Washington Nationals: Gray and Darvish won’t end up in D.C.
By Anthony Sosa
The Washington Nationals look like one of the strongest teams in baseball and have already made some moves to improve the team. The club won’t add pitchers like Sonny Gray or Yu Darvish to the mix, though.
Despite possessing one of the best teams in baseball, the Washington Nationals caught a tough break on Sunday when starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg went down with an arm injury. He left his start against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the second inning.
On Wednesday, the Nationals placed Strasburg on 10-day DL with a nerve impingement in his right elbow. The Nationals don’t believe the injury is anything serious but with Strasburg’s injury history, they need to move forward with caution.
Even though they lost Strasburg for a bit of time, they don’t plan to add a top of the line pitcher. According to Fox Sports reporter Ken Rosenthal, the Nationals won’t pursue a starter at the level of Sonny Gray or Yu Darvish. Although, they might go after a reliever.
Correction: #Nationals NOT pursuing a starter at level of Gray or Darvish, sources say. Might pursue another reliever, waiting on Kelley.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 27, 2017
The Nationals possess arguably the best pitcher in baseball in Max Scherzer. Also in the rotation, the Nationals carry Gio Gonzalez, Tanner Roark and Edwin Jackson. Add Strasburg to that mix, and it’s a well above-average rotation.
Washington dealt some good prospects during the offseason. They traded Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Dane Dunning to the Chicago White Sox for outfielder Adam Eaton.
The Nationals also made a move earlier this month to help the bullpen. They acquired both Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle from the Oakland Athletics.
With Strasburg out, the Nationals plan to call up and start prospect Erick Fedde on Saturday. With a top offense, an above-average rotation and an improved bullpen, the Nationals don’t need to make a big move. They already possess the talent to make and win the World Series.
More on the Nats: The Offense Explodes on Thursday
During Thursday’s Nationals and Brewers’ game, Washington hit back-to-back-to-back-to-back home runs. This was just the eighth time in MLB history that a team hit four straight home runs in a game.
With Michael Blazek on the mound, in the bottom of the third inning, he walked Scherzer to start the inning. Then, Brian Goodwin hit a two-run homer. Following Goodwin’s homer, Wilmer Difo homered, then Bryce Harper went deep and then Ryan Zimmerman capped it off with the fourth-straight home run. Anthony Rendon homered just two batters later.
Next: Rays trade for Dan Jennings
The Nationals hit eight total home runs in the game. That tied a team record for most home runs in a game. They defeated the Brewers 15-2 and showed off their offensive potential.