Washington Nationals vs. Giants Series Preview (8/5-8/7)

Jeff Samardzija (9-7, 4.30 ERA) vs. Gio Gonzalez (6-9, 4.29) – 7:05 p.m ET, broadcast on MASN/WUSA9/MLB Network

Samardzija was one of the three pitchers who got the start for the Giants against the Washington Nationals in the last series. On July 29, he went six innings, gave up four runs on seven hits, struck out two, and walked two in a loss.

In that start, the Nats did not have a hit for the first three innings. Then, they scored four runs from the fourth through sixth innings. The 31-year-old right-hander has only two wins in his last ten starts and he has a 7.02 ERA in three starts since the All-Star Break.

Against the Washington Nationals in his career, Samardzija is 2-4 with a 3.47 ERA in 13 games (six starts). Daniel Murphy is 6-for-12 against him with a home run and four RBI’s, including a triple in last Friday’s win.

With Joe Ross still on the disabled list and with all the days off, Gonzalez will get the start tonight on short rest. Gonzalez put up a good start against the Giants last Sunday, but was hurt by some bad defense. He went six innings, gave up two runs (one earned run) on six hits, struck out one, and walked two in a loss.

Despite the loss, Gonzalez continues to show progress ever since the month of july. Against the Giants, he had ten groundball outs, which is the most he has had in any game since June 19 against the Padres. Since the break, he is 1-1 with a 1.96 ERA over the course of three starts.

The Washington Nationals left-hander is 3-4 with a 3.14 ERA in ten career starts against the Giants, but has only had two wins in his last seven starts. Brandon Crawford is 3-for-11 against him with a home run and three RBI’s.

Prediction: When you look at this matchup, Gonzalez has gained more trust over the last handful of starts than Samardzija. Coming off the day of rest, I think the Washington Nationals offense gets to Samardzija early and gets the win in the series opener.

Next: Tomorrow's Matchup