The Washington Nationals will look to bolster their win total and reward moneyline bettors when the Pittsburgh Pirates invade Nationals Park on Saturday.

The Nationals will turn to John Lannan and his 5-5 record as they look for a win in this one, while the Pirates send Brad Lincoln (0-0) to the hill.



View Pittsburgh vs Washington Odds and Stats.

Power Rankings:
The Nationals sit at No. 12 in the National League in the current MLB power poll here at Odds Shark, while the Pirates sit at a National League No. 13 on the same chart.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Washington's No. 12 ranked National League offense (3.9 runs per game) against a Pirates defense and pitching staff that sits at No. 6 in the National League at 3.9 runs allowed per game. The Nationals have been averaging 7.7 hits per game, less than the Pirates have managed so far this season (8 hits on average).

Washington owns the National League's No. 4 defense, allowing 3.8 men per game to cross the plate. That contrasts with Pittsburgh's National League No. 6-rated defense.

Pittsburgh lost its last outing, a 2-1 result against the Nationals on July 1. Bettors who backed the Nationals at -145 on the moneyline won on the day, and the total score (3) sent UNDER bettors to the payout window. Pittsburgh looks to rebound from a loss to the Nationals, who beat them 2-1 on Friday behind a start from Tom Gorzelanny at Nationals Park.

A few Pirates at Nationals trends to consider:
Pittsburgh is 2-3-1 SU in its last 6 games ,
Pittsburgh is 2-5-1 SU in its last 8 games ,on the road
Pittsburgh is 1-3-1 SU in its last 5 games ,when playing Washington
Pittsburgh is 0-4-1 SU in its last 5 games ,when playing on the road against Washington
Washington6-0-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
Washington11-1-1 SU in its last 13 games at home
Washington10-3-1 SU in its last 14 games when playing Pittsburgh
Washington14-5-1 SU in its last 20 games


Next up:
Pittsburgh at Washington, Sunday, July 3