Washington rolls back home sitting at 52-51, still battling to climb above .500 despite rocking the best offense in MLB. It’s been nearly two months since these Nationals saw the Arizona Diamondbacks, and back then, Washington’s offense was already blowing up, leading the league with 331 runs, even topping the Dodgers. Nothing’s changed on that front, folks, because these Nats can absolutely rake.
The Nats’ Split Personality: Bombs Away at the Plate, Ball-Watching in the Field
This Washington team is a true head-scratcher. On one hand, their bats are absolutely on fire. They lead MLB in home runs with 150. They’ve racked up an insane 567 runs, more than anyone else in the league. And they’re not just waiting for the long ball; they’ve got 113 stolen bases too, another league-best. Their 113 OPS+ puts them right behind the Dodgers, only because of a slightly lower walk-rate. This offense is legit. But then you look at their pitching and defense, and it’s like watching a different team entirely. Their pitching staff is still one of the worst in the league, and man, are they wild. It’s truly baffling. Their defense is somehow even worse, leading MLB in a negative way with the lowest fielding percentage and the most errors allowed. It’s a miracle they’re even at 52-51 with that kind of defensive showing. Remember their crazy series “out west” against the Athletics? They dropped 23 runs in one game, then let the A’s score 15 in the very next one, before finally settling for a 5-2 win. After that rollercoaster, they snagged a 2-1 series win from Denver, which tells you everything about this unpredictable squad.
D-backs on a Grind and a Pitcher’s Tough Start
Arizona’s coming into this series after a stop in St. Louis, kicking off what’s gonna be their longest road trip of the season, a brutal 10-game stretch against the Cardinals, Nationals, Pirates, and Cleveland. It’s a real gauntlet for them. They’ve improved their record since that last series against Washington, going from 34-31 to a respectable 54-49, so they’re definitely a better team than the last time these two met. That series started rough for the D-backs, with Merrill Kelly giving up three homers in a 14-1 blowout where Washington practically begged for a mercy rule. Game two was a 6-1 loss, not much better. But they saved face in the finale, taking a 5-1 win against what was, even then, one of the worst pitching and defensive units in the league, only slightly better than the Rockies.
For Friday’s opener at 3:45 PM MST, it’s Eduardo Rodriguez on the mound for Arizona. The guy’s been solid: 20 starts, 8 wins against 3 losses, a 2.62 ERA, and a 1.22 WHIP. He’s an $18,000,000 arm, and he’s delivering. Across the diamond, it’s Carson Palmquist for Washington, who’s still trying to find his footing in the bigs. Palmquist made his MLB debut with the Rockies last season, but he’s only got 7 games and 4 starts under his belt this year, with an 0-1 record, a rough 8.74 ERA, and a 1.68 WHIP over just 11.1 innings. The dude pitched long relief in AAA earlier this year and was even designated for assignment without making a single appearance, so this is a huge moment for him.
Can the Nationals’ power bats bail out their shaky pitching and defense against a solid Eduardo Rodriguez? Or will the D-backs keep grinding on their tough road trip and take advantage of Palmquist’s struggles? It’s all on the line when these two meet again on Friday.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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