The top pitching matchup on Thursday’s MLB slate appears to be from Washington, D.C., as surprise Giants ace Anthony DeSclafani is opposed by three-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer of the Nationals. It will be a low total (probably 7) on the MLB odds.

How to Bet Giants at Nationals Odds & TV Info

• When: Thursday, 7:05 PM ET
• Where: Nationals Park
• Probable pitchers (away/home): Anthony DeSclafani/Max Scherzer
• TV: MLB Network; MLB Extra Innings
• Stream/gameday audio: https://www.mlb.com/live-stream-games/
• Opening MLB Lines: TBA

Why Bet on San Francisco? | MLB Betting Analysis

Buster Posey is the first catcher to bat .330 or better with 10+ homers over his first 40 games of a season since Joe Mauer did it during his 2009 MVP campaign. Shortstop Brandon Crawford appeared in 1,326th game as a shortstop for the Giants on Tuesday, surpassing Hall of Famer Travis Jackson for the most games at shortstop in Giants franchise history.

The Giants are without third baseman Evan Longoria and right fielder Mike Yastrzemski on the injured list but got first baseman Brandon Belt off it Tuesday. However, outfielder Alex Dickerson then left Tuesday’s game with back tightness and has been put on the 10-day IL. Not a huge loss as the 31-year-old has slashed just .226/.295/.398 in 146 plate appearances this season.

It’s Anthony DeSclafani (5-2) on the bump here. DeSclafani allowed two runs over six innings last Thursday in a win over the Cubs. DeSclafani limited the Cubs to just four hits as a two-run homer from Joc Pederson accounted for all of the damage against him. He struck out four batters and didn’t walk anyone for the first time since April 16.

DeSclafani, who was 0-for-his-previous-40 at the plate, recorded his first hit and RBI since Aug. 6, 2019 when he doubled for the first time since Sept. 17, 2016. He hasn’t recorded a hit in consecutive games since July 21, 2019.

DeSclafani has bounced back from an ugly outing against the Dodgers on May 23, in which he allowed 10 runs over just 2.2 innings, with back-to-back two-run outings. The well-traveled 31-year-old righty owns a solid 3.51 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 58/20 K/BB ratio across 66 2/3 innings (12 starts) this season.

He is 2-1 with a 3.55 ERA in eight career appearances against the Nationals.

Why Bet on Washington? | MLB Betting Analysis

The Nats have put reliever Austin Voth on the injured list after suffering a broken nose on Sunday while trying to bunt. He dropped to one knee and was visibly bleeding, but he was able to walk off under his own power. Voth is 2-0 with a 2.73 ERA in 19 games, including one start.

Shortstop Trea Turner has recorded 23 multi-hit games this season. That is tied for second in Major League Baseball behind Cincinnati’s Nick Castellanos (26). Additionally, Turner ranks tied for second in MLB with seven 3+ hit games.

Reliever Kyle McGowin has allowed just two hits to right-handed batters in 13 appearances this season. His .071 opponents’ average (2-for-28) is tied for the best mark in the National League (T3rd in MLB) among relievers with at least 30 right-handed batters faced.

It’s three-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer (5-4) on the mound. Scherzer limited the Phillies to one run over 7 2/3 innings and struck out nine in a victory last Friday. The right-hander allowed two or fewer runs for the seventh straight start, and Friday was his third straight quality start. Scherzer only gave up an RBI single to J.T. Realmuto in the fourth inning.  He threw 108 pitches (70 strikes) and hit one batter to edge Phillies ace Zack Wheeler in a pitchers’ duel.

“You know going against Zack, it’s going to be a tough matchup and runs are going to be at a premium,” Scherzer said. “It was good to be able to scratch that second run across and get the lead. It just felt like, ‘Hey, finally got a lead here going deeper into the game. Let’s do everything to protect it.’”

Scherzer has gone seven straight starts without allowing more than two runs and has a 2.22 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 104:15 K:BB across 77 innings this season. Scherzer hasn’t faced the Giants since 2018.

With the Nationals in fourth place in the loaded National League East, there’s a chance Washington could trade away their ace this summer as Scherzer is set to hit free agency in the winter. The Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Atlanta Braves and St. Louis Cardinals have been mentioned as possible trade candidates.

Game Trends

• Giants are 9-2 in their last 11 during game 1 of a series.
• Giants are 4-1 in their last 5 Thursday games.
• Giants are 6-2 in their last 8 vs. National League East.
• Nationals are 1-7 in their last 8 games vs. a right-handed starter.
• Nationals are 1-9 in their last 10 Thursday games.

Expert Prediction

• Nationals 4, Giants 3

 

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