Washington hosts Kansas City, looks to build on Scherzer's strong outing
Kansas City Royals (30-60, fifth in the AL Central) vs. Washington Nationals (46-42, second in the AL East)
Washington; Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Royals: Jakob Junis (4-8, 5.53 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 92 strikeouts) Nationals: Patrick Corbin (7-5, 3.56 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 118 strikeouts)
LINE: Nationals favored by 1 1/2 runs; over/under is 9 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: Washington heads into the matchup fresh off a strong showing by Max Scherzer. Scherzer pitched seven innings, giving up zero runs on four hits with 11 strikeouts against Kansas City.
The Nationals are 25-20 in home games. Washington has a team on-base percentage of .325, good for fourth in the National League. Juan Soto leads the team with a mark of .408.
The Royals are 14-32 on the road. Kansas City's lineup has 87 home runs this season, Jorge Soler leads the club with 23 homers. The Nationals won the last meeting 6-0. Max Scherzer notched his ninth victory and Kurt Suzuki went 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs for Washington. Glenn Sparkman registered his fifth loss for Kansas City.
TOP PERFORMERS: Anthony Rendon leads the Nationals with 43 extra base hits and is batting .304. Brian Dozier is 7-for-30 with four doubles, a home run and four RBIs over the last 10 games for Washington.
Soler leads the Royals with 59 RBIs and is batting .237. Martin Maldonado is 7-for-27 with three doubles, two home runs and two RBIs over the last 10 games for Kansas City.
LAST 10 GAMES: Nationals: 8-2, .258 batting average, 2.77 ERA, outscored opponents by 15 runs
Royals: 2-8, .246 batting average, 6.29 ERA, outscored by 29 runs
Nationals Injuries: Austen Williams: 10-day IL (shoulder), Justin Miller: 10-day IL (shoulder), Jeremy Hellickson: 60-day IL (shoulder), Koda Glover: 60-day IL (forearm), Kyle Barraclough: 10-day IL (forearm).
Royals Injuries: Trevor Oaks: 60-day IL (hip), Jesse Hahn: 60-day IL (elbow), Salvador Perez: 60-day IL (elbow).
