Doug Fister (3-4, 4.34 ERA) and Anthony DeSclafani (5-6, 3.68 ERA) take the hill in the first of a three-game series between the Washington Nationals (46-36) and the Cincinnati Reds (36-44) at Nationals Park. Action begins at 7:05 p.m. ET on Monday, Jul. 6 and can be seen on FSN-OH and MASN.
Fister pitched 6.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering four runs, striking out four and walking two in a 4-1 defeat to the Braves. Bryce Harper (.347, 58 Rs, 25 HRs, 60 RBIs, 4 SBs) had another good game yesterday, going 2 for 3 with one run and one stolen base. DeSclafani is 1-0 with a 1.86 ERA when pitching against the Nationals. He is up against a good Washington offense which is hitting .257 this season.
Washington is a -165 favorite against Cincinnati and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at seven runs. The Nationals have an overall money line of +44 and a record as the favorite of 37-25. Washington is an impressive 7-3 as the favorite over its last 10 games. Washington is one of the best in the NL in terms of walks, earning an average of 3.1 per game. Crossing over to the pitching staff, opposing offenses that come to Nationals Park have been stifled by the Nationals, who have a team ERA of only 2.86 at home. The Nationals are the fourth-best team in the NL at limiting hits during home games, allowing only 8.3 hits per game to their opponents this season.
Over in the other dugout, Cincinnati is coming in with an overall money line of -886 and a disappointing record of 14-29 as the underdog. They played poorly as the underdog over their last 10 games with a 1-3 record, and a 3-7 record SU. The Reds are an excellent base-stealing team with an MLB-best 82 stolen bases. The Reds allow 4.4 runs per game, but have damaged those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 5.6 runs per game during that span.
The Reds have the edge in the season series, 3-0. The Nationals have a 33-31 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when DeSclafani takes the mound. Fister (RHP) will be on the hill against the Reds, who have a 27-33 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – WSH, O/U – Over
Notes
The Nationals are 5-1 in games that go into extra innings. Meanwhile, the Reds are 4-6 in such matchups.
Having scored one run in their last game, the Reds are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Nationals have a 22-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Reds are 6-31. The Nationals have an 8-33 record when opponents outhit them.
Washington ranks in the top half of the league at 11th when it comes to home runs, hitting 83 this season. Cincinnati ranks in the top 10 at sixth with 92.
Washington and Cincinnati both rank in the top 10 of the league in hits. Washington sits at sixth with 8.72 hits per game and Cincinnati ranks ninth with 8.58.
Ranking 15th, Cincinnati is in the top half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.716). Washington ranks in the top 10 at ninth with an OPS of .728.
The Reds are 16-35 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Nationals are 17-20 when they allow at least one homer.
