Will Nationals’ Scherzer shut down Marlins?
Washington’s Max Scherzer has few equals in terms of strikeouts. The problem is that the same rule applies when referring to the righty’s habit of serving up homers.
Dusty Baker’s gifted hurler must keep the rawhide in the yard if the team hopes to subdue the Marlins in this afternoon’s rubber contest. The festivities begin at 1:10 p.m. ET, with oddsmakers at online sports book Bovada.lv listing the visiting bunch as a 1.5-run favorite. Don Mattingly’s club, on the other hand, enters as a +148 underdog. The over/under figure rests at seven runs.
Miami (22-20) edged the Nationals yesterday, 3-2, as Jose Fernandez provided another sparkling effort on the mound. Beyond two base knocks from Daniel Murphy, Washington simply couldn’t generate much offense against the Fish’s ace. Adam Conley (3-2, 3.40 ERA) takes the hill in a few hours on a nice run of his own. The lefty boasts a 1.96 ERA since April 29, and he permitted just one run across six innings of a 5-3 win at Philadelphia several nights ago.
Occasional fly-ball concerns aside, though, Baker lets Scherzer (4-3, 4.01) match wits with anybody. The Missouri native’s 76 punchouts trail only Clayton Kershaw for the MLB lead, and he comes off an outing in which fanned 10 Mets. While those 13 dingers surrendered do elicit some concerns, the Marlins’ biggest bopper remains on ice. Giancarlo Stanton is hitless in five consecutive games, having whiffed on 15 occasions during that span. Fellow outfielder Christian Yelich probably won’t be roaming the grass in South Florida, either, because of back spasms.
MLB Quick Links: Free Matchup Reports | Injuries | Odds Comparison | Scoreboard | Betting Trends
In short, Scherzer’s running into a wounded rival at precisely the right time. Look for Murphy and Bryce Harper to deliver in the clutch, giving the Nats (26-17) a bit more breathing room atop the NL East.
SUNDAY MLB FREE PICK: NATIONALS -1.5
Want More Picks, Predictions & Odds From The Spread.com? Follow on Twitter and Facebook or Subscribe to Our News Feeds!