66
1.17
Henry Rodriguez
0-0
13
0
0
0
0
0
14.2
10
6
6
1
13
10
3.68
1.57
Drew Storen
0-0
18
0
0
0
1
3
18.0
25
11
9
3
4
16
4.50
1.61
Ryan Mattheus
0-0
14
0
0
0
0
1
16.1
20
9
9
0
5
12
4.96
1.53
Dan Haren
4-5
9
9
0
0
0
0
50.1
64
35
31
10
8
36
5.54
1.43
Zach Duke
0-1
10
1
0
0
0
0
18.1
29
20
18
2
4
11
8.84
1.80
Yunesky Maya
0-1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0.1
2
2
2
1
0
0
54.00
6.00
Washington Nationals Injuries
Questionable
Player
Injury Type
Injury Date
Ross Detwiler
back
05/21/2013
15-Day
Player
Injury Type
Injury Date
Jayson Werth
ankle
05/03/2013
Ryan Mattheus
hand
05/20/2013
Wilson Ramos
hamstring
05/16/2013
Christian Garcia
forearm
03/22/2013
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Batting
G
AB
R
H
2B
3B
HR
RBI
BB
K
SB
CS
AVG
OBP
SLG
John Lannan
3
2
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
.500
.500
1.000
Raul Valdes
10
3
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
.333
.333
.667
Cliff Lee
13
19
3
6
1
0
0
1
1
5
0
2
.316
.350
.368
Michael Young
46
157
17
45
7
2
1
10
23
26
0
0
.287
.378
.376
Freddy Galvis
27
69
4
19
3
0
3
8
5
15
1
0
.275
.333
.449
Chase Utley
44
158
21
43
7
2
7
25
16
24
5
2
.272
.339
.475
Jimmy Rollins
47
182
19
48
13
1
3
17
12
31
4
3
.264
.310
.396
Ryan Howard
43
160
17
42
11
0
6
25
9
47
0
0
.263
.297
.444
Ben Revere
41
136
16
35
3
1
0
5
8
20
8
3
.257
.299
.294
John Mayberry
42
104
14
26
8
1
2
9
9
28
2
2
.250
.310
.404
Humberto Quintero
7
20
0
5
2
0
0
2
1
6
0
0
.250
.286
.350
Domonic Brown
46
165
17
41
6
1
8
24
9
32
2
0
.248
.290
.442
Kevin Frandsen
25
33
6
8
2
0
2
7
3
3
0
0
.242
.342
.485
Carlos Ruiz
16
51
5
12
2
0
0
2
3
9
1
0
.235
.286
.275
Delmon Young
19
60
5
14
4
0
3
7
5
14
0
0
.233
.304
.450
Laynce Nix
39
66
7
15
2
0
2
6
6
20
1
0
.227
.292
.348
Erik Kratz
29
92
11
20
2
0
3
9
8
21
0
0
.217
.277
.337
Kyle Kendrick
9
18
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
10
0
0
.111
.111
.111
Jonathan Pettibone
6
11
2
1
0
0
0
0
2
5
0
0
.091
.231
.091
Ezequiel Carrera
13
13
2
1
0
0
0
0
1
4
0
0
.077
.250
.077
Cole Hamels
10
17
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
6
0
0
.059
.059
.059
Roy Halladay
7
11
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
11
0
0
.000
.000
.000
Tyler Cloyd
2
5
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
2
0
0
.000
.167
.000
Antonio Bastardo
19
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
.000
.000
.000
Chad Durbin
13
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
.000
.000
.000
Jonathan Papelbon
17
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
.000
.000
.000
Mike Adams
17
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
.000
.000
.000
Joe Savery
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
.000
.000
.000
Phillippe Aumont
16
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
.000
.000
.000
Jeremy Horst
19
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
.000
.000
.000
B.J. Rosenberg
