Washington @ San Francisco preview
Oracle Park
Last Meeting ( Jun 4, 2009 ) San Francisco 4, Washington 1
A big factor in the Washington Nationals’ surprising start has been the play of veteran catcher Ivan Rodriguez. Now the Nationals will have to play without “Pudge” for the next two weeks.
The 38-year-old catcher went on the disabled list Monday with a lower back strain. The issue has flared up numerous times this season but the pain became too much to bear after he aggravated the injury with a hard swing during Saturday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles.
Rodriguez didn’t travel with the Nationals for a 10-game road trip, which begins Tuesday night against the San Francisco Giants. Washington’s starting catcher in the interim will be Wil Nieves, a journeyman with just 601 career at-bats since cracking the majors in 2002.
Nieves is hitting .224 this season in 58 at-bats and doesn’t have close to the pop in his bat as Rodriguez - even as the former perennial All-Star is in decline mode in terms of a strong career that began in 1991.
Rodriguez is batting .325 with 16 RBIs for the Nationals and also has been a steady influence on a young Nationals pitching staff that has performed well this season, and is also on the verge of adding 2009 No. 1 overall draft pick Stephen Strasburg.
The Nationals are expected to recall another journeyman in 31-year-old Carlos Maldonado (21 major-league games) to back up Nieves until Rodriguez returns. Maldonado’s last major-league stint was with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2007.
Nieves will be catching Livan Hernandez in Tuesday’s opener of the three-game series against the Giants.
Hernandez (4-2) has a spectacular 1.62 ERA in eight starts this season. He has held opposing batters to a .198 average and has allowed more than two runs just once.
The hurler is 0-1 over his past three starts with his last victory coming May 4 against the Atlanta Braves. Hernandez has a 4-6 career mark with a 3.95 ERA in 17 career starts against the Giants.
Hernandez will be facing a San Francisco squad that is struggling to score runs. The Giants tallied just one run while suffering a three-game sweep at the hands of the Oakland Athletics and have scored one run or less in six of their last seven losses.
The Giants’ RBIs leader is utilityman Juan Uribe (25 RBIs) and Uribe shares the team’s home run leadership with Aaron Rowand with five apiece.
Third baseman Pablo Sandoval, who hit .330 with 25 homers and 90 RBIs last season, hasn’t homered since April 21 and is hitting just .193 with four RBIs in May. He’s hitting .282 overall with three homers and 14 RBIs.
Overall, San Francisco is in the midst of a five-game losing streak that has seen the Giants fall 3 1/2 games off the pace in the NL West.
The Giants will send Todd Wellemeyer to the mound against the Nationals after nearly pulling him from the rotation.
Wellemeyer (2-4) has lasted more than five innings just three times in eight starts and has a 5.71 ERA. However, his ERA in home games is 3.04 and he has posted both victories at AT&T Park.