The Washington Nationals returned home to face the Baltimore Orioles this week. The Nats got the home stand off to a good start Tuesday, blanking the Orioles 7-0 behind Mitchell Parker’s eight brilliant innings of one-hit pitching.
Parker’s excellent start provided a lift for the team after a 10-game trip to Miami, Pittsburgh and Colorado yielded only four wins. Washington hit the road with some momentum after taking two of three from the Dodgers, but won only two of seven games in Miami and Pittsburgh. The offense sputtered on the road, and Washington’s weak middle relief corps didn’t help.
Arms and bats
Still, there were positive signs. Dylan Crews, who could not have been colder at the beginning of the season, has hit three home runs in the team’s past 15 games and brought a six-game hitting streak into the Orioles series. He also leads the Nats with six stolen bases. Keibert Ruiz continues to lead the team with a .333 batting average. Nathaniel Lowe sports a .294 average and leads the Nats with 19 RBI. James Wood has done a terrific job in the leadoff role while CJ Abrams has been injured; Wood’s eight home runs lead the team.
Nats pitchers are among the top 10 in the majors in ERA (Parker’s 1.39 ranks eighth), strikeouts (MacKenzie Gore, 45, second) and saves (Kyle Finnegan, 8, second).
Mets visit for the weekend
Generating some momentum against the Orioles would serve the Nationals well, as the New York Mets arrive on Friday for a four-game series. The Mets lead the NL East by five games. But that lead is built largely on New York’s 12-1 record at home; on the road they’re a middling 6-6. The Nats have played their best baseball this season against the National League’s top teams, so expect Washington to win at least two against New York.
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