Miami Marlins Series Preview: Marlins Head to Nation’s Capital

May 3, 2015; New York City, NY, USA; Washington Nationals left fielder Jayson Werth (28) high fives Washington Nationals pitcher Drew Storen (22) after getting the save to win the game against the New York Mets at Citi Field. The Nationals won 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Ehsan Kassim: After a slow start, the Nats are picking up steam. What’s been the main difference the past couple of weeks? 

Ricky Keeler: The main difference for the Nationals the last few days has been their starting pitching and defense. First on the pitching side, this rotation has put up five quality starts in a row and should have won all five games, had it not been for Matt Harvey last Friday. Max Scherzer has been great for the Nats, but when Gio Gonzalez and Doug Fister are putting up good starts consistently, that’s what makes the rotation as special as it looks on paper. As for the defense, this was the worst fielding team in the bigs to start the year. However, they won the last two games against the Mets because of very good defensive plays, such as throwing out Juan Lagares at the plate on Saturday in the first inning of a 1-0 win. 

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The offense has still struggled to get the big hit at times, but early in the season, this team will win games because of pitching and defense. Plus, that comeback win in Atlanta had to help propel this team as they ended a road trip 5-5 after being swept by the Marlins at the beginning of it.

EK: What’s the latest on Anthony Rendon? Any other significant Nat injuries right now?

RK: The latest on Anthony Rendon is that he has missed the last couple of rehab games in Harrisburg because he has had trouble getting his left side loose. This is the second time that Rendon’s rehab on his knee has been started, then stopped. At first, this injury didn’t seem serious, but he still is not back in the lineup. As far as other injuries go, this team is healthy on offense right now. The only other injury is to reliever Casey Janssen. Janssen is recovering from a rotator cuff injury. He threw an inning in an extended spring game a few days ago and the Nats hope he can begin pitching in rehab games soon.

EK: On a scale of 1-10, how worried are you about the bullpen? How can it be fixed?

RK: Right now, I would be at a 5 when it comes down to the bullpen. Since the season began, I always thought that once Janssen comes back, the Nationals will have a reliever that has experience in the eighth inning. That being said, Aaron Barrett has emerged as a leading candidate for that role as he has not given up a run in four straight outings. Matt Williams likes to mix and match the seventh and eighth innings and he’s had to use a couple of rookies such as lefty Matt Grace, who has done a good job in the early stages or a starter turned reliever in Tanner Roark. Plus, they just signed Jose Valverde to a minor league deal. However, I can’t go to a 8 or a 9 because Drew Storen has looked good as the closer, with the exception of the blown save against St. Louis. It’s the bridge to Storen that Matt Williams is still trying to figure out.

EK: Trea Turner, a prospect the Nats acquired this off season, is still a Padre. Can you explain what’s going on with that?

RK: Turner is still a Padre because of a rule that Major League Baseball has where a new draft pick can’t be officially traded until the one year anniversary of the day in which he signed his contract, which is why he is still technically a player to be named later. Once June 13 happens, Turner will be officially a member of the Nationals organization and play for their double-A affiliate, the Harrisburg Senators, in all likelihood. Recently, MLB is changing the rule and allowing recently drafted players to be traded once the World Series ends, which is a great rule. To be fair, San Diego has been fair in this process in how to handle Turner until he arrives. That being said, Washington is very excited about this player as a potential middle infield combination with Wilmer Difo, another top infield prospect in their organization. If Washington doesn’t re-sign Ian Desmond this winter, it’s because they feel Difo or Turner could be the shortstop of the future in the Nation’s Capital.

Next: Pitching Matchups & Predictions

Apr 12, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Max Scherzer (31) throws a pitch during first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

EK: Can you give us a quick scouting report on the pitchers the Marlins will face this series?

RK: Tonight, the Nationals will throw Jordan Zimmermann against David Phelps. Zimmermann was good against Miami last time out. He gave up two runs over six innings and found a way to get out of some key jams in the game. He is coming into this start after striking a season high seven players against the Braves in his last start. Zimmermann had issues with his mechanics in the early stages, but he may be starting to figure it out.

As for Strasburg on Tuesday, the key for him is to not solely rely on his fastball, which got him into trouble against Stanton and the Marlins the last time he faced him (four runs over six innings). If he locates his fastball well early in the count, it will allow him to use his changeup and curveball to put away more hitters.

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Finally, Max Scherzer gets the ball on Wednesday afternoon and he has been everything that Nats fans can hope for in an ace. He struck out ten Mets in his last start, but made one mistake to Michael Cuddyer, which cost him the game. For Scherzer, the Nationals need to get him run support. In three losses this season, Washington has scored a combined two runs for him! He has eight or more strikeouts in four of his five starts and he showed no ill effects of the jammed thumb he got while swinging the bat against the Cardinals a couple of weeks ago. As good as Miami has played over the last week-10 days, it will be no easy task to win this series.

EK: Any bold predictions for the series? Do the Nationals get their revenge?

RK: My prediction for this series is I think the Nationals will take two out of three. As good as the Marlins are playing right now, this is a different Nationals team than the one Miami played in their building. While Jayson Werth is still struggling, Ian Desmond is hitting the ball well the last couple of days and Wilson Ramos is coming into this series on an eight game hitting streak. Washington’s offense struggled against Mat Latos and Tom Koehler last time and I don’t expect those struggles to repeat because the offense has looked much different.

Of course, you can’t talk about the Nats without talking about Bryce Harper. I have been very impressed by Harper’s plate discipline since spring training because he is being very selective and working good at-bats practically everytime up. Since Harper hit a home run against Miami in the last series (off of Dan Haren), I will say Harper hits two home runs this series in his own ballpark. With the Nationals back home and feeling better about themselves over the last week, I give them the slight edge over the Marlins to win the series.

There you have it. We want to thank Ricky for giving us such great insight into the Nationals. Remember to check out District on Deck for all their excellent coverage of latest Nationals’ news and notes. Also be sure to follow Ricky Keeler, his co-editor Pablo Roa, and District on Deck on Twitter.

Next: Marlins Embark on 10-game Trip