Will Nats net sweep of Braves?
Wednesday afternoon failed to turn out exactly as planned for Dusty Baker. No matter, though, because his team still managed to pull through in an emergency spot.
With Tanner Roark pinch-hitting for scheduled hurler Stephen Strasburg at the last minute, the Nationals recorded a 3-0 victory over the Braves. The same teams reconvene today in the nation’s capital.
According to online sports book BetDSI, Washington is a 1.5-run favorite to dispatch Atlanta for the 14th straight time. The over/under total rests at 7.5 runs.
It’s not known if Strasburg will have fully recovered from an illness to take the ball at 4:05 p.m. ET. Then again, Baker dealt with such uncertainty 24 hours ago, and his decision to press Roark into duty paid off handsomely. The 29-year-old, who spent the majority of 2015 in the bullpen, surrendered four hits over seven innings.
Roark certainly didn’t overwhelm the opposition with Strasburg-like stuff, but the ever-feeble Braves (0-8) provided little resistance regardless. They haven’t started this poorly since dropping the first 10 contests of 1988, and the club’s batting average comes in at .199.
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Can Julio Teheran deliver a glimmer of hope in the series finale? Atlanta’s ace stifled the Nats during the initial week of the campaign before getting shellacked by St. Louis in his second assignment. Teheran’s 0-1 with a 4.29 ERA in the past six matchups vs. Washington.
He’d better steer clear of Bryce Harper and Daniel Murphy, however, if the Braves possess any prayer of halting their awful skid. The one-two punch has combined to go 18 for 42 with five dingers against the righty. While base knocks shouldn’t be a problem here, either, the Nats’ rotation uncertainty prevents us from forecasting an absolute rout.
THURSDAY MLB FREE PICK: BRAVES/NATIONALS UNDER 7.5 RUNS
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