The San Francisco Giants (24-20) may be the reigning World Series champions, but as the Washington Nationals (23-21) head to AT&T Park for the final stop of their West Coast excursion, they bring with them a strong record of success against the Giants.

Last year, the Nationals dominated in matchups between the two teams, winning five of six games and outscoring them 45-24. This year, though the Nationals have been a less dominating team overall, the Giants have been experiencing their own struggles as well. San Francisco’s recent slide should make this series an interesting one to watch, considering the impact it could have on either team’s momentum.

The Giants are coming home from a road trip during which they won only one of six games against the Toronto Blue Jays and Colorado Rockies, leading them to relinquish their first-place status to the Rockies after holding it for 25 days of the season.

The Nationals just split a series with the San Diego Padres, putting them at 3-4 on their 10-game road trip as they continue to working on boosting their offensive production. The Giants’ starters put together a 9.82 ERA over their own road trip, so perhaps the Nats will be able to capitalize on their opponent’s current struggle to spark their offense. 

The Problem With Pitching

The Nationals aren’t the only team that has experienced a dip in pitching performance between this year and last. The Giants kept pace with the Nationals as two of the top MLB pitching rotations in 2012, but have sunk dramatically lower in 2013.

Last year the Giants finished with a seventh-place 3.68 ERA, not far behind the Nats’ second-place 3.33 ERA. This year the picture is much different, with the Giants in 20th place with a 4.21 team ERA and the Nationals’ 3.42 ERA in fifth.

There is still a long way to go through this season, leaving ample room for those numbers to change, but it doesn’t help when key players on each team are unable to perform to their potential.

On the Giants’ end, Ryan Vogelsong is their pitching rotation’s biggest weak spot. He pitched for a 14-9 record and a 3.37 ERA in 189.2 innings with the Giants last season, but has been struggling mightily on the mound this year. Through eight starts and 41.1 innings, he has a 1-4 record with an 8.06 ERA, and lasted only 4.2, 4.1 and 2.0 innings in his last three starts. 

Manager Bruce Bochy wants to give Vogelsong more time to work out his problems, according to MLB.com, but there is no doubt his lack of production is negatively impacting the Giants’ success.

Luckily for the Nationals, their pitching problem is likely an easier fix.

Ross Detwiler will miss his regularly scheduled start with an oblique strain, but reports that he is feeling better daily and hopes to be back in the rotation the next time around, according to the Washington Times.

In the meantime, manager Davey Johnson turned to lefty Zach Duke to fill in for Detwiler, despite his recent struggles.

In his last outing, Duke allowed four earned runs on four hits, and made only two outs before being pulled from the game.

This spot start will be Duke’s first start since July 2010, and he hopes to use it as an opportunity for recovery from his poor performance recently, according to MLB.com.

“I have to get out there and give us a chance to win the game and re-prove to the organization and to the guys in this clubhouse that I can pitch and get people out," Duke said.

Duke began his career as a starter, and in 168 career starts he has a 4.59 ERA. He has performed similarly as a reliever with a 4.40 ERA in 30 games.

Duke and Vogelsong will face off in the series opener as each vies for his chance at redemption.

The weaknesses in the Washington Nationals offense is not limited to one player, or even a couple players. The majority of the Nats offense has been non-existent for significant stretches through the first quarter of the 2013 campaign, but Danny Espinosa is absolutely in the worst period of offensive stagnation.

Espinosa, who got an MRI last September after feeling weakness in his shoulder, said that he felt much better this spring after rehabbing all offseason, and his spring training swings looked to show that. He was quick to the ball and was moving the bat through the zone well. As so often happens when spring training ends and the real season begins, things changed quickly.

His swing went back to the loopy, uppercut swing that has a very low probability of making contact with the ball, and he struggled as he did last season, especially late in the year. Slumps can happen at any point in the season, but if a slump is all it is, it's lasted for more than 40 baseball games. It's probably time to consider one of two scenarios. Either Espinosa's shoulder isn't nearly as healthy as he said it was, or he's not as good as everyone hoped he would be.

Espinosa's slash line this season is a staggeringly terrible .163/.191/.296. That OBP is the worst in all of baseball. He has the fourth-worst batting average, and his walk percentage is third-worst in baseball and worst in the National League, too.

It's hard to avoid drawing parallels to Adam LaRoche's injury-shortened season in 2011, where he had shoulder surgery in June. LaRoche posted a bad, though not quite "Espinosa bad," .172/.288/.258 slash line before hitting the disabled list in May 2011. Only Espinosa can truly know if he's still hurting, but if he is, at some point he'll have to own up to his team and tell them. His defense is still among the best second basemen in baseball, but his defensive benefits are being outweighed by his current offensive incompetence.

