With a chance to build on recent progress, the Nationals head to Arizona eyeing a series win against a struggling Diamondbacks team
Washington is coming off a great series against the Seattle Mariners. They picked a great time to play Seattle, as they are dealing with pitching injuries across the board. However, MacKenzie Gore and Trevor Williams had great starts, and the offense is playing well once again. Washington is 26-30 and 7-3 in their last ten games.
Arizona has struggled to stay above .500 this season as they enter this series 27-29 and sitting in fourth place in a loaded National League West. Arizona has struggled as of late, coming off a series loss to the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates, and are 1-7 in their last eight games.
In the first series these two teams matched up, Washington took the series, winning two of three early in the season. However, Arizona has enough talent to turn things around very quickly.
OFFENSE
Led by star outfielder Corbin Carroll (.259/.328/.560), Arizona’s offense is one of the best in baseball. Ketel Marte (.958 OPS) and off-season addition Josh Naylor (.806) have been spectacular as well for Arizona.
Arizona is top ten in almost every offensive category, batting .254 (7th), hitting 77 home runs (5th), holding an on-base percentage of .331 (6th), and slugging .445 (4th). This offense gives Arizona the potential to catch fire at any point during the season like we saw when they made the 2023 World Series.
PITCHING
As good as the offense has been, pitching has been a different story. The starting rotation as a whole has been subpar, despite being led by former Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes. As a team, they have a 4.73 ERA (24th), 1.33 WHIP (20th), and teams are batting .247 against them (20th).
There are some bright spots throughout the pitching staff. Merrill Kelly and Corbin Burnes have been great this season, carrying the load while Eduardo Rodriguez (7.05 ERA) and Zac Gallen (5.54 ERA) have been struggling in the starting rotation. The bullpen has some bright spots like Justin Martinez, A.J. Puk, and Shelby Miller but as a unit, they have really struggled this season.
GAME ONE: Friday, 9:40 EDT
WAS: RHP Jake Irvin (4-1) – 11 G, 3.42 ERA, 47 SO, 1.10 WHIP, 116 ERA+
The right-hander has exceeded expectations so far this season, putting up career numbers across the board. Irvin is coming off arguably the best start of his career, tossing eight shutout innings with seven strikeouts against one of the National League’s top teams, the San Francisco Giants.
ARI: RHP Merrill Kelly (5-2) – 11 G, 3.52, 58 SO, 1.02 WHIP, 118 ERA+
Kelly has had a similar season to Irvin, which is considered to be a good thing. Entering his seventh season, Kelly is one of the most consistent pitchers in baseball, even pitching for Team USA in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. He struggled in his last start against the St. Louis Cardinals, throwing six innings and allowing four earned runs, resulting in a loss.
GAME TWO: Saturday, 10:10 EDT
WAS: RHP Michael Soroka (1-3) – 5 G, 5.61 ERA, 25 SO, 1.21 WHIP, 72 ERA+
Injuries have plagued Soroka his entire career, and this year is no different. After sitting out the whole month of April, Soroka has become a solid innings eater, pitching back-to-back quality starts. In his last start, Soroka tossed six innings allowing three runs in a loss to the San Francisco Giants.
ARI: RHP Brandon Pfaadt (7-3) – 11 G, 3.90 ERA, 49 SO, 1.22 WHIP, 107 ERA+
The 26-year-old currently leads the league in wins this season and pitched relatively well. Up to this point in the season, he has produced career numbers across the board, playing his best baseball in the big leagues. His last start was a quality start, going 5.2 innings, allowing three earned runs but resulting in a loss.
GAME THREE: Sunday, 4:10 EDT
WAS: LHP Mitchell Parker (4-4) – 11 G, 4.65 ERA, 40 SO, 1.33 WHIP, 86 ERA+
Second-year Mitchell Parker started the season great, but his numbers have come back down, comparable to his 2024 season. In his last five starts, Parker has allowed more than three runs in four starts. His last start was a rough one, as he went 4.2 innings while allowing four earned runs in an embarrassing 9-1 loss.
ARI: RHP Corbin Burnes (3-2) – 10 G, 2.72 ERA, 57 SO, 1.17 WHIP, 153 ERA+
The former Cy Young winner has been on three teams in three seasons but has performed. He has been one of the best pitchers in baseball for the past four seasons and continues to show why he was deserving of the hefty contract Arizona gave him this past off-season. In his last start, Burnes tossed seven innings, allowing two earned runs while striking out six strikeouts but the outcome was a loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The 2025 season has already been a roller coaster filled with emotion. From rising young talent blossoming to aging, disappointed veterans. There is so much baseball left this season, so it is going to be an interesting season from this point.