Pittsburgh Pirates vs Washington Nationals Runline – Pitching
Pittsburgh’s Offensive Slump
The Pirate bats went cold in their last series against the Chicago Cubs. Over the three games they scored just four runs. While their pitching kept them in two of the contests, they will need to be better at the plate to beat the Nats. Over the last week, Pittsburgh ranked 23rd in total runs scoring 28 in six games. In contrast, Washington is first in the same span putting 59 runs on the board. Starling Marte in the only Pirates hitter with an OPS of over 1.000 in the past week. Besides Marte, Pittsburgh’s stars have struggled recently. Josh Bell has gone cold with a .150 average in his last six games. A matchup against Strasburg does not bode well for him either. Bell has just one hit in eight at bats against the Nationals’ ace. Bryan Reynolds has a .919 OPS on the season but this has dipped to .725 over his past 23 at bats. Pittsburgh will need better offensive production in this game to keep up with Washington’s hot bats.
The Nationals’ bats have been great lately. Over the past week almost all of their starters have contributed to their offense. Adam Eaton and Trea Turner have 10 and eight RBI respectively in the past week. Eaton has a .409 batting average and a 1.682 OPS in this span. Turner has a .346 average from the leadoff spot during the same time frame. Victor Robles and Juan Soto have dominated recently as well. Robles has a 1.203 OPS in his last six games. He also has 11 hits in his last 25 at bats. Soto has four home runs in his last six games. His OPS for the past week sits at 1.322. The Nats own the clear advantage at the plate and their recent production will be tough for the Pirates to keep up with.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs Washington Nationals Runline Pick: Summary
Washington owns a clear advantage over the Pirates in the scoring department. Almost all Nationals batters have contributed to the offense while Pittsburgh has struggled to score. On the mound, Chris Archer has been solid lately. In contrast Steven Strasburg has struggled this month. Archer will need to be unbeatable on Tuesday to keep his team in this game. We like The National’s chances to win by at least two in this game. In our Pittsburgh Pirates vs Washington Nationals runline pick, the contrast in offensive efficiency, and the talent of Strasburg make a Pittsburgh victory look unlikely.
