Padres head to D.C. for three-game series with Nationals

WASHINGTON– The Padres make their lone trip to the nation’s capital this weekend for a three-game set with the Washington Nationals. It will be the start of a seven-game road trip against two talented NL East teams. San Diego will wrap up the road trip with four games in Atlanta vs. the Braves from 4/29 to 5/2.

WHERE: Nationals Park, Washington, DC

WHEN: 

4/26: 4:00 pm PT

4/27: 12:30 pm PT with #PadresLive

4/28: 10:00 am PT with #PadresLive

HOW TO WATCH: FOX Sports San Diego or FOX Sports GO.

PITCHING PROBABLES:

4/26: SD Matt Strahm (0-2, 3.05 ERA) vs. WSH Max Scherzer (1-3, 4.45 ERA)

4/27: SD Eric Lauer (2-3, 4.67 ERA) vs. WSH Stephen Strasburg (2-1, 4.11 ERA)

4/28: SD Joey Lucchesi (3-2, 4.33 ERA) vs. WSH Jeremy Hellickson (2-0, 4.34 ERA)

PLAYER TO WATCH: Franmil Reyes

Reyes returns to Nationals Park this weekend, a place where he hit his first big league home run roughly 11 months ago:

Franmil Reyes hits his first big league home run! ? This 2-run shot puts the @Padres on the board. #LetsGoPadres

FSGO: https://t.co/5Qrmqu3DtZ pic.twitter.com/rjpGtLeC0w

— FOX Sports San Diego (@FOXSportsSD) May 22, 2018

The slugging outfielder may only be hitting .209 with a .276 on-base percentage, but his current statistics do not tell the whole story. Reyes’ average exit velocity (95.2 MPH) is good for 6th in all of baseball, and he is barreling up the baseball in 14.5% of his plate appearances, good for 5th.

The D.R. native is also sporting a .174 BABIP, which just further shows that he has hit into some tough luck in the season’s first 25 games.

Reyes’ two-home run performance on Tuesday vs. the Mariners was just the start. If he keeps hitting the ball the way he has been, expect some big performances and numbers from the 23-year-old — and soon.