The Washington Nationals (6-2) have won back-to-back extra-inning home games to open up their four-game National League series against the Cincinnati Reds (3-5), as the two teams will meet again inside Nationals Park on Saturday with the first pitch scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET.
Las Vegas oddsmakers have certainly taken notice of the Nationals current four-game win streak, sending them out as -115 favorites, while the total of eight is facing downward pressure in the betting market.
Washington is now poised to potentially match the franchise’s best-ever record through nine games with a win in this contest, which would bring back memories of the 1981 Montreal Expos. The club relocated to the D.C. area in 2005.
Edwin Jackson (0-0, 5.40 ERA) is scheduled to make his second start in a Nationals uniform, coming off a no-decision effort against the New York Mets on April 9, giving up three runs and four hits over five frames in a 4-3 road defeat.
The right-hander has faced the Reds just once in his career, allowing two runs and eight hits over seven strong innings as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals last year, as he didn’t factor in the decision of a 3-2 home loss.
Sports bettors will find that the Nationals are just 2-7 in their last nine games as a home favorite of -110 to -150.
Cincinnati has scored just three combined runs in dropping the first two games of this series, while the entire lineup is collectively hitting .204 on the season. The Reds were unable to deliver in the clutch last night in going 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position.
Playing a day game may spark Saturday’s visitor, with the club winning three of four games under the sun this year, while the “under” is 3-1 in those contests.
Reds starter Homer Bailey (0-1, 6.35 ERA) may not be the right man for the job in making his second start of the 2012 campaign, coming in with a 10-11 career mark and 4.73 ERA in 31 daytime starts.
The 25-year-old right-hander suffered a 7-1 home loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on April 9, serving up three home runs over 5.2 innings, while issuing three walks and striking out five.
Bailey may be the biggest benefactor of having umpire Tim Welke behind the plate, striking out a career-high 10 batters against the Milwaukee Brewers on October 10, 2010, as he didn’t factor in the decision of a 7-4 home win for the Reds.
Weather forecasts suggest partly cloudy skies and game-time temperatures in the mid-70s, with winds out of the southwest at 10-15 mph (out to center).
The “under” is 13-22 in these conditions since the stadium opened in 2008.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com