The Washington Nationals open a three-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks at Nationals Park on Friday night with shortstop CJ Abrams bringing one of the hottest bats in baseball into the matchup after going 4-for-4 with a stolen base.
Abrams has been on a tear since July, batting .356 with six home runs and 16 RBI in his last 15 games. In Washington’s past 10 games alone, he leads the club with five home runs and 11 RBI while batting .366.
Credit: CBS Sports
He’s not alone in riding the wave. Curtis Mead has added five doubles, two homers and five walks while hitting .378 over that period, helping the Nationals enjoy one of the most productive offensive stretches in baseball with 20 home runs and a .524 slugging percentage over their last 10 games.
Washington will get the ball to lefty Carson Palmquist, who will be making his fifth start of the season after a rough outing last time out against Colorado where he allowed four earned runs in just 1 2/3 innings. Palmquist takes the mound on Friday with an 8.74 ERA.
Arizona will counter with left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez (8-3, 2.62 ERA), who has been one of the more effective starters in baseball this season despite a shaky final line in his last start against St. Louis when he gave up five earned runs in 2 2/3 innings. The Diamondbacks also have hot bats, with Nolan Arenado driving in 10 runs and Gabriel Moreno hitting .405 in the last 10 games.
According to ESPN, Arizona enters at 54-49 while Washington sits at 52-51. First pitch is set for 6:45 p.m. ET at Nationals Park.
