The Nationals? Again?

The San Francisco Giants have only played three games since sweeping the Washington Nationals on the road, and now they get to ... host the Nationals at home. That seems like a good thing. They’re lining things up for a healthy and happy weekend for us.

Though they still have to, you know, play the games. And win the games, ideally.

So uhh ... go do that, chaps.

The good news is that the Nationals are riding an eight-game losing streak. They are not good. The bad news is that the Giants will not get to see Patrick Corbin, who is struggling, and who got rocked by San Francisco last week.

Series details

Who: San Francisco Giants vs. Washington Nationals
Where: Oracle Park, San Francisco, California
When: Friday (7:15 p.m. PT), Saturday (1:05 p.m. PT), and Sunday (1:05 p.m. PT)
National broadcasts: Friday (Apple TV+, free)

Projected starters
Friday: Alex Wood vs. Aaron Sanchez
Saturday: Logan Webb vs. Joan Adon
Sunday: TBD vs. Josiah Gray

Where they stand

Giants

Record: 13-6, 1st in the NL West
Run differential: +44, T-1st in the NL
Momentum: 1-game losing streak, 6-4 in their last 10 games

Nats

Record: 6-15, 5th in the NL East
Run differential: -43, 14th in the NL
Momentum: 8-game losing streak, 2-8 in their last 10 games

Season series: Giants lead 3-0

Three Giants to watch

Photo by Chris Bernacchi/Diamond Images via Getty Images

Logan Webb: It feels weird to say that Webb, who has a 2.96 ERA and a 2.82 FIP, hasn’t been his best self this season. But that’s how far he’s come, and how good he’s gotten. He’s been a very good pitcher this year, but we know that he’s capable of being a great pitcher. And getting to face Washington for a second straight game should be fun ... we’ll get to see what he learned, and what he can apply against this futile Nats squad.

Brandons Belt and Crawford: Three right-handed pitchers means ample opportunity for the Brandons. Belt started the season red hot, and has been cooling down a bit ... though he’s still sporting a tremendous .242/.367/.470 batting line, good for a 150 wRC+. Crawford started ice cold, and has been turning it on lately, though he’s still hitting below league average. Some hittable pitchers provide a lot of opportunity for the Brandons to do what they do best and carry the Giants to victory.

Joc Pederson: Pederson’s one to watch for two reasons. Primarily because he’s being listed as day-to-day after leaving Wednesday’s game with an adductor strain. He could go on the IL, or he might not. It’s worth watching him just to see if he is able to avoid the IL, since he’s been the team’s best hitter this season. And if he can avoid the IL? Then maybe we see him on Sunday. And he has absolutely destroyed the Nationals so far this season.

Three Nats to watch

Aaron Sanchez: Hey, remember Sanchez? The guy the Giants signed last offseason, pitched pretty well, reportedly wasn’t jazzed about being moved to the bullpen, and then got designated for assignment but didn’t catch on anywhere else? He’s back in action with the Nats, and the Giants hitters should be fairly familiar with him. He has just one start this season, but it didn’t go well. The Giants will hope the second one doesn’t go well, either.

Joan Adon: Adon is still just 23 years old, and dealing with MLB growing pains. The righty pitcher has a 6.98 ERA and a 5.91 FIP this season, with 16 strikeouts to 10 walks in 19.1 innings. The Giants should be looking at those numbers with wide eyes.

Juan Soto: Always watch Soto. Just always watch Soto. That’s it.

In the last preview, 34% of fans accurately predicted a split series with the Oakland A’s.