ODDS ANALYSIS
The Giants’ fancy road record took a hit when they dropped the first two games of their six-game trip in Miami, losing 6-5 on Wednesday on a three-run walk-off home run in the ninth inning. It was the first time the Giants lost three in a row on the road since a four-game slide in April. SF is a solid road bet at 21-17 up 6.16 units on the moneyline despite the slide.
The Giants scored 40 runs in six games after their five-spot against the Marlins, cashing the over in all six games. However they are just 3-3 over that span giving up 35 runs.
Is there a team in the big league’s that has more streaks than the Washington Nationals? They had their eight-game win streak stopped Sunday in the second game of a doubleheader but just started up another Tuesday with a 6-1 thumping of Shelby Miller and the Braves. The Nats return home having won their last six at Nationals Park by allowing a total of five runs in those games with the under at 5-1. The surge lifted Washington’s home record to 22-14 overall, up 3.42 units on the moneyline.
PITCHING MATCHUP
Jake Peavy (0-2, 9.39 ERA) will make his first start since Apr. 17 after spending time on the disabled list with a strained back. The veteran right-hander owns a 4.85 ERA with 27 strikeouts over 29.2 innings in six rehab starts.
When last seen at Nationals Park, Peavy permitted just two hits in 5.2 shutout innings leading the Giants to a victory in Game 1 of the 2014 NLDS. He’s 1-1 with a 3.77 ERA in two regular season starts there with 14 strikeouts in 14.1 innings.
Gio Gonzalez (5-4, 4.41 ERA) is expected to get the nod for the series opener after his last turn was skipped due to a rain out. The break came at a bad time after Gonzalez tossed seven shutout innings at the Pirates in his previous start.
Gonzalez is 2-2 with a 2.59 ERA in 41.2 innings over seven career starts against the Giants. He’s given up 40 hits and 15 walks for a 1.32 WHIP but was solid the last time he faced SF, allowing four hits and no earned runs in four innings during Game 4 of the 2014 NLDS.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“I was signed back to do what I did here last year. I fully expect to do that. It’s been tough for me, sustaining an injury that has kept me down now for quite a while, a few months. It’s tough to stay in good spirits when you’re not healthy watching your team play well at times and go through some low stretches. That’s when you really want to be out there.” – Giants pitcher Jake Peavy
LIVE BETTING or SITUATIONAL BETTING
The Washington Nationals regained the lead in the NL East, right where everyone expected. They wouldn’t be there, though, without a bench that has had to carry much more of a load than was anticipated because of a rash of injuries. Ryan Zimmerman, Jayson Werth and Anthony Rendon are all on the disabled list, taking three major parts out of the equation and making the bench especially important at the moment. The Nats have been able to take charge despite the absences, winning nine of 11 games. Washington scored 114 runs in June with players originally slotted for bench duty driving in 41 of them. Outfielder Michael A. Taylor, first baseman Clint Robinson and second baseman Danny Espinosa have all filled in nicely. Robinson hit a two-run homer and Espinosa went 3 for 5 with two doubles and an RBI in a 6-1 win Tuesday in the final game of June. Taylor drew two walks and reached base safely in 22 of his 26 games during the month.
PROP TALK
Joe Panik fits right into the Giants mold. He’s not flashy, he just goes about his business and is very successful at it. The second baseman started this road trip with a pair of multi hit games at Miami lifting his average to .314 for the year. His average increased in each of the first three months of the season, capped with a .333 month of June when he hit safely in 21 of 26 games collecting multiple hits 10 times. He’s had success in Nationals Park with a .417 average, including a home run and 1.128 OPS, over 12 at-bats. He’s in the middle of all the action for a team that scores better than five runs a game on the road.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
The Giants got a scare when Buster Posey was lifted from Wednesday’s game after taking a foul ball off his mask in the fourth inning. He avoided serious injury and was taken out in the sixth passing a concussion test. Posey hopes to be back in the lineup for this series, which isn’t good news for the Nationals. But getting back home after a six-game road trip is good news for the Nats, who have won six straight in their own yard behind excellent starting pitching. Washington also faces Jake Peavy, who hasn’t pitched a big league game since mid-April. He was rocked in two starts before a back injury shelved him and his rehab outings weren’t great.
Washington 4, San Francisco 2
The MLB odds for this game will be available first at BookMaker Sportsbook. Gamble on the game between every half inning with BookMaker’s live betting feature. Along with an adjusted in-game moneyline, you can wager on what will happen in the next at-bat or how many runs will be scored in the next inning. Live betting is the most exciting way to play!
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone with BookMaker’s new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here and start wagering today! First pitch for the game between the San Francisco Giants and Washington Nationals is scheduled for Friday, July 3, 2015, at 6:05 p.m. ET at Nationals Park. The matchup can be seen live on ESPN.
