Thursday, April 21, 2016

Marlins Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Max Scherzer vs. Tom Koehler

The Washington Nationals visit Marlins Park on Thursday to play the Miami Marlins. The probable starters are Max Scherzer for the Nationals and Tom Koehler for the Marlins. The opening line for this matchup has Washington at -176 and Miami at +166. The over/under was set at 7. The Nationals have a 5-7-1 over/under record and a 8-5-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 62% of the time. The Marlins are 6-6-0 against the run line and have a 7-5-0 over/under record. They cover the spread 50% of the time.

The Nationals head into this matchup with a 10-3 record, including 5-2 on the road. Starting pitcher Max Scherzer has a 2-0 record with an earned run average of 3.15 and a WHIP of 1.00. He has 20 strikeouts over his 20 innings pitched and he has given up 14 hits so far this season. He has allowed 6.3 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.91. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 2.59 and they have given up 27 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .231 against the bullpen while being struck out 31 times and walking 9 times this season. As a team, Washington has allowed 6.81 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.88 batters per nine. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 2.14. The Nationals pitchers have collectively given up 89 base hits and 28 earned runs. They have allowed 7 home runs this season and they allow 0.5 homers per nine innings as a staff. Washington as a pitching staff has walked 37 batters and struck out 103. They walk 2.8 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.07 and their FIP as a unit is 3.07.

As a team, Washington is batting .253, good for 11th in the league while putting together a .257 average away from home. The Nationals hold a .438 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .327 which is good for 7th in baseball. They rank 12th in baseball with 8.46 hits per game. Bryce Harper comes into this game hitting .333 and his on-base percentage is at .429. He has 15 hits this season along with 11 runs scored and 20 runs batted in. He's struck out 6 times and has walked 9 times. Yunel Escobar is hitting .293 and he has an on-base percentage of .369. He has totaled 17 hits so far while scoring 7 runs and he's driven in 5. He has walked 7 times and has struck out 5 times. The Nationals have 110 hits, including 25 doubles and 17 home runs. They've stolen 6 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 3 times. Washington has walked 49 times this season and they've struck out 112 times as a unit. They've left 90 men on base and have a team OPS of .765. They score 4.54 runs per contest and have scored a total of 59 runs so far this year.

Miami comes into this matchup with a 1-6 home record and a 4-8 overall mark. With an earned run average of 6.30, Tom Koehler has a 0-2 record and a 2.30 WHIP. He has 7 strikeouts over the 10 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 17 hits. He has allowed 15.3 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.46. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.45 and they have given up 40 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .231 against the Marlins bullpen while being struck out 40 times and walking 22 times this season. As a team, Miami has allowed 8.5 hits per nine innings while striking out 9 batters per nine. They are 21st in the league in team earned run average at 4.38. The Marlins pitchers as a team have surrendered 103 base knocks and 53 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 10 home runs this year and they give up 0.8 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Miami as a staff has walked 50 hitters and struck out 109. They give up a walk 4.1 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.40 while their FIP as a staff is 3.71.

As a team, they are batting .267, good for 5th in the league while putting together a .251 average at home. The Marlins hold a .385 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .333 which is good for 6th in baseball. They rank 4th in baseball with 9.42 hits per contest. Dee Gordon comes into this matchup batting .281 and he has an OBP of .305. He has 16 hits this year along with 8 runs scored and 4 RBI. He's struck out 10 times and has walked on 2 occasions. Giancarlo Stanton is hitting .244 and he has an OBP of .352. He has collected 11 hits so far while he's scored 7 runs and drove in 10. He has earned a walk 7 times and has punched out 17 times. The Marlins as a unit have 113 base hits, including 23 doubles and 7 homers. They have 7 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 3 times. Miami as a team has walked 43 times this year and they have struck out 102 times. They've had 98 men left on base and have an OPS of .719. They score 4.08 runs per game and have totaled 49 runs so far this season.

Washington Nationals Betting Trends

The Washington Nationals are 5-7-1 against the over/under so far this season

The Washington Nationals are 8-5-0 against the run line so far this season

Miami Marlins Betting Trends

The Miami Marlins are 7-5-0 against the over/under so far this season

The Miami Marlins are 6-6-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Washington Nationals

04/07/16 LF Ben Revere Oblique 15-day DL (4/5)
03/31/16 P Aaron Barrett Elbow 60-day DL (4/1)

Miami Marlins

04/20/16 P Edwin Jackson Tricep 15-day DL (4/18)
04/04/16 P Raudel Lazo Shoulder 15-day DL (3/25)
04/03/16 P Carter Capps Arm 60-day DL; out for season
04/03/16 P Mike Dunn Forearm 15-day DL (3/25)

Josh's Pick: Take the Nationals

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