The past week wasn’t kind to the popular Washington Nationals. The NL east upstarts hit a cold streak at the plate and lost five of six games putting them uncomfortably far behind the hot Atlanta Braves.
The Cincinnati Reds have been in a bit of a slump offensively too as of late and trail in the NL Central to the always dangerous St. Louis Cardinals.
This weekend will tell a lot about the two NL favorites. The young Nats must fight the urge of being overconfident each and every game. They are a very talented team with a ton of potential, but manager Davey Johnson must keep them focused during the long season.
The Reds are loaded with great players too. Dusty Baker is an experienced skipper who has been in the mix many times before, so he too must keep his team focused game-by-game in what could turn out to be a dogfight in the central.
Washington took the first game as they broke out big with the bats. Friday night’s game features the pitchers, Jordan Zimmerman for Washington and Homer Bailey for Cincy. Both have had pretty good success in the past facing each other, so runs could be at a premium.
That doesn’t speak well for the hitters on either side. Bryce Harper is hoping to build on his home run in game one, and Shin-Soo Choo needs to continue to get on base if the Reds are to have any chance.
It’s imperative for both the Reds and the Nationals to get at least a split out of this weekend to keep pace not only in their divisions, but in the NL.
Kenny Bristow is a Los Angeles Dodgers writer for www.RantSports.com.
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