The Washington Nationals are home after dealing with one wet weekend. All three of their games against the Reds were affected by rain delays and Sunday’s 4-1 win saw MacKenzie Gore slip on a drizzled mound.
But the club goes from being in danger of getting swept in Philadelphia to bringing home a 3-3 road trip. Can they build off of a 3-2 start in May?
Digesting the Division: The New York Mets (22-13) are getting quite a start from a guy who played for the Yankees last year, but not the first one who comes to mind. Pitcher Clay Holmes is 4-1 with an ERA of 2.95 and leads the team with 39 strikeouts through seven starts.
Philadelphia (19-14) is getting a stellar season from slugger Kyle Schwarber (10 homers with 25 RBI), and so far this season the one-time National has hit four homers in six games against his former team. But before you start saying “Daniel Murphy against the Mets,” Schwarber batted .133 with zero homers against the Nats in 13 games last year.
Washington (16-19) is just a little bit ahead of Atlanta (15-18), who allowed a homer and four RBI to ex-Brave Freddie Freeman Saturday night. Miami (13-20) knows what it means to face Freeman and the Dodgers after allowing 34 runs while getting swept by LA last week.
O’s Woes: The joy of taking two of three from the New York Yankees was tempered by losing two of three to Kansas City. Sunday the Orioles (13-20) allowed a Royals-record seven homers in an 11-6 loss. The team that is coming off consecutive playoff appearances has been under .500 for over a month and in last place for 13 days.
Diamonds Direct Diamond King: Rookie Brad Lord played the role of stopper Thursday in Philadelphia, striking out four over five innings while posting his first career win. Injuries to D.J. Herz and Michael Soroka have given the former 18th round draft pick an opportunity and he’s made the most of it.
Last Week’s Heroes: C.J. Abrams hit .379 while scoring five runs. Nathaniel Lowe smacked two homers with eight RBI while James Wood batted .333 and extended his on-base streak to 14 games. Jorge Lopez posted four scoreless innings of relief while notching a win in Sunday’s series finale.
Last Week’s Humbled: Trevor Williams posted an ERA of 7.59 while Jake Irvin allowed six runs over six innings and Mitchell Parker surrendered five runs over four frames. Josh Bell hit .133 while Dylan Crews batted .077. Crews’ issues at the plate can be forgiven because of his play in the field. Bell as a DH or first baseman has to produce offensively to stay in the lineup.
Game to Watch: St. Louis drops by the district Friday with former National Erick Fedde (2-3 with a 4.78 ERA over seven starts) pitching for the Cardinals. After setting career bests in wins and ERA last season, Fedde posted a win over the Mets Sunday.