San Francisco @ Washington preview
Nationals Park
Last Meeting ( Jul 9, 2010 ) San Francisco 1, Washington 8
The Washington Nationals are going to have to make a decision soon about what to do with Adam Dunn, because with the way he’s been hitting lately, his trade value may never be higher.
Dunn will be looking to keep his hot streak going when the Nationals face the San Francisco Giants again on Saturday.
A free agent at the end of the season and one of the few big-name players who has said that he is not only willing to play in Washington but enjoys it, Dunn could be the type of slugger the Nationals keep around for a while.
Of course, baseball is also a business, and Dunn should be in the market for a big contract.
Dunn surprised some when he took a two-year, $20 million deal with Washington before the 2009 season instead of going to an American League team for bigger dollars and the ease of being a team's designated hitter.
Never the best defensive player in the game, Dunn is now among the worst outfielders in baseball when he ventures out there and is passable at best as a first baseman, which has been his primary position this season.
With the Nationals still in building mode, dealing Dunn before this season’s trading deadline could give the club another arm to go with rookie phenom Stephen Strasburg in the rotation or a young, athletic player who offers more versatility. Of course, there are very few players in the majors that offer Dunn’s power, and Washington doesn’t believe it is all that far away from contending.
Re-signing the slugger would almost certainly mean a payroll increase next season, but it would also give the fans and the rest of the team the sense that the front office is dedicated to winning.
Dunn homered twice in Friday’s 8-1 series opening win, putting the Nationals ahead with a solo shot in the fourth and launching a two-run blast in a four-run rally in the seventh. It was his second multi-homer game in the last three contests, after he posted the first three-homer game of his career on Wednesday.
He will be taking his swings against left-hander Jonathan Sanchez on Saturday.
The 27-year-old Sanchez has had no trouble missing bats this season, notching 98 strikeouts in 100 innings, but is still trying to harness his prodigious arsenal. Sanchez has issued 51 walks, and high pitch counts have consistently prevented him from working deep into games.
Sanchez allowed only one run on five hits in a win at Milwaukee on Monday but lasted only six innings as he issued six free passes against six strikeouts. He has issued four or more walks in seven of his 15 starts this season.
Sanchez has faced Washington five times in his career and posted a 1-1 mark, allowing six runs while walking five and striking out 14 in 15 2/3 total frames. He has held Dunn to one single in seven at-bats.
The Nationals will counter with right-hander Craig Stammen.
The 26-year-old is coming off one of his worst starts of the season last Sunday, when he allowed seven runs on eight hits and three walks in 3 1/3 innings to suffer a loss against the New York Mets. Stammen had put together two strong starts before that, allowing a total of three runs in 14 innings.