The Pirates travel to Washington, with the teams in very different situations than were expected at the start of the season. The Pirates appeared to be one of the “tanking” teams, having traded away their best hitter and their best pitcher during the winter. The go into Washington leading the NL Central by half a game over the defending division champion Cubs. The Nationals looked like a super team, filled with stars on the mound and at the plate. Injuries decimated the team, and they are four games under .500 in fourth place, six games behind the Mets. This series forces us to remember that a bad MLB team can do a lot right, and a good MLB can do things poorly, and that luck can play a big part in determing a champion.
The Dodgers are suffering a similar fate to the Nationals as they head into Phoenix to face the Diamondbacks. Los Angeles sits three games under .500 and seven games behind Arizona. Ross Stripling makes his first start of 2018 after 10 relief appearances. He struck out 16 in 14 1/3 innings without allowing a home run. Zack Greinke takes the hill for the Diamondbacks. Greinke shows great control this year, with 32 strikeouts and just three walks in 30 innings. He might be in the strike zone too much, however, as he allowed six home runs. That’s a big reason for his 4.80 ERA.
Enjoy!
from baseballmusings.com https://ift.tt/2vYcp0v
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