The Washington Nationals return home, following a horrendous road trip in which they went 2-5 SU, to battle in a three-game series with their division rivals the Miami Marlins. The Nats have won eight of 11 matches with the Fish this year and opened as the -390 favorite with Miami coming back at +295. The starters for this game are Max Scherzer and Dan Straily as the total opened at 7.5 runs.
- The Marlins are 0-11 SU in their last 11 games on the road (avg. losing margin: 3.91).
- The Nationals are 8-3 SU in their last 11 games at home.
- The total has gone OVER in five of the Nationals’ last six games when Sportsbook a series.
View Marlins vs Nationals matchup page
Nationals look to avoid rare three-game losing streak behind Scherzer
Toeing the rubber for the Nationals is their ace Max Scherzer (15-5, 2.19 ERA). Washington has dropped Scherzer’s last two starts and you have to go back to August 2015 to find a losing streak of three or more games behind the righty. Despite back-to-back losses, the Missouri native has allowed just one run on seven hits over 14 innings while striking out 17 batters during that span. Overall in August, the 34-year-old holds a 1.35 ERA while averaging 12.15 strikeouts per nine innings.
This is the fourth trip to the mound that Scherzer has made this season against the Marlins. Although the Nats are 3-0 in the previous three Scherzer starts, the numbers, by his standards, haven’t been spectacular. The righty has a 3.43 ERA in those games, his third-highest against any team in 2018, and he has allowed eight earned runs, which is three more than any other team has managed. His clubs have gone 13-4 SU over his 17 career starts vs Miami while he sports a 3.25 ERA. The Marlins have clubbed 17 home runs lifetime vs Scherzer, which is the most by any team vs the righty.
Straily has been Struggling Recently
Dan Straily (4-5, 4.42 ERA) gets the ball for the Marlins looking to return to his early July form. The California native pitched deep into games through his first four outings in July, holding a 2.42 ERA during that span. But in the four starts since then, the 29-year-old has failed to pitch six innings in any start and sports an ugly 6.05 ERA. Straily has done his best to limit damage in his road starts, as he has a 3.93 ERA and has allowed just seven homers in 10 away trips to the mound.
Miami has dropped Straily’s first two outings vs Washington this season, while he has a 3.86 ERA. In the one start he did make at Nationals Park, he tossed six innings and allowed two earned runs on six hits. His teams have gone 3-4 SU through his seven career trips to the mound vs the Nationals while he holds a 3.98 ERA in those contests.
Should you be on the OVER tonight?
With Scherzer on the mound, runs are usually at a premium and Sportsbook has tonight’s total Sportsbook at 7.5 runs. However, according to our pitcher run support page, the Nats average 5.16 runs per game when the righty is on the mound. Additionally, Washington has scored the fourth-most runs in MLB over the last 30 days with 141. The Marlins and Nats have gone OVER 7.5 runs in four of their last six meetings with an average combined score of 10.83. Washington has also gone OVER in all three of Scherzer’s starts vs Miami in 2018 with an average combined score of 15.33.
