Nats vs. Padres series preview

There are three teams in the National League with a worse record then the Washington Nationals (22-30), all of which play in the NL West. The San Diego Padres(19-33) are in dead last of them, and are set to host the Nats for a three game series. The Padres have quietly self-destructed at an alarming rate this year, fallowing what was statistically a worse collapse last season then the Mets suffered. They have preformed awfully, taking a playoff caliber team to have the second worst record in baseball in just one season. The Padres are currently in panic mode, and need to turn their season around.

The Nats on the other hand are playing .500 baseball since their terrible nine game losing streak earlier in the year. While their line up is banged up, and their bullpen is slumping, the once depressingly bad line up is starting to show signs of life. Lastings Milledge is hitting the ball, Ryan Zimmerman is batting .300 this month, and Elijah Dukes is actually making contact! The Nats will need this improved hitting against a solid pitching club in the Padres.

Padres Last Series

The Padres are coming off a series that held an 18 inning thriller in the finale. The Padres had lost two of the first three games against Cincinnati at home, but it took a three run walk off homer from Adrian Gonzalez in the bottom of the 18th to be able to split the series with the Reds. It was a much needed victory for San Diego as they had seen more then their fare share of struggles in the last week.

The Padres saw two of their players go on the DL at the hand of Albert Pujols. A line drive of his bat connected directly with Chris Young’s face forcing him to go on the DL, and in the same inning Fat Albert took out the Padres catcher Josh Bard putting him on the DL as well. These injuries put a serious strain on San Diego as they had a long, personnel consuming series with the Reds.

Who’s hot:

Adrian Gonzalez- 7/19, 3 2B , 2 HR, 6 RBI
Kevin Kouzmanoff- 7/18, 5 R, 3 HR, 4 RBI

Who’s not:

Khalil Greene-4/20, 10 K, 0 BB, 2 HR

Probable Starters

Shawn Hill (0-1, 4.08 ERA) vs. Randy Wolf (3-4, 4.76 ERA)
Odalis Perez (1-4, 4.13 ERA) vs. Shawn Estes (1-0, 2.33 ERA)
John Lannan (4-5, 3.57 ERA) vs. Wilfredo Ledezma (0-2, 4.65 ERA)

Meet Adrian Gonzalez

Adrian Gonzalez was the first overall pick in the 2000 draft by the Florida Marlins out of high school. With his draft status he became the first infielder to be drafted number one overall since Alex Rodriguez in 1994, and was hoped by many to be the face of a new rebuilding Marlins franchise. However a wrist injury in 2003 led the Marlins to trade him to the Texas Rangers for the now in jail Ugueth Urbina.
Gonzalez played part time for Texas in 2004-2005 until he was traded in one of the more lopsided trades of the decade. The Rangers shipped off All-Star caliber Gonzalez and Cy- Young caliber Chris Young to the Padres for Adam Eaton and Akinori Otsuka. This put Gonzalez in a situation where he could play behind a solid veteran Ryan Klesko, however a shoulder injury to the former All-Star trusted Gonzalez in the starting position. The Padres have never looked back…
In his first full season as Padre, at the age of 24, Gonzalez batted a cool .304 with 24 homers, 38 doubles and 82 RBI. While his batting average dropped to .282 in 2007, his power again improved with 30 homers, 46 doubles, and 100 RBIs. His combination of youth and success at the major league level has impressed many who believe he can be a cornerstone of this franchise for years to come. His gold glove caliber first base and his smooth swing brings excitement to baseball in Southern California, which has needed it for years.
What makes Gonzalez home run count even more impressive is that he has averaged 27 homers a year in extremely pitcher friendly PETCO Park. His high double count also excites scouts who believe that those gapers will turn to homers as he matures. With this he reminds me a lot of former slugger Rafael Palmeiro. Palmeiro too had struggles with his first team (the Cubs) but found his niche when he got the starting job in Texas at the age of 24. Also like Gonzalez, Palmeiro started to show solid power between the ages of 25-26, but still had more doubles power until he matured. If the Padres have a Palmeiro in the making, we may see a future hall of famer in the works who will annually bat .300 with 35 home runs.

Gonzalez at age:
24- .304, 24 HR, 38 2B, 82 RBI
25- .282, 30 HR, 46 2b, 100 RBI
26- .282, 14 HR, 13 2b, 43 RBI (on pace for 43 HR, 40 2B,133 RBI)
27- ?????

Palmeiro at age:
24- .319, 14 HR, 35 2B, 89 RBI
25- .322, 26 HR, 49 2B, 88 RBI
26- .268, 22 HR, 27 2B, 85 RBI
27- .295, 37 HR, 40 2B, 105 RBI

What to look for

The Nats are coming off of a four game series with Milwuakee, and has only had one day off since May 5th. They are traveling 3000 miles to San Diego for a 3 game series without a day of rest. I’d be very surprised of the Nats (especially the older ones) will be ready to play tonight after such a long road trip. Expect the Nats to be a little tired, and a little jet lagged for their first start. The good news is Shawn Hill took his last start off so he should be as fresh as anyone.

Elijah Dukes is, “Hot,” batting 3/10 in his last three games. The Nats Blog predicted that he may perform better with higher Job security now that Kearns is out. Hopefully this trend continues, if the young Dukes and Milledge could start playing to some potential, it could really energize the Nats into a summer run. Talented youth is always a feel good bonus for a team that is struggling, and even if it doesn’t produce more wins, it will give Nats fans comfort that the team is moving in the right direction.

The Nats are only 3-10 at PETCO Park in their short history. The Nats are only 9-15 on the road this year and are traveling 3000 miles for this game. Shawn Hill is 0-1 on the road this year with a 6.46 ERA and a .358 batting average against.