Will Fernandez uplift Fish vs. Nationals?
What does one do for an encore after winning National League MVP honors? If you’re Bryce Harper, the answer is clear: Begin the next season on an even better note.
The fifth-year sensation somehow continues to elevate his game, having gone 8 for 15 with 10 RBIs while homering in a career-high four straight contests. His team isn’t half-bad, either. Washington carries a 9-2 record into tonight’s series opener with division rival Miami.
According to online sports book Bovada.lv, Dusty Baker’s club boasts odds of +143 to handle its business on the road. The over/under total sits at seven runs.
Despite Sunday’s extra-inning loss to Philadelphia, the Nationals remain on an offensive roll. Harper’s primarily responsible, of course, with that gleaming .359 batting average and prodigious power. Second baseman Daniel Murphy has been almost as instrumental, hitting at a .432 clip with eight RBIs.
If only once, though, Don Mattingly could hold the elixir. Miami’s skipper will send immensely talented righty Jose Fernandez to the bump at 7:10 p.m. ET. The 23-year-old owns a career mark of 17-1 at Marlins Park, and the lone defeat occurred against Detroit on April 5. His credentials vs. the Nats: 3-0 with a 0.98 ERA in six turns.
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Washington’s probable starting lineup is hitting a collective .164 off Fernandez. The fourth-place Fish (3-7) also want no part of dropping six in a row at home, so we’ll roll with the high-powered ace to outduel the Nationals’ Tanner Roark (1-1, 2.45).
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