3 Things Stood Out During Nationals Series Win Over Reds

The Washington Nationals got back into the win column when it came to taking a series.

Following their day off on May 11 after they lost two out of three against the Miami Marlins, the Nationals were able to storm back and win two out of three on the road against the Cincinnati Reds. There was a lot that stood out during this set, as Washington was able to dominate Game 1 before winning Game 2 in extras and then getting bludgeoned by a score of 15-1 in the finale.

Despite how this series ended, it was still a good way for the Nationals to get their slate of 16 consecutive games started. And during this set, three main things stood out that could play a role during this stretch.

Offense Continues to Dominate

Washington was on the road, so perhaps it wasn't too much of a surprise that they were able to light up the scoreboard since that's what they've done for what feels like the majority of the season. But once again, this lineup was able to punish the opposing pitching staff.

While they only plated one run in the finale, they scored 10 in the opener and eight in the second contest, which equated to 6.33 runs per game. That is enough offensive firepower for this team to compete with anyone in the majors, and that was on display against the Reds.

They'll have to find a way to keep up this level of production at home since their next seven contests are at Nationals Park. But with Daylen Lile seemingly finding his groove in front of his family and friends in Cincinnati, there's a chance some offensive outbursts could be coming for the home fans.

Starting Rotation Got Shelled

For as dominant as the offense was at times, the pitching staff was just as bad. Across three games, they gave up a total of 19 earned runs. That's excluding the four that were allowed by outfielder Joey Wiemer when he pitched the eighth inning on Thursday, the two that were credited to errors and one that was due to the ghost runner in extras.

All in all, it was not a good overall showing from this unit. But the majority of the blame should be given to the starting pitchers. Jake Irvin allowed five earned runs in his three innings pitched. Foster Griffin was shelled for nine in his start. Outside of those two, only reliever Zak Kent and starter Miles Mikolas gave up damage, as Kent was charged with four earned runs in his two outings during this set and Mikolas allowed just one earned run in his start.

Brad Lord, Paxton Schultz, Mitchell Parker, Richard Lovelady, Orlando Ribalta, Gus Varland and PJ Poulin combined for zero earned runs across 11 2/3 innings pitched, which is a huge plus for a bullpen unit that was maligned early in the year. If that group can keep up this type of performance, then that will go a long way to help the Nationals outperform preseason expectations.

Foster Griffin Is Human

Starting pitchers are bound to have blow-up performances every once in a while, but that had yet to be the case for Griffin this year. Across his previous eight starts, the most runs he had allowed in an outing before Thursday was four. He had pitched at such a high level that he was leading major league left-handers in ERA, and he looked like the clear ace of this staff to start the season.

But Griffin proved that he is human during the finale when he was tagged for nine earned runs in 4 1/3 innings pitched. While he was still able to strikeout seven batters in that time, he also walked three. And after that one outing, his ERA went from 2.12 up to 3.53.

Hopefully that performance is not a sign of things to come for the 30-year-old. He has been one of the best signings Washington made this past offseason. And with the struggles the starting staff has had to start the campaign, they need him to be at his best whenever he's on the mound.

With that in mind, his next start is going to be extra important, as all eyes will be on him to see if he can bounce back or not.

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