If Espinosa is healthy, then there are only two viable explanations. His mired in one of the worst and longest slumps ever, or he simply hasn't been able to meet the lofty expectations that people had of him when his career started. In his first two full seasons in 2011 and 2012, he posted .236/.323/.414 and .247/.315/.402 slash lines, respectively. These are obviously far superior to his 2013 numbers thus far, but they're certainly nothing special for a second baseman, or really for any other position. Espinosa also led the National League in strikeouts in 2012.

GM Mike Rizzo told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post just this weekend he thinks Espinosa is the team's "best option" at second base and that he is both "physically fine" and "mentally fine." It's hard for me to imagine how both of these statements can be true. If he is both physically and mentally fine and this is how he's performed through a quarter of the year, it's hard to see how he can possibly be the best option. Similarly, if he's either physically or mentally not fine, he certainly isn't the best option for the Nats right now.

Though many people prosthelytize about the greatness of Steve Lombardozzi, it's hard to argue he'd be a better option than Espinosa, even through his significant slump. Espinosa provides significantly better defense than Lombardozzi with the threat of power, even if he hasn't been able to realize that threat much this year. Lombardozzi provides regularly weak contact that can provide value off the bench but not much as an every day starter.

In the minors, though, the Nationals may have two viable options to replace Espinosa. Jeff Kobernus, a second baseman by trade, is putting up incredible numbers in Triple-A Syracuse early this season with a .348/.381/.437 slash line. The Hardball Times even predicted he had an excellent chance to make the Tigers 25-man roster as a Rule V draft pick this offseason before being sent back to the Nationals. Meanwhile, top prospect Anthony Rendon, who had a cup of coffee in the majors earlier this season while Ryan Zimmerman was on the DL, is destroying the ball in Double-A Harrisburg and has gotten a couple chances at second base this season.

Maybe neither of these players will be better than Espinosa, but it's hard to imagine how they could possibly be any worse. Obviously, the only way either Kobernus or Rendon will get a chance is if Espinosa winds up on the disabled list. Espinosa has been a full-time starter for two full seasons, and he's absolutely not going to the minor leagues. It wouldn't do anything at all to help him improve by making him face lesser talent. However, something about the second base situation needs to be done. It's not the biggest problem the Nats are facing, but it's not a small one, either.

The Washington Nationals (21-19) are moving through the NL West from the bottom up. After dropping a series against the last-place Los Angeles Dodgers, the Nats will travel two hours south to take on the fourth-place San Diego Padres (18-21) in a four game series at Petco Park.

The Padres were swept by the Tampa Bay Rays before winning a two-game series against the Baltimore Orioles, and they have won eight of 13 games in May, as have the Nationals.

The Nationals went 3-2 against them last year, and will look to bolster their continually disappointing offense to come away with a winning record again this year. The Nats finished April with a team slash line of .234/.296/.391, and halfway through May their stats are an even drearier .221/.283/.322.

But fortunately for the Nationals' chances in this series, the Padres haven’t been faring much better in May. Their offensive slash line is .231/.310/.387 this month, though their 3.33 May ERA has been helping them win ballgames.

However, their pitching numbers pale in comparison to the Nats’ MLB-leading 2.37 ERA for May. If the Nats keep pitching as they have been, and the offense finds a way to come alive in the Padres’ not so hitter friendly park, they have the opportunity to gain some momentum before facing the NL West leading San Francisco Giants.

The Injury Bug

Part of the Nationals offensive woes could be attributable to the fact that the last time all eight position players were in the lineup was on April 14. And it doesn’t look like the lineup will be complete any time soon, after the injury bug bit the Nationals hard last night.

Both Ross Detwiler and Wilson Ramos left last night’s game against the Dodgers with injuries, adding to the Nationals growing list of ailing players.

Ramos went 2-for-2 last night with a double off Zack Greinke, but the offense will have to wait a while before they can benefit from his spark. Ramos was put on the 15-day disabled list with a pulled hamstring for the second time this season, and catcher Jhonatan Solano was called up from Triple-A Syracuse.

Detwiler was doing well to begin his outing, but he was pulled from the game after the third inning due to back spasms and may miss his next start, according to the Washington Post.

Amidst all the bad news is some reprieve. Bryce Harper will be back in the starting lineup on Thursday after his unfortunate mishap with the wall in the Dodgers’ outfield, and Jayson Werth is eligible to return on Saturday.

The team is no doubt feeling the weight of having players out with injuries so often, but they will need to continue to find their way to win ballgames without their full lineup as they press on through the remaining three-fourths of the season.

