A showdown between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals is the highlight of the MLB schedule on Saturday. The Dodgers have won the first two games of the series in the nation’s capital. Naturally, Los Angeles is also a huge favorite for Saturday’s matinee, with a moneyline of -200 compared to Washington’s moneyline of +170.
Following their back-to-back wins in Washington, the Dodgers have now won seven straight games. They finished June strong despite getting swept by the Padres in a three-game series a couple of weeks ago. As a result, Los Angeles is now 20 games over .500 and has pulled within half a game of the Giants in the NL West.
Meanwhile, back-to-back losses have dropped Washington back to .500 on the season. The Nationals were red-hot late in June, finishing the month with 14 wins in 17 games. On the bright side, they remain just 2.5 games behind the Mets atop the NL East, even after losing the first two games of the series.
The Old Man
With multiple injuries to their starting rotation, the Nationals will turn to Paulo Espino on Saturday. The 34-year-old journeyman has made three starts and 15 relief appearances for Washington this season, posting a 2.02 ERA. He’s become a pleasant surprise and is coming off an outing in which he tossed five shutout innings against the Mets.
Naturally, facing the Dodgers will be a lot more difficult, as the LA lineup has averaged 5.4 runs per game during the team’s seven-game winning streak. Friday’s 10-run outburst is a sign that the Dodgers are finally starting to click offensively. While Cody Bellinger remains cold and Mookie Betts is yet to find a groove, Justin Turner and Max Muncy are doing enough to carry the Los Angeles lineup right now.
King Clayton
Despite a little turmoil with the LA rotation right now, Clayton Kershaw will be good to go on Saturday. The lefty has been human this year, posting a 3.75 ERA, although he still has nine wins in his 17 starts. Kershaw was also spectacular in his last start, striking out 13 while allowing just one run over eight innings against the Cubs.
Of course, the Nationals have come around offensively over the last few weeks, with Trea Turner and Juan Soto performing at an all-star level. Unfortunately, Kyle Schwarber left Friday’s game with an injury, putting his availability for the short-term in doubt. Schwarber has 12 home runs in his last 15 games, so he’s been a huge part of Washington’s success lately.
Let It Ride
Now that the Dodgers are hot, it’s going to be difficult to slow them down. Coming off a 10-run performance on Friday night, they’ll be looking to jump on an inexperienced pitcher like Espino, who likely hasn’t faced a lineup like the one he’ll face on Saturday.
At the same time, the Nationals might have the winds taken out of their sails after Schwarber’s injury. Having to face Kershaw isn’t going to make things any easier for them. In short, there are a lot of reasons to bet on the Dodgers to win their eighth game in a row on Saturday.
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