The San Francisco Giants (16-19) host the Washington Nationals (15-21) at Oracle Park on Wednesday with the three-game series in the balance.
The Giants evened the series 1-1 after winning 4-1 on Tuesday. Starter Logan Webb went seven innings for the win, giving up one run on nine hits and striking out seven, and Camilo Doval earned his eighth save with a scoreless ninth. Casey Schmitt went 2 for 4 with a solo home run in the win. Dominic Smith was 3 for 3 with one RBI for the Nationals.
ON THE MOUND
Josiah Gray (2-5, 3.03 ERA) is in line to start for Washington. The RHP allowed three runs over five innings in his last start, a 3-1 home defeat against the Diamondbacks on Friday. He was charged with the loss, giving up seven hits while striking out six and walking two.
Gray is making his first appearance against the Giants this season. Gray made one start against the Giants in 2022, an 11-5 road victory on May 1. He allowed one hit over six scoreless innings, striking out three and walking four.
Left-hander Sean Manaea (1-1, 7.33 ERA) will toe the rubber for San Francisco. It’s his first appearance of the season against the Nationals. Manaea made one start against the Nationals in 2022, throwing seven innings for the Padres in a 2-1 home win on August 21.
He gave up five hits while striking out four in the win.In his last start on Friday, Manaea got the win at home against the Brewers. He threw five innings and gave up four runs (3 ER) on six hits, striking out six and walking two in the 6-4 triumph.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Washington has averaged 4.6 runs a game, a small gain compared to their season average of 3.8. Against southpaws like Manaea this season, the Nats have a .751 OPS. Luis Garcia is the team’s strongest performer against left-handers with a 1.011 OPS in 26 at-bats.
San Francisco is averaging only 3.6 runs per game in the last five, down slightly from 4.4 for the season. The Giants have a .788 OPS against righties in 2023, fifth highest in the league. With a 1.072 OPS over 73 at-bats, J.D. Davis has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Washington is 9-9 in road games in 2023, scoring 4.7 runs per game while allowing 3.9 runs. San Francisco has gone 10-9 at their home ballpark this season, averaging 3.7 runs per game while surrendering 4.4. The teams have split their last 10 meetings at Oracle Park, though Washington has the scoring advantage with an average final margin of 5.1-4.5.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Nationals are fifth in the NL East, 10 games behind the division-leading Braves. The Giants are fourth in the NL West, five games behind the Dodgers.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
SF Giants (-155)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
