Brewer Daily News for August 2nd: Brewers host Nationals

Hello again everyone and welcome to the Friday edition of Brewer Daily News. Starting tonight, the Milwaukee Brewers (46-62) will host the Washington Nationals (52-56) for a three-game series at Miller Park for the weekend.

Ryan Zimmerman has been one of the team’s best hitters this season. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

For the Nationals, they’ve had what most analysts are classifying as a “disappointing” season as they sit in second place behind the Atlanta Braves in the National League West, barely above the third place Philadelphia Phillies. The offense has been struggling and currently third baseman Ryan Zimmerman leads the team in batting average at .278, RBIs with 54 and in on-base percentage at .351. Second baseman Ian Desmond has also been productive as he leads in home runs with 16 and hits with 110.

While the Nationals have been known for their pitching, this season it hasn’t been as sharp. Stephen Strasburg leads the way with an ERA of 3.04 and Jordan Zimmermann has 12 wins. Rafael Soriano has been electric as a closer, racking up 26 saves, but does have an ERA of 3.05.

The Brewers haven’t exactly been at their best this season either. The pitching had been horrendous in the previous few months, but efforts from Kyle Lohse, Tom Gorzelanny and Wily Peralta have helped the outings become much stronger. Just recently the Brewers traded closer Francisco Rodriguez to the Baltimore Orioles and lost starter Yovani Gallardo to the 15-day disabled list, opening up some big holes.

Offense wise, the team is still staying afloat by the efforts of Jean Segura, Carlos Gomez, Jonathan Lucroy and rookie Caleb Gindl. With Ryan Braun‘s suspension in place, Gindl will look to get some more time in left field. Also on the disabled list is third baseman Aramis Ramirez who is slowly making progress with his sore left knee.

The projected pitching match-ups for the series:

Tonight: Jordan Zimmermann (12-6, 3.19 ERA) vs Tom Gorzelanny (2-4, 2.83 ERA) at 8:10 p.m. ET / 7:10 p.m. CT

Saturday: Dan Haren (5-11, 5.49 ERA) vs Donovan Hand (0-2, 3.56 ERA) at 7:10 p.m. ET / 6:10 p.m. CT

Sunday: Taylor Jordan (1-3, 3.31 ERA) vs Kyle Lohse (7-7, 3.22 ERA) at 2:10 p.m. ET / 1:10 p.m. CT