Login  | Free Registration

You are viewing a condensed version of this FoxSheet. Login as a FoxSheets Subscriber to view the full sheet.
Not a member? Subscribe today and start taking advantage of our premium information, including the Game Estimator™, the Super Situations ™, the Power Trends ™, and many more features.
MLB : ATS Matchup
Friday 5/29/2015Line$ LineOU LineScore
WASHINGTON  STRASBURG )
 
CINCINNATI  DESCLAFANI )
-1.5  +125

+1.5  -145
-120

+110

7.5un
 
2
Final
5

WASHINGTON (28 - 19) at CINCINNATI (19 - 27)
View Previous GameView Next Game
Friday, 5/29/2015 7:10 PM
STEPHEN STRASBURG (R) vs. ANTHONY DESCLAFANI (R)
Board OpeningLatest
 LineTotalLineTotal
953WASHINGTON-145Ov 7.5,-120-125Ov 7.5,-110
954CINCINNATI+135Un 7.5,+100+115Un 7.5,-110
ADVANCED TEAM STATS
WASHINGTON - Current Season Performance
 Team RecordsTeamOpponent
 W-LUnitsO-URunsAvgOBPSLGOPSRunsAvgOBPSLGOPS
All Games28-19+4.327-194.70.2560.3220.4190.7424.10.2610.3090.3760.685
Road Games14-12+0.115-105.10.2590.3250.4140.7384.50.2810.3300.4170.747
vs Right-handed Starters20-16-0.120-154.60.2560.3220.4130.7354.30.2650.3140.3810.696
Past 7 Games5-2+2.71-62.40.2150.2760.4020.6782.30.2230.2580.3560.614
Grass Games28-19+4.327-194.70.2560.3220.4190.7424.10.2610.3090.3760.685
Night Games17-11+3.815-135.00.2680.3330.4290.7623.70.2600.3100.3710.681
WASHINGTON - Team Hitting and Fielding Statistics
Team BattingTeam BattingTeam Fielding
 RunsAVGOBPGABH2B3BHRSLGRBIBBSOSBLOBGIDPERRDPOSB
All Games4.70.2560.322471579404827540.4192121553761231337363918
Road Games5.10.2590.32526897232466270.414126882081017719192310
Righty Starters4.60.2560.322361209309635390.4131601192861124232243116
WASHINGTON - Bullpen Pitching Statistics
 ERAWHIPIPRERHHRBBSOW-LSVBSVPct.
All Games2.981.208139524612411441348-518772%
Road Games3.441.27181373174929743-49564.3%

CINCINNATI - Current Season Performance
 Team RecordsTeamOpponent
 W-LUnitsO-URunsAvgOBPSLGOPSRunsAvgOBPSLGOPS
All Games19-27-9.221-213.70.2350.3030.3880.6914.50.2510.3180.4060.724
Home Games10-11-2.811-73.90.2280.3050.4040.7094.90.2540.3150.4180.733
vs Right-handed Starters14-21-8.415-173.60.2310.3000.3830.6834.50.2520.3160.4050.721
Past 7 Games1-6-64-32.40.2230.2760.3610.6374.70.2560.3420.3880.730
Grass Games19-27-9.221-213.70.2350.3030.3880.6914.50.2510.3180.4060.724
Night Games16-14+2.615-133.80.2370.3070.3880.6954.30.2440.3130.3870.700
CINCINNATI - Team Hitting and Fielding Statistics
Team BattingTeam BattingTeam Fielding
 RunsAVGOBPGABH2B3BHRSLGRBIBBSOSBLOBGIDPERRDPOSB
All Games3.70.2350.3034615333615510530.3881611493374531139213629
Home Games3.90.2280.30521690157263300.4047577156231481371415
Righty Starters3.60.2310.300351164269415420.3831201142563624228173023
CINCINNATI - Bullpen Pitching Statistics
 ERAWHIPIPRERHHRBBSOW-LSVBSVPct.
All Games4.741.406127.371671199601227-87558.3%
Home Games4.521.29269.7353567523797-44450%
SCHEDULE AND RESULTS
WASHINGTON - Schedule
 Team StatsOpp Stats
DateTeam StarterOpponentOpp StarterScoreW/LLineTot.O/UHLOBEHLOBE
5/15/2015ZIMMERMANN(R)@ SAN DIEGODESPAIGNE(R)10-0W-1307 unO1670770
5/16/2015SCHERZER(R)@ SAN DIEGOCASHNER(R)4-1W-1356.5 unU1170572
5/17/2015STRASBURG(R)@ SAN DIEGOKENNEDY(R)10-5W-1256.5 ovO830740
5/19/2015GONZALEZ(L)NY YANKEESEOVALDI(R)8-6W-1307.5 unO1040850
5/20/2015ZIMMERMANN(R)NY YANKEESWARREN(R)3-2W-1557 ovU570671
5/22/2015SCHERZER(R)PHILADELPHIAO'SULLIVAN(R)2-1W-2707 ovU640660
5/23/2015STRASBURG(R)PHILADELPHIAHAMELS(L)1-8L-1356.5 unO5541150
5/24/2015GONZALEZ(L)PHILADELPHIAHARANG(R)4-1W-1707 unU1081860
5/25/2015ROARK(R)@ CHICAGO CUBSWADA(L)2-1W10511 unU560541
5/26/2015ZIMMERMANN(R)@ CHICAGO CUBSHENDRICKS(R)2-3L10010 evU631970
5/27/2015SCHERZER(R)@ CHICAGO CUBSLESTER(L)3-0W-1256.5 ovU9100793
5/29/2015STRASBURG(R)@ CINCINNATIDESCLAFANI(R) 
5/30/2015GONZALEZ(L)@ CINCINNATICUETO(R) 
5/31/2015ROARK(R)@ CINCINNATIMARQUIS(R) 
6/1/2015ZIMMERMANN(R)TORONTODICKEY(R) 
6/2/2015SCHERZER(R)TORONTOESTRADA(R) 
6/3/2015 TORONTO  
6/4/2015 CHICAGO CUBS  
6/5/2015 CHICAGO CUBS  

