3 Things Nationals Fans Should Monitor During Brewers Series
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The Washington Nationals are entering their set against the Milwaukee Brewers with a 4-8 record.
They have lost three series in a row and seven out of their last nine games. Pitching woes have been on full display, as the starting rotation has clear holes and the bullpen has blown multiple leads that have directly resulted in losses.
A positive during the early part of the season has been the offense. Their 71 runs scored is the third-most across Major League Baseball, and if wasn't for the relief staff's struggles, the lineup would have powered the Nationals to a winning record thus far.
But that isn't the case. And entering this three-game road set against the Brewers, it's important for Washington to try and right the ship or else this campaign has a chance to spiral out of control already. With that in mind, here are three things fans should pay attention to this weekend.
Can the Offense Stay Red-Hot?
If it wasn't for this offense, the Nationals would have an even worse record than they already do. So it will be important for the lineup to remain hot at the plate while the coaching staff tries to fix what is going wrong with the bullpen and starting rotation.
Whether or not they can continue to produce runs at a high clip against a Milwaukee team that enters this series with an ERA of 3.77 will be seen. Washington only scored one run in their finale against the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday, so they'll look to get things rolling again.
James Wood and CJ Abrams Power Surge
It's no surprise that the offense has clicked with both James Wood and CJ Abrams hitting the ball out of the park. While there was concern about Wood's early struggles -- with some even suggesting he needed a reset in Triple-A -- he has gotten red-hot and has now hit four longballs to match Abrams for the team lead. Their four blasts are tied for fifth in the MLB, as they are just one behind the leaders.
However, Wood and Abrams have had much greater success at home than on the road, with the duo both hitting three of their four homers at Nationals Park. Wood's slash line at home is .333/.448/.750 compared to .111/.200/.296 on the road, while Abrams has slashed .333/.462/.762 compared to .238/.304/.381 on the road.
It will be paramount for both of these young stars to continue their hot hitting and power surge against the Brewers or else it could be a major struggle for the Nationals.
How Blake Butera Deploys His Bullpen
Manager Blake Butera has talked about not overreacting to results on a day-to-day basis. But he also stated that he was surprised the bullpen has struggled the way they have. Because of that, he likely will be adjusting how he deploys his relievers, which is something fans should pay attention to in regards to how roles will be divvied up going forward.
Hopefully there is some improvement when it comes to the pitching staff during this three-game set. They had about as bad of a week as imaginable. So with a day off before heading out to Milwaukee, maybe that's what they needed to get things turned around.
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