Get to Know the Enemy: Cincinnati Reds vs Washington Nationals
It’s finally here! It's Opening Day.
The Cincinnati Reds host the Washington Nationals who will have a few familiar faces on their team.
Here's what you can expect from the opening series of the 2024 season:
The Washington Nationals (71-91 in 2023, 5th place in NL East)
Remember when the Nationals won the World Series in 2019? That may seem like forever ago. They've had four-straight losing seasons since. Last year they saw a jump in wins, compared to 2022, but are still on the outskirts of being a competitive ball club. They will be a young team that has the ability to get younger with top prospects like James Wood, Dylan Crews, Trey Lipscomb, and Brady House not far from the Majors. This early in the season, though, the Reds will see the first wave of talent mixed with some retread veterans, like Nick Senzel and Jesse Winker.
Related: How to Watch Reds Opening Day Matchup Against Nationals
Nationals Hitting
It seems odd to call Senzel and Winker retreads, or veterans for that matter, but here we are. Senzel will be the everyday third baseman until House can take over and Winker is likely holding a spot for Wood or Crews. Senzel had nine hits in 39 at-bats during spring training. Winker had 13 hits in the same number of at-bats, including one home run and two doubles. Expect one, or both, to do some kind of damage to a baseball during this series.
The likely top-three in the Nationals lineup, though, will be CJ Abrams, Joey Meneses, and Lane Thomas. All three proved to be key contributors, at times, for Washington last year. Abrams will most likely lead off and will be a constant force on the bases. Meneses had 73 RBI with runners in scoring position last year and Thomas has killed the Reds throughout his career (1.038 OPS).
Nationals Pitching
Former Reds prospect Josiah Gray will take the hill for the Nationals. His appointment as the starter for the first game of the year was never in doubt. He was Washington’s lone All Star a year ago and their best starting pitcher, by far. He throws five pitches at least 16% of the time and even has a Sweeper (5% usage) and changeup (1%) that he will surprise hitters with. Of those five, three are just different forms of a fastball. He was below average in strikeout rate and walked batters more than the league average pitcher.
Game two will see Patrick Corbin start against the Reds. He’s a lefty, which may cause indigestion for some, but that’s really where the worry should stop. He was not good last year. In fact, the last time Corbin was good was 2019. Since then he's posted a 4.66 ERA or worse in each of the past four seasons: 4.66, 5.82, 6.31, and 5.20 last season. In all of those years (except for the COVID-shortened 2020) he pitched at least 152 2/3 innings. The Nationals have kept him around to eat innings while they reset their rotation. This is the final year of his contract, so he could have somewhat of a bounce back, but not to the tune that anyone should be worried about facing him.
Sunday’s game will see young starter Jake Irvin go for the Nationals. Eight of his 24 starts in his rookie season were quality starts. In fact, he only pitched in six or more innings nine times all last year. He was plagued by an above average walk rate and a below average strikeout rate. The 4.61 ERA he finished with is lucky based on his peripheral statistics. He throws four pitches, but will feature the four-seam fastball, curveball, and sinking fastball. He sprinkles in a changeup just to show he can throw it.
The bullpen is interesting. There are a few pitchers who can shut the door when needed like Kyle Finnegan, Hunter Harvey, and Jordan Weems. The Reds should see all three guys at some point in this series. There three of them, combined, had a 3.41 ERA last year. Outside of those three, there is former Reds relief pitcher Derek Law and a bunch of guys trying to stick on in MLB. If the Reds can put some runs on the board early and chase the starters, this series will go swimmingly for them.
For more on Reds Opening Day, go here.
Make sure you bookmark Inside the Reds for the latest news, exclusive interviews, and daily coverage of the Cincinnati Reds!
You May Also Like:
Ultimate Guide to 2024 Reds Starting Rotation
Ultimate Guide to 2024 Reds Bullpen
Ultimate Guide to 2024 Reds Infield
Ultimate Guide to 2024 Reds Outfield
Four Expectations for Reds Pitching Staff Ahead of 2024 Season
-----
Be sure to keep it locked on Inside the Reds, all the time!
Follow Inside the Reds on Twitter/X: @InsideTheReds
JEFF CARR
Jeff has hosted the only daily podcast covering the Cincinnati Reds since 2018. He’s been a life long fan of the Reds. He was at Clinchmas and the 2015 Home Run Derby. He is also the channel manager that supports all MLB podcasts on the Locked On Podcast Network. Jeff has extensive media experience as he covered college basketball and volleyball for Tennessee State and college softball for Mercer University.