In a game that could be a shootout, Stephen Strasburg (2-4, 6.06 ERA) and the Washington Nationals (21-17) are in San Diego to square off against Ian Kennedy (2-2, 5.92 ERA) and the Padres (19-19). This is the last of a four-game series at Petco Park. The Nationals won the last game 4-1 and Washington leads the series 2-1. Action begins at 4:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, May. 17 and can be seen on MASN2 and FSN-SD.
Kennedy is 3-2 with a 2.31 ERA in his appearances against the Nationals, but goes up against a good Washington offense which is batting .262 this season. When pitching against the Padres, Strasburg is 3-1 with a 3.24 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, and 29 strikeouts. Bryce Harper (.326, 33 Rs, 13 HRs, 33 RBIs, 2 SBs) has been successful at the plate for the Nationals, going 2 for 3 yesterday with one run.
Washington takes on San Diego as a -122 favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at seven runs. Though the Padres have had a solid season in terms of their overall money line (+20), they’ve have done poorly as an underdog with a record of 8-12. The Padres have no trouble scoring as they rank fifth in the NL in home offense with 4.6 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 third in the NL in strikeouts per game with 8.4.
In games where it is the favorite, Washington has a 17-12 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 a 7-3 record SU. Offensively, they average 4.9 runs per game, which is good for second in the NL. 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 2.6 walks allowed per game.
The Nationals lead the season series, 2-1. The Padres have a 13-14 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Strasburg takes the mound. Kennedy (RHP) will be on the hill against the Nationals, who have a 14-15 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – WSH, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Washington is 11-7, while San Diego is 10-7.
Having scored one run in their last game, the Padres are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Nationals have an 8-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs or fewer.
It looks like the Nationals have a slight leg up on the Padres, as the Nationals have won their last two games while the Padres have lost their last two.
When they outhit their opponents, the Padres are 14-2. The Nationals have a 15-1 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking seventh in runs, San Diego has earned 170 this season. Washington ranks third with 184 runs.
Ranking 17th, San Diego is in the bottom half of the league in walks, notching 104 this season. Washington ranks in the top 10 at seventh with 126.
When the Padres hit at least one home run, they are 13-6, well-matched with the Nationals who are 15-7 when hitting one or more homers.
