The Washington Nationals have won just one of Max Scherzer’s eight appearances this season and they are a slight +105 underdog in the third of a four-game set with the Los Angeles Dodgers who are coming back at -125. Walker Buehler gets the ball for the Dodgers and they are 5-2 in his outings and tonight’s total has opened at 7 runs.
Nationals vs Dodgers Game Center
Standout Stats
- Washington is 3-8 SU and ATS in its last 11 games. It has split the first two contests with Los Angeles in this four-game series. The Nationals are 8-12 in road games this season.
- Los Angeles is 11-4 SU and 8-7 ATS over its last 15 contests. The Dodgers are 16-5 at home this year.
- The total has gone UNDER in seven of Los Angeles’ last 15 games with an average combined score of 8.2. Similarly, the total has gone UNDER in eight of Washington’s last 11 matches with an average combined score of 7.36. The total has gone UNDER in the first two games of this series.
- The Nationals are just 1-7 in Max Scherzer’s eight appearances this season and he is 1-4 with a 3.78 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. He has tossed five quality starts this year, including his last three in a row.
- Although his ERA is the highest since his 2011 season, his 1.94 FIP is the lowest in his career. He is averaging his highest K/9 rate and lowest HR/9 rate in his career.
- Opponents are hitting .257 against Scherzer which is his highest opponent batting average since 2011. Of the batted balls against, 37.6 percent have been hard hit, once again a career-high. The Dodgers rank fourth in hard-hit batted ball percentage vs RHP.
- Scherzer has a 5.60 ERA over his three road outings and opponents are hitting .325 off of him.
- Los Angeles is 5-2 in Walker Buehler’s seven trips to the mound in 2019 and he is 4-0 with a 4.95 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP. He has two quality starts this season, including his last appearance when he tossed seven innings of three-run ball.
- He is averaging the lowest K/9 and BB/9 rates in his career, but his HR/9 rate is up from last season.
- He ranks third among starters that have tossed at least 15 innings this season in lowest percentage of soft-hit batted balls at just 8.6 percent. Washington ranks seventh in highest percentage of soft-hit batted balls vs RHP.
- Opponents are hitting just .228 against him, but that is 37 points higher than last year.
- Buehler had a 4.41 ERA at Dodger Stadium this season and opponents are hitting just .213 against him.
- Los Angeles is 18-8 against right-handed starters this season and have the sixth-best batting average while ranking ninth in runs scored vs RHP. Meanwhile, Washington is 12-18 against right-handed starters, ranking 22nd in batting average and 21st in runs scored vs righties.
My Best Bet for Washington vs Los Angeles
Los Angeles Moneyline
Scherzer has been getting hit a lot more frequently this season than he has in the past and on the road, it has been a bit of an uphill battle sporting a 5.60 ERA and a .325 opponent batting average. Additionally, the Nationals rank 22nd in batting average and 21st in runs scored vs RHP. Los Angeles has the best home record in the bigs and has scored the ninth-most runs against righties.
