Nationals minus $1.15 hosting Angels
This is a cheap enough price to back the Nationals and Gio Gonzalez at home where he has a 1.95 ERA. Gonzalez is in excellent form, too, going 2-0 with a 1.23 ERA in his last three starts. Mike Trout is only 1-for-13 lifetime against Gonzalez.
Angels starter, lefty Tyler Skaggs, is making his third start since being out more than three months with an oblique injury. He looked much better in his second outing than his first. Skaggs, though, still is dealing with control problems and is not in Gonzalez’s class. The Nationals are 15-8 versus lefty starters this season.
The Nationals have fortified their bullpen to the point where it is a strength now not a weakness. The Angels, on the other hand, still don’t have a definite closer.
The lay price is low on the Nationals because the Angels have been playing well and Bryce Harper is out. But this is a tough spot for the Angels coming to the East Coast for the first time this month. All of their August games have been played on the West Coast until now.
The Nationals are without their starting outfield from opening day of Harper, Adam Eaton and Jayson Werth. However, the Nationals have excellent outfield depth and just got back center fielder Michael Taylor. They’ve also added versatile Howie Kendrick, who is batting .375 in his first 40 at bats for Washington.
