District On Deck
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Washington Nationals: What To Watch For In Game 3 Of NLDS

By Ricky Keeler

June 21, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Washington Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper (34) hits a solo home run in the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
June 21, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Washington Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper (34) hits a solo home run in the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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Washington Nationals
Oct 9, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager (5) hits a home run against the Washington Nationals during the first inning against the Washington Nationals during game two of the 2016 NLDS playoff baseball series at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

PREDICTION

Before this series began, I looked at this pitching matchup as a toss-up because of the unknowns surrounding these two pitchers. With the Washington Nationals not having faced Maeda before, can they adjust quick enough to get an early lead and take the Los Angeles crowd out of the game?

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Meanwhile, can Gonzalez have one of his best starts of the season against a team that shown an inability to hit against left-handed pitching? With the Dodgers being 1-for-14 against lefties in the series, this is where Dusty Baker needs to use all four left-handers in this game if he can.

As for which team I am going to pick today, I am going to go with the Dodgers in Game 3. The reason for that is I don’t trust Gonzalez to win a big game despite his success against the Dodgers.

This game will be high scoring, but Gonzalez has shown at times this season that he has struggled to get the shutdown inning after the Nats score on offense.

Next: Bullpen Key To NLDS Win

For that reason, I think Los Angeles wins Game 3 and we will be talking about tonight whether or not Max Scherzer should pitch on short rest in Game 4 tomorrow night.

Final Score: Dodgers 6 Nationals 4

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