Stephen Strasburg (3-4, 5.98 ERA) and Cole Hamels (4-3, 3.24 ERA) start in the second of a three-game series between the Washington Nationals (25-17) and the Philadelphia Phillies (18-26) at Nationals Park. The Nationals won the last game 2-1, continuing a six-game winning streak. Action begins at 4:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, May. 23 and can be seen on TCN-PHI and MASN.
Strasburg is 5-1 with a 2.00 ERA in his appearances against the Phillies, and goes up against a below-average Philadelphia offense which is batting just .240 this season. Bryce Harper (.336, 38 Rs, 16 HRs, 39 RBIs, 2 SBs) went 1 for 2 yesterday with one run, one home run, and one RBI. Hamels is 15-9 with a 2.72 ERA against the Nationals in his career. He is up against a good Washington offense that’s batting .260. Ryan Howard (.257, 14 Rs, 9 HRs, 21 RBIs) went 1 for 4 yesterday.
Washington is a -150 favorite against Philadelphia and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at six runs. The Nationals have recorded an overall money line of +241 and have shown high-level performance as a favorite this season with a record of 21-12. Washington is an impressive 8-1 as the favorite over its last 10 games. The Nationals have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 6.9 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 5.0 runs per game. The Nationals have no trouble scoring as they lead the NL in offense with 5.0 runs per game. The Nationals are one of the best in the NL in terms of hits with an impressive 8.8 per game. Washington is one of the best in the NL in terms of walks, earning an average of 3.5 per game. Turning to the pitchers, opposing offenses that come to Nationals Park have been stifled by the Nationals, who have a team ERA of only 2.85 at home. The Nationals are the fifth-best team in the NL at limiting hits during home games, allowing only 8.3 hits per game to their opponents this season.
In games where it is the underdog, Philadelphia has a 16-23 record and an overall money line of -337. They have played poorly as the underdog with an 8-15 record against teams in their division, and a 7-3 record SU. Offensively, the Phillies have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 3.2 runs per game by averaging 4.2 during that stretch. Philadelphia is excellent at not striking out n the road with just 7.0 per game, ranking second in the NL.
The Nationals lead the season series, 5-3. The Nationals have a great 3-0 record at home (6-2 overall) against left-handed starting pitchers, which is what they’ll be facing when Hamels takes the mound. Strasburg (RHP) will be on the hill against the Phillies, who have a 14-21 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – WSH, O/U – Over
Notes
In their last game, the Phillies lost by a margin of one run. The Nationals are 9-4 in one-run games. The Phillies have a 6-7 record in close games.
The Nationals are 3-1 in games that go into extra innings. Meanwhile, the Phillies are 1-1 in such matchups.
Having scored one run in their last game, the Phillies are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Nationals have a 9-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Phillies are 4-19. The Nationals have a 6-16 record when opponents outhit them.
Philadelphia ranks at the bottom of the league when it comes to home runs, hitting 24 this season. Washington ranks in the top 10 at sixth with 48.
Ranking 12th, Philadelphia is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 8.00 per game. Washington ranks in the top five at fifth with 8.85.
Ranking 29th, Philadelphia is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.648). Washington ranks in the top five at fifth with an OPS of .748.
The Phillies are 6-19 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Nationals are 7-8 when they allow at least one homer.
