The Washington Nationals (5-13) take one of the weakest offenses in MLB on the road to face the Minnesota Twins (11-8) at Target Field on Friday for the opener of a three-game Interleague series. The Nationals are playing their first of six games on the road.
They were just swept in two games against the Orioles, dropping the finale 4-0 on Wednesday at Nationals Park. Keibert Ruiz was 3 for 4. The Twins are back home for a 10-game homestand after finishing up a seven-game road trip (3-4).
They lost two of three against the Red Sox in their last series, dropping the finale 11-5 on Thursday at Fenway Park. Willi Castro went 2 for 4 with a home run and a double. He scored two runs and drove in two.
The teams are meeting for the first time since September 12, 2019, when the Nationals finished off a 2-1 series win with a 12-6 victory at Target Field.
ON THE MOUND
Trevor Williams (1-1, 3.52 ERA) is set to take the mound for Washington. The righty allowed one run over five innings in his last start, a 4-3 road defeat against the Guardians on April 14. He scattered four hits while striking out two and walking two in the no-decision.
Righty Tyler Mahle (1-2, 4.11 ERA) gets the ball for Minnesota. Mahle made one start against the Nationals in 2022, throwing six innings for the Reds in a 10-8 home defeat on June 4. He gave up seven hits and walked two, while striking out six in the no-decision.
In his last start on Saturday, Mahle took the loss on the road against the Yankees. He threw 4.1 innings and gave up four runs (2 ER) on four hits, striking out five and walking three in the 6-1 defeat.
AT THE PLATE
The Washington offense is averaging 3.4 runs per game for the season, fifth lowest in the league, with a slash line of .250/.315/.335. Jeimer Candelario leads the team in OPS at .755. The shortstop is slashing .274/.316/.438 with three home runs, nine RBIs, and nine runs over 18 games.
Against righties like Mahle this season, the Nats have a .578 OPS, lowest in MLB. Candelario also is the team’s best performer against right-handers with a .883 OPS in 46 at-bats. Minnesota is slashing .225/.296/.373 for the season and averaging 4.3 runs per game. Trevor Larnach leads the team with a .730 OPS.
The outfield has two home runs, 13 RBIs, and eight runs scored with a slash line of .242/.342/.387. The Twins have a .682 OPS against right-handers in 2023. With a .805 OPS over 50 at-bats, Byron Buxton has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Washington is 3-4 in road games in 2023, scoring 4.4 runs per game while allowing 4.0 runs. Minnesota has gone 4-2 in front of their home fans this season, averaging 3.8 runs per game while surrendering 3.5. In three games between the teams at Target Field, Washington is 2-1 with an average scoreline of 6.0-4.3.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Minnesota Twins (-225)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
