3 Things That Stood Out During Nationals Series Victory Over White Sox
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It took a while -- right around two weeks to be exact -- but the Washington Nationals are back in the winner's circle when it comes to securing a series victory.
Following their rare sweep over the Milwaukee Brewers that took place from April 10-12, the Nationals split with the Pittsburgh Pirates in their following set and then dropped two in a row against the and San Francisco Giants and Atlanta Braves.
While the Chicago White Sox aren't exactly playoff contenders at this stage of the season, taking two out of three from them was a positive for Washington. And as this series took place, three things stood out.
Foster Griffin Is This Team's Ace
When Foster Griffin was signed, not much was made of the addition. Brought over after he spent three seasons in Japan playing Nippon Professional Baseball, the left-hander has been a revelation for the Nationals to start the year.
Following his start on Sunday where he threw seven scoreless innings of two-hit ball with eight strikeouts and two walks, his ERA on the season is down to 2.67 across six outings. He has easily been the best pitcher for Washington, and he is the clear ace of this staff.
While Cade Cavalli has a higher upside than Griffin -- which was on display during his last outing when he had a career-high 10 strikeouts -- the best starting pitcher the Nationals have has been Griffin. That was confirmed with his outing against the White Sox where he was sensational on his way to helping his team earn this series victory.
Extra-Inning Winners
Washington didn't win a game in nine innings during this set, as both of their victories came in extras. Prior to this series, the Nationals were 1-3 when they went longer than regulation, so seeing them win back-to-back contests in the 10th was a good sign for this young club.
During both contests, Washington's offense came through in the top half of their frame. On Saturday, they scored four runs as a result of being patient at the plate with two walks drawn and putting the ball in play with singles. That wasn't the case on Sunday, though, as Jose Tena delivered a pinch-hit two-run homer to give the Nationals the lead.
But perhaps the most positive thing that came from these two wins was what the bullpen did in high-leverage moments. In both games, only one run was allowed in extras during each of the bottom halves of the frames. On Saturday, Brad Lord closed the door. And then on Sunday, Paxton Schultz recorded the save. Hopefully that can provide the much-maligned unit with some confidence as they navigate what has been a tough season so far.
Offense Was Much More Muted
Washington will take all the wins they can no matter how they look. But it was a noticeable that the offense wasn't quite as hot as they had been coming into this matchup.
Entering the three-game weekend set, the Nationals were one of the best offenses in baseball. And while they exited this set with an average of four runs scored per contest, they only plated six total runs across their three games when excluding what was scored in extras.
Is this a sign that the offense is coming back to earth a bit or was it just a one-off? Time will tell, especially as they get ready to take on the struggling New York Mets in a three-game road series to begin next week.
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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