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
.000
.000
.000
Justin De Fratus
5
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
.000
.000
.000
Pitching
W-L
G
GS
CG
SHO
SV
BS
IP
H
R
ER
HR
BB
K
ERA
WHIP
Joe Savery
0-0
1
0
0
0
0
0
1.0
0
0
0
0
1
1
0.00
1.00
Jonathan Papelbon
0-0
17
0
0
0
8
0
17.2
9
2
2
1
2
12
1.02
.62
Antonio Bastardo
2-1
19
0
0
0
0
2
15.1
13
5
4
2
9
16
2.35
1.43
Cliff Lee
5-2
13
10
1
1
0
0
72.2
61
22
20
5
13
55
2.48
1.02
Tyler Cloyd
1-0
2
2
0
0
0
0
13.1
10
4
4
0
5
9
2.70
1.13
Justin De Fratus
2-0
5
0
0
0
0
0
3.1
2
1
1
0
0
2
2.70
.60
Kyle Kendrick
4-2
9
9
1
1
0
0
60.2
56
19
19
6
14
41
2.82
1.15
Mike Adams
1-3
17
0
0
0
0
1
15.0
14
5
5
3
6
19
3.00
1.33
Jonathan Pettibone
3-0
6
6
0
0
0
0
36.0
36
13
12
5
11
21
3.00
1.31
Phillippe Aumont
1-3
16
0
0
0
0
0
13.0
17
8
6
0
10
15
4.15
2.08
Cole Hamels
1-7
10
10
0
0
0
0
62.2
56
31
31
9
24
57
4.45
1.28
Jeremy Horst
0-1
19
0
0
0
0
1
17.2
20
11
10
2
8
11
5.09
1.58
John Lannan
0-1
3
3
0
0
0
0
14.2
16
10
10
1
2
7
6.14
1.23
Raul Valdes
1-0
10
0
0
0
0
0
20.0
24
17
17
5
7
21
7.65
1.55
Chad Durbin
0-0
13
0
0
0
0
0
13.1
17
13
12
4
8
14
8.10
1.88
Roy Halladay
2-4
7
7
1
0
0
0
34.1
33
33
33
9
17
35
8.65
1.46
B.J. Rosenberg
0-0
2
0
0
0
0
0
2.1
6
4
4
0
1
2
15.43
3.00
Philadelphia Phillies Injuries
15-Day
Player
Injury Type
Injury Date
John Lannan
knee
04/18/2013
Carlos Ruiz
hamstring
05/20/2013
Chase Utley
oblique
05/21/2013
Mike Adams
back
05/11/2013
Roy Halladay
shoulder
05/05/2013
NL East Standings
W
L
PCT
GB
STRK
Atlanta
28
18
.608
0
Won 6
Washington
24
23
.510
4.5
Won 1
Philadelphia
23
24
.489
5.5
Won 2
New York
17
27
.386
10
Lost 3
Miami
13
34
.276
15.5
Lost 2
(updated 5.24.2013 at 4:02 PM EDT)
TEMPERATURE CHECK (Last 7 Days)
Who's Hot
Ryan Howard (PHI): 7/17 (.421/.421/.529), 2 2B, 3 RBI, 2 K
Erik Kratz (PHI): 5/15 (.333/.444/.523), 1 HR, 1 RBI, 3 BB
Leaving this blank for Washington. No one hitting over .280. Only two OPS over .800 (Zimmerman at 951 and LaRoche at 837).
Who's Cold
Delmon Young (I almost wrote Dmitri): 4/19 (.211/.286/.379), 1 2B, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 5 K
Michael Young (PHI): 5/22 (.227), 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 4 BB, 2 K
I'm tired of putting Danny Espinosa here, so let's spice it up.
Roger Bernadina/Tyler Moore "platoon": 1/22, 2 BB, 5 K
Denard Span is 6/27 with only one walk (.250 OBP) and Kurt Suzuki is also hitting .222 (4/18) with 4 K and all of his hits are singles.
MATCHUP TO WATCH
Cole Hamels vs Stephen Strasburg
This usually would be a good matchup but Hamels has struggled this season with an ERA north of 4. Strasburg has actually pitched very well, the only difference being run support and his defense letting him down. Strasburg's numbers across the board are very similar to last season despite worries to the contrary. He had one of his best starts of the season against the Giants so that streak is currently at two.