Nationals try to topple Rockies again
In Thursday’s Washington-Colorado series opener, Max Scherzer fired eight immaculate innings. Odds are, though, the nation’s capital won’t see nearly the same kind of pitching prowess shortly.
Struggling lefty Gio Gonzalez and MLB neophyte Jeff Hoffman lock horns tonight, with a 7:05 p.m. ET first pitch on the East Coast. Online sports book Bovada.lv favors the class of the NL East. Conversely, the Rockies represent +180 underdogs. The over/under run total sits at nine.
Fortunately for Gonzalez, his erratic 2016 season has been largely masked by the excellence of others in Dusty Baker’s rotation. The former All Star is 8-9 with a 4.30 ERA through 25 appearances. Nearly a week ago, he yielded four runs and six hits to the Braves.
As for Hoffman, he’s still trying to get acclimated to the bigs in the first place. The East Carolina product made his debut last weekend, serving up seven runs in four-plus frames vs. the Cubs. Here, he’d be wise to watch out for a surging Bryce Harper. The National League’s reigning MVP comes off a multi-hit performance against Ubaldo Jimenez. He’s batting nearly .500 since Aug. 20.
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Scherzer’s extended outing essentially gave Baker’s bullpen last night off. Mark Melancon and the rest of the relief corps, though, are likely to perform some important work in the second game of the set. Give Washington the edge, primarily because of Colorado’s 28-36 record away from Coors Field.
FRIDAY MLB FREE PICK: ROCKIES/NATIONALS OVER 9 RUNS