While the Washington Nationals were able to overcome the scorching temperatures in the first game of their series against the Atlanta Braves, it would prove a bit too much for them on June 30 as they lost by the score of 7-5. Mike Minor picked up his fourth win while Stephen Strasburg had his third loss of the year.
Stephen Strasburg
The weather seemed to take its toll especially on Stephen Strasburg, as he was only able to throw three innings before being taken out due to dehydration. He looked okay through the first two innings, but as the third was progressing something just didn't look right, and Davey Johnson made the call. Strasburg gave up three runs on two hits to go with four strikeouts on the day, with all three runs being given up in the third inning. I wouldn't look too much into the early exit for Strasburg, as the weather was clearly to blame (along with not drinking enough water), and I would expect him to be out on the mound for his next start.
One of the players who had a good game offensively for the Nationals was Adam LaRoche, who went 2 for 3 with two doubles and an RBI. To say that it was a day LaRoche needed would be an understatement, as he has really struggled of late and has a .251 average on the year after getting off to a hot start. With Jayson Werth still out and Ryan Zimmerman still figuring things out the Nationals need Adam to step it up heading into the All-Star break, and hopefully this game will help to give him some momentum.
Upcoming Series
After finishing up their series against the Braves on July 1 the Washington Nationals will then move on to play the San Francisco Giants in what should be an interesting three game series. Jordan Zimmermann, Edwin Jackson, and Ross Detwiler will be taking the mound against Tim Lincecum, Madison Bumgarner, and Matt Cain, with the matchup to watch being Jackson versus Bumgarner. Jackson is coming off of a poor start against the Colorado Rockies and it will intriguing to see how he recovers, while Bumgarner has been nothing short of fantastic this season and is coming off of a one-hitter.
Ryan Kekoufski lives near the Nationals' stadium and has been following the team ever since they moved to Washington D.C.
