Surging Nationals look to extend D-backs’ woes

Two teams trending in opposite directions meet Saturday when the Washington Nationals continue a three-game series against the slumping Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix.

Washington has won three straight games and nine of its last 12 following a 9-7 win in the series opener. James Wood hit a solo homer and Josh Bell added a three-run shot as the Nationals scored nine runs for the third straight game.

“We talked about it in spring: We know we can be an offensive threat,” Bell said. “And right now, it seems like it’s a different person every night … aside from Woody. It seems like it’s every night for him. It’s definitely fun to be a part of it.”

Wood has gone deep in four of his last six games and leads the Nationals with 16 homers.

Washington also is receiving a spark from Bell, who appears to be leaving his season-long slump in the past. The veteran slugger has homered in three straight games and is 7-for-14 (.500) over that stretch.

“It feels like the game is slowing down a little bit,” Bell said. “I’m swinging at better pitches. And the mistakes that I should hit, I am hitting, and hitting well. The first month of baseball, I was getting pitches in my zone, and I was just mis-hitting them. It’s nice to see the change.”

While the Nationals are surging, Arizona has lost eight of its last nine games, including three straight. The D-backs dropped the series opener despite out-hitting the Nationals, 12-11.

“These are very challenging times, not going to lie,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. “We’re in a huge grind, every one of us. We’re doing a great job of getting ready to go out and compete, and then the frustration comes when we fail to execute at a very critical time in the game. That’s what we’ve got to clean up.”

Lovullo shook up his lineup before Friday’s game by switching Geraldo Perdomo from ninth in the batting order to third. Perdomo is batting .289 after going 1-for-5 on Friday.

“I felt like he’s one of our best hitters and he deserves to get that extra at-bat,” Lovullo said. “A player that’s hitting third gets more at-bats than a player that’s hitting ninth.”

Saturday’s matchup features a pair of right-handers as Washington’s Michael Soroka (1-3, 5.61 ERA) faces Arizona’s Brandon Pfaadt (7-3, 3.90).

Soroka, 27, allowed three runs over six innings in a 3-2 loss to the San Francisco Giants last Sunday.

Josh Naylor is 4-for-6 with a home run against Soroka, who is 0-1 with a 3.93 ERA in his four career games (three starts) versus Arizona.

The 26-year-old Pfaadt gave up three runs over 5 2/3 innings in a no-decision against the St. Louis Cardinals last Sunday.

Pfaadt is 4-1 with a 1.78 ERA in five home starts this season compared to 3-2 with a 5.91 mark in six outings away from Chase Field.

Nathaniel Lowe is 4-for-8 with a home run against Pfaadt, who is 1-1 with a 5.11 ERA in two career starts versus Washington.

-Field Level Media