Baseball Betting: The San Francisco Giants visit the Washington Nationals on Saturday with the home team favored. This contest that can be seen on FS1 is expected to be a matchup between Tim Lincecum and Jordan Zimmermann. If the pitching matchup holds up then the Nationals will have the edge, as Zimmermann has an ERA under three while Lincecum has an ERA that is more than four. Here is a look at the matchup and baseball picks.
Lincecum vs. Zimmermann
Tim Lincecum still has a marquee name but unless he pitches against the Padres he isn’t that good. He was better last time out as he held the Phillies to two runs in five innings but even that outing was nothing to get excited about. He was able to wiggle out of jams as he stranded 10 runners on base. He is somehow 10-8 on the season but his ERA is 4.48.
Jordan Zimmermann has pitched well virtually all season. He is 8-5 on the season with a 2.97 ERA. He allowed three runs and four hits last time out against Arizona but didn’t get a decision. The only concern if you back the Nationals with Zimmermann is that he rarely pitches deep into games. He has averaged about 6.2 innings per start.
Game Notes
The Nationals had taken six of the last ten in this series before it began with three of the last four going over. The Nats have dominated the series in Washington, winning 8 of the last 10 with four of the last six going over the baseball betting total. The Nationals have been red-hot of late and they have been very tough to beat at home. They have now pulled well clear of the Braves in the NL East. Their pitching has been leading the way as they are now 2nd in the league in team ERA.
Baseball Picks
This pitching matchup really looks like a mismatch as Zimmermann is simply the better pitcher than Lincecum. We’ll look for the Nationals to win this one at home on Saturday.
