Stephen Strasburg (15-1, 2.63 ERA) gets the ball for the Washington Nationals (65-44) as they meet Matt Cain (3-6, 5.53 ERA) and the San Francisco Giants (62-47) in the second of a three-game series at Nationals Park. The Nationals won the last game 5-1, and Washington leads the series 1-0. The game starts at 7:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 6 and will air on MASN and CSBA.
In his most recent outing, Strasburg pitched 6.0 innings, allowing one run, striking out six and walking two in a 14-1 victory over the Diamondbacks. Daniel Murphy (.356, 66 Rs, 21 HRs, 81 RBIs, 3 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one RBI. The Giants were also victorious the last time Cain pitched. He had a good outing, pitching 5.0 innings, giving up zero runs, striking out five and walking four in a 3-1 victory over the Nationals. Angel Pagan (.282, 43 Rs, 8 HRs, 40 RBIs, 10 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run, one home run, and one RBI.
Washington is a heavy -210 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is eight runs. The Nationals perform well as a favorite with a 56-29 record and have an overall money line of +348. They are 5-1 as the favorite over their last 10 games. The Nationals rank fifth in the majors in home runs with 146. As for the pitching staff, the Nationals are third in the league in WHIP at 1.157.
Across the field, the Giants have a record of 16-22 when they are the underdog and are +111 overall with the money line. They have a WHIP of 1.223 on the year, good for fifth in the league.
In their previous five games this season, the Nationals have a 3-2 record. The Nationals will take on a right-hander (Cain) in this game and have a 50-33 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. Taking the hill against the Giants will be the right-hander Strasburg. They sport a 38-33 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – WAS, O/U – Over
Notes
The Nationals are coming into this game after allowing one walk during their last outing. The Giants have a 5-10 record when opponents give up one walk or less.
When they are outhit, the Giants are 12-33. The Nationals have an 11-27 record when opponents outhit them.
San Francisco ranks near the bottom of the league at 28th when it comes to home runs, hitting 92 this season. Washington ranks in the top five with 146.
Ranking seventh, Washington is in the top 10 of the league in hits, notching 8.63 per game. San Francisco ranks in the top five at fourth with 8.90.
Ranking 17th, San Francisco is in the bottom half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.732). Washington ranks in the top 10 at ninth with an OPS of .761.
The Giants are 28-37 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Nationals are 37-34 when they allow at least one homer.
