In the second of a three-game series between the Washington Nationals (44-36) and the San Francisco Giants (44-36) at Nationals Park, Stephen Strasburg (5-5, 5.49 ERA) and Madison Bumgarner (8-4, 2.99 ERA) take the mound. The Nationals won the last game 2-1 and Washington leads the series 1-0. The game gets underway at 11:05 a.m. ET on Saturday, Jul. 4 and will air on CSN-BAY, MASN and MLB Net.
Strasburg is 3-0 with a 3.10 ERA against the Giants in his career, but is up against a strong San Francisco offense that’s hitting .270 on the year. Denard Span (.310, 37 Rs, 5 HRs, 22 RBIs, 11 SBs) went 1 for 3 yesterday. In his career against the Nationals, Bumgarner is 2-3 with a 2.60 ERA. He meets a solid Washington offense that’s batting .256. Buster Posey (.304, 43 Rs, 14 HRs, 57 RBIs, 1 SB) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run, one home run, and one RBI.
Washington is favored by a slight -112 margin in its matchup against San Francisco. The matchup currently has a seven-run Over/Under (O/U). The Nationals are 35-25 as the favorite and have an overall money line of -156. They are 7-3 as the favorite over their last 10 games. Over their past 10 games, Washington’s pitchers have been playing lights out, only allowing 2.3 runs per game, below their season average of 4.0. The Nationals don’t give up many walks to opposing batters, leading the NL with only 2.2 walks allowed per game.
On the other side, the Giants have a record of 22-15 when they are the underdog and are +one overall with the money line. Over the last 10 games, they were winless as the underdog with a 0-3 record and 4-6 SU. San Francisco has been playing better lately, averaging 5.4 runs per game, more than their season average of 4.3. The top hitting team in the NL are the Giants, who average 9.3 hits per game. San Francisco’s pitching staff has allowed an average of 5.3 runs per game during the last 10 games, higher than their season average of 4.0.
So far this season, the Nationals are 1-0 against the Giants. The Nationals will take on a left-hander (Bumgarner) in this game. They have done very well against left-handed starting pitchers this season (11-5), especially at home where they have a 6-2 record. The right-handed Strasburg will take the mound against the Giants, who have a 31-32 record against righty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – WSH, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Washington is 23-17, while San Francisco is 13-12.
The Nationals are coming into this game after allowing zero walks during their last outing. The Giants have a 3-4 record when opponents give up that many walks.
When they are outhit, the Giants are 3-23. The Nationals have an 8-33 record when opponents outhit them.
San Francisco ranks near the bottom of the league at 21st when it comes to home runs, hitting 67 this season. Washington ranks in the top half at 11th with 80.
San Francisco tops the league in hits with 9.34 per game this season. Washington ranks in the top 10 at sixth with 8.73.
Washington and San Francisco both rank in the top 10 of the league for their on-base plus slugging percentage. Washington sits at 10th with an OPS of .724 and San Francisco ranks eighth with an OPS of .735.
The Giants are 21-26 when they allow at least one home run. The Nationals perform similarly when they allow one or more homers with a 16-20 record.
