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Nationals (13-5) vs. Rockies (13-6) Series Info:
Game 1: Monday, April 24 at 8:40 p.m. EST (MASN2/106.7 The Fan)
Game 2: Tuesday, April 25 at 8:40 p.m. EST (MASN2/106.7)
Game 3: Wednesday, April 26 at 8:40 p.m. EST (MASN2/106.7)
Game 4: Thursday, April 27 at 3:10 p.m. EST (MASN/106.7)
Pitching Matchups:
Monday: Jacob Turner (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Tyler Anderson (1-3, 7.32)
Tuesday: Joe Ross (1-0, 3.86) vs. Chris Rusin (2-0, 1.17)
Wednesday: Tanner Roark (2-0, 3.65) vs. Tyler Chatwood (2-2, 4.10)
Thursday: Gio Gonzalez (2-0, 1.35) vs. Antonio Senzatela (3-0, 2.08)
What to watch for:
Who has the best lineup in baseball?
Heading into the season, the Colorado Rockies were right at the top of the list among teams considered to be vying for the title of top offense in the majors.
So far, however, the Washington Nationals lead the MLB in team OPS (.793) and rank second in runs scored (93), while the Rockies sit at 16th (80) and 12th (.733), respectively.
Nolan Arenado, Charlie Blackmon, Trevor Story, DJ LeMahieu and Carlos Gonzalez taking on Bryce Harper, Daniel Murphy, Trea Turner, Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Eaton should make for a high-scoring series.
Nats’ starters not quite outshined by offense
While the offense has been on fire, Washington’s starting rotation has been nothing short of fantastic.
The Nationals’ rotation tops the National League in ERA (3.30) and quality starts (16) — even despite Jeremy Guthrie’s disastrous 10-run outing.
Max Scherzer won’t take the ball for this series and Jacob Turner is making his first career start in a Nats uniform, but Washington’s rotation should still give the team a good chance to win the series.
Rockies bullpen a force to be reckoned with
Despite the ever-present Coors Field effect, Colorado’s relief corps has gotten off to an impressive start to the season.
The group leads the major leagues with 10 saves on the year and its top four arms at the back end of the bullpen all have an ERA of 2.16 or lower.
Greg Holland and Co. have the Rockies in first place of the NL West — this will be the toughest opponent the Nats have faced this year and their bullpen is a big reason why.
Who to watch out for: Nolan Arenado
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Harper may be the early favorite for MVP, but Nolan Arenado isn’t too far behind.
The Rockies’ third baseman owns a .329/.392/.671 slash line on the year with six home runs and 13 RBIs.
He owns a .953 OPS against the Nats in his career — even higher than his .931 mark at Coors — which should be more than enough to make any Washington pitcher wary of his spot in the lineup.