Game one of this series was a win for the Washington Nationals (7-13), as was game two on Saturday afternoon. Suddenly, the Minnesota Twins (11-10) are staring down a potential sweep on their home turf. Both games were different, as the first saw a late Nats rally, and the second was driven by an early 4-0 lead for the visitors. With both sides prepping to play a New York team after this, let's see who will put a bow on this three-game set. Target Field welcomes the Nationals for the final time until 2025 (barring a World Series matchup), with the first pitch set for 2:10 p.m. EDT.
CJ's first home run as a Washington National comes with two runners on in 35-degree weather.
Just like we all predicted. #NATITUDE pic.twitter.com/XJp1YQjLeQ
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) April 22, 2023
Washington's hopes of getting their first sweep of 2023 rest in the left arm of Patrick Corbin. Considering he may be the worst starting pitcher in the league, that's not ideal. His ERA right now is lower than it was in 2022, but it's still at 6.30. However, Corbin's last start was the second straight that the Nationals won and he tossed 6.0 innings, allowing four runs (two earned). He didn't walk anyone and kept the ball in the park. Still, his WHIP for the year is 1.750, which would represent a career-high over a full season.
When Corbin departs, he'll be backed up by a solid relief core. They entered this series fifth in BABIP. In most other stats, outside of strikeout rate, they were middle-of-the-pack. In the first game of this series, they tossed 3.0 scoreless innings to lock down a one-run win. The relievers weren't clean in the second game, allowing three runs over 5.1 innings. They didn't blow it though, and that's what counts.
Joey Meneses hit a home run in the first game of this series, a rarity for this Nationals team that has the fewest in the majors. His follow-up on Saturday was a four-hit day which included two RBI singles. He may be a diamond in the rough for an offense with very limited firepower. They're 29th in slugging, 22nd in stolen bases, and bottom-five in runs per game. If the offense picks it up, playing as they did on Saturday, this team could hover around .500 considering their pitching has been competitive through 20 games.
Minnesota is cold.
Joey Meneses is hot. pic.twitter.com/8InSzlNsvK
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) April 22, 2023