Jeremy Hellickson (1-3, 5.85 ERA) and Gio Gonzalez (3-2, 3.62 ERA) take the hill in the last of a three-game series between the Arizona Diamondbacks (15-17) and the Washington Nationals (18-16) at Chase Field. The Diamondbacks won the last game 14-6 and the series is currently tied 1-1. Action begins at 3:40 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May. 13 and can be seen on MASN, FSN-AZ and MLB Net.
Hellickson pitched 4.2 innings in his last outing, surrendering five runs, striking out three and walking two in a 6-5 defeat to the Padres. David Peralta (.287, 14 Rs, 4 HRs, 14 RBIs, 1 SB) had another good game yesterday, going 3 for 5 with one run. Gonzalez is 2-0 with a 1.33 ERA against the Diamondbacks in his career. He takes on a quality Arizona offense that’s batting .266. Bryce Harper (.308, 29 Rs, 12 HRs, 31 RBIs) has been successful at the plate for the Nationals, going 2 for 3 yesterday with two runs, one home run, and two RBIs.
Washington takes on Arizona as a -147 favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at eight runs. The Diamondbacks have recorded an overall money line of -139 and have shown a weak performance as an underdog this season with a record of 8-13. Arizona has recorded a disappointing 2-5 record as the underdog over its last 10 games. The Diamondbacks have no trouble scoring as they rank fifth in the NL in home offense with 4.5 runs per game. The Diamondbacks are one of the best in the NL in terms of hits with an impressive 9.1 per game. Arizona is one of the best in the MLB in terms of steals, swiping 27 bases.
In games where it is the favorite, Washington has a 15-11 record and an overall money line of -117. They played solid baseball as the favorite over their last 10 games with a 7-1 record, and an 8-2 record SU. Offensively, they average four runs per game on the road, which is second in the NL. The Nationals have a dynamic offense, ranking fifth in the league with 102 extra base hits. The Nationals allow 4.1 runs per game, but have improved upon those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 2.8 runs per game during that span.
The Diamondbacks have a 4-4 record against left-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Gonzalez takes the mound. Hellickson (RHP) will be on the hill against the Nationals, who have a 12-13 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – WSH, O/U – Over
Notes
When the Nationals play into extra innings, they have a 2-1 record. The Diamondbacks are 2-2 when their games exceed nine innings.
The Nationals are coming off of a weak pitching game where they recorded six strikeouts. The Diamondbacks have a record of 5-6 when opponents’ pitchers have that many strikeouts or fewer.
When they outhit their opponents, the Diamondbacks are 10-2. The Nationals have a 13-1 record when outhitting opponents.
Arizona and Washington both rank in the top 10 of the league in runs. Arizona sits at eighth with 155 runs this season and Washington ranks sixth with 158.
Ranking 18th, Arizona is in the bottom half of the league in walks, notching 95 this season. Washington ranks in the top half at 11th with 110.
The Diamondbacks are 13-5 when they hit at least one home run. The Nationals perform similarly when they hit one or more homers with a 13-7 record.