Returning to Form

Stephen Strasburg will get the start in the series opener to try to reclaim the distinction of “ace” from Jordan Zimmermann, who continues to dominate. Strasburg was looking like his old self during the first four innings of his last start against the Chicago Cubs, until an implosion in the fourth inning knocked him from the game.

The Nationals offense is struggling once again, as it has in stretches this season. Against the Chicago Cubs and the Los Angeles Dodgers, two teams who were struggling, the Nats won just two of those six games. The pitching has been stellar overall. In that six game stretch, Nats pitchers have given up more than three runs in a game just one time. On the flip side, the offense has score more than two runs just twice in that stretch.

With 40 games done, or almost exactly one-quarter of the season, it's probably not too early to be concerned about the inconsistent and occasionally dreadful offensive performances. It's not just a feeling that things aren't going well, either. The numbers back it up. Here are just a few examples of their offensive numbers as a team:

-Strikeout %: 22.7% (3rd worst in MLB)

-Slugging %: .370 (3rd worst in MLB)

-Runs scored: 138 (4th worst in MLB)

-Batting average: .231 (3rd worst in MLB)

-Wins Above Replacement: 1.9 (4th worst in MLB)

In most of those categories, the teams that are slotted worse than the Nats include the Marlins, Mets, and Astros. Those aren't exactly powerhouse teams that anyone expects anything from, in stark contrast to the Nationals. That said, the Nats have dealt with significant injuries early this season. Ryan Zimmerman, Jayson Werth, and Wilson Ramos have all spent time on the disabled list. Bryce Harper is in bad shape after crashing into the wall at Dodger Stadium. Denard Span has missed a few games with various ailments. These are five starters that have had injury issues and haven't been in the lineup, some of them for extended stretches.

On the flip side, Danny Espinosa looks as confused and helpless at the plate as he's ever looked in his career. Adam LaRoche went on an extended slump last month before breaking out and starting a 12-game hitting streak.

So, with all of that information, who is to blame?

In all sports, coaches and/or mangers are the ones that get blamed when things go poorly. If a team is losing, and they shouldn't be, it's considered the manager's loss by default. If the pitchers aren't meeting their potential, it's the pitching coach. If a normally potent lineup is struggling, it's the hitting coach. And all of that, for the most part, is a compete cop out.

It's easy to blame the coaches when expectations aren't met, but it's hard to see how it's their fault with this much talent on the roster. The players have to perform, and there isn't much hitting coach Rick Eckstein can do for his hitters. He can try to help them mentally, he can tell him if he sees them doing something weird, but he can't hit the ball for them. He can't stop them from striking out at their astronomical rate.

It is up to the players to figure out what's going on and figure out how to create success for themselves. With the exception of Bryce Harper, who was the Nats best hitter when he got hurt, the lineup is young, but they have enough MLB experience that they shouldn't need much coaching to figure out the problem. I think it is usually making excuses for underperforming players on a good team when coaches are called out, when they actually have very little impact.

If you're looking for something to blame, blame freak injuries to key players. Also, remember that the team is just one game behind the Braves for first place in the division and they are still above the .500 mark, and maybe that'll make you feel a little bit better.

The Washington Nationals (20-17) are heading west to play through the West Coast and attempt to quell any momentum the Los Angeles Dodgers (15-21) are gaining before they can build it into a streak.

The Dodgers, who have been one of the bigger disappointments of the 2013 season, underachieving despite their high payroll, just took two games from the Miami Marlins to stop an eight-game losing streak.

The last time the Dodgers snapped an eight-game losing streak was in 2008, according to MLB.com, and they countered that stretch of losing by then putting together an eight-game winning streak, ultimately becoming the NL West champions.

Though the Nationals lost their last two games, they will look to be the team that stifles the Dodgers’ chances at recreating that pattern of success, as they kick off a 10-game road trip through the NL West.

Memories in Dodger Stadium

The Nationals started out 2012 hot, winning all of their first six series. However, their first series loss of the season came at the hands of the Dodgers when they swept the Nats in Los Angeles.

Many Nationals fans remember that particular match-up because it was during that series that Bryce Harper made his debut. Harper will return to Dodger Stadium for the first time since then, after going 2-for-6 with a double, a walk and an RBI in his first two Major League games there.

To say Harper has been a significant contributor to the Nationals since his debut is an understatement, though he is hitting only .120/.233/.240 in May. He returned to the lineup on Sunday after missing two games with an ingrown toenail with hopes of getting back on track to the pace he set in April, which has his season slash line sitting at .297/.387/.619.

