Brandon Finnegan (1-4, 4.14 ERA) and Gio Gonzalez (3-3, 3.57 ERA) start in the first of a three-game series between the Cincinnati Reds (19-35) and the Washington Nationals (33-21) at the Great American Ball Park. Action begins at 7:10 p.m. ET on Friday, Jun. 3 and can be seen on MAS2 and FSOH.
Finnegan pitched 6.1 innings in his last outing, surrendering four runs, striking out four and walking four in a 5-4 defeat to the Brewers. Jay Bruce (.275, 30 Rs, 11 HRs, 36 RBIs, 2 SBs) continued his strong play yesterday, going 2 for 5 with one run and two RBIs. Gonzalez went 4.2 innings, surrendering six runs, striking out six and walking four in a 9-4 defeat to the Cardinals in his most recent start. Daniel Murphy (.394, 31 Rs, 9 HRs, 34 RBIs, 1 SB) went 1 for 4 Wednesday with two runs.
The odds for Cincinnati and Washington are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable as of now. The Reds 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. Cincinnati’s pitching staff has been doing better against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, only allowing an average of 0.0 runs per game, well under their season average of 0.0. Opponents have consistently been struck out by the Reds, who rank second in the NL in strikeouts per game with 7.0.
Offensively, they average four runs per game on the road, which is fifth in the NL. Washington is excellent at drawing walks with 3.6 per road game, ranking fifth in the NL. Moving on to Washington’s pitching staff and defense, the Nationals allow just 0.0 runs per game, ranking them second in the NL. When it comes to preventing batters from getting on base, the Nationals are one of the best in the league with a WHIP of 1.119 for the season.
Predictions: SU Winner – WAS
Notes
The Nationals are coming off of a hot pitching game where they recorded 12 strikeouts. The Reds have a record of 0-5 when they are struck out that many times or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Reds are 14-6. The Nationals have a 26-6 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 16th, Cincinnati is in the bottom half of the league in runs, scoring 228 this season. Washington ranks in the top half at 13th with 233.
Ranking 28th, Cincinnati is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 127 this season. Washington ranks in the top five with 191.
When the Reds hit at least one home run, they are 16-20. When the Nationals hit at least one homer, they have a 26-10 record.
