After their pitching staff tallied 18 strikeouts in an Opening Day win over the New York Mets, the Washington Nationals managed 13 strikeouts in a 5-1 victory, shutting out the Mets over the last eight innings.
Stephen Strasburg fanned ten Mets in six frames Monday, and the bullpen tallied eight more in an extra-inning win. Starter Gio Gonzalez was strong Wednesday, hurling six frames. He allowed just three hits and one run, striking out six and walking one. Gonzalez also helped his cause by smacking a solo shot off Bartolo Colon in the 5th, two batters after Ian Desmond had hit one of his own.
Relievers Drew Storen, Tyler Clippard, and Craig Stammen followed Gonzalez, and they combined for three hitless innings, with seven strikeouts. All told, the Nats rapped out 13 hits to the Mets three. Four of those base knocks came off the bat of Jayson Werth.
Even with offseason acquisition Doug Fister starting the season on the Disabled List, the Nationals have a very strong rotation. Behind Strasburg and Gonzalez, they have Jordan Zimmermann, and Tanner Roark and Taylor Jordan are both capable, if unspectacular.
With Stammen, Storen and Clippard leading up to Rafael Soriano, the Nats have an enviable bullpen. When Fister moves back into the rotation, Roark or Jordan will provide more depth, and Ross Detwiler has also had success when used in the bullpen.
Like any team, health will be a big issue for the Nationals, as Werth, Strasburg, and Bryce Harper have all spent significant time on the DL in recent seasons, and Fister is currently out of commission with a strained lat. However, with the possible exceptions of the Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals, there isn’t a team in the National League with a more formidable roster.
