2012 Washington vs Philadelphia Betting Preview
The Washington Nationals have done it with pitching all year, and the first two games of this series have been a perfect example of what their pitching staff has done in 2012.
Washington Nationals vs. Philadelphia Phillies MLB Betting Preview
Starting Pitchers: Washington (Jackson) vs. Philadelphia (Hamels)
Date/Time: May 23, 7:05 p.m. EST on ESPN
MLB Gambling Odds from BetOnline
Moneyline: Philadelphia (-158) Washington (+148)
Runline: Phillies -1.5 (+145) Nationals +1.5 (-165)
Total: 6.5
Jordan Zimmerman outdueled Roy Halladay last night as the Nationals won their second straight over the Phillies to jump back into the National League East lead. ESPN will have national coverage of this third game of the series.
The Nationals offense has struggled largely due to multiple injuries this year, but the pitching staff has picked them up in a big way.
Washington is first in the majors with a team ERA of 2.89. The second best team ERA is the Dodgers and they sit at 3.04, so the Nationals have clearly been the best pitching staff in baseball so far this season.
Edwin Jackson will pitch in this one. Jackson has had much improved command this season, and his ERA sits at a very respectable 3.33. Bryce Harper has been an offensive spark for the team over the last few weeks.
Cole Hamels got himself into trouble the last time he faced Harper and the Nationals. Hamels is looking for his seventh win in this one. He has a great 6-1 record with a 2.45 ERA this year. Hamels is averaging more than one strikeout per inning in 2012. The Phillies starting rotation has kept them in it this year.
They have logged a major league leading 32 quality starts. Offensively the Phillies badly miss Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. Jimmy Rollins will likely miss this game due to the birth of his son. Hunter Pence leads the team with 10 homers, but Carlos Ruiz has been the offensive star of the season.
Ruiz has an exceptional .344 average on the year.
It will be interesting to see if the Nationals try to get payback for Hamels hitting Harper last time around.
These two offenses struggle quite a bit, and I think the best value here is the under.
MLB Free Pick: Under 6.5
