Nationals vs. Astros, 2:10 ET
I wrote about the two teams yesterday, and I'm going back to the well today. With the getaway day, we have a lot of afternoon games, which I love because then we can bet all day every day. In any case, it was exciting to see that we got the victory yesterday. I played the over and the teams coasted to 11 runs in the game. We have another intriguing pitching matchup today, and I'm thinking we might be able to get some value on a dog as the Nationals take on the Astros.
I've mentioned this before about the Nationals, and now we have less than a full two days remaining before the trade deadline happens. Washington will probably have pretty busy phones. They don't have a great bullpen, and their offense clearly hasn't been productive enough for the them to be competitive. However, some teams will take a shot on some of the talent coming through as the teams scramble to fill voids and make a path to the playoffs. Their starting pitching has been solid, at least some of them. Specifically, the main one that would draw interest and probably the biggest return is today's starter MacKenzie Gore. Gore is 4-10 for the season with a 3.52 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. Are those front-of-the-line starter numbers or a guy you want throwing a bunch of innings for you in the playoffs? I don't really know. I think for certain teams he could be a secondary starter, for a lot of the playoff clubs, he would be an ideal third starter. He is young, can improve, and has good stuff. He has been solid on the road, but I'm just not sure if he has playoff chops. He has only faced the Astros in 20 at-bats, and they've done very well against him, batting .350, but just one double and no other extra-base hits.
The Astros finally snapped their losing streak. They had lost five games in a row before last night, and the division lead was shrinking. This wasn't a team that was going to pack it in after a five-game losing streak anyway, but it has to feel good about them getting back in the win column last night. Now they look to win the series against the Nationals. This is a team that finds ways to win and replace anyone who ends up leaving. They have a fairly balanced lineup and team, and their pitching is pretty strong overall both from the bullpen and rotation. They are relying on some fairly inexperienced guys like yesterday's Jason Alexander, and today's Ryan Gusto. Gusto has gone 6-4 for the season with a 5.18 ERA, and a 1.48 WHIP. He has been worse at home, with an ERA a full run higher than his overall ERA. A lot of that comes from his eight runs that he allowed in his most recent start against the A's at home. He has no history against the Nationals.
The Nationals are not a team that you want to back regularly, but this does seem to be a better opportunity for them than it is the Astros. I don't really think Gusto is going to flip a switch and improve instantly. He is probably going to be used more as an opener here than as a true starter. I am going to play the Nationals, behind Gore, for the first five innings.
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