The Washington Nationals might have broken their 10-game win streak, but that certainly has not stopped their momentum as one of the best teams in baseball at the moment. One bad game has not stopped their stride as the Nationals look to win their 13th of 14 games as their bats are mixing well with their strong pitching. Facing the struggling Philadelphia Phillies should not make the goal tough to achieve.
The Nationals put up a 2.22 ERA during a 12-1 stretch. They may have lost 10-3 on Friday to the San Francisco Giants, but they bounced back well, serving up 18 hits on Sunday. Stephen Strasburg gave up five runs in four innings, but that did not matter with Bryce Harper, Danny Espinosa and Ian Desmond all getting home runs. The Nationals will look to keep that pace up as they put Tanner Roark on the mound.
Roark is 12-7 with a 2.80 ERA on the season while going 5-1 with a 2.17 ERA in his last eight starts. He is also currently 5-1 with a 1.78 ERA in eight starts on the road. In his last start, he gave up five hits in seven innings while not giving up a run. He currently joins just four other pitchers who currently have at least 10 starts with seven-plus innings and one or fewer runs.
He should find winning against the Phillies easy. However, in his last start against the club he gave up seven runs, but the Nationals are looking to win their ninth of 14 games against the team as the Phillies sit in last place in the division. AJ Burnett will get the start who is currently not pitching well. He has a 6.41 ERA with six consecutive defeats. He gave up five runs and four walks in his last start. He is 2-0 with a 1.98 ERA in two home starts against the National League East leaders.
