Los Angeles @ Washington preview

Last Meeting ( Apr 23, 2010 ) LA Dodgers 1, Washington 5

Is Adam Dunn’s bat finally waking from its season-long slump? Or does he just do well against Charlie Haeger? These are questions that will help provide a more detailed answer on Saturday when the Washington Nationals face the Los Angeles Dodgers in the second game of the weekend series. Dunn belted two homers off Haeger in Friday’s 5-1 victory, and the Nationals hope it's a sign of things to come. The slugger has struggled all season long. His average sunk down near the .100 level at one point, but the first baseman has been starting to do better, going 2-for-3 Friday and moving to .204. The Nationals need him badly, especially in light of the uncertainty which surrounds Ryan Zimmerman. Dunn had been in a 9-for-51 slide before Friday's contest, but he belted a solo homer.and a two-run shot that sparked the Washington victory. The Nationals need Dunn to catch fire since he is the team’s clean-up hitter – especially in the absence of Zimmerman, who is the No. 3 hitter. The Nationals also will have to make some decisions regarding their pitching now that Jason Marquis will be out for six weeks – and possibly longer – with bone chips in his elbow. Luis Atilano gave Washington six good innings in Friday’s victory. The question is will Atilano fill in for Marquis, or was he just a one-time shot? The Dodgers have to go without Manny Ramirez for the next two weeks as the slugger went on to the disabled list Friday with right calf problems. Missing Ramirez will hurt the Los Angeles offense because he was hitting .415 with two homers and 12 RBIs. Still, they haven’t done well offensively without Ramirez this season. They’ve scored just three runs in games that he hasn’t started. The big question is how will the Dodgers be able to adjust without Ramirez. And that could be hard in this series because Washington’s pitching is starting to come around, especially in the bullpen, which has been shutting down most opponents this season. Los Angeles is going to depend more upon Andre Ethier. He’s batting .388 already with five homers through the first three weeks of the season. They’ll need him to come through and replace Ramirez.