Tonight’s game marks the regular season is 20% over. This is the point where sample sizes start becoming relevant to know what you have. But there is also a cautionary tale that some players are just great April performers. Gio Gonzalez pitches his best in April and the stats back that up where he is a 3.07 career best ERA in the month of April and in July he is a career 4.09. Baseball is a marathon, and it is about pacing yourself. On the other hand, Ryan Zimmerman started the year where April and June were always his worst months, and he bucked his April trend as NL Player of the Month. Statistics and patterns can change and perceptions are hard to shake.
Losses are also hard to shake, and the Nats have lost 2 tough ones in a row. Bryce Harper came back looking strong from his groin issue, and soon some of the players on the DL should be ready to return. That’s some of the good news.
Tonight, the Nationals need Max Scherzer to get the Nationals back to winning and dominating. The mental side of the game must get crisper. The Orioles will start right-handed Ubaldo Jimenez.
Washington Nationals at Baltimore Orioles
Stadium: Orioles Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, Maryland
1st Pitch: 7:05 pm EDT
TV: MASN2, MASN (Baltimore feed) , MLB.TV
Nats Radio: 106.7 FM The Fan; SiriusXM® (Internet 869)
Line-ups (subject to change without notice):
- Trea Turner SS
- Jayson Werth DH
- Bryce Harper RF
- Ryan Zimmerman 1B
- Daniel Murphy 2B
- Anthony Rendon 3B
- Matt Wieters C
- Chris Heisey LF
- Michael Taylor CF
Max Scherzer RHP
