Stephen Strasburg will be looking to improve on his 1-4 record on the season on Saturday afternoon as the Washington Nationals continue their MLB betting series versus the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Strasburg has a solid 3.13 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 37 1-3 innings of work on the season, but Washington has only managed to pick up a win in one of his first six outings of the year. The righthander hasn't won since he faced Miami on April 1.
The match puts starter Stephen Strasburg for the Nationals on the hill facing Jeff Locke for the Pirates. Strasburg brings a 1-4 mark to the game, while Locke is 3-1 to date on the season.
View Washington vs Pittsburgh Odds and Stats.
Betting Line:
On the MLB moneyline for this matchup, Pittsburgh sat as +135 underdogs earlier in the day at Sportsbook. The total was set at 7, according to Sportsbook.
Power Rankings:
This game puts the Pirates, most recently No. 5 in the National League Odds Shark MLB Power Rankings, up against the Nationals, who rate a National League No. 13 in the latest survey.
How They Match Up:
Scoring stats point to some edges in this matchup. The game features Pittsburgh's National League No. 9-ranked scoring average of 4.1 runs per game, against a Nationals offense rated No. 13 and scoring 3.4 runs per game in the league. The Pirates have averaged 8 hits per game to date this season, more than the Nationals hitters have managed (7.4 per nine innings).
Defensively, Washington features the National League's No. 13-rated defense on the road, allowing 4.9 runs per game. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, comes in at No. 7 in the National League at home, scoring 4.3 runs per game.
The Nationals were a 3-1 loser in their most recent outing on the road against the Pirates. That made winners of bettors who got Pittsburgh at -136 on the moneyline, while the total score (4) was good news for UNDER bettors. Washington looks to rebound from a loss to the Pirates, who beat them 3-1 on Friday behind a start from A.J. Burnett at PNC Park.
Washington Nationals Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 6-4
Before playing Pittsburgh are 4-6
After playing Pittsburgh are 4-6
After a loss are 5-5
Pittsburgh Pirates Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 5-5
Before playing Washington are 5-5
After playing Washington are 6-4
After a win are 6-4
A few Nationals at Pirates trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Washington's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 15 of Washington's last 22 games on the road
Washington is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Pittsburgh's last 9 games
Pittsburgh is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games at home
Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Washington
Next up:
Washington at Pittsburgh, Sunday, May 5
