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#952 Washington Nationals (Lord) -105 over Pittsburgh Pirates (Keller) 5:45 PM CT

Washington was shut out 5-0 last night in Miami, even while having the same amount of hits in the game as the Marlins. It has been a tough season for the Nationals at 60-86 but Washington is 7-3 in September. The Nationals are back at home in a favorable matchup vs. another losing team. Pittsburgh is just 3-6 in September and 22-50 in road games this season, taking a six-game losing streak into this series. Paul Skenes is on pace to win the Cy Young and Pittsburgh only has 16 road wins this season when he doesn’t pitch. Pittsburgh is 11-18 in Mitch Keller starts including 4-8 in his last 12 road starts. Keller hasn’t pitched as poorly as his 6-14 win/loss record, but he has allowed three or more runs in six of his last eight starts including five consecutive road starts. 25-year-old Brad Lord wasn’t considered a top tier prospect, but he has made the most of his opportunity in the majors with a solid 4.20 ERA in nearly 110 innings. Lord has produced nearly 50 percent groundballs and has a low home run rate. Lord had back-to-back tough starts in late August to bump his numbers upward but since moving into the rotation after the All-Star Break, he has allowed three or fewer runs in six of his nine starts. Both bullpens have struggled but there is a huge chasm in comparing the recent offensive splits for these teams vs. right-handed pitching. In the past 10 games the Pirates are batting .182 with 2.5 runs per nine vs. right-handers, while Washington is batting .278 with 6.6 runs per nine. Josh Bell and James Wood both sat out of the starting lineup for Washington yesterday, but both should be expected to be back tonight as Washington looks to continue a respectable run in September with the team looking to ensure they avoid 100 losses this season.