Nationals vs Indians Predictions and Picks

Washington Nationals vs. Cleveland Indians Preview

Where: Progressive Field, Cleveland

When: Wednesday, July 27, 12:10 PM ET

Line: Washington Nationals (-105) at Cleveland Indians (-105); total: 7.5 – view all MLB lines

TV Broadcast: MASN, Sports Time Ohio

Writer’s Pick: Washington Nationals (-105)

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Pitching Edge – Washington Nationals (-105)

A prime pitching matchup is in the cards later today as Stephen Strasburg squares off with Carlos Carrasco in the final game of the much-anticipated Indians-Nats series. Strasburg (13-1, 2.83 ERA) suffered his first loss of the season on Thursday, allowing six runs on seven hits and one walk in six innings of action in Washington’s 6-3 defeat to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Even in defeat, Strasburg still showed flashes of brilliance in that ballgame. He struck out 10 Dodgers in that encounter to record his eighth double-digit strikeout game of the year.

Carrasco (7-3, 2.31 ERA), on the other hand, has been on a roll of late, posting a 1.56 ERA in his last eight starts for Cleveland. The right-hander was superb in his last start against the Kansas City Royals, hurling six shutout innings on Wednesday. He allowed just one hit and struck out six batters in that ballgame. It was the third time this season that Carrasco threw at least six scoreless innings in a start.

Batting Edge – Cleveland Indians (-105)

The Cleveland Indians finally snapped their three-game losing streak on Tuesday and they have their offense to thank for that. The Indians rallied for three runs in their final at-bat to stun the Nationals, 7-6, in a showdown between two first-place teams. Francisco Lindor hit a bases-loaded single into right field to lead the Indians to the improbable victory. He has been on a tear at the plate all week, hitting 8-of-17 over his last four games. Lindor enters this game with a triple slash line of .307/.362/.460.

Washington, on the other hand, will rely on the sizzling Daniel Murphy to carry the scoring cudgels today. He is second in the majors in batting average (.350) this campaign. Murphy also leads the Nats in hits (127) and RBIs (74) this season. Murphy, who went hitless last night, has already racked up a career-high 19 home runs this campaign. Another guy who’s expected to step up for the Nationals today is Stephen Drew. He is 4-of-12 lifetime against Carlos Carrasco with two homers and two RBIs.