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73% picking Washington
Total PicksMIA 151, WAS 406
Total PicksMIA 207, WAS 131
In terms of temperature and humidity, the weather report predicts for the 5th-most suitable hitting conditions of the day. Out of every team today, the 12th-best infield defense belongs to the Washington Nationals.
Playing on the road generally weakens hitter metrics across the board due to the lack of home field advantage, which should be the case for Jake Burger today.
Otto Lopez will be at a disadvantage playing on the road in today's matchup.
CJ Abrams has gone under 1.5 in 7 of his last 10 games.
Luis Garcia is penciled in 7th on the lineup card in this matchup, which would be a downgrade from his 64% rate of hitting in the top-half of the lineup this year.
The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects James Wood as the 6th-best batter in Major League Baseball when it comes to his BABIP skill. James Wood is penciled in 3rd in the batting order in this matchup. In terms of temperature and humidity, the weather report predicts for the 5th-most suitable hitting conditions of the day. James Wood will have the handedness advantage over Darren McCaughan in today's game... and moreover, McCaughan has a large platoon split. The Miami Marlins have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so James Wood has a strong chance of never facing a bullpen mismatch all game.
Cristian Pache is penciled in 5th in the lineup in this matchup, which would be an upgrade from his 100% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the batting order this season. In terms of temperature and humidity, the weather report predicts for the 5th-most suitable hitting conditions of the day. Cristian Pache will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Mitchell Parker today. Cristian Pache has an 81st percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (34.7%) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards baseball's 10th-shallowest RF fences in today's matchup. Hitters such as Cristian Pache with extreme groundball tendencies are usually more effective when facing pitchers like Mitchell Parker who skew towards the flyball end of the spectrum.
Xavier Edwards will be at a disadvantage playing away from home in today's game.
The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Javier Sanoja in the 91st percentile when estimating his batting average ability. In terms of temperature and humidity, the weather report predicts for the 5th-most suitable hitting conditions of the day. Hitting from the opposite that Mitchell Parker throws from, Javier Sanoja will have the upper hand in today's matchup. Extreme groundball hitters like Javier Sanoja tend to perform better against extreme flyball pitchers like Mitchell Parker. Out of every team today, the 12th-best infield defense belongs to the Washington Nationals.
Jose Tena's BABIP talent is projected in the 96th percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Jose Tena is projected to hit 5th in the lineup today. In terms of temperature and humidity, the weather report predicts for the 5th-most suitable hitting conditions of the day. Jose Tena will have the handedness advantage over Darren McCaughan in today's game... and the cherry on top, McCaughan has a large platoon split. Jose Tena is apt to have the upper hand against every reliever for the duration of the game, since the bullpen of the Miami Marlins only has 1 same-handed RP.
Dylan Crews is penciled in 2nd in the batting order in this matchup. In terms of temperature and humidity, the weather report predicts for the 5th-most suitable hitting conditions of the day. The Miami Marlins infield defense grades out as the weakest among every team playing today. Home field advantage generally bolsters hitter stats in all categories, and Dylan Crews will hold that advantage in today's game.
In terms of temperature and humidity, the weather report predicts for the 5th-most suitable hitting conditions of the day. Joey Gallo will hold the platoon advantage over Darren McCaughan in today's game... and the cherry on top, McCaughan has a large platoon split. The Miami Marlins have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Joey Gallo has a strong chance of never facing a bullpen mismatch all game. Joey Gallo pulls many of his flyballs (41.5% — 99th percentile) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards the league's 10th-shallowest RF fences today. The Miami Marlins infield defense grades out as the weakest among every team playing today.
The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Jacob Young in the 90th percentile when assessing his BABIP skill. In terms of temperature and humidity, the weather report predicts for the 5th-most suitable hitting conditions of the day. Jacob Young has a 100th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (43.9%) and will have a big advantage hitting them towards MLB's 10th-shallowest RF fences in today's matchup. Extreme flyball hitters like Jacob Young usually hit better against extreme groundball pitchers like Darren McCaughan. The Miami Marlins infield defense grades out as the weakest among every team playing today.
Andres Chaparro is projected to hit 4th in the lineup in this game. In terms of temperature and humidity, the weather report predicts for the 5th-most suitable hitting conditions of the day. The Miami Marlins infield defense grades out as the weakest among every team playing today. Andres Chaparro will possess the home field advantage in today's game, which ought to improve all of his stats.
Jonah Bride is penciled in 2nd in the lineup in today's game. In terms of temperature and humidity, the weather report predicts for the 5th-most suitable hitting conditions of the day. Jonah Bride will hold the platoon advantage against Mitchell Parker in today's matchup. Extreme groundball bats like Jonah Bride tend to be more successful against extreme flyball pitchers like Mitchell Parker. Out of every team today, the 12th-best infield defense belongs to the Washington Nationals.
