(Sports Network) - The Washington Nationals hope pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg can complete a three-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals this afternoon in his fourth major league start.
Stephen Strasburg Looks For Third Win As He Faces Weak Royals Lineup
Strasburg will try to remain unbeaten on the season and is coming off his first no-decision. In last Friday's 2-1 loss in 11 innings versus the Chicago White Sox, Strasburg threw seven innings of one-run ball, allowed four hits and struck out 10 batters. He has fanned 32 batters in his first three starts and is 2-0 with a 1.86 ERA at the big league level. The former No. 1 overall pick has permitted just four earned runs on 10 hits in 19 1/3 innings.
The hard-throwing right-hander is 1-0 in two starts at Nationals Park, where Washington recorded its second straight victory with a 4-3 decision over the Royals on Tuesday. Luis Atilano posted the win by holding Kansas City to a run on six hits over 5 1/3 innings with five strikeouts, while Matt Capps was able to work out of some trouble in the ninth for his MLB-leading 22nd save.
Josh Willingham finished 3-for-4 with a solo home run -- the 100th of his career -- and two RBI for the Nationals, who have won two straight since a six-game losing streak.
“It means a lot,” Willingham said of his 100th homer. “I’m sure it’ll mean more when I look back at my career and I’m done playing. You never set a goal to hit a number of home runs, but to get to 100 is pretty cool.”
Adam Dunn also went deep for the victors and both Nyjer Morgan and Ryan Zimmerman drove in a run. The Nationals hope the bats stay hot Wednesday and have swept only one three-game series this season -- two weeks ago against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Kansas City will try to salvage the finale of this three-game set and notch a win in the conclusion of a six-game road trip. It fell to 0-5 on the trek following yesterday's 4-3 loss in DC, as starter Anthony Lerew was saddled with the loss for allowing four runs and 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings.
Scott Podsednik drove in all three runs, while Jose Guillen, Alberto Callaspo and Yuniesky Betancourt finished with two hits apiece for the Royals. Guillen extended his career-high hitting streak to 17 games and is batting .358 with nine RBI during the tear.
“We’re getting guys on and not able to close it,” Podsednik said. “I don’t know if we’re tightening up in those situations, maybe over thinking it a little bit and trying to do to much instead of staying up the middle and trying to settle with a base hit. All we can do is keep swinging it.”
Brian Bannister hopes the bats will break out when he toes the rubber for Kansas City today. He has lost back-to-back starts since reeling off five straight winning decisions and previously took the hill in last Friday's 6-4 loss at Atlanta. The right-hander, who yielded 11 runs (9 earned) in three innings of an 11-5 loss to Cincinnati on June 12, gave up five runs on seven hits and three walks over four innings of work against the Braves.
Bannister, who is only 1-4 with an 8.57 ERA in seven road starts in 2010, will face Washington for the third time in his career. He is 1-0 with a 2.77 ERA against the Nationals and 6-5 in 14 total starts this season.
Kansas City and Washington are meeting for the first time since the 2004 campaign, when the Nationals were located in Montreal. The Expos/Nationals have won seven of the eight matchups between the teams, including all three contests at Olympic Stadium back in 2002.
KC is 112-131 in interleague action, while the Nationals are 117-126.
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