Tyson Ross (1-3, 3.98 ERA) and Doug Fister (2-1, 2.87 ERA) are on the hill in the first of a four-game series between the San Diego Padres (18-17) and the Washington Nationals (19-16) at Petco Park. Action begins at 10:10 p.m. ET on Thursday, May. 14 and can be seen on MASN and FSN-SD.
Ross is 0-1 with a 4.76 ERA in his appearances against the Nationals, and goes up against a quality Washington offense which is batting .256 this season. Against the Padres, Fister is 0-1 with a 1.00 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, and seven strikeouts. Denard Span (.316, 17 Rs, 3 HRs, 10 RBIs, 2 SBs) has been successful at the plate, going 2 for 4 yesterday with two runs and one stolen base.
Washington is a slim -106 favorite over San Diego. The matchup has an estimated Over/Under (O/U) of six runs. The Padres have an overall money line of +20 and a record as the underdog of 8-11. The Padres have no trouble scoring as they rank fifth in the NL in home offense with 4.7 runs per game. San Diego is one of the best in the MLB in terms of steals, swiping 28 bases. Turning to the pitchers, opponents have consistently been struck out by the Padres, who rank second in the NL in strikeouts per game with 8.5.
In games where it is the favorite, Washington has a 16-12 record and an overall money line of -159. They played solid baseball as the favorite over their last 10 games with a 7-2 record, and an 8-2 record SU. Offensively, they average 4.8 runs per game, which is good for third in the NL. The Nationals have a dynamic offense, ranking fifth in the league with 106 extra base hits. Washington is excellent at drawing walks with 3.3 per game, ranking fourth in the NL. When it comes to issuing walks on the road, the Nationals have the third-fewest in the NL with an average of just 2.7 walks allowed per game.
The Padres have a 12-13 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Fister takes the mound. Ross (RHP) will be on the hill against the Nationals, who have a 13-14 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – SD, O/U – Over
Notes
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Diego’s last 7 games.
San Diego is 15-8 SU in its last 23 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Diego’s last 6 games at home.
San Diego is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games when playing Washington.
San Diego is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games when playing at home against Washington.
For the fifth time this season, the Nationals registered at least two errors in a game.
When the Nationals play into extra innings, they have a 2-1 record. The Padres are 1-2 when their games exceed nine innings.
The Nationals managed to give up five walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Padres who are heading in with a 3-2 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Padres are 13-2. The Nationals have a 13-1 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking seventh, San Diego is in the top 10 of the league in runs, scoring 161 this season. Washington ranks in the top five at third with 167.
Ranking 18th, San Diego is in the bottom half of the league in walks, notching 97 this season. Washington ranks in the top 10 at seventh with 116.
When the Padres hit at least one home run, they are 12-6, well-matched with the Nationals who are 14-7 when hitting one or more homers.
