The Los Angeles Dodgers (32-22, 17-7 home) open up a three-game series against the Washington Nationals (23-30, 12-13 away) in the City of Angels. The series-opener is the first of six times these two National League franchises will play each other this season.
The first pitch of Monday’s tilt is at 9:10 p.m. EST inside Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. Los Angeles is the betting favorite (-250 moneyline), and the over/under total is nine runs.
What to Know – Washington Nationals
Washington continues to rebuild its franchise, and the first two months of the season have shown the growing pains for the young lineup. The Nationals are last in the NL East and seven games below .500.
The expected starter for the visitors is righty Trevor Williams (2-2, 4.32 ERA, 1.24 WHIP). Williams has been up and down this season, but is coming off a victorious outing in his last appearance on the hill. Over ten starts, Williams has tallied 50.0 innings, allowing 24 earned runs on 49 hits and 13 walks while striking out 37 batters.
Offensively, the Nationals are third in the majors and first in the NL hitting .266 as a team and scoring 4.3 runs per game. Washington’s pitching staff is 21st in the MLB sporting a 4.46 team earned run average.
Runs have come at a premium for the Nationals but there are some standout producers in the lineup. Joey Meneses leads the Nats with 28 runs batted in and a .295 team batting average. Lane Thomas has a team-best eight home runs and is second behind Meneses with 26 RBIs.
What to Know – Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles has lost three of their last four matchups as the Dodgers closed out a ten-game road trip. The Dodgers remain in first place in the NL West, holding a 1.5-game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Rookie right-hander Bobby Miller (1-0, 1.80 ERA, 1.00 WHIP) is projected to make his second major league start. The 24-year-old shined in his MLB debut, firing 5.0 innings, surrendering one earned run on four hits, one walk, with five strikeouts. Miller was 10-10 with a 3.79 ERA over 45 games, including 41 starts, in the minor leagues.
The Dodgers offense ranks 20th amongst league teams with a .239 team batting average while scoring 5.5 runs per contest. The pitching staff for Los Angeles is 22nd in the league with a 4.50 team ERA.
Freddie Freeman is third in the MLB featuring a .335 team batting average and leads the team with 44 runs scored. Max Muncy is the team leader with 38 RBIs thanks to 17 home runs and J.D. Martinez has produced ten home runs and 33 RBIs.
The Pick is In
The Dodgers have the advantage in this series opener by a wide margin. Los Angeles is better offensively and although Miller is making just his second MLB start, the former first-round pick has the stuff to stay around in the Dodgers rotation for years to come. Washington gets on the board early, but Los Angeles takes care of business on their home turf.
The Pick: Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5
