Los Angeles Dodgers (95-52; 72-71-4 O/U) vs. Washington Nationals (89-58; 64-73-10 O/U)
MLB: Sunday, September 17, 2017 at 8:08pm EST
Line: Washington -142/Los Angeles +132
Total: 8.5
The Washington Nationals and the Los Angeles Dodgers will wrap up a big three game series Sunday night from Nationals Park. The Dodgers will give the start to 30-year old left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu, and 29-year old right-hander Stephen Strasburg will take the mound for the Nationals. The season series is tied two games apiece.
Ryu Limits D-Backs to Three Hits in Strong Outing
Hyun-Jin Ryu will get the nod for the 23rd time of the season, aiming for his sixth win of the year. Ryun was terrific in his previous start, holding the Diamondbacks to one run in six innings and finished with the no decision. The 6-foot-2 left-hander is having a strong second half and now features a 3.59 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP accompanied with a 5-7 record in 117.2 innings of work. He faced the Nationals for the first time of his career in early June and conceded four runs in seven innings and took the loss. Ryu has now tallied 109 strikeouts on the season. Justin Turner continues to come through at the plate, recording six RBI’s over his last seven games, and owns a .306 average this month. The 32-year old third baseman has been the Dodgers most consistent hitter this year, and is now sporting a team-leading .325 average with 20 homers and 68 RBI’s on the season.
The Dodgers are now scoring an average of 4.78 runs per game, ranking them 11th in the Majors, and are hitting .250 as a team. The Los Angeles pitching is sporting a 3.38 team ERA, good for second in the Major Leagues.
Strasburg Aims to Extend Shutout Streak
Stephen Strasburg will take the mound for the 26th time of the year, looking to continue his recent dominance. Strasburg was flawless in his previous performance, firing eight shutout innings to the Phillies last time out, and notched another win to improve his record to 13-4. The 6-foot-4 right-hander is on a dominant stretch, going four straight starts without allowing a single run, improving his ERA to 2.64 to go with a 1.03 WHIP in 56.2 innings of work. He took on the Dodgers in early June and conceded two runs (one earned) in a 2-1 loss, and now owns a 1-2 record with a terrific 2.82 ERA in six career starts against the L.A. Yasiel Puig is 1 for 7 against Strasburg, while Justin Turner is 2 for 3 with five RBI’s, and Curtis Granderson is 3 for 22. Ryan Zimmerman has not been able to break through the Dodgers pitching through four games this season, going 3 for 16 with one RBI. Overall the 32-year old first baseman is having a terrific season, hitting .300 with 31 home runs and 95 RBI’s.
The Nationals potent offensive is currently averaging 5.14 runs per game, good for fourth in the Majors, and feature a .268 team batting average. The Washington pitching is sporting a 3.90 team ERA, good for seventh in the Majors.
Trends:
Los Angeles Dodgers are:
- 1-11 in Ryu’s last 12 starts against a team with a winning record.
- 0-8 in Ryu’s last 8 road starts against a team with a winning record.
- 1-2 in their last 13 games against a team with a winning record.
The Washington Nationals are:
- 8-2 in Strasburg’s last 10 starts against a team with a winning record.
- 27-3 in Strasburg’s last 30 Sunday starts.
- 42-11 in Strasburg’s last 53 starts overall.
I am definitely siding with the Nationals in this contest. Strasburg has gone four consecutive starts (29 innings), without allowing a single run, and he owns a strong 2.82 career ERA against the Dodgers. Furthermore, the Nationals did score four runs against Ryu earlier this season which could be more than enough runs with Strasburg on the hill. The Dodgers are only averaging 3.5 runs over their last ten games, giving me more confidence in the Nationals.
Pick: Washington Nationals -142
Strasburg is on a dominating run on the mound and Ryu is also pitching well. Strasburg not allowed a run in four straight starts, and the Dodgers lineup is only hitting a combined .183 against him, plus the under is 6-1 in his last seven starts. Ryu has also looked good, posting a 2.48 ERA over his last seven starts, and the under is 18-6-2 in his last 26 road starts, making the under a very attractive option in this one.