The first game of this set went to the home team, as the Arizona Diamondbacks (18-14) took a 3-1 duel to begin the series. After game two Saturday night, the Washington Nationals (13-19) will play in Phoenix for the final time this season Sunday afternoon. These teams play again in June, but a lot can change until then. For now, the focus will be on Sunday's 4:10 p.m. EST first pitch in Chase Field as both teams seek a win to punctuate the weekend.
Another #Dbacks win closed out by The Sheriff ?? pic.twitter.com/MS61or9PdG
— Bally Sports Arizona (@BALLYSPORTSAZ) May 6, 2023
Six pitches into Friday's game, Luis Garcia knocked one out of the park, a rare homer from the Nationals to give them an early lead. Over the next 8.2 innings, DC's lineup only mustered three singles and a walk. It was disappointing considering the strong start, but not surprising when considering their performance all season. Washington is 29th in home runs, one of two teams that haven't hit 20 yet this season. The power outage is one of the many issues plaguing a club that's 28th in runs per game this season. Outside of MLB's best strikeout rate at the plate, not much is going right for the Nationals' hitters. If only they could stumble into a Juan Soto-type of talent.
Trevor Williams will probably be begging for run support when he tries to collect another win in this series finale. Williams has had two poor starts this year mixed among four solid outings. On the road, he hasn't had a cl ean outing, allowing eight runs across 16.1 innings. Despite a solid 3.41 ERA, his xERA is 5.86, so Williams may be due for regression. A high left-on-base percentage (78.5%) coupled with a low strikeout rate (15.7%) are indicative of good luck on the mound thus far. The bullpen behind him is solid and threw 3.0 scoreless innings in Friday's series opener.
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