Nationals host the Pirates to start 3-game series
Pittsburgh Pirates (18-8, first in the NL Central) vs. Washington Nationals (9-15, fifth in the NL East)
Washington; Saturday, 1:05 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Pirates: Rich Hill (2-2, 4.85 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 22 strikeouts); Nationals: Patrick Corbin (1-3, 5.88 ERA, 1.69 WHIP, 19 strikeouts)
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Pirates -135, Nationals +115; over/under is 9 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Washington Nationals start a three-game series at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday.
Washington has a 9-15 record overall and a 2-9 record in home games. The Nationals have a 7-3 record in games when they out-hit their opponents.
Pittsburgh has an 18-8 record overall and a 9-4 record on the road. The Pirates have the fifth-ranked team batting average in the NL at .258.
Saturday's game is the first time these teams square off this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Keibert Ruiz has four doubles and two home runs for the Nationals. Joey Meneses is 15-for-45 with two doubles and a home run over the last 10 games.
Bryan Reynolds has six doubles, a triple and five home runs for the Pirates. Carlos Santana is 12-for-40 with three doubles over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Nationals: 5-5, .249 batting average, 3.27 ERA, outscored opponents by six runs
Pirates: 9-1, .295 batting average, 2.50 ERA, outscored opponents by 40 runs
INJURIES: Nationals: Ildemaro Vargas: 10-Day IL (shoulder), Corey Dickerson: 10-Day IL (calf), Israel Pineda: 10-Day IL (finger), Stephen Strasburg: 60-Day IL (ribs/shoulder), Tanner Rainey: 60-Day IL (elbow), Victor Arano: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Cade Cavalli: 60-Day IL (elbow), Carter Kieboom: 10-Day IL (finger)
Pirates: Ji-Man Choi: 60-Day IL (achilles), Wil Crowe: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Rob Zastryzny: 15-Day IL (elbow), Chase De Jong: 15-Day IL (knee), Oneil Cruz: 60-Day IL (ankle), JT Brubaker: 60-Day IL (elbow), Jarlin Garcia: 60-Day IL (arm), Max Kranick: 60-Day IL (elbow)
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
The Associated Press
