The Washington Nationals wrap up their road trip in the desert with a clash against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday afternoon. After giving up 10 runs in the opener, the struggling Nationals will be hell-bent on locking in defensively in the finale. They’ll have to if they have any hope of ending things on a high note. Erick Fedde is slated to start at pitcher for the Nationals opposite of Diamondbacks’ righty Corbin Martin.
The Nationals got blown off Chase Field for a second straight game. They got peppered early in the game before the floodgates opened in the sixth inning, leading to a 7-2 loss at the hands of the Diamondbacks. The team has now been outscored 17-3 in the last two games.
Ouch.
So what are they going to do about it? They’re still struggling to put runs on the scoreboard, and Erick Fedde (4.91 ERA) is far from a savior as a starting pitcher. And he’s already tried that role before against the Diamondbacks, and it blew up the Nationals’ face.
The 29-year-old starter yielded eight hits and seven runs in only 3.1 innings on the mound. This time, he’ll be on the road against a Diamondbacks offense taking whatever they want at the plate.
Not only does Fedde need a defensive masterpiece, but the bullpen has to com e through and hold off the late bats from rallying for Arizona. It isn’t an impossible feat, but it also doesn’t look good for a Nationals team with the least wins in the league.