The Orioles and Nationals battle it out in the Beltway Series
MLB Weekend Series Preview- Baltimore Orioles vs. Washington Nationals
The Baltimore Orioles and the Washington Nationals kick-off this season’s first round of Inter-league play with a three-game Capital Beltway Series at Nationals Park starting this Friday night. As added incentive both teams come into this showdown leading its respective division.
Overview
Baltimore is just 5-5 in its last 10 games but still tied for first in the AL East with an overall record of 24-14. The Orioles are 12-9 at home this season and an impressive 12-5 on the road. The total has stayed ‘under’ in four of their last six games.
Washington holds a slim half-game lead over Atlanta in the NL East heading into Thursday’s game against Pittsburgh. The Nationals are 23-14 overall and also 5-5 in their last 10 games. They are 9-9 on the road but 14-5 at home. The total has gone ‘over’ in five of their last six games.
Daily Starters
Friday, May 18
Jake Arrieta vs. Edwin Jackson
Arrieta was knocked around his last time out; giving-up seven runs on 10 hits in less than four innings. The right-hander is 2-4 on the year with a 5.21 ERA in eight previous starts. He has given-up 13 earned runs in his last 10 innings.
Jackson was tagged for two home runs last Sunday on his way to a no-decision against Cincinnati and is still looking for his first win since mid-April. He is 1-1 with an ERA of 3.71. The right-hander is 5-1 against the Orioles with a 3.61 ERA.
Saturday, May 19
Jason Hammel vs. Ross Detwiler
Hammel is off to a strong start with a 4-1 record and 2.68 ERA. After missing a start with a sore knee, he was bounced around by the Yankees in his last outing; giving-up five runs on five hits in a span of two plus innings. The right-hander is 3-0 with a 3.55 against the Nationals.
Detwiler has given-up seven earned runs on 14 hits in his last two starts after five very impressive outings. He is now 3-2 on the year but still has a solid ERA of 2.75 and a 1.09 WHIP. The left-hander is 0-1 against Baltimore with a 4.91 ERA.
Sunday, May 20
Wei-Yin Chen vs. Stephen Strasburg
Chen is well on his way to rookie-of-the-year honors with quality starts in his first seven appearances on the mound. He is a perfect 4-0 with an ERA of 2.45 and has shown excellent control by not allowing more than three earned runs in any game.
Strasburg is coming off one of the worst outings of his career against San Diego in which he gave-up four runs on seven hits in just over four innings pitched. None the less, the right-handed phenom is 3-1 with a 2.25 ERA in eight previous starts.
Betting Trends
The Orioles are 1-4 in their last five interleague games and 2-8 in their last 10 interleague games against a right-handed starter. The total has gone ‘over’ in six of their last seven interleague games on the road.
The Nationals are 5-1 in their last six interleague games but just 3-7 in their last 10 interleague games against a team with a winning record. The total has stayed ‘under’ in 10 of their last 13 interleague games at home.
Baltimore is 1-4 in its last five games in Washington but 6-4 in the last 10 meetings overall. The total has gone ‘over’ in four of the last six games between the two.
Dave Schwab
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