Let's take a look at the projected pitching matchups for the series against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Tuesday, August 17, RHP Erick Fedde (4-8, 5.12 ERA) vs. RHP Alek Manoah (5-1, 2.59 ERA) | First Pitch: 7:05 pm

After a tough weekend against Atlanta, the Nationals had Monday off and will see Fedde take the mound Tuesday night against the Blue Jays. Fedde has shown promise this season at times, but in his last eight starts he has pitched more than five innings only twice. His ERA over that span is a disturbing 7.00. Fedde does have two appearances against the Jays in his career with a 1-0 record and a 2.89 ERA.

Facing Fedde is a young rookie in Alek Manoah who has 11 starts so far this season. Manoah has shown an ability to go deep into games for parts of the season, pitching six innings in six of his 11 starts. He has yet to face the Nationals, but in his last start he pitched 6.2 innings and struck out 11 batters when the Blue Jays defeated the Angels.

The game can be seen on YouTube and heard on 106.7, the Fan.

Wednesday, August 18, RHP Josiah Gray (0-1, 4.13 ERA) vs. RHP Jose Berrios (8-6, 3.52 ERA) | First Pitch: 4:05 pm

The second of this two game series will feature the young Josiah Gray who was acquired in the Scherzer and Turner deal with the Dodgers. This will be Gray's fourth start since joining Washington and his ERA in his previous three starts is 2.81. Gray is still working to reach upwards of 100 pitches, but has shown an ability to strike batters out effectively while still pitching five or six innings on a lower pitch count.

Facing Gray will be stud pitcher Jose Berrios who was acquired from the Twins at the trade deadline. Berrios has a solid 3.52 ERA and has three starts under his belt with Toronto. He gave up only one run in his first two starts, but his last outing saw him give up six runs in only 4.2 innings against the Angels. Berrios only has one career start against the Nationals back in September of 2019 where he tossed seven scoreless innings in a 5-0 victory.

Series Notes: Toronto Blue Jays

• The Blue Jays are 7.5 games out of first in the AL East, putting them in 4th place.
• The Blue Jays are 5-5 in their last 10 games
• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. leads the Blue Jays in five major hitting categories: average, hits, home runs, RBI, and OBP.
• As a team, the Blue Jays have a very solid ERA of 3.88, led by starter Robbie Ray with a 2.88 ERA.