Miami vs Washington Odds & Prediction

Tony Palazzo — Mon, 03 Apr 2017 07:58:10 +0000

The Miami Marlins and the Washington Nationals will both be gunning for a victory on 4/3/2017 at 1:05 PM when they meet in a game matchup.

Miami Marlins vs Washington Nationals
GAME: Miami Marlins (0-0) at Washington Nationals (0-0)
DATE/TIME: Monday, April 03 – 1:05 PM EST
WHERE: Nationals Park, Washington, District of Columbia
LINE: -205
TOTAL: 7.5

ROT	TEAM	PS	OU	RL
951	MIAMI	7.5 (-210) (-205)	7.5 (-110)	187 -205
952	WASHINGTON	7.5 (-210) (-205)	7.5 (-110)	187 -205

TV: 1:05 p.m. ET, FSN Florida (Miami), MASN, WUSA (Washington)
LINE: -205
PREDICTION: Nationals 5, Marlins 1

Oddsmakers currently have the WASHINGTON listed as -205 point favorites versus the MIAMI, while the game’s total is sitting at 7.5.

The window of opportunity remains open for the Washington Nationals as they begin the 2017 season at home Monday against the Miami Marlins, but the expectations are heavy for a team that won the National League East but failed again to win a playoff series. The key will be for the team’s top two starters – Cy Young winner Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg – to stay healthy, and for Bryce Harper to rebound after a disappointing 2016.

Harper followed up his 2015 MVP campaign (.330, 42 homers) by hitting .243 with 24 homers – including a .226 average with only five homers in his final 61 games. Miami endured tremendous tragedy late last season with the sudden death of star pitcher and emotional leader Jose Fernandez, and a 13-25 stretch from late July through early September extended the NL’s longest postseason drought to 13 years. The Marlins have one of baseball’s better outfields with emerging star Christian Yelich, Marcell Ozuna and slugger Giancarlo Stanton. Keeping Stanton healthy – he missed 131 games the past two years – is critical given the Marlins have question marks in their starting rotation.

PITCHING MATCHUP: Marlins RH Edinson Volquez (2016: 10-11, 5.37 ERA) vs. Nationals RH Stephen Strasburg (2016: 15-4, 3.60)

Volquez led the American League in earned runs allowed (113) during an uneven season with Kansas City, during which the 33-year-old’s ERA rose nearly two runs a game. He really struggled in the second half, posting a 6.12 ERA in 15 starts with a .317 opponents batting average and a 1.76 WHIP. Volquez, who gave up two runs in 7 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts in a loss to the Nationals on May 2 last year, finished spring training with a 3.77 ERA in 14 1/3 innings.

Nobody debates Strasburg’s stuff – adding a slider in 2016 resulted in an All-Star selection and a 13-0 start to his season – but health once again short-circuited his season. An elbow injury limited the 28-year-old to 2 1/3 innings after Aug. 17 and sidelined Strasburg for the postseason. He went 1-2 in five spring training starts, posting a 6.61 ERA with 14 strikeouts in 16 1/3 innings in advance of his fourth career opening-day start.

WALK-OFFS
1. Miami closer Brad Ziegler recorded 22 saves with a 2.25 ERA with Arizona and Boston last season.
2. Washington CF Adam Eaton, acquired in a blockbuster trade with the White Sox at the winter meetings, posted a .362 on-base percentage last season while Nationals center fielders combined for a .304 mark.
3. The Nationals have a chance to get off to a hot start, given they play nine of their first 12 games at home, where they finished 50-31 a season ago.

STATS AND RECORDS

TEAM COMPARISON

	W/L	Strk	Home	Away	East	Central	West	IL
Miami	0-0	–	0-0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0-0
Washington	0-0	–	0-0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0-0

LAST MEETING

			Miami			Washington
Date	Away	Home	Avg	HR	OPS	Avg	HR	OPS
10/2/16	MIA 7	WAS 10	.368	2	1.020	.333	1	.975

PLAYER STATS

SEASON SERIES
Batting	Player	Avg	Hits	OPS
MIA	N/A
WAS	N/A
Offense	Player	HR	Runs	RBI
MIA	N/A
WAS	N/A
Pitching		ERA	Avg	K
MIA		N/A
WAS		N/A

SEASON
Batting	Player	Avg	Hits	OPS
MIA	N/A
WAS	N/A
Offense	Player	HR	Runs	RBI
MIA	N/A
WAS	N/A
Pitching		ERA	Avg	K
MIA		N/A
WAS		N/A

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Albert Pujols primed for WBC

Tony Palazzo — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 04:14:10 +0000

Los Angeles Angels slugger Albert Pujols plans on representing the Dominican Republic at the World Baseball Classic if his surgically repaired knee is healthy, his agent told MLB.com.

But Pujols won’t see one of his Angels teammates at the event.

Reigning AL Rookie of the Year and MVP runner-up Mike Trout will skip the WBC for Team USA to focus on a normal spring training, his agent, Craig Landis, told the Los Angeles Times. Last spring, Trout battled an illness that caused him to lose 20 pounds. The outfielder ended up starting the season in Triple A.

Pujols, meanwhile, had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in October, something the Angels described as a minor cleanup procedure.

The first baseman’s agent, Dan Lozano, told MLB.com that Pujols “feels great so far” in his recovery. When asked if Pujols would play in the WBC, Lozano told the website, “At this point, yes.”

In other WBC news, Miami Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton has committed to play for Team USA, sources told CBSSports.com.

The website also reported that Bruce Chen, a left-hander for the Kansas City Royals, has committed to play for China in the WBC. That would make him the first major-league player to participate for China in the tournament.

Chen pitched for Panama in the 2009 WBC. He was born in Panama City but is of Chinese descent.

First-round play in the WBC begins March 2. Provisional rosters for all 16 nations will be announced Thursday.