Cleveland Indians to Take on Washington Nationals in Two-Game Series

A matchup of two fumbling teams will open between the Cleveland Indians and Washington Nationals tonight

The Cleveland Indians will open a two-game series with the Washington Nationals tonight in what is sure to be a close, but critical, contest. Although the Indians have a six-game lead over the Detroit Tigers, this match will put the Indians to the test and will give a glimpse into a potential World Series matchup. The Indians need to show that they can compete against a top National League team.

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Entering the match, the Indians own a 56-41 record that is the best in the American League Central, although they have been on a bit of a slide recently. Leaving the All-Star Break, they managed to set things off on the right foot by taking two out of three against the Minnesota Twins and subsequently the Kansas City Royals, but then the Baltimore Orioles swept the Tribe in a three-game set.

As for the Washington Nationals, they have been one of the top teams in baseball all season. Their 58-41 record puts them in first place in the National League East, and FanGraphs gives them a near-certain chance of making the postseason. This said, they too have been on a skid recently and need a few wins to stave off the Miami Marlins.

Taking the hill tonight will be Danny Salazar for the Indians and Gio Gonzalez for the Nationals. Salazar, 26, has a 2.75 earned run average on the season with excellent peripherals to go with it. He has truly been one of the better starting pitchers in the American League, with me even going so far as to suggest that he could bring the Cy Young Award back to the Cleveland Indians.

Gonzalez has had a bit of a rough year, but the veteran has seen great successes before and will be by no means an easy win for the Tribe. Run prevention statistics may not love his work, and both advanced and traditional metrics are quite pessimistic about his value. He has, however, started to turn things around this month as his velocity has returned after a major downturn last season, but he has also issued quite a few free passes.

Tomorrow night should be a great showdown between Stephen Strasburg and Carlos Carrasco. The two pitchers have both been excellent for their respective teams over the past few seasons, and the game should be one worth watching. Carrasco has been slightly better this season, but Strasburg has the better track record overall. Since 2012, the right-hander has been one of the most dominant pitchers in the National League.

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A few batters to watch for the Cleveland Indians are Tyler Naquin and Jose Ramirez. Naquin has continued his hot hitting over the past few series, and it will be interesting to see how he will fare against a power pitcher like Strasburg. Ramirez has been just the opposite as of late, posting pitiful statistics over the last seven days. Tonight should give him an opportunity to turn things around against a struggling pitcher, assuming he starts the game.