Posted at 11:20 AM EST. 

4:05 PM EST. Jake Peavy is favored here because why? The Giants are losing at the same pace that the Twinkies were losing on earlier in the year. The Giants have two wins over their past 13 games. One win was against the Yankees and the other was against the Reds. Jake Peavy may be the least reliable of all their starters so asking him to stop the bleeding doesn’t seem reasonable. There's little in Peavy's current skill set to suggest anything but a potential blowup. If Peavy does well here, it will be luck driven. His control and home park keeps him in games from time to time but AT&T in the afternoon is not a pitcher’s park like it is at night. Peavy’s profile is highlighted by a nosediving strikeout rate and three straight seasons of 4.00+ xERA. This year, Peavy’s ERA/xERA split is 5.42/5.79. That he and the Giants are favored over the Nationals is somewhat preposterous.

Reynaldo Lopez makes just his second start of the year, which is the real reason the Nats come in as the pooch. We say, Bring it On”. Lopez has filthy stuff. He struck out nine batters in his first start in just 4.2 innings but folks will see his 11.97 ERA and back off. We see his xERA of 2.32 in that aforementioned start to go along with a lot of bad luck. Lopez continues to throw mid-90s heat while knocking out hitters with a plus curveball and potent change-up. Given the ease in his improved delivery, he’s able to command the plate with his 95-98 mph fastball and can induce swings and misses with his breaking ball. Lopez reached triple digits in his brief stint in the Futures Game and he’s got terrific arm strength in his smallish 6’0” frame. When he’s on his game, he can be downright filthy. Because of his size, there are slight concerns about his plane to the plate, but his arm speed and double-plus fastball more than make up for these question marks. This kid is raw but he’s hugely talented. In terms of value, the Nats may offer the best on today’s card.  

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