Murphy’s Nationals roll into Cincinnati
Bryce Harper captured the 2015 National League MVP award. Could a different Washington player take home the hardware this year?
If Daniel Murphy maintains his absurd pace at the plate, it’d be hard to deny him such a distinction. The second baseman leads the Nats into tonight’s series opener vs. Cincinnati, with a 7:10 p.m. ET first pitch at the Great American Ballpark. Oddsmakers at online sports book BetDSI have installed the visitors as 1.5-run favorites. The Reds, conversely, enter as +145 underdogs.
As the majors’ top hitter, Murphy continues to excel in the areas of contact and sheer power. He’s on pace to belt 27 homers, which would shatter his previous career high of 14. The veteran will aim to drive the ball against Brandon Finnegan (1-4, 4.14 ERA) in a few hours. Cincy’s lefty finds himself in the midst of an eight-start winless stretch, even though he performed rather well in a weekend turn at Milwaukee.
Gio Gonzalez (3-3, 3.57) hasn’t exactly garnered a plethora of Cy Young votes either. St. Louis torched the southpaw for six runs and six hits on Saturday. The former All-Star’s perpetual battle with control is as vexing as ever, too, with Gonzalez surrendering 17 walks through 58 innings.
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Can Dusty Baker’s hurler keep out of harm’s way vs. the heart of the Reds’ order? Adam Duvall’s (14 HRs) morphing into a deadly No. 5 threat, while shortstop Zack Cozart (.306/.333/.524) just moves along at a steady clip. The protracted struggles of Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips, however, compel us to lean in the Nationals’ direction. We look forward to seeing what Murphy’s Law dictates shortly.
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