Anthony DeSclafani will take the mound looking to continue his stellar season for the San Francisco Giants (15-18) as they prepare to host the Washington Nationals (14-20), one of the weakest lineups in MLB, at Oracle Park on Monday for the opener of a three-game series.
The Nationals are in the midst of a six-game road trip. They won only one out of three in their last series against the Diamondbacks, taking the finale 9-8 on Sunday at Chase Field. Joey Meneses was 3 for 5 with a home run, two runs, and four RBIs. Luis Garcia went 3 for 4 with a double, one run, and one RBI.
The Giants are in the midst of a six-game homestand. They won two of three against the Brewers in their last series, dropping the finale 7-3 on Sunday at Oracle Park. Thairo Estrada went 3 for 5 with a solo home run. Blake Sabol went 3 for 4 with a double and one run.
The teams are meeting for the first time this season. Last season, the Giants won four of the six games between the teams, although they dropped two out of three in their most recent meeting at Oracle Park at the end of April.
ON THE MOUND
Jake Irvin (0-0, 2.08 ERA) is in line to start for Washington. The righty allowed one run over 4.1 innings in his last start, a 2-1 road win over the Cubs on Wednesday. He yielded two hits while striking out three and walking four in the no-decision.
For San Francisco, righty DeSclafani (3-1, 2.13 ERA) will toe the rubber. In his last start on Tuesday, DeSclafani got the win on the road against the Astros. He threw eight scoreless innings and gave up three hits, striking out three, in the 2-0 triumph. The RHP ranks fifth in the NL in ERA.
AT THE PLATE
The Washington offense is averaging 3.9 runs per game for the season, fourth lowest in the league, with a slash line of .249/.311/.354. Victor Robles leads the team in OPS at .748. The right fielder is slashing .292/.388/.360 with eight RBIs and 13 runs over 31 games.
Against righties like DeSclafani this season, the Nats have a .624 OPS, lowest in MLB. Keibert Ruiz is the team’s most productive hitter against right-handers with a .749 OPS in 77 at-bats. San Francisco is slashing .238/.319/.426 for the season and averaging 4.5 runs per game.
LaMonte Wade Jr. leads the team with a .961 OPS. The center fielder has six home runs, 10 RBIs, and 14 runs scored with a slash line of .250/.438/.524.
The Giants have a .796 OPS against right-handers in 2023, fourth highest in MLB. With a 1.084 OPS over 68 at-bats, J.D. Davis has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Washington is 8-8 away from Nationals Park in 2023, scoring 4.9 runs per game while allowing 4.1 runs. San Francisco has gone 9-8 at home this season, averaging 3.8 runs per game while surrendering 4.6. In the last 10 meetings at Oracle Park, Washington is 6-4 with an average scoreline of 6.4-4.2.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Nationals are fifth in the NL East, nine games behind the division-leading Braves. The Giants are fourth in the NL West, four games behind the Dodgers.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
SF Giants (-225)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
