
The Washington Nationals (22-17 SU, +0.60 Units) have won 15 of their last 19 games, and they'll be welcomed back home after a 5-2 West Coast swing by their fans on Tuesday against the New York Yankees (22-17 SU, +4.54 Units).
ODDS ANALYSIS
In this stretch of good form, the Nationals have picked up 9.96 units for their bettors, completely erasing all of the losses which they’ve amassed for the season. This is the first time all year that Washington bettors can say they've had a winning year even though their team is five-games above .500.
PITCHING MATCHUP
After tossing over 100 pitches in three straight starts, Nathan Eovaldi was given a couple extra days off to get ready for this start. He'll be pitching on six days of rest instead of four, and that could really work in his favor. The righty is 3-1 this year with a 4.14 ERA, but when he’s pitched on five or more days of rest this season, he allowed just three runs over 13.2 innings and went 2-0.
Gio Gonzalez has led the Nats to wins in five of his last six starts after losing his first outing of the year. He's got a respectable, though not amazing 4.25 ERA for the year, but he has some real concerns going against the Yankees. Gonzalez is just 1-5 in his six starts against the Bronx Bombers, and sports an unsightly 6.75 ERA through 32.0 innings of work against them.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"We've played 30 games in 31 days. The week didn't finish the way we wanted, but if you look at our record in that long stretch, and it's pretty good. I think this off day is really important to our guys physically. We've got two days off in the next four, and hopefully, that will help us physically." – Yankees manager Joe Girardi on the importance of an off day on Monday before taking on the Nats on Tuesday and Wednesday
SITUATIONAL BETTING
After getting crippled on Friday in a 12-1 loss to the Royals, the Yankees have pitched incredibly well in their bullpen. They’ve tossed 8.1 scoreless frames in a row, and six different men have combined to get the job done. Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller each still have 0.00 ERAs this season halfway through May.
PROP TALK
Bryce Harper is just killing it right now, and it shouldn't be surprising that Washington's revival this year has largely been thanks to him. The outfielder has batted .564 over his last 11 games with nine homers, 18 runs scored and 22 RBIs. The Nats are averaging 7.45 runs per game in that stretch.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
We agree with Girardi about the day off helping out the Yankees quite a bit on Monday. Eovaldi has clearly been better on extended rest than regular rest, and he is going to be getting the luxury of long rest in two straight turns through the rotation.
As long as the Yanks can chip away at Gonzalez, something they’ve historically been able to do with ease, they should get enough out of Eovaldi to turn the ball over to the back of the bullpen, which remains flawless on the season.
New York 5, Washington 3
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