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Thursday MLB preview: Phillies at Nationals, A's at Mariners
September 26th, 2019
Philadelphia Phillies (79-79) at Washington Nationals (89-69), 4:05 p.m. ET
Stephen Strasburg (17-6, 3.37 ERA) has struggled in two starts against the Phillies this year (5.40 ERA), but both were at Citizens Bank Park. He should be more comfortable pitching against Philadelphia's lineup at Nationals Park on Thursday night and put his club in position to win.
Strasburg is 9-2 at home this season, with a 3.33 ERA, 0.968 WHIP and a 5.58 strikeout/walk ratio, all of which are an improvement over his road splits. The California native has mastered most of the Phillies batters, including first baseman Rhys Hoskins, who has just one hit in 15 at-bats.
Jason Vargas (7-8, 4.40 ERA) is in pursuit of his 100th win but may have to wait until next season to reach that milestone. His ERA in 10 starts for the Phillies this year is 5.12.
Strasburg is 9-2 at home this season, with a 3.33 ERA, 0.968 WHIP and a 5.58 strikeout/walk ratio, all of which are an improvement over his road splits. The California native has mastered most of the Phillies batters, including first baseman Rhys Hoskins, who has just one hit in 15 at-bats.
Jason Vargas (7-8, 4.40 ERA) is in pursuit of his 100th win but may have to wait until next season to reach that milestone. His ERA in 10 starts for the Phillies this year is 5.12.
MLB free play: Nationals -0.5 runs first five innings (-150)
Oakland Athletics (95-63) at Seattle Mariners (66-92), 10:10 p.m. ET
Sean Manaea (3-0, 1.14 ERA) has looked sharp in his first four starts for the Athletics this year and should build on his momentum as the postseason approaches.
Manaea is allowing an opponent batting average of just .150 in 2019, and his strikeout/walk ratio is 3.57. The Indiana native has seen Seattle plenty of times in the past and handled the Mariners lineup fairly well. Third baseman Kyle Seager is just 4-for-24 (.160) lifetime against Manaea.
Felix Hernandez (1-7, 6.51 ERA) has had a 2019 to forget, because of injuries and poor performance. He has yet to face Oakland this season but was 1-5 with a 5.18 ERA in 33 innings against the A's last year. Look for A's shortstop Marcus Semian, who is batting .397 with six home runs and 15 RBIs over his last 15 games, to keep on rolling. He is 15-for-43 (.349) with five home runs against Hernandez all-time.
Manaea is allowing an opponent batting average of just .150 in 2019, and his strikeout/walk ratio is 3.57. The Indiana native has seen Seattle plenty of times in the past and handled the Mariners lineup fairly well. Third baseman Kyle Seager is just 4-for-24 (.160) lifetime against Manaea.
Felix Hernandez (1-7, 6.51 ERA) has had a 2019 to forget, because of injuries and poor performance. He has yet to face Oakland this season but was 1-5 with a 5.18 ERA in 33 innings against the A's last year. Look for A's shortstop Marcus Semian, who is batting .397 with six home runs and 15 RBIs over his last 15 games, to keep on rolling. He is 15-for-43 (.349) with five home runs against Hernandez all-time.
MLB free play: A's run line
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