The Boston Red Sox are about start a ten-game road trip starting with a three-game series against the Washington Nationals. The Red Sox are coming off their second straight series win after taking two of three from the Detroit Tigers, outscoring them 13-11. The Washington Nationals are coming off a series sweep of the Oakland A’s, outscoring them 19-11; they have also won seven of their last ten games, outscoring teams 49-45 in that stretch. The last time the Red Sox and Nationals played was in 2021, and the Red Sox swept the Nationals to clinch a Wild Card game berth.
Boston Red Sox (62-56) vs. Washington Nationals (53-66)
Game 1:
Date: Tuesday, August 15
Time: 7:05 PM EST
Broadcast: NESN
Game 2:
Date: Wednesday, August 16
Time: 7:05 PM EST
Broadcast: NESN
Game 3:
Date: Thursday, August 17
Time: 4:05 PM EST
Broadcast: NESN
Projected Starting Pitchers:
Game 1: Nick Pivetta (8-6, 4.16 ERA) vs. Josiah Gray (7-9, 3.70 ERA)
Pivetta gets the series starter for the Red Sox, making his 29th appearance and 11th start of the season; he posts a 4.37 FIP, a 1.17 WHIP, a 3.5 BB/9, and an 11.1 K/9. His last start came against the Kansas City Royals, going five innings giving up two runs on four hits; he walked two and struck out eight. In his career against the Nationals, he has appeared in 12 games, making nine starts; he is 1-4 with an 8.45 ERA, a 1.85 WHIP, and a 7.4 K/9. Gray will oppose Pivetta making his 24th start; he posts a 4.74 FIP, a 1.43 WHIP, a 4.2 BB/9, and a 7.8 K/9. In his career against the Red Sox, he has made one start going six innings giving up one run on three hits; he walked two and struck out seven.
Game 2: James Paxton (7-3, 3.36 ERA) vs. MacKenzie Gore (6-9, 4.62 ERA)
Paxton will start the middle game of the series, making his 16th start of the season; in his last outing, he faced the Royals going 5.1 innings; he didn’t give up a run on six hits; he didn’t give up a walk but struck out six. In his career, Paxton has made one start against the Nationals, going just one inning and giving up three runs on five hits; he walked one and struck out one. Paxton will face Gore, who is making his 24th start of the season, and he posts a 4.62 FIP, a 1.42 WHIP, a 3.8 BB/9, and a 10.3 K/9. Gore has never faced the Red Sox in his career.
Game 3: Chris Sale (5-2, 4.52 ERA) vs. Patrick Corbin (7-11, 4.85 ERA)
Sale gets the final game of the series against the Nationals. He is making his 13th start of the season and second since returning from the injured list; in his last start, he pitched against the Detroit Tigers going 4.2 innings, giving up two runs on one hit; he didn’t issue a walk, and struck out seven. He posts a 3.69 FIP, a 1.11 WHIP, a 2.1 BB/9, and an 11.0 K/9. Sale has faced the Nationals three times in his career, with one being a start; he is 0-0 with a 5.07 ERA, a 1.50 WHIP, and a 16.9 K/9. Sale will face Corbin for the Nationals, who is making his 25th start of the season, posting a 5.24 FIP, a 1.50 WHIP, a 2.9 BB/9, and a 6.0 K/9. He has made two starts against the Red Sox, going 0-2 with an 8.21 ERA, a 2.61 WHIP, and a 9.4 K/9.
Red Sox vs. Nationals Batting Leaders
Series Prediction
This is a big series for the Red Sox as they need to continue winning the series as they look to make their way into a playoff spot with some big series upcoming. The Nationals won’t be a cakewalk either, having been one of the hottest teams as of late, but the Red Sox have some big arms going in this series which makes me think they could sweep the Nationals, but the safe bet is they take two out of three.
