This matchup features two talented young starting pitchers. Nationals starter Josiah Gray is someone we have been keeping a close eye on. Gray had a dominant spring training, but struggled a bit in his first couple starts this season. In Josiah Gray’s most recent start, he pitched 6 shutout innings against the Mets and recorded 9 strikeouts. Gray hasn’t allowed more than 4 hits in his last 3 starts. His home run rate per 9 innings is also way down from his career averages. The biggest issue for Josiah Gray has been the Nationals inability to provide run support for him. The Nationals have scored 1 run or less in 4 of his 5 starts. On the other side of this matchup we have Pirates starter Johan Oviedo. There is no denying that Oviedo has nasty stuff. However, he has struggled with his command, and was hit hard by the Dodgers in his last start. Oviedo is allowing about 8 hits per 9 innings, and 1 home run per 9. His career road record is 3-8 with an ERA of 4.55. Oviedo has been far more susceptible to giving up the long ball on the road. The Pirates look to have the better offense and bullpen, but we favor Josiah Gray in the first half of this game. We opted for a first 5 innings +0.5 run line bet. In order for this ticket to cash, the Nationals must either be tied or winning at the end of the 5th inning.

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