Former World Series hero Madison Bumgarner, who has yet to recapture the magic he had at his peak in San Francisco with the Diamondbacks, will be tasked with keeping the Nationals in check on Sunday.
Since signing with Arizona before the 2020 season, he has posted a 1-6 record in 12 starts, with a 7.64 ERA — allowing 11.2 hits, 2.6 home runs, and 3.4 walks per nine innings.
The Nationals were set to go back to Stephen Strasburg after the velocity on his fastball was noticeably lower than normal when he got shelled for eight runs, seven of which were earned, in four innings against the Cardinals in his previous start. But Strasburg was scratched and placed on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation. Paolo Espino will start in Strasburg’s place.
The Over has hit in eight of Bumgarner’s 12 starts with Arizona, and with Strasburg having his own issues and making just his fifth start since the beginning of the 2020 season, a pair of teams that rank in the bottom seven of the league in ERA figure to have another rough day.
The play: Diamondbacks vs. Nationals Total, Over 8.5 runs.