The Washington Nationals are set to host the St. Louis Cardinals this weekend, highlighted by the season’s first postgame concert featuring Rockville’s O.A.R. The band will perform their new song, “Our Diamond. Our District,” which was created to celebrate the Nationals’ latest City Connect theme. Fans will experience the full rendition for the first time, following previous snippets.
The Nationals are looking to bounce back with pitcher Mitchell Parker, who recently had an outstanding 8.0-inning performance before struggling in his last two outings. Opposing him will be Erick Fedde, a first-round pick from the 2014 draft.
In the lineup changes, Josh Bell has dropped to the seventh spot as he returns, while Amed Rosario steps back into the lineup amid Jose Tena’s recent slump. The manager, Dave Martinez, mentioned plans to shift pitcher Brad Lord to the bullpen to provide him with a breather.
The statistics reveal some interesting insights: James Wood leads the team with a +1.5 WAR, while MacKenzie Gore follows closely with +1.3. Conversely, Josh Bell’s performance has significantly dipped, with a -0.8 WAR.
Defensively, the team’s statistics paint a clear picture of their struggles, particularly with Paul DeJong currently leading in Outs Above Average (OAA) despite not playing for nearly a month. The combination of Luis Garcia Jr. and CJ Abrams has resulted in a concerning -7.0 OAA.
Manager Martinez noted the team’s resilience in competitive situations, emphasizing the importance of securing wins when the starting pitcher is performing well. Unfortunately, the Nationals have the eighth-worst combined ERA for their starting pitchers at 4.26 and the worst ERA for relievers at 7.22 in Major League Baseball.
Tonight’s game offers an opportunity for improvement as the Nationals face the Cardinals at Nationals Park. Fans can tune in at 6:45 pm EDT via APPLE TV+ or listen on the radio.
With fresh energy and changes in the lineup, the Nationals are hoping for a strong performance against the Cardinals, setting the scene for a thrilling matchup tonight.