The Pinstriped Baseball Lane

New York Yankees vs. Washington Nationals, 7-26-2020, Free Picks and Predictions

New York Yankees (1-1) @Washington Nationals (1-1)

MLB Baseball: Sunday, July 26,2020 @1:05PM (Nationals Park)

Jonathan Loaisiga (RHP,0-0,- – -ERA,0Ks) vs. Patrick Corbin (LHP,0-0,- – -ERA, 0Ks)

The News York Yankees and their ace Gerrit Cole opened the 2020 baseball season with a win against Max Scherzer and the reigning World Series champs. Although on Wednesday, the Yankees managed to capture a 4-1 victory in their 1st win of the season due to a rain delay, game 2 didn’t work in their favor because the Washington Nationals struck back to earn their first win of the season.

Although game two of the 2020 Opening Weekend went to the Nats, I will still put my Yankee bias ahead of every other team in baseball. I would like to believe that the Yankees will capture their first series win this afternoon. Washington Nationals’ beat reporter Jessica Camerato of MLB.com said, “The Nationals are no strangers to home runs clanging off the foul pole….” It was that type of night in game two of the three game set between the reigning champs and the 27- time champions. Unlike game one where the Yanks were dominant on the mound and in the batter’s box, last night everything seemed to work in the Nationals’ favor.

The defending World Series champions roughed up Yankees starter James Paxton and various relievers in route to their first win of the new season (WAS 9, NYY 2). Asdrubal Cabrera, who is stepping in at third base to replace Anthony Rendon, went 3 for 4 with a home run. Paxton completed only one inning and exited with the bases loaded and no outs in the second. I don’t know about anyone else, but I did say that the competition between the two club would be an uphill battle. For a breakdown of the unfortunate loss that the Yankees endured, I have provided this link: https://www.mlb.com/news/victor-robles-leads-nationals-yankees

Tonight is the final game of the three game set between the Nats and the Yankees. To start the ballgame, manager Dave Martinez will send Patrick Corbin to the mound against the Bronx squad. Corbin, who is a native of New York, will make his second career start against the Yankees. The lefty last faced the Yankees in the Bronx in 2013. In that appearance, Corbin fanned seven more over as many innings.

Yankees’ manager Aaron Boone will play the opener card to counter against the Nationals. He will call on Jonathan Loaisiga from the back end of the bullpen to open against Corbin. This will be a spot start, and Loaisiga is not likely to go as deep as a typical starting pitcher. He has a career 4.50 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 35:15 K:BB in 30 innings as a starter and did not log more than four innings in any MLB outing in 2019.

It’s time to play Sunday afternoon baseball, who do you have winning today’s game. I am sticking with my Yankees, and hoping they win their first series of 2020. Do you agree with me or are you a Nationals’ fan?