Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Washington Nationals NLDS Game 5 Preview
Where: Nationals Park – Washington, DC
When: Thursday, October 13, 2016, 8:00 PM ET
Line: Los Angeles Dodgers (+138) at Washington Nationals (-153); total 7.0 – view all MLB lines
TV Broadcast: FOX Sports 1
Writer’s Pick: Washington Nationals (-153)
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Betting on the Los Angeles Dodgers (+138)
Thanks to second baseman Chase Utley’s single on the eighth inning Tuesday, the Los Angeles Dodgers are still alive. The team is hoping that the squeaky 6-5 win can help them have an extra edge for the series finale.
After much speculation as to which pitcher may line-up for Game 5, the team has announced that they will be starting with Rich Hill (12-5, 2.12 ERA) for the anxiety-inducing knockout game. Hill, the oldest pitcher on the roster, is making his second start in the series. He started in Game 2 and was credited with a loss after he gave up four runs on six hits and two walks over 4.1 innings.
The Dodgers’ batters will be going up against Max Scherzer, who they are batting a decent .282 (29-of-103) against. Outfielder Andre Ethier, who was minimally used on offense during the regular season, leads the team in hits (8-of-24, .333 BA), RBIs (3), and homers (1), versus the pitcher.
Together, Adrian Gonzales, Yasiel Puig, and Chase Utley are only 9-of-42 (.214 BA) versus Scherzer, but expect them to do much better with the season hanging in the balance.
The Dodgers have lost four straight games with Rich Hill as the starter.
Betting on the Washington Nationals (-153)
Game 4 was indeed a frustrating loss for the Nationals. They almost completed a comeback that would’ve allowed them to advance and crush the whole city of Los Angeles, but it’s probably safe to say that any team would have no problems closing out a series at home.
With yet another dominant season, it was quite obvious that Nats manager Dusty Baker will be naming four-time All-Star and one-time AL Cy Young awardee Max Scherzer (20-7, 2.96 ERA) the starter for a series like these.
Scherzer’s last start was Game 1’s 4-3 loss. He will look to have a more effective pitching performance as he got flamed for four runs on five hits and two homers with five strikeouts over six innings.
The team has great numbers opposite Rich Hill, but the sample size is quite small – 12-of-21 (.571) with two homers, seven RBIs, two walks, and only three strikeouts. Look for Bryce Harper and Daniel Murphy, two of the Nationals’ most productive batters, to leave it all out there on the field.
The Nationals are 9-1 in Scherzer’s last 10 starts.
Writer’s Prediction
The Nationals (-153) move on to face the Cubs, 5-4.
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