Harper and the rest of the Nationals lineup, who are hitting .223 in May, will look to liven up their bats in California to tilt their 19-28 record against the Dodgers since 2005 more in favor of Washington.

Injuries Galore

Though the Dodgers were a popular playoff pick in the offseason, a multitude of injuries to key players has hampered their success and reduced them to last place in the NL West.

Ten players from their colossal $220 million payroll currently sit on the disabled list, including pitchers Zack Greinke, Chad Billingsley and Ted Lilly, and position players Mark Ellis and Adrian Gonzalez.

However, there is a chance the Dodgers could re-activate Greinke this week to face the Nationals, which would be great news for a team that has already had to use nine starting pitchers this season. Greinke has been on the DL since April 12 with a broken collarbone after he fought with Carlos Quentin in the benches-clearing debacle with the San Diego Padres.

If they do have to face him on Wednesday, the Nationals are well equipped to hit against the pitcher who signed a $147 million contract with the Dodgers in the offseason. In 58 at bats against him, current Nationals are hitting an impressive .345/.397/.431.

Injuries have also allowed room for the Dodgers to bring up bench player Scott Van Slyke, who has already bolstered their power-sapped offense. Van Slyke was recalled from the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate on May 10, and proceeded to hit his first three career home runs in two days. He went 9-for-54 in his first 27 major league games with the Dodgers last year. The Dodgers’ offense has hit the fourth-fewest home runs in the majors this season (26).

In The Zone

Adam LaRoche (1B) .448 AVG, .528 OBP, .517 SLG, 6 BB (nine-game hitting streak)

Ian Desmond (SS) .389 AVG, .450 OBP, .833 SLG, 2 HR, 2 2B (last five games)

Who’s Hot?

Matt Kemp (CF) .348 AVG, .360 OBP, .391 SLG, 1 2B (last six games)

Carl Crawford (LF) .333 AVG, .360 OBP, .458 SLG, 1 HR (last six games)

Who’s Not?

Dee Gordan (SS) .217 AVG, .308 OBP, .348 SLG, 6 SO (last six games)

Probable Starters

Jordan Zimmermann (6-1, 1.59 ERA, .181 BAA, 34 SO) vs. Josh Beckett (0-4, 5.13 ERA, .294 BAA, 36 SO)

Dan Haren (4-3, 5.17 ERA, .315 BAA, 27 SO) vs. Clayton Kershaw (3-2, 1.62 ERA, .177 BAA, 56 SO)

Ross Detwiler (2-3, 2.53 ERA, .296 BAA, 23 SO) vs. TBA

There was excitement early in the Nationals Park stands as Stephen Strasburg faced former teammate Edwin Jackson and the Chicago Cubs. The Nats had won six of their last seven entering Saturday’s contest, and the game started as a pitcher’s duel between the former teammates through four innings. Strasburg had surrendered just one hit.

To start the fifth, he recorded an out against Nate Schierholtz and then allowed a double to Cody Ransom to right field, but he was thrown out trying to get to third on a great relay of a Roger Bernadina throw by Danny Espinosa. After that, to say the rails came off for Strasburg would be the quite an understatement.

Ryan Zimmerman committed his sixth error of the season on yet another wide throw to first base on what should’ve been a routine, inning-ending groundout by Wellington Castillo. Strasburg had already started heading toward the dugout, so he had to retake the mound to try to get the last out in the inning against the Cubs number eight hitter, Darwin Barney.

Strasburg proceeded to walk Barney, clearly letting the Zimmerman error affect him. Then, he gave up a two-RBI double to Edwin Jackson. There is no excuse for a pitcher of Strasburg’s ability to be unable to retire one of those two hitters. He then walked David DeJesus and Starlin Castro back-to-back to load the bases before giving up a single to Anthony Rizzo that scored two more, giving the Cubs a four-run inning.

Zimmerman’s error was disappointing, which was compounded by another error with his glove in the seventh inning, but Strasburg absolutely cannot allow the mental side of things to affect him the way that it clearly did today. He showed his frustration on the mound, he looked unsettled and uneasy, and he couldn’t make pitches he had been making with unbelievable ease up until the error.

In his post-game press conference, even Davey Johnson put the fifth inning meltdown on Strasburg, not Zimmerman. He said about Zimmerman’s throwing, “I like where he’s at. It’s exacerbated when the pitcher doesn’t pick us up.” The accumulation of errors by Zimmerman may be concerning, but it’s not what cost the Nats this game.

If Strasburg wants to be the ace pitcher of a good baseball team, he has to control his emotions more effectively. Johnson said he “may have a few words” with Strasburg, who he also called a “perfectionist,” about what happened. He also said that was pitching coach Steve McCatty’s job. Either way, it sounds like someone is going to have a conversation with the talented young pitcher about his ability to deal with adversity.

