Washington at Pittsburgh

There is no denying that Stephen Strasburg is fine after surgery and he has been as dominant as he was prior. The Nationals have won all but one of his starts, but the margin for error is omnipresent. Looking closer, the Nats would be 2-4 in his six starts if laying 1.5 runs, as is the case here on the runline. The Nats came out blazing to start the season, but have not only cooled off the numbers look more like a year ago in their last 12 games at 4-8, and are currently riding a three-game losing streak. Many forget that the Pirates were 51-44 through 95 games before their lack of depth and injuries sent them packing. They are 8-6 at home and plenty capable of winning or staying close here. The reason they struggle despite Strasburg’s pitching low-run games virtually every start, is the Nats’ inconsistent offense, and struggles to put teams away. The proof lies in the fact that of their 18 wins, half of them have come by 1 run. Those numbers mean a lot of low-scoring games and an overall record if laying 1.5 runs every game would be 9-21. Washington is 17-6-1 to the UNDER in their last 24 vs. a team with a losing record. The Pirates come in at 12-3-1 to the UNDER in their last 16 as a home dog. Play Pittsburgh on the runline, and take the UNDER.