Where: Miller Park
When: 7:10 EST
The Starters: Zimmermann (7-6, 2.31) vs. Wolf (3-6, 5.46)
The Line: Nats -145, Brewers +125, O/U 8 Runs, Nats -1.5
Starters - Jordan Zimmermann will take the mound tonight for the Nats in hopes of starting a new streak of curly W’s. Jordan has been one of the best pitchers in baseball all year long and has certainly been the most consistant. Zim has given the Nationals at least 6 innings in every one of his 20 starts this season, and 18 of those have been quality starts, which leads the majors. He’ll get a chance to face a lineup tonight that has never seen his stuff first hand, so he sould have an advantage there. The Brewers will counter with 35 year old veteran lefty Randy Wolf. Wolf is a long way from his prime and having a really rough year so far in 2012. However, he is just one season removed from going 13-10 with a very solid 3.69 era and he’s turned in quality starts in his last 2 outings. I expect the Nat’s bats to come out swinging after being shut out last night so Wolf will need to be sharp. Advantage Nationals
Lineups – The National offense put together another productive series, scoring 18 runs in their 3 game sweep over the Mets, and continue to climb the National League ranks statistically. They’re now ranked no lower than 8th in any major NL offensive statistic, despite numerous injuries including 1st half team MVP (in my opinion) Ian Desmond, who’s now out with a torn oblique. The Nat’s lineup has officially made the leap from average to above average. The Brewers offense isn’t quite as potent as it was last year with Prince Fielder batting cleanup, but they’re still an above average group. They don’t hit for a very high average (.247, 11th in NL) but they hit for a lot of power, as they currently lead the NL in homers. Overall these two lineups are incredibly equal in terms of production, having identical numbers in OBP and SLG (.318 and .417 respectively). Advantage Push
Bullpens – The Washington bullpen got back on track this past series in New York after a terrible series against Atlanta that saw them blow a 9-0 6th inning lead. They’ve fallen out of the NL’s top 5 groups in terms of era but just barely, ranking 6th at 3.41. Overall the National’s pen should still be considered a strength. The Brewers bullpen is coming off an awful series in Philly where they blew late leads in all 3 games. Unfortunately for the Brewers it wasn’t a real surprise to see their relievers struggle, as they have the 3rd worst era in the NL at 4.73. They also are responsible for more losses than any other bullpen in the majors (25) and don’t have anyone who’s even close to being a reliable closer. Advantage Nationals
Game Summary – The Nats get right back in the win column behind another stellar performance from Zimmermann and a great night with the bats.
Prediction: Nationals 6, Brewers 3
Key Players (Stat Prediction): Zimmermann (7 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 6 K, 1 BB), Harper (3-4, HR, 2 RBI), Wolf (5 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, 3 K, 2 BB), Hart (2-4, HR, 2 RBI)
Jesse’s Picks W/L: 59 – 40