This is the second game of a three-game series in Washington between the Nationals and visiting Boston Red Sox.
Walker Buehler is scheduled to pitch for the Boston while Mitchell Parker should get the nod for Washington.
Red Sox at Nationals prediction, preview
Walker Buehler used to throw gas and miss bats. He averaged close to 97 mph on the fastball and had a strikeout rate in the 28-to-29 percent range. Then injuries happened and everything fell apart. He now averages 94.3 mph on the fastball and the strikeout rate has plummeted to 19.2%. The walk rate is 10.4% as well. Buehler has been limiting hard contact well, but the barrel rate is 10.1%. Through 67 innings, the ERA is 6.45, and that’s supported by the 6.03 FIP.
Both righties and lefties have crushed Buehler this season and nine of the 15 home runs allowed have come off the bat of righties. The road has also not been kind to Buehler, as the FIP is a whopping 7.77 while the K-BB% is a microscopic 1.9%.
Buehler has allowed over three earned runs seven times this season, with five of those coming in the six most recent starts. Buehler has failed to pitch at least five innings six times, with three of those in the last three starts. This will be the first time facing Washington this season.
Against right-handed pitching, the Nationals have struck out at the 27th-highest rate while having the 20th-best ISO. The wOBA is 20th-best in MLB.
Mitchell Parker had a strikeout rate often over 30% in the minors. Last season, during his inaugural MLB season, the strikeout rate was 20.6%. Through 91.1 innings this season, that number is down to 15.8%. The ERA is 4.63 while the FIP is 4.58. The barrel rate is 7.9%, but the hard hit rate is 49.7% while the average exit velocity allowed is 91.8 mph. Parker has done a decent job of keeping the ball in the yard, though, as he’s served up 11 home runs.
Both lefties and righties have had success against Parker. Nine of the 11 home runs have come off the bat of righties. Parker has been better at home than on the road.
The Red Sox have struck out at the 12th-highest rate against left-handed pitching while being seventh in ISO. The wOBA is third-best.
As for bullpens, Boston has the sixth-lowest FIP while Washington has the 30th-lowest.
Red Sox at Nationals, Best Bet
The game in Coors Field as a total of 11.5, the highest on the slate. This game is second at 10. There’s a good chance that both Buehler and Parker get pummeled in this one.
