Scherzer swings Nats toward sweep of Pirates
In the first two games following the All-Star break, the Pirates have struggled to recapture the form that made them one of MLB’s most feared teams at the beginning of the month. Can Clint Hurdle’s crew rise to the challenge of facing a former Cy Young winner today?
The task gets no easier, obviously, as Pittsburgh takes on Max Scherzer and the Nationals at 1:35 p.m. ET. Handicappers at online sports book Bovada.lv like Washington to sweep the three-game set, whereas the Buccos represent +220 underdogs. The over/under run total rests at eight.
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Andrew McCutchen & Co. started July on an 8-2 tear. Yet, the past two days in the nation’s capital have yielded 5-1 and 6-0 defeats, respectively. Over the course of 18 combined innings, the Pirates’ hit total sits at 10.
That’s probably not a good sign going into a finale vs. Scherzer, who terrorized the club a little more than a year ago. On June 20, 2015, the righty fired a no-hitter against Pittsburgh at Nationals Park. He’s 4-2 with a 0.90 ERA in eight career meetings with Hurdle’s troops.
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Where Washington boasts the luxury of sending an experienced veteran to the hill, the Buccos counter with a rookie. Chad Kuhl, a ninth-round draft pick in 2013, makes his fourth start in the majors. Most recently, the Delaware product allowed four runs on seven base knocks to the Cubs.
Scherzer’s eye-popping statistics are, frankly, too much to ignore. The matinee in question shouldn’t even be close, though the Pirates’ 7-7 mark vs. other NL East squads perhaps inspires a little faith. Odds are however, this salvage effort will fall short.
SUNDAY MLB FREE PICK: NATIONALS -1.5