Nationals and Yankees Game Two Preview
The New York Yankees and Washington Nationals resume their three-game series Saturday in the nation’s capital. This is after a rain-shortened season opener and then a day off.
TIME: 7:15 p.m. ET. TV: FOX; LINE: Yankees -130; TOTAL: 9 -110
PITCHING MATCUP: Yankees LH James Paxton (2019: 15-6, 3.82 ERA) vs. Nationals RH Stephen Strasburg (2019: 18-6, 3.32)
The Yankees opened Major League Baseball‘s abbreviated season with a 4-1 win over the defending World Series champs Thursday night. The game was cut short in the sixth inning by a monsoon rainstorm. It was like a cow pissing on a flat rock for a long time.
Giancarlo Stanton missed most of 2019 due to injury. He came back with a bang. He clubbed an early two-run homer and later added an RBI single to pad the lead. That was all they would need with five solid innings from newcomer Gerrit Cole. “It was a lot of fun. No one could have envisioned the type of year we’re having this year, but within those parameters, it exceeded every mark,” Cole told reporters after his five-inning complete game. “I just had a blast.”
Paxton made a career-high 29 starts in his first season with the Yankees last year. He won his final 10 decisions and posted a 1.05 ERA in five September starts. The hot streak continued by going 1-0 with a 3.46 ERA in three postseason outings. Paxton will be facing the Nationals for the first time.
Nationals Look to Get Ball in Play More
Washington played the game hours after learning that young star Juan Soto tested positive for coronavirus. It had to be a mental blow to the team. They will to get in the win column behind postseason hero Stephen Strasburg.
Strasburg won a career-high 18 games during the regular season last year. The Primadonna finally put his talent to good use instead of being a crybaby wannabe. He has always had million dollar talent with a two-cent head. Can he back up a solid year with another one?
Strasburg went 5-0 with a 1.98 ERA over six appearances during the playoffs. He struck out a career-high 251 batters last year while holding opponents to a .210 average.
Strasburg made his final preparations for the season Monday in Baltimore. He allowed one run on six hits and threw 81 pitches in five innings.
This, That, and a Dart Throw
1. Nationals RF Adam Eaton provided all of his team’s offense Thursday with a first-inning solo blast.
2. New York RF Aaron Judge went 2-for-3 with an RBI double in the opener.
3. The Yankees are 5-3 all-time at Nationals Park.
4. Stanton has three homers and eight doubles in 48 career at-bats against Strasburg.
5. Strasburg set career highs in wins, innings pitched (209) and strikeouts (251) last season.
The Dart Throw: Yankees 4, Nationals 2
Yankees vs Nationals Betting Odds Trends
| Washington Nationals |
|---|
| Washington is 10-4 ATS in its last 14 games |
| Washington is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games |
| Washington is 19-6 SU in its last 25 games |
| Washington is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games |
| The total has gone OVER in 7 of Washington’s last 10 games |
| Washington is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home |
| Washington is 13-5 SU in its last 18 games at home |
| Washington is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home |
| The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Washington’s last 5 games when playing NY Yankees |
| The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Washington’s last 6 games when playing at home against NY Yankees |
| New York Yankees |
|---|
| NY Yankees is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games |
| NY Yankees is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games |
| The total has gone UNDER in 6 of NY Yankees’s last 8 games |
| NY Yankees is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road |
| The total has gone UNDER in 5 of NY Yankees’s last 6 games on the road |
| The total has gone UNDER in 5 of NY Yankees’s last 5 games when playing Washington |
| The total has gone UNDER in 5 of NY Yankees’s last 6 games when playing on the road against Washington |
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