CINCINNATI - Schedule
 Team StatsOpp Stats
DateTeam StarterOpponentOpp StarterScoreW/LLineTot.O/UHLOBEHLOBE
5/15/2015MARQUIS(R)SAN FRANCISCOBUMGARNER(L)2-10L+1207.5 unO10811360
5/16/2015LEAKE(R)SAN FRANCISCOVOGELSONG(R)2-11L-1358 ovO71101650
5/17/2015DESCLAFANI(R)SAN FRANCISCOHESTON(R)8-9L+1008 evO128016122
5/19/2015CUETO(R)@ KANSAS CITYVENTURA(R)0-3L1106.5 unU440960
5/20/2015MARQUIS(R)@ KANSAS CITYGUTHRIE(R)1-7L1407.5 unO91001040
5/22/2015LEAKE(R)@ CLEVELANDCARRASCO(R)3-7L1657 unO65011111
5/23/2015DESCLAFANI(R)@ CLEVELANDKLUBER(R)1-2L2157 unU960450
5/24/2015IGLESIAS(R)@ CLEVELANDBAUER(R)2-5L1708.5 ovU6638131
5/25/2015MARQUIS(R)COLORADOBUTLER(R)4-5L-1458.5 evO11911190
5/26/2015LORENZEN(R)COLORADORUSIN(L)2-1W-1458 ovU580440
5/27/2015LEAKE(R)COLORADOKENDRICK(R)4-6L-1508 ovO6501060
5/29/2015DESCLAFANI(R)WASHINGTONSTRASBURG(R) 
5/30/2015CUETO(R)WASHINGTONGONZALEZ(L) 
5/31/2015MARQUIS(R)WASHINGTONROARK(R) 
6/2/2015LORENZEN(R)@ PHILADELPHIAO'SULLIVAN(R) 
6/3/2015 @ PHILADELPHIA  
6/4/2015 @ PHILADELPHIA  
6/5/2015 SAN DIEGO  
KEY GAME INFORMATION
WASHINGTON: WASHINGTON (AP) - Bryce Harper's reaction to the news that the Washington Nationals added Max Scherzer to an already-talented starting staff drew quite a lot of attention.
''I just started laughing,'' Harper famously said. ''I was like, `Where's my ring?'''
Yes, that pretty much sums up where the expectations are for the 2015 Nationals - as expressed by them and by others.
On the first day of full-squad workouts at spring training, reigning NL Manager of the Year Matt Williams posted these words of wisdom in the clubhouse: ''The road to the World Series begins today.''
''We're here to get to that ultimate goal,'' Williams said. ''We're not alone. There's 29 other teams that have the same thought. So that being said, I want to make sure that we understand that that's our goal. That is our goal: to be the last one standing at the end of it.''
The main reason many folks think the Nationals are capable of achieving that goal, even if the team has yet to win a playoff series, is the rotation.
Scherzer, the 2013 AL Cy Young Award winner with Detroit, came aboard with a $210 million contract, joining a group that led the majors in ERA last season - right-handers Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann and Doug Fister, and lefty Gio Gonzalez.
''There's no break'' for an opposing team, new reliever Casey Janssen observed.
It's such a formidable quintet that a guy who won 15 games, had a sub-3.00 ERA and threw nearly 200 innings a year ago, Tanner Roark, is moving to the bullpen.
In 2014, the Nationals won a league-best 96 games and finished atop the underwhelming NL East by a whopping 17 games, but then bowed out in four games in a Division Series against the eventual champs, the San Francisco Giants. Washington's starting pitching wasn't the problem in the postseason; its bullpen and hitting were what led to a second quick playoff exit in three years.
And yet general manager Mike Rizzo allowed those two areas to lose important pieces, trading away the man he called ''maybe the best eighth-inning setup man in the history of the game,'' Tyler Clippard, and letting first baseman Adam LaRoche (team highs of 26 homers, 92 RBIs) leave via free agency.
The hope, presumably, is that hitters such as Harper, Ryan Zimmerman (who replaces LaRoche at first) and Wilson Ramos, who each missed significant chunks of last season, will deliver the numbers they're capable of producing, while opponents have a really hard time scoring much against all the aces Williams will send to the mound.
''It's hilarious having to go in there and face them. It's absolutely stupid,'' Harper said. ''We have the best staff in baseball. I don't care what anybody says.''
Actually, Bryce, that's exactly what pretty much everybody IS saying.
Here are other things to know about the Nationals, who open the season on April 6 at home against the New York Mets:
HEALTH MATTERS: Half of the everyday lineup - outfielders Jayson Werth and Denard Span (both recovering from offseason surgery), third baseman Anthony Rendon and new second baseman Yunel Escobar - missed extended periods of spring training, as did fourth outfielder Nate McClouth. Rendon, Span, Werth and McClouth might all miss opening day. ''You can be as good as you want on paper, but that doesn't mean anything until the end of the year,'' Scherzer said. ''We've got to stay healthy.''
MIGHTY `PEN?: Given their aspirations, October is what really matters for the Nationals, and Drew Storen blew save chances in the 2012 and 2014 playoffs. Still, the closer's job is his entering the season, and Clippard is no longer around to shut down foes in the eighth - or provide ninth-inning backup if needed. Worth watching: Will Aaron Barrett set aside the yips that hit him in the NLDS?