The Washington Nationals (19-15) are hot coming away from a two-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers, and will look to finish their home stand strong against the Chicago Cubs (13-21).

The Nationals are 6-1 to start the month, while the Cubs, who are last place in the NL Central have won only three of eight games in May.

Their shaky bullpen has been the cause of most of Chicago’s problems. They have had the third-most save opportunities in the MLB (18), and have converted only nine of them into wins. In comparison, the Nationals have recorded saves 12 times in 16 opportunities.

The spread between the Cubs’ starting ERA and bullpen ERA is significant. Their bullpen ranks 25th among MLB teams with a 4.57 ERA, while their starters rank sixth with a 3.41 ERA, just one point behind the Nationals’ fifth-place 3.42 starting ERA.

Pitching for the Win

Because of the struggles the bullpen has been facing, the Cubs' starters have had a tough time recording wins, namely Edwin Jackson and Jeff Samardzija.

Former National Jackson will return to Nationals Park for the first time after signing a four-year $52 million contract with Chicago in the offseason. Jackson has had a rocky start to his first season with his new team. He has a 6.39 ERA, and is the Cubs’ only starting pitcher who has not yet gotten a win. Of the seven games he has started, the Cubs have won only one.

He hasn’t pitched into the seventh inning yet this season, and has had trouble with opposing teams putting together one big inning against him that has taken away his chance at earning a win.

Samardzija, who will start the first game of the series, has not had much more luck with wins than Jackson. He has a 1-4 record and will be facing off with Ross Detwiler for each pitcher’s second win of the season.

In 74 at-bats against Samardzija, current Nationals are batting .230/.247/.392 with 19 strikeouts and three home runs. No National who has faced him in more than five at-bats has had less success than Ryan Zimmerman, who has not gotten a hit in 11 career at-bats. Zimmerman has not faced any other pitcher that many times without getting at least one hit, according to MLB.com.

The End of The Slump

Adam LaRoche hit two of those three Nationals home runs off Samardzija, and the Nats can finally count on him to be a home run threat again. After a month-long slump, during which he had a slash line of .129/.204/.247 with 30 strikeouts and three home runs, he is again hitting like the Silver Slugger winner who led the Nationals with 33 home runs last season.

LaRoche is now riding a six-game hitting streak – the longest of his season – which he credits to talking to former teammate Chipper Jones and Nationals’ hitting coach Rick Eckstein about making adjustments in his swing.

He has a .180 average against current Cubs pitchers, but his improved swing and .460 slugging percentage against them should prove useful throughout the series.

In The Zone

Adam LaRoche (1B) .529 AVG, .625 OBP, .647 SLG, 6 BB (last six games)

Who’s Hot?

Luis Valbuena (3B) .500 AVG, .650 OBP, .571 SLG, 6 BB (last six games)

Anthony Rizzo (1B) .458 AVG, .519 OBP, .750 SLG, 5 RBI (last six games)

Who’s Not?

Darwin Barney (2B) .000 AVG, .105 OBP, .000 SLG, 2 SO (last five games)

Starlin Castro (SS) .200 AVG, .259 OBP, .240 SLG, 5 SO (last six games)

Probable Starters

5/10, Ross Detwiler (1-3, 2.50 ERA, .296 BAA, 21 SO) vs. Jeff Samardzija (1-4, 3.09 ERA, .210 BAA, 52 SO)

5/11, Stephen Strasburg (1-4, 3.45 ERA, .228 BAA, 44 SO) vs. Edwin Jackson (0-5, 6.39 ERA, .284 BAA, 39 SO)

5/12, Gio Gonzalez (3-2, 4.97 ERA, .218 BAA, 41 SO) vs. Scott Feldman (3-3, 2.70 ERA, .200 BAA, 27 SO) 

In the eighth inning of the Nationals 3-1 win over the Tigers, the team's first win over the Detroit ballclub since 2005, Tyler Clippard came in to face Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder, which isn't the easiest task in the world. Clippard has struggled with keeping his pitches down in the zone, but his pitch location chart from this 34-pitch outing against the Tigers is truly amazing.

Of the 34 pitches Clippard threw on Wednesday evening, not a single one in the bottom-half of the zone was called for a strike, and only one really even flirted with the zone. The only thing below the belt that was a strike was the swinging strikeout by Prince Fielder on a nasty changeup (the yellow #3 at the bottom in the image above). Let's take a look at the previous three appearances for Clippard as a small sample to compare the results.