He washington nationals are set to visit Kansas City for the first time in seven years when they oppose the royalty in the first match of a three-game set on Friday
Washington won two of three in Kansas City in May 2016. The teams have met once since, when the host Nationals claimed two of three in July 2019
Nationals lefty Patrick Corbin (3-5, 4.47 ERA) will oppose royalty right-hander Jordan Lyles (0-8, 7.15) on Friday
Corbin helped the Nationals to his 2019 series win by pitching seven scoreless innings, striking out 11 and walking no one. He went without a decision in a game that Washington won 5-2.
Corbin has not allowed a run in 9 2/3 innings in two appearances against the royalty. Among current Kansas City hitters, only Matt Duffy has hit safely against Corbin, going 3-for-12.
In each of his seven starts since April 16, Corbin has pitched at least 5 1/3 innings and has allowed no more than three earned runs. He has six quality starts this year, tied for fifth in the National League.
Corbin, coming off back-to-back victories, hasn’t won three straight decisions since May 2021. His dominance of the strike zone has been especially sharp of late, as he’s allowed just one walk in his last 25 innings.
He Nationals arrives in Kansas City after losing an 8-6 decision to the San Diego Padres on Thursday afternoon to complete a 3-3 home stand
While Washington has lost six of its last nine games, its offense has been more productive recently, generating 52 runs in the last 10 games.
Leadoff man Lane Thomas is riding a 10-game hitting streak in which he’s hitting .366 (15-for-41) with three home runs.
Ildemaro Vargas has hit safely in six of eight games since returning May 3 from the 10-day disabled list, hitting .440 (11-for-25). He had been out for almost a month due to a left shoulder strain.
“I can’t say enough about what Vargas does,” Nationals said manager Dave Martinez. “He goes out and plays with a lot of fun, a lot of energy.
In his last 10 games, Washington’s Jeimer Candelario is hitting .436 (17-for-39) with eight extra-base hits. Between Nationals hitters, Candelario has the most experience against Lyles, with one hit in eight at-bats
“When he sets up to hit the fastball, he’s really good and he’s going to stay consistent,” Martinez said. “The biggest thing is to stop thinking about trying to hit home runs every at-bat. He’s got enough power that when he hits the ball and gets it airborne, he’s going to hit home runs.”
Lyles is 0-3 with a 5.71 ERA in 12 previous games (four starts) against Washington. he faced the Nationals most recently, when he lost to the Baltimore Orioles on June 21, 2022, when he allowed two runs in 6 1/3 innings
Lyles’ 7.15 ERA is the highest among major league starting pitchers, and his 14 home runs allowed are tied for the most in the majors.
Consistent starting pitching has been elusive for the royaltywho has just one win by a starter since May 11. The club racked up 49 relief appearances and lost nine of 13 games in that span.
Kansas City’s rotation is 8-26 with a 5.49 ERA.
He royalty He bolstered his heavily taxed bullpen this week by promoting right-hander Nick Wittgren from Triple-A Omaha, where he had five saves and a 1.25 ERA in 17 appearances. He struggled in his Kansas City debut on Wednesday, allowing two runs in two innings.
“It is still developing”, royalty manager Matt Quatraro said of the eight-year veteran. “It used to be a big change. He Now he’s developed a cutter/slider.
Wittgren said, “I changed my slider this offseason and it’s helped a lot. I’m attacking the zone on all four pitches. It’s paying off well.”
–Field level media
