The Nationals will be visiting old friend, Bryce Harper, in a 3-game series on his new home turf in Philadelphia. Here’s a few things to watch for:
Nats fans won’t be the only ones booing Harper: The former All-Star hasn’t been hitting, and his own fans are starting to take notice. In the Phillies’ last game against the Tigers, the right fielder got up to bat surrounded by an entire stadium of boos. Whether it’s the missed at-bats or the dropped fly balls, Harper’s home territory definitely doesn’t seem to be pleased with his performance.
In the history books: Stephen Strasburg set an MLB record during the Nationals’ last game against the Cardinals, becoming the fastest pitcher to reach 1,500 strikeouts. This allowed Washington to just barely squeeze themselves out of being swept by St. Louis. Manager Davey Martinez says with a pitcher like Strasburg, “the sky’s the limit,” hoping for more milestones like these to be made throughout the season.
Anyone’s series: The Phillies (17-13) enter the weekend series atop the NL East and boast a 12-6 record at Citizens Bank Park this season. The Nationals (13-17) have won three of the five matchups against Philadelphia, including the April 10 blowout by a final score of 15-1. Washington has an opportunity to make up ground this weekend and cut into the four-game hole that the team built up having lost seven of its last 10 games.
Down for the count: Will Washington ever experience an injury-less season? Probably not. For the second year in a row, the Nats are faced with an abundance of ailments that are preventing six players (Anthony Rendon, Juan Soto, Trea Turner, Koda Glover, Ryan Zimmerman, and pitcher Trevor Rosenthal) from being available for Friday’s game.
The game broadcast will be at 7:05 PM ET. Click here to download the MyTeams app.
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