The Pittsburgh Pirates are finishing off their series in the nation’s capital with a matchup against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park.
The Pirates will start Bubba Chandler, who struggled in his last start against the Philadelphia Phillies. The Nats are countering with Miles Mikolas, who is struggling in his first year in the nation’s capital. The 37-year-old spent eight seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals and was named to the All-Star team twice, but he isn’t playing at that level this season. In his last start at Family Park against the Boston Red Sox, Mikolas pitched seven innings, giving up nine hits and six earned runs in a 6-3 loss.
Mikolas faced the Pirates earlier in the season, giving up three hits and three earned runs on April 14 at PNC Park. The Nationals won that game 5-4.
The nation’s capital hosts an early game on the Fourth of July as the Washington Nationals take on the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates are fourth in the NL Central at 44-45, while the Nationals are fourth in the NL East at 46-43. Both teams are expected to factor in the NL wild-card race.
Pittsburgh won the first game of the series 9-5 on Friday. The latest Pirates vs. Nationals odds list Pittsburgh at -167 on the money line, while Washington is +139. The over/under is 10. The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every MLB game 10,000 times and entered Week 15 of the MLB season on a sizzling 25-14 run on all top-rated MLB picks.
After 10,000 simulations of Nationals vs. Pirates, the model is going Over 10 runs. The first game in this series produced 14 combined runs. Washington’s offense has been impressive, scoring at least eight runs in three straight games. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, has scored at least six runs in three straight.
The Pirates are on the road looking to grab a win today. Keller picked up the win in his last start against the Cincinnati Reds on June 28. He pitched six innings, giving up five hits and three runs, in the Buccos’ 9-4 victory at PNC Park. Keller pitched against the Nationals on April 4-10 when the two teams met at PNC Park. He pitched only four innings, giving up six hits and five earned runs in their 5-4 loss at home.
On the other end of the pitching matchup is Nationals pitcher Foster Griffin, who is off to a stellar start this season. Griffin spent his last three years in Japan before returning to Major League Baseball as a starter for the Nationals. He played in 2020 with the Kansas City Royals and in 2022 with the Royals and Toronto Blue Jays, but didn’t have much traction in the big leagues. Now that he’s with the Nationals, he has found a true home in the rotation. In his last start against the Baltimore Orioles on June 27, Griffin pitched seven innings, giving up three hits and no earned runs. The Nats are 13-4 this season when Griffin takes the mound.
