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Washington Nationals vs. Indians Preview (8/9-8/10)

By Ricky Keeler

Aug 6, 2016; Bronx, NY, USA; Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Andrew Miller (24) pitches during the ninth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Cleveland Indians won 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 6, 2016; Bronx, NY, USA; Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Andrew Miller (24) pitches during the ninth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Cleveland Indians won 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports /
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Washington Nationals
Aug 5, 2016; Bronx, NY, USA; Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Josh Tomlin (43) delivers a pitch against the New York Yankees in the first inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports /

Josh Tomlin (11-4, 3.81) vs. Gio Gonzalez (7-9, 4.13) – 4:05 p.m ET, MASN

Tomlin has gone under the radar this season with all of the great starters in the Indians rotation. He has alternated wins and losses over his last six starts and his last start was a loss against the Yankees on August 5. He went 4.2 innings, gave up seven runs on nine hits, struck out two, and walked two in that start

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Out of the 20 starts the 31-year-old right-hander has made this season, he has given up more than three earned runs in six of them. He only has 16 walks this season, so he is going to show good command more often than not. His 125.1 innings pitched are the second most in the rotation, behind Corey Kluber.

Like Bauer, Tomlin has never faced the Washington Nationals in his career. Revere is 5-for-13 with a RBI against him and Chris Heisey is 4-for-8 with a RBI.

Against the Giants on Friday, Gonzalez had one of his best starts of the season. He went seven innings, gave up one run on two hits, struck out seven, and walked one on 104 pitches in the win. The only extra-base hit he gave up was a solo home run to Angel Pagan in the fourth.

It’s been a different Gonzalez in the second half of the season. In his last four starts, the left-hander is 2-1 with a 2.78 ERA. During those outings, he has given up a total of five runs and held opponents to a .180 batting average.

Next: District Daily: Roark Continues To Shine In 2016

One of those four starts came against the Indians at Progressive Field on July 26. Despite some first inning struggles, he went 6.1 innings, gave up two earned runs on five hits, struck out four, and walked two in a no-decision. Mike Napoli is 4-for-14 against Gonzalez with a home run and five RBI’s.

Prediction: With these two game series, usually each team finds a way to win a game. I expect this one to be close and come down to a battle of the bullpens. With the acquisition of Andrew Miller by the Indians, I will take them to find a way to win the final game of this mini-series over the Washington Nationals.

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