The Washington Nationals and Detroit Tigers continue their weekend Interleague series in Detroit Saturday. The Nationals took the opener on Friday night.
Getting Hot
The Nationals are 41-40 and in third place in the National League East. They are on a four-game winning streak after their last win against the Tigers in Detroit. Over their last 10 games, the Nationals are 8-2. They are 20-21 on the road.
The Nationals will be starting Austin Voth. The 27-year-old will get another chance in Washington’s rotation after the Nationals sent their fifth starter to Triple-A. In his first start for the Nationals this season, Voth allowed just two runs over six innings. He has not factored into a win or loss yet this year but carries a 3.00 ERA and seven strikeouts into his next outing.
On offense, the Nationals have been led their 29-year-old third baseman, Anthony Rendon. Rendon leads the team in batting average with .302, home runs with 17, and RBI with 55. In his last game, he went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, and a home run.
The Struggle Continues
Detroit is just 26-51 this season after losing their last eight games, including their most recent game against the Nationals. The Tigers are 11-28 at home. They currently sit in fourth place in the American League Central, where they are 24 games back from the first-place Twins.
Gregory Soto will be getting the start for the Tigers in Saturday’s game. Soto is 0-2 this season with a hefty 9.22 ERA and 11 strikeouts. While this season has been rough for him, his last start against Cleveland lasted four innings, where he gave up zero runs and issued three strikeouts. Look for Soto to try to get some momentum going in this next matchup with his last start giving him something to build on.
Without surprise, leading the Detroit Tigers’ bats is their veteran 36-year-old first baseman, Miguel Cabrera. His .294 batting average and 31 RBI both lead the Tigers. Leftfielder Brandon Dixon leads the team with his 10 home runs, while he too has 31 runs batted in.
The Tigers have a lot to do if they plan on competing in games this year. They are in a complete rebuild and have been for a while. They have some talent in their system, so look for them to use the rest of the season to test those players out and plan for the future as well as move veterans out for young talent at the deadline.
What to Expect
With the Tigers on an eight-game losing streak and the Nationals winning their first game of the series 3-1, I would expect them to do the same. Look for the Nationals to win again in this matchup, most likely by a bigger margin.
