High Stakes Syndicate
Washington: The Nationals (23-22) have righted the ship with a pair of victories over the weekend and now take a 10-game road trip test without C Ivan Rodriguez who’s persistent back injury has moved him to the DL. With catchers Coste and Flores also sidelined, C Wil Nieves (.224, HR, 5 RBI in 58 at-bats) will get the starts for this vastly improved attack. 4.31 runs per game gets Manager Jim Riggleman’s crew in the game this season – especially with a team slugging mark of .420 led by the sticks of Dunn (.250, 9 HR, 21 RBI), Willingham (.267, 8 HR, 28 RBI), and Zimmerman (.308, 8 HR, 25 RBI). 25-year old rookie RHP Luis Atilano (3-1, 5.06 ERA) hasn’t demonstrated great control (19 BB versus 15 K in 32 innings) but he has posted 4 good starts in 6 trips while closer Matt Capps is the squad’s MVP with 16 saves in 17 opportunities.
San Francisco: The Giants’ (22-21) previously respectable offense has flat-out his the skids of late with just 1 run racked over their 3-game series in Oakland, extending their current losing streak to 5 games. LF Mark DeRosa remains on the DL with a wrist injury while C Bengie Molina’s (.294, 2 HR, 10 RBI) power numbers have slid, leaving CF Rowand (.242, 5 HR, 18 RBI), Uribe (.267, 5 HR, 25 RBI), and Huff (.280, 4 HR, 20 RBI) the remaining modest long ball threats for an attack that averages 4.07 runs per game with a slugging mark of .390. However, there is good news for Manager Bruce Bochy’s unit. SS Edgar Renteria (.313, HR, 10 RBI) recently was activated from the disabled list plus RHP Tim Lincecum (5-0, 2.35 ERA) takes the hill tonight. The 4th-year ace is coming off his worst start of the season but with a well-timed extra day of rest.
FREE SELECTION: The Nationals bring the better offensive attack to AT&T Park tonight while even Tim Lincecum needs at least one run – something the Giants haven’t managed in 20 consecutive innings – to post a win. We’ll take the long shot here with Washington + 240 here and click the link below to check out Wednesday's Early and Late Syndicate Plays with the High Stakes Syndicate!