Washington faces Arizona, aims to build on Scherzer's strong outing
Arizona Diamondbacks (37-34, third in the NL West) vs. Washington Nationals (32-37, fourth in the NL East)
Washington; Saturday, 4 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Diamondbacks: Taylor Clarke (1-2, 5.26 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 19 strikeouts) Nationals: Stephen Strasburg (7-3, 3.36 ERA, .99 WHIP, 110 strikeouts)
LINE: Diamondbacks favored by 1 1/2 runs; over/under is 9 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: Washington heads into the matchup after a strong showing by Max Scherzer. Scherzer pitched seven innings, giving up two runs on three hits with 10 strikeouts against Arizona.
The Nationals are 16-16 in home games. The Washington pitching staff owns a team ERA of 4.63, Max Scherzer paces the staff with a mark of 2.81.
The Diamondbacks are 23-18 on the road. Arizona's team on-base percentage of .316 is fourteenth in the majors. Jarrod Dyson leads the team with an OBP of .354. The Nationals won the last meeting 7-3. Scherzer earned his fifth victory and Anthony Rendon went 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs for Washington. Robbie Ray took his fourth loss for Arizona.
TOP PERFORMERS: Rendon leads the Nationals with 15 home runs and is batting .315. Trea Turner is 13-for-40 with six doubles, a triple, three home runs and eight RBIs over the last 10 games for Washington.
Eduardo Escobar leads the Diamondbacks with 57 RBIs and is batting .293. Ketel Marte has 12 hits and is batting .279 over the last 10 games for Arizona.
LAST 10 GAMES: Nationals: 6-4, .252 batting average, 3.70 ERA, outscored opponents by 18 runs
Diamondbacks: 7-3, .230 batting average, 3.40 ERA, outscored opponents by 15 runs
Nationals Injuries: Austen Williams: 10-day IL (shoulder), Justin Miller: 10-day IL (shoulder), Jeremy Hellickson: 10-day IL (shoulder), Koda Glover: 60-day IL (forearm), Ryan Zimmerman: 10-day IL (foot), Matt Adams: day-to-day (oblique).
Diamondbacks Injuries: Luke Weaver: 10-day IL (forearm), Taijuan Walker: 60-day IL (elbow), Jon Duplantier: 10-day IL (shoulder), Silvino Bracho: 60-day IL (elbow), Blake Swihart: 10-day IL (oblique), Steven Souza Jr.: 10-day IL (knee), Jake Lamb: 10-day IL (quad), Wilmer Flores: 10-day IL (foot), Alex Avila: 10-day IL (calf).