The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Connor Norby in the 95th percentile as it relates to his BABIP ability. Connor Norby is projected to bat 1st in the lineup in today's game. In terms of temperature and humidity, the weather report predicts for the 5th-most suitable hitting conditions of the day. Batting from the opposite that Mitchell Parker throws from, Connor Norby will have an edge today. Out of every team today, the 12th-best infield defense belongs to the Washington Nationals.
In terms of temperature and humidity, the weather report predicts for the 5th-most suitable hitting conditions of the day. Hitting from the opposite that Mitchell Parker throws from, David Hensley will have the upper hand in today's game. David Hensley has an 85th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (35.3%) and has the good fortune of hitting them in the direction of the game's 10th-shallowest RF fences today. Extreme flyball batters like David Hensley tend to perform better against extreme groundball pitchers like Mitchell Parker. Out of every team today, the 12th-best infield defense belongs to the Washington Nationals.
In terms of temperature and humidity, the weather report predicts for the 5th-most suitable hitting conditions of the day. The switch-hitting Keibert Ruiz will get to bat from his better side (0) today against Darren McCaughan... and even better, McCaughan has a large platoon split. Keibert Ruiz pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (40.7% — 98th percentile) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards the league's 10th-shallowest RF fences in today's game. The Miami Marlins infield defense grades out as the weakest among every team playing today. Home field advantage typically boosts hitter metrics across the board, and Keibert Ruiz will hold that advantage today.
Nick Fortes has gone over 0.5 in 6 of his last 10 games.
Griffin Conine has gone over 0.5 in 7 of his last 10 games.
Last Meeting ( Sep 4, 2024 ) Washington 3, Miami 4
The Washington Nationals will look to continue their dominance over the visiting Miami Marlins on Thursday evening when the teams open a four-game series.
The Nationals are 8-1 against the Marlins this year. Washington won the first eight meetings before losing to Miami for the first time 4-3 in 10 innings on Sept. 4. It's a reversal of fortunes from last year, when Miami won 11 of 13.
Washington (65-80) is coming off a split of a two-game series with the visiting Atlanta Braves, winning 5-1 on Wednesday and taking the season series 8-5.
"It was a great, great job today by our guys," said Nationals rookie Dylan Crews, who had two hits and an RBI. "You've got to use this as fuel and move on to tomorrow."
Miami (54-92) was swept in three games by the host Pittsburgh Pirates in its previous series, losing 3-1 in the finale on Wednesday.
The Nationals will start left-hander Mitchell Parker (7-9, 4.43 ERA) on Thursday against Marlins right-hander Darren McCaughan (0-0, 7.40).
Parker is two wins shy of the Nationals' record for wins by a rookie (since the franchise moved to Washington). The mark was set by John Lannan in 2008.
Parker, making his 27th start, is looking for his first win since Aug. 21, when he beat the Colorado Rockies. He received no decision in his last outing in the second game of a doubleheader against Pittsburgh on Saturday. Parker lasted only 3 1/3 innings and allowed four runs on six hits and four walks with five strikeouts.
He has made two starts against the Marlins this season, drawing no decision on April 27 after he allowed one run in four innings, then earning a win on June 16, when he pitched six innings of one-run ball.
McCaughan will make his fifth appearance (third start) since he was re-acquired from the Cleveland Guardians. In his latest start, he received no decision after pitching 4 2/3 innings and allowing three runs, two earned, on six hits and a season-high four strikeouts against the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday.
McCaughan has a 10.66 ERA in three appearances on the road this year. He has never faced the Nationals.
Crews, rated as the No. 1 prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline, has reached base safely in 11 of 14 games. Another Washington rookie outfielder, James Wood, had two hits on Wednesday and has reached safely in 12 straight games and in 18 of his past 19.
"We did a good job getting guys over, getting guys in," Crews said. "When you do that as an offense, good things will happen. It doesn't matter who you're facing."
Miami manager Skip Schumaker credited his team for its approach despite the results in Pittsburgh.
"Those guys fought," he said. "There's no doubt about it, they fought all three games. Had a chance to win or tie all three games. We just couldn't come up with the big hit late."
Miami's Otto Lopez went 1-for-3 on Wednesday and has hit safely in six straight games. During that stretch, the rookie second baseman is 11-for-24 (.458) with three doubles, a homer and four RBIs.
Marlins reliever John McMillon was removed in the third inning Wednesday due to right elbow tightness after facing one batter.
--Field Level Media
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