The Washington Nationals certainly made a statement against the Boston Red Sox this past weekend, completing a sweep on June 10 by the score of 4-3. Tom Gorzelanny picked up his second win of the year for the Nationals, while Tyler Clippard converted for his eighth save.
For some reason or another Zimmermann can never get enough run support for a winning decision, as he pitched well yet again on June 10, going seven innings strong while giving up three runs on seven hits to go along with seven strikeouts for the day. Jordan has come back down to earth from his great start to the season, with his ERA going from 1.33 at the end of April to 2.91 after the game against the Red Sox, but I don't think it is something the Nationals should be all that concerned with. His career ERA is 3.64, so he is still pitching better than expectations, and once Michael Morse gets back up to speed he should get some more run support.
The player of the game for the Nationals on June 10 was Danny Espinosa, who went 2 for 4 with two key doubles. He now has four doubles over his past three games, and finally seems to be turning things around this season. His average is still anemic at .228, but if he can get some hits every now and then along with some steals that is pretty much all the Nationals can hope for out of him right now, as Stephen Lombardozzi hasn't been all that great as a replacement for him either.
Upcoming Series
After their series against the Red Sox, the Washington Nationals will now go on to face the Toronto Blue Jays in a three game series. Edwin Jackson, Chien-Ming Wang, and Stephen Strasburg will be taking the mound against Brandon Morrow, Henderson Alvarez, and Kyle Drabek in what should be an intriguing series to watch. The game of the series to watch will be the first one when Jackson goes up against Morrow. Morrow has been fantastic for the Blue Jays this year with a .290 ERA, and is coming off of a complete game shutout against the Chicago White Sox. Jackson has been pitching solidly as well of late, going at least six innings over his past four starts with an overall ERA of 3.11. This game should set the table for the rest of the series, and if the Nationals can get to Morrow early in the count they should get off to a good start.
Ryan Kekoufski lives near the Nationals' stadium and has been following the team ever since they moved to Washington D.C.
