The Washington Nationals (30-47) are on the road to face the Seattle Mariners (37-39) at T-Mobile Park on Monday to open a three-game Interleague series.
The Nationals are in the midst of a nine-game road trip. They won two out of three in their last series against the Padres, taking the finale 8-3 on Sunday at Petco Park.
Jeimer Candelario was 3 for 5 with a home run and a double. He scored three runs and drove in three. CJ Abrams added one run on two hits.
The Mariners are playing the first of six games at home after returning from a rough six-game road trip (2-4). They lost two of three against the Orioles in their last series, dropping the finale 3-2 on Sunday at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
Cal Raleigh went 1 for 3 with a home run and two RBIs. The teams are meeting for the first time this season. In 2022, the Mariners won three of the four games between the teams, although they split their most recent two-game series at T-Mobile Park in August.
ON THE MOUND
Trevor Williams (4-4, 4.14 ERA) is set to take the mound for Washington. The RHP threw six scoreless innings in his last start, a 3-0 road win over the Cardinals on Wednesday. He got the win, giving up five hits while striking out four.
Right-hander Luis Castillo (4-6, 2.89 ERA) takes the mound for Seattle. Castillo made one start against the Nationals in 2022, throwing 6.1 innings for the Reds in a 5-4 home defeat on June 5. He gave up six hits and walked four while striking out six in the loss.
In his last start on Wednesday, Castillo took the loss on the road against the Yankees. He threw five innings and gave up three runs on four hits, striking out three and walking four in the 4-2 defeat.
AT THE PLATE
The Washington offense is averaging 4.1 runs per game for the season, with a slash line of .261/.318/.394. Lane Thomas leads the team in OPS at .850. The center fielder is slashing .296/.343/.507 with 13 home runs, 39 RBIs, and 52 runs over 76 games.
Against righties like Castillo this season, the Nats have a .686 OPS. Candelario is the team’s most productive hitter against right-handers with a .873 OPS in 184 at-bats.
Seattle is slashing .230/.309/.388 for the season and averaging 4.5 runs per game. Jarred Kelenic leads the team with a .781 OPS. The center fielder has 11 home runs, 35 RBIs, and 31 runs scored with a slash line of .251/.322/.459.
Seattle is averaging 6.2 runs per game in the last five with a higher slugging percentage (.474). The M’s have a .694 OPS against right-handers in 2023. With a .785 OPS over 163 at-bats, J.P. Crawford has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Washington is 17-20 in away games in 2023, scoring 4.6 runs per game while allowing 4.5 runs. Seattle has gone 21-17 at their home park this season, averaging 4.4 runs per game while surrendering 3.7. Washington is 6-4 in the last 10 games between the teams at T-Mobile Park with an average scoreline of 3.8-3.5.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Nationals are fifth in the NL East, 20 games behind the division-leading Braves. The Mariners are fourth in the AL West, nine games behind the Rangers.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Seattle Mariners -1.5 (-130)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
