BEST LINES:  Pinnacle  +112 BET365  +115 SportsInteraction  +115 5DIMES  +111

Posted at 1:00 PM EST

2:05 PM EST. The Nationals might be the hottest team in the bigs, but they have had most of their games washed away this week after Tuesday's contest was delayed for rain. The wet weather wiped out the action on both Wednesday and Friday, which has created this doubleheader today. We wrote up Ross Stripling over Max Scherzer yesterday, but with Tanner Roark taking the bump in game one, it instantly becomes more appealing. Roark is 2-3 so far in 2018 with an ERA of 3.33 but that does not tell the whole story. Roak's xERA is a much less attractive 4.11 and he's seen a dip in his strikeout rate and groundball percentage. Power-pitcher, at 90 MPH, no. Roark always struggles versus lefties. Throw in hr/f volatility and hit % swings and his game-to-game profile makes him a moving target that should be avoided when he’s favored. As a dog, sure, but as the chalk against this team and pitcher, it’s a risk not worth taking.

The Dodgers have no doubt disappointed this season after making it to the World Series in 2017, but there is great opportunity here now that L.A. is an underpriced commodity. The Dodgers welcomed back Justin Turner on Wednesday night and he's the engine that really makes them hum. Yasil Puig is also back from injury and is heating up with three home runs in his last four games. Ross Stripling comes in with 31 K’s in 29 frames over 14 appearances but 11 of those 14 appearances came in relief. His last two games both came as a starter and Stripling fared well with 12 K’s in 9.1 frames combined. He threw four shutout innings in the first of those last two and was stretched out to 5.1 frames in his latest in which he allowed six hits, two earned runs, struck out seven and walked none. If all goes well, Stripling could be stretched out even further this time. Make no mistake that Stripling is a starter. He was working out of the pen because there was no room for him in the rotation with Clayton Kershaw, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Kenta Maeda, Rich Hill and Alex Wood filling the five spots. Walker Buehler also had his sights on a rotation spot. The Dodgers’ rotation was deep and thus they were forced to use Stripling out of the pen. Stripling took well to full-time bullpen work last year with a spike in whiffs that was well supported by his fastball speed and swing and miss rate of 12%. Best of all, he did that while maintaining pinpoint control and a strong groundball tilt and this year is no different, as everything in his profile whether he starts or relieves is trending the right way and his xERA of 3.69 confirms his upside. Stripling seemed destined for a late inning role but with opportunity upon him now, he, like the team he pitches for, has a new lease on life. At this price, both (the Dodgers & Stripling) are worth a play.

Please note: We have leans posted daily on Twitter and you can follow us there for leans, possible late plays or any other info we might have to pass along. 

Open an account today at Pinnacle Sports and take advantage of their -104 style pricing on sides and totals, which is 60% better than other sportsbooks.