3 Things Nationals Fans Should Monitor During Four-Game Set vs. Braves
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The Washington Nationals are coming off a disappointing series against the San Francisco Giants.
Once again, their pitching staff had major issues, as Zack Littell was lit up during his outing and Cade Cavalli couldn't provide length during his that put extra stress on the bullpen. The Nationals were able to rebound in the finale to win the final game of that set, and the hope is their performance gives them a boost heading into the massive series against the Atlanta Braves.
Despite the problems Washington has had on the mound, they enter Monday's contest tied for second in the NL East. And with an opportunity to make up ground on the Braves during this four-game set, here are three things Nationals fans should monitor.
Can This Starting Rotation Finally Figure Things Out?
It has been a rough showing for this unit so far. While the bullpen has gotten the majority of the attention for their struggles, the starters enter Monday with an ERA of 6.01. That puts them 29th in the MLB behind the Houston Astros, who have a staff ERA of 6.34.
Washington has their four best starters scheduled to pitch during this four-game set against Atlanta, as Jake Irvin is set to start on Monday, Foster Griffin on Tuesday, Littell on Wednesday and Cavalli on Thursday.
Getting solid outings from all four of their starting pitchers would be huge for the Nationals, especially with the bullpen continuing to have their own issues limiting runs. Even though the Braves are one of the best offenses in the MLB with the most runs scored (122), if this group of four can't deliver a solid showing for Washington, then changes could be coming to this unit at some point.
Who Else Steps Up for This Offense?
It's been the James Wood and CJ Abrams show for this offense basically all season long. While Joey Wiemer was the story early on when he tied a major league record for consecutive times getting on base to begin a campaign, he has cooled off.
Daylen Lile has been solid, but he's not been the star hitter he was to close out last season. Brady House started strong, but he's slowed down. Luis Garcia Jr. has had moments, but he's also been inconsistent. And the duo of Jose Tena and Jorbit Vivas have good numbers, but they aren't everyday players.
All of that is to say there needs to be others who step up alongside Wood and Abrams. And when facing an Atlanta pitching staff that has the best ERA in baseball (2.66), this will be a good test to see who can perform against high-end arms.
Will the Mental Mistakes Be Fixed?
The Nationals have made plenty of mental mistakes throughout the year. And it got to the point where manager Blake Butera felt he needed to call a team meeting ahead of this past Sunday's game to address things that had taken place on the field.
It worked for that contest, as Washington won 3-0. But it will be interesting to see if this young team can stay locked in for nine innings during a game and limit the mistakes they can control or if they will revert back to their previous bad habits.
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Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai