The Washington Nationals (36-70, 43-59 RL, 48-51-3 O/U) battle the Philadelphia Phillies (56-48, 55-49 RL, 53-47-4 O/U) in the first of a three-game divisional series on Friday evening. The Nationals will give the nod to Paolo Espino. The Phillies will reply with Noah Syndergaard. The Phillies lead the season series by a 6-2 margin.
The Nats will have Paolo Espino on the hill on Thursday. Espino had trouble in his latest effort, conceding four runs on seven hits in 4.2 innings against the Cardinals, and was able to finish with the no-decision in a game the Nats rallied to win. The veteran right-hander gives up too many homers and doesn’t pitch deep into games. He has posted a respectable 3.78 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP accompanied by an 0-3 record in 66.2 innings on the season. Espino has conceded seven runs (six earned) in 8.2 innings against the Phillies this season and is 0-2 with a 6.33 ERA in 27 career innings.
The Nationals' rebuild continues after shipping away Soto and Bell to the Padres. They now have several promising young players in the organization. The rest of this season will likely be ugly. They have lost five out of their last seven games and open a seven-ga me road trip in this game.
Luis Garcia has been stellar against the Phillies this season, posting a .385 average and a .903 OPS. The 22-year-old shortstop has potential and is hitting .290 with 23 RBIs and a .731 OPS on the season. Garcia has accrued eight RBIs in his last eight games.
The Nationals are scoring an average of 3.82 runs per game, pegging them 27th overall. The pitching staff is an issue, posting a 5.13 team ERA, pegging them last.