LAST HURRAH: A couple of homegrown franchise cornerstones, Zimmermann and shortstop Ian Desmond, can become free agents after the season, as can Span and Fister. Rizzo could try to sign one or more to long-term deals. He could trade one or more. Or he could decide to let things play out with this group, then move on next offseason. ''With this group of guys,'' Werth said, ''this might be it.''
CINCINNATI: CINCINNATI (AP) - The rotation was Cincinnati's strength in an otherwise disappointing season last year. It's the Reds' biggest question as they try to move forward.
They're not sure what they're getting beyond 20-game-winner Johnny Cueto and Mike Leake, the only two holdovers who are healthy enough to pitch as the season begins. They've got some veteran retreads and unproven young starters trying to hold it together.
The rotation could be a work in progress well into the season.
''I know what the regular lineup looks like,'' second-year manager Bryan Price said. ''The biggest challenge is the bullpen and deciding roles and finalizing the last two starting pitchers.''
The Reds created two openings by trading Mat Latos and Alfredo Simon in the offseason. Homer Bailey hasn't fully recovered from surgery on his forearm and won't be ready until at least mid-April.
Cincinnati is counting on Anthony DeSclafani, who was acquired from Miami in the trade for Latos, to fill one of the spots. The rest of the rotation was under construction late in spring training, a sign of how much things had changed from a year ago.
''We feel we have a competitive team,'' Price said. ''This isn't a rebuilt situation. So we have to feel as confident as we can one-through-five in our rotation.''
The Reds lost 86 games last season in large part because of a subpar offense and a bullpen that finished as one of the NL's worst. They've tried to fix those two problems in the offseason through trades and free agency.
Now, a lot of it is on the starters to make it hold together during a special season in Cincinnati, which will host the All-Star Game. Some things to watch:
---
CUETO'S CONTRACT
Cueto is entering the final year on his deal. The Reds have talked to him about an extension, but nothing was imminent as spring training wound down. If Cueto doesn't have an extension by midseason, the Reds would be in the position of considering a trade offer rather than letting him leave as a free agent after the season.
---
VOTTO'S LEG
First baseman Joey Votto didn't play after July 5 because of strained muscles above his left knee. The 2010 National League MVP felt good in spring training. The Reds struggled to score runs last season despite playing in hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park. If Votto is back to form, the offense will get a huge boost. The question is whether he can make it through the season without getting hurt again.
''I think that I've proven when healthy that I'm a helpful part of the team,'' Votto said.
---
NEEDING RELIEF
The bullpen was one of the biggest problems in the second half of the season, contributing to the Reds' collapse. They were only 1 1/2 games out in the NL Central at the All-Star break, but went 25-42 the rest of the way. The bullpen was 1-17 after the break. Closer Aroldis Chapman was dependable, but the middle of the bullpen was a huge problem. The Reds added Burke Badenhop and Kevin Gregg to try to help, and moved left-hander Tony Cingrani into a relief role during spring training.
---
OUT IN LEFT FIELD
Ryan Ludwick struggled in his return from a significant shoulder injury, and nobody else excelled in left field, either, making it the biggest weakness in the lineup. The Reds got Marlon Byrd in a trade with the Phillies, hoping to finally stabilize the position. The 14-year veteran knows there's a lot at stake in how he performs.
''Yes, there is pressure and there should be,'' Byrd said. ''This is a team that wanted me. I've got to come in to fill that veteran role, the left field spot, and bring some pop to the lineup. I have to do what I've done the last two years. To do any less is just a failure on my part.''
---
RUN BILLY RUN
Center fielder Billy Hamilton had an exceptional rookie season, stealing a club-record 56 bases. He wore down as the season went along, batting only .200 with 18 steals in the second half. The 6-foot, 160-pound leadoff hitter lifted weights in the offseason, trying to get stronger so he doesn't fade again.
''I'm not a power hitter, but I want to be stronger than last year,'' Hamilton said.
PREVIEW
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PA SPORTSTICKER NL PREVIEW (WASHINGTON-CINCINNATI) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Nationals-Reds Preview* ========================

