What to Watch For: 8/13
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Washington Nationals (71-44) vs. San Francisco Giants (63-52)
LHP Gio Gonzalez (14-6, 3.32) vs. RHP Ryan Vogelsong (10-5, 2.27)
The Nationals scored four times over the final three innings Sunday afternoon, but saw their eight-game winning streak snapped with a 7-4 loss to the Diamondbacks. Washington opens a key three-game set in the City by the Bay beginning tonight as Gio Gonzalez and Ryan Vogelsong square off in the first of a series of great pitching matchups.
NATIONALS LINEUP
1. Lombardozzi 2B
2. Harper CF
3. Zimmerman 3B
4. LaRoche 1B
5. Morse LF
6. Werth CF
7. Espinosa SS
8. Suzuki C
9. Gonzalez LHP
PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE
The Nationals begin a three-game series tonight at AT&T Park in their lone visit to the Bay Area this year. This is Washington’s final stop on its three-city, 10-game road trip, on which the Nationals are 6-1 thus far, going 4-0 at Houston and taking two of three over the weekend at Arizona. Sunday’s 7-4 setback snapped Washington’s season-best eight-game winning streak. After three games through Wednesday afternoon, the Nationals will enjoy a day off on Thursday before beginning a critical six-game homestand that features three-game visits from the Mets and second-place Braves.
GIO RETURNS TO THE BAY AREA
Starter Gio Gonzalez returns to the Bay Area for the first time since being acquired from the Oakland A’s during the off-season. Coming off a 9.0-innning complete game in Washington’s 4-3 win on Wednesday at Houston, Gonzalez is looking to win back-to-back games for the first time since July 7, when he capped a four-game winning streak against Colorado.
DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN AS MORSE’S HIT STREAK REACHES 10 (WE THINK)
Michael Morse is 14-for-44 (.318) with four doubles, three homers and 17 RBI during a current 10-game hitting streak. On Friday, Morse was the victim of a late scoring change levied by MLB that changed an August 2 single into an E-6, and thus, nullified what would now be a 21-game hitting streak. That hypothetical 21-gamer would be the second longest in Nationals (‘05-present) history.
