Clayton Kershaw (9-6, 2.51 ERA), seeking his 200th strikeout of the season, gets the start for the Los Angeles Dodgers (63-50) as they go up against Jordan Zimmermann (8-7, 3.44 ERA) and the Washington Nationals (58-54) in the last of a three-game series at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers won the last game 5-0 and the series is currently tied 1-1. The game gets underway at 10:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Aug. 12 and will air on MASN and SNLA.
In his last start, Kershaw pitched 6.0 innings, allowing four runs, striking out five and walking two in a 5-4 loss to the Pirates. Justin Turner (.323, 36 Rs, 13 HRs, 44 RBIs, 1 SB) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one RBI. The Nationals were unsuccessful to the Rockies 5-4 the last time Zimmermann pitched. He went 6.2 innings, allowing one run and striking out six. Bryce Harper (.333, 77 Rs, 29 HRs, 69 RBIs, 4 SBs) went 1 for 5 yesterday with one run.
Los Angeles is a considerable -213 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is six runs. When playing as the favorite, the Dodgers have a 55-45 record and overall money line at -1,166. The Dodgers are a power hitting team with 138 home runs, one of the highest totals in the MLB. Below average play has been the norm lately for the Los Angeles pitchers. The Dodgers have given up an average of 5.6 runs to opponents in their last 10 games, above their season average of 3.7 runs per game. The Dodgers don’t give up many hits to opposing batters, ranking fourth in the NL with only 8.2 hits allowed per game. The have been extremely effective at striking opposing batters out, leading the NL with 8.6 strikeouts per game.
Moving on to the away team, the Nationals come into this game with a win percentage of .406 when playing as the underdog (13-19) and an overall money line of -691. They also allow just 2.2 walks per road game, best in the NL.
In their previous five games this season, the Dodgers have a 3-2 record. The Dodgers will take on a right-hander (Zimmermann) in this game and have a 54-38 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. The left-handed Kershaw will take the mound against the Nationals, who have a 15-10 record against lefty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – LAD, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Washington is 27-22, while Los Angeles is 21-21.
Having scored zero runs in their last game, the Nationals are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Dodgers have a 16-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs.
When they outhit their opponents, the Dodgers are 46-10. The Nationals have a 45-6 record when outhitting opponents.
Los Angeles and Washington both rank in the top half of the league in runs. Los Angeles sits at 12th with 475 runs this season and Washington ranks 14th with 467.
Los Angeles ranks at the top of the league when it comes to walks with 389 this season. Washington ranks in the top 10 at sixth with 346.
When the Dodgers hit at least one home run, they are 49-31, well-matched with the Nationals who are 42-25 when hitting one or more homers.