Washington (28-19) at Cincinnati (19-27), 7:10 p.m. EDT

Stephen Strasburg isn't reporting any physical issues anymore, which is no doubt making his struggles all the more frustrating.

The Cincinnati Reds finally ended their lengthy losing streak this week only to have another frustrating defeat result in a team meeting.

The Reds look to add to Strasburg's woes in the opener of a three-game series against the visiting Washington Nationals on Friday night.

Strasburg (3-5, 6.50 ERA) allowed six runs over 3 2-3 innings in Saturday's 8-1 home defeat to Philadelphia, leaving him at 1-3 with a 10.20 ERA in his last four outings. He has failed to pitch through the fourth inning in all three losses.

The poor four-start stretch began with Washington (28-19) saying that Strasburg had shoulder problems before later stating he was suffering from lower back tightness. Now it seems that he is healthy, though still pitching poorly.

"Yeah, it's frustrating," Strasburg said. "I'm not pitching to my ability, but I've got to keep grinding."

The right-hander has gone 1-1 with a 5.50 ERA in three career starts against Cincinnati. Marlon Byrd has faced him the most among the Reds, going 6 for 19 with a home run.

Cincinnati (19-27) ended its longest losing streak in 17 years at nine with Tuesday's 2-1 win over Colorado. The Reds fell 6-4 to the Rockies the next day and held a closed-door meeting afterward.

"Nobody likes talking about the last 11 games," manager Bryan Price said. "Nobody in there is bringing in any dancing girls."

Brandon Phillips struck out as a pinch hitter after not starting for the second straight day because of a sore left foot. Cincinnati has lost the last 10 games he's played.

"Brandon hits leadoff if he's healthy and he's a little gimped up with the foot and I'm hoping that by just having him hit today one time, having tomorrow off, getting more treatment, getting in here on Friday that he'll be good to go," Price said.

The Reds average 3.70 runs to rank second to last in the NL while the Nationals are first at 4.66.

Bryce Harper has homered in the last two games for Washington after hitting a solo shot in Wednesday's 3-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs. He leads the majors with 43 RBIs and a .745 slugging percentage.

The slugger also tops the NL with 18 home runs, with the Reds' Todd Frazier second with 14. Frazier homered twice in three games against the Rockies this week.

Washington leadoff hitter Denard Span is batting .429 on the road this month to match San Francisco's Nori Aoki for the NL lead.

No National has more than two at-bats against the Reds' Anthony DeSclafani (2-4, 3.46), who gave up one run in seven innings of Saturday's 2-1 loss at Cleveland. The right-hander, who didn't get the decision, had gone 0-3 with a 7.58 ERA in his previous four starts.

DeSclafani's only three appearances against Washington have been in relief.

The Nationals, winners of 21 of 27, split six meetings with the Reds in 2014.


Last Updated: 3/19/2024 12:47:59 AM EST.


You are viewing a condensed version of this FoxSheet. Login as a FoxSheets Subscriber to view the full sheet.
Not a member? Subscribe today and start taking advantage of our premium information, including the Game Estimator™, the Super Situations ™, the Power Trends ™, and many more features.