Washington @ Philadelphia preview
Citizens Bank Park
Last Meeting ( Apr 12, 2010 ) Washington 4, Philadelphia 7
Injuries will be a big topic of discussion before the Philadelphia Phillies host the Washington Nationals in the second game of their series tonight.
Two of the Phillies’ key players could be headed for time on the disabled list. Shortstop Jimmy Rollins had an MRI exam on his sore calf Tuesday - it made him a last-minute scratch from the home opener on Monday - and the Phillies said Tuesday night that no decision will be made on his status until Wednesday.
Right fielder Jayson Werth also left Monday’s game early with a sore hip. They’re hoping he’ll just miss a few days but if it looks to be longer, he could also be headed for the DL.
Still, the Phillies are so loaded with talent that losing these two for two weeks might not hurt them much. They’ve got first baseman Ryan Howard, off to one of his best starts, hitting .375 with three homers and 11 RBIs. But even more impressive is the fact that he’s struck out only four times, an area where Howard usually has high numbers.
Newly acquired third baseman Placido Polanco has one homer, 10 RBIs and a sizzling .484 average. Second baseman Chase Utley is contributing with a .346 average.
The Nationals still don’t know what the situation is with Ryan Zimmerman, who’s been battling a hamstring problem for the last few days. He hasn’t played since the weekend.
But Zimmerman has been struggling at the plate, batting just .211. Many of the Washington batters are scuffling. Several are hitting under .200, with Adam Dunn (.111) really having problems even though he’s got a .448 on-base percentage.
One good piece of news on the injury front is that Nationals starter Craig Stammen appears fine and ready to go in his second start today. He threw five innings last week but wasn’t involved in the decision against the Phillies.
Stammen had lots of arm trouble last year and eventually underwent surgery to remove bone chips from his right elbow late in the season.
While it will probably take some time for him to be completely recovered, but Stammen has thrown well at times in spring training and made it through five innings against the Phillies last week, giving up four runs.
Kyle Kendrick will start for the Phillies. He was matched up against Stammen last week, giving up five runs in four innings.