In the first of a three-game series between the Washington Nationals (28-22) and the Toronto Blue Jays (28-22) at Nationals Park, Jordan Zimmermann (4-2, 3.26 ERA) and R.A. Dickey (2-5, 5.77 ERA) take the mound. The game starts at 7:05 p.m. ET on Monday, Jun. 1 and will air on RSN and MASN.
In his most recent outing, Zimmermann pitched 7.0 innings, allowing one run, striking out five and walking three in a 3-2 loss to the Cubs. In his pitching opportunities against the Nationals, Dickey is 4-6 with a 3.83 ERA, 46 strikeouts and 24 walks. Josh Donaldson (.312, 43 Rs, 15 HRs, 39 RBIs, 2 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run, one home run, and one RBI.
Washington is a -153 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at seven runs. The Nationals have a winning record of 24-14 when playing as the favorite and an overall money line of +181. Over the last 10 games, they have a very good record when playing as the favorite (5-2). Washington has averaged 3.2 runs per game over the last 10 games, lower than its season average of 4.6. The Nationals come into the game with the second-ranked scoring offense in the NL, averaging 4.6 runs per game. They have been very patient at the plate, ranking third in the NL with an average of 3.3 walks per game. Whenever an American League opponent shows up on the calendar, the Nationals seem to struggle with pitching. They allow an average of 4.2 runs per game, but allow 6.0 against teams from the AL.
Moving on to the away team, the Blue Jays come into this game with a weak win percentage of .346 when playing as the underdog (9-17) and an overall money line of -725. Against interleague competitors, they are 1-2 SU. They sport the top-ranked offense in the AL, averaging 5.2 runs per game. Toronto is one of the top hitting teams in the AL with an average of 8.7 hits per contest. Toronto’s pitching staff tends to perform poorly when they play competition from the NL. They’ve allowed an average of 6.0 runs per game against teams from the NL, higher than their season average of 4.7.
The Nationals will take on a right-hander (Dickey) in this game and have a 20-18 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. The right-handed Zimmermann will take the mound against the Blue Jays, who have a 16-24 record against righty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – WSH, O/U – Over
Notes
Toronto recorded at least two errors for the third time this season.
The Nationals are 3-1 in games that go into extra innings. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays are 1-1 in such matchups.
The Blue Jays are coming into this game after allowing one walk during their last outing. The Nationals have a 2-5 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they outhit their opponents, the Blue Jays are 20-5. The Nationals have a 19-1 record when outhitting opponents.
Toronto tops the league in runs with 268 this season. Washington ranks in the top five at third with 228.
Ranking sixth, Washington is in the top 10 of the league in walks, notching 168 this season. Toronto ranks in the top five at fourth with 170.
When the Nationals hit at least one home run, they are 21-9. When the Blue Jays hit at least one homer, they have a 20-15 record.
