Nationals Make Statement With Series Sweep Over Brewers
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Coming into their three-game road set against the Milwaukee Brewers, it was fair to question if the Washington Nationals would look competent, let alone compete for a series win.
Following a disastrous stretch where the Nationals lost two out of three against the Philadelphia Phillies, were swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers and then lost two out of three against the St. Louis Cardinals, it appeared like things were already coming off the rails for Washington.
However, after a much-needed day off before their weekend set against the Brewers, the Nationals looked like a completely different team. And by sweeping Milwaukee -- the first time that has happened since 2011 -- this young team made a statement that things just might be different this year compared to seasons past.
Revived Pitching Staff
A lot of the conversation surrounding Washington was how poor this pitching staff is coming off a horrendous showing in the previous three series. But against the Brewers, both the starting rotation and bullpen bounced back despite some struggles in the finale.
It didn't necessarily start well. Jake Irvin gave up a three-run homer in the bottom of the first inning in Game 1, but he was able to settle in after that. He pitched four scoreless innings after the first and handed things off to the bullpen, where they didn't allow a single run and only gave up two hits.
Foster Griffin was the story coming out of Game 2. He had a no-hitter through five innings before he allowed a leadoff single in the bottom of the sixth. Once again, the bullpen was excellent, as Brad Lord, Cionel Perez and Clayton Beeter combined to give up just one run on two hits.
Game 3 wasn't the sharpest performance from this staff. Zack Littell allowed three runs and Ken Waldichuk and Cole Henry gave up one and two earned runs, respectively, after coming in for the starter. But when the Nationals needed it most, both PJ Poulin and Gus Varland were lights out and helped secure the series sweep.
Offense Stays Hot
The lineup has had an incredible start to the season. Entering this matchup, they were one of the best offenses in all of baseball. And despite facing a good pitching staff, this young group was able to keep their hot start going by producing runs when it mattered.
Across these three games, Washington scored 18 runs. They also helped out their pitching staff in the finale to secure the impressive sweep by plating eight clutch runs. It felt like whenever Milwaukee had a big moment that swung momentum their way, it was answered by the Nationals, which is not something that could have been said very often the past few years.
How long Washington is able to keep up this level of production at the plate isn't clear. But it's been fun to see the offense clicking in this fashion and performing like one of the best units in the sport to start the season.
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