Stephen Strasburg (5-0, 2.36 ERA) takes the hill for the Washington Nationals (19-12) as they square off against Anibal Sanchez (3-3, 5.87 ERA) and the Detroit Tigers (14-16) in the first of a three-game series at Nationals Park. The Tigers come into this series hoping to snap a six-game losing streak. Action begins at 7:05 p.m. ET on Monday, May. 9 and can be seen on MASN, FSDT and ESPN.
Strasburg pitched 6.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering two runs, striking out seven and walking one in a 13-2 win over the Royals. Daniel Murphy (.395, 20 Rs, 4 HRs, 17 RBIs, 1 SB) had another good game yesterday, going 2 for 7 with one run. Sanchez went 7.0 innings, surrendering four runs, striking out seven and walking three in a 4-0 defeat to the Indians in his last outing. Nick Castellanos (.375, 13 Rs, 5 HRs, 24 RBIs, 1 SB) went 1 for 3 yesterday.
The odds for Washington and Detroit are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable as of now. Against the AL, the Nationals have a 9-15 record SU. The Nationals have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 0.0 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 0.0 runs per game. Opposing batters know they’re in for a battle when they play Washington. The Nationals are one of the top teams when it comes to pitching, allowing just 0.0 runs per game. The Nationals are the third-best team in the league at limiting hits and walks to their opponents, recording a WHIP of 1.131 so far this season.
Detroit is 14-11 SU against National League opponents. Offensively, the Tigers have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 0.0 runs per game by averaging 0.0 during that stretch. The Tigers allow 0.0 runs per game, but have improved upon those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 0.0 runs per game during that span. The Tigers have established a reputation of overwhelming hitters with an AL-best 6.8 strikeouts per game.
Predictions: SU Winner – WAS
Notes
The Nationals are coming off of a hot pitching game where they recorded 10 strikeouts. The Tigers have a record of 4-7 when they are struck out that many times or more.
When they are outhit, the Tigers are 3-11. The Nationals have a 3-9 record when opponents outhit them.
Detroit ranks in the top half of the league at 13th when it comes to home runs, hitting 33 this season. Washington ranks in the top 10 with 37.
Ranking 18th, Washington is in the bottom half of the league in hits, notching 8.19 per game. Detroit ranks in the top 10 with 8.87.
Ranking 17th, Washington is in the bottom half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.719). Detroit ranks in the top half with an OPS of .724.
The Tigers are 7-12 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Nationals are 9-9 when they allow at least one homer.
