Yankees vs. Nationals Series Preview

Yankees vs. Nationals
New Yankee Stadium
(three games)

After a very interesting round one of the Subway Series the Yanks stay home for a three-game set with the Washington Nationals. It will be the first time these teams have met since 2006 when the Nats took two out of three in Washington.

After beating the tar out of Johan Santana on Sunday the Yanks head into this series on a high note. They will also be getting Brian Bruney back today as he returns from the DL. Hopefully he can stay off of it this time around. If he can stay healthy Bruney will be a huge addition to this team, but I don't have to tell you that. Having a real setup man will make everyone in the bullpen better, and it will also give players defined roles.

The Yanks are 36-27 and right in the middle of the AL East race, in second place and just two games behind the Red Sox. They also lead the AL wild card by 2.5 games over the hard charging Angels who have won four in a row. Another team that is starting to play good baseball is the Rays, who have won five straight and are just 3 games behind the Yanks.

For all intents and purposes the Nationals 2009 season is already over. They're in last place in the NL East with a 16-45 record, and are 20 games out of first. They have a decent lineup with guys like Ryan Zimmerman, Adam Dunn, Nick Johnson, Josh Willingham and they're getting a great year out of Christian Guzman, but besides that they don't have much, and their pitching is the worst in the game - 5.34 team ERA.

All Yankees fans should keep an eye on game two of this series, when Chien-Ming Wang takes the mound for a very important start, especially for Wang himself. If he can't pitch a good game against the Nationals the Yanks will have a decision to make. Cashman and Girardi have already made statements that if Wang doesn't pitch well he could lose his spot in the rotation.

Should I use a Montreal Expos logo for the Nats in the game threads?

Pitching Matchups

Game 1: Tonight @ 7:05 p.m. | TV/Radio: MY9, WCBS
LHP CC Sabathia (5-4, 3.68 ERA) vs. RHP Shairon Martis (5-1, 5.04 ERA)

Game 2: Tomorrow @ 7:05 p.m. | TV/Radio: YES, WCBS
RHP Chien-Ming Wang (0-4, 14.34 ERA) vs. LHP John Lannan (3-5, 3.51 ERA)

Game 3: Thursday @ 1:05 p.m. | TV/Radio: YES, WCBS
RHP Joba Chamberlain (3-1, 3.84 ERA) vs. RHP Craig Stammen (0-2, 5.86 ERA)

Players to Watch

YANKEES: Robinson Cano - For the season the Yankees second baseman is hitting .298/.330/.492 with 11 homers and 39 RBI. He's had a rough June, hitting .235/.273/.392 with 2 homers and 8 RBI, but is looking like he's starting to heat up. In his last three he's 5 for his last 12, with 2 doubles, 2 homers, and 4 RBI.

He has only faced the Nationals three times in his career and hit .308/.357/.385.

Cano vs. Martis: NR
Cano vs. Lannan: NR
Cano vs. Stammen: NR

NATIONALS: Ryan Zimmerman - The Nats third baseman is just 24-years-old, but he's the face of the franchise and the best player on the team. Currently he's batting .310/.387/.520, with 12 HR and 42 RBI. He also leads the team in runs scored (42), hits (77) and doubles (16).

And earlier in the season he had a 30-game hitting streak.

Magnum Z.I. - yes, that's his nickname - has only played three games against the Yankees, all coming in 2006, hit .462/.462/.846 with a homer and 5 RBI.

Zimmerman vs. Sabathia: 0-for-4, two strikeouts
Zimmerman vs. Wang: 2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI
Zimmerman vs. Chamberlain: NR

Injury Report

YANKEES:
- Xavier Nady, RF: 15-day DL with an injured right elbow, he's playing in extended spring games down in Tampa. He could rejoin the Yankees soon.
- Cody Ransom, INF: 60-day DL with a strained right quad, he's playing games for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
- Jose Molina, C: On the 15-day DL with a strained left quad. He's begun baseball activities but still thinks he's a little while away.
- Damaso Marte, RP: 15-day DL with a sore shoulder. He saw Dr. James Andrews yesterday and the Dr. said he doesn't need surgery, but there's no reason to believe we'll see him back on the mound anytime soon.

NATIONALS:
- Kip Wells, RP/SP: 15-day DL with a right abductor strain.
- Scott Olsen, SP: 15-day DL with left shoulder tendinitis.
- Jesus Flores, C: 15-day DL with a right shoulder contusion.
- Roger Bernadina, OF: 60-day DL with a fractured right ankle.
- Dmitri Young, 1B: 15-day DL with a hip and back strain.
- Terrell Young, RP: 60-day DL as he recovers from right shoulder surgery.
- Matt Chico, SP: 60-day DL as he recovers from left elbow surgery.