There’s nothing like a little bit of bad blood to set the tone for a series, and we certainly got that on Monday in the opening game between the Washington National and San Francisco Giants. With Bryce Harper up to bat, pitcher Hunter Strickland threw a ball that beaned Harper right in the thigh.
The rest, as they say, is history, as Harper charged the mound and set off a bench clearing brawl that is sure to spill over into the next two games in this series. Chances are we will see some sort of retribution doled out in the Tuesday game, which may well mean that normal business will be resumed when these two hook up for the third and final game in the series on Wednesday night. Given how Bryce Harper has been playing this season, the worst thing that the Giants could possibly have done is get him all riled up for the final two games in this series. Time will only tell if it comes back to haunt them. Find the latest MLB betting odds here.
A Closer Look At The 2017 MLB Free Picks For The Nationals At Giants Game
When: Wednesday, May 31 at 10:15 PM EST Where: AT&T Park, San Francisco Starting Pitchers: Max Scherzer Vs Matt Cain TV: MASN 2, NBC Bay Area Radio: 106.7 The Fan, KXZM 93.7, KNBR 680 Live Stream: MLB.TV MLB Odds: San Francisco Giants -1½ (+170)Why bet on the Washington Nationals
After winning the opening game of this series, the Washington Nationals (31-19) moved to 15-10 on the road. Perhaps more importantly, they opened up an 8.5-game lead on the chasing pack in the NJ East, which is a division that is looking to be very one-sided this year. With the Nationals being the obvious class team in that division, it would be easy for them to simply switch off and go into cruise control, so perhaps situations like the one that went down by the bay on Monday may help them stay focused. They are still the top scoring team in the league, and their +60 run differential is 3rd best. Max Scherzer (5-3, 2.77 ERA) will start on Wednesday night.
