Washington at Colorado

The New York Mets currently lead the NL with a .563 winning percentage. The Nationals are not in the pennant race, but what they are is a team sliding well under the radar. The Nats are better than the Mets .563 over their last 42 games, as they have gone 24-18 (.571). The Nats are 12 games below .500 on the season, but are 18-18 vs. LHP, and rank third in all of baseball in moneyline profits vs. southpaws. They will bring their ace to the mound in Sean Hill. Hill got off to a fast start, going 52 innings just 37 hits, before landing on the DL. He has come back even stronger posting 13 innings with 8 hits and a 1.38 ERA. Hill has made 10 starts, allowing 2 earned runs or less in nine of them! The other start he allowed just 3. Jeff Francis has been pitching poorly of late. The Rockies were 2-4 in his first six starts, then went 15-3, and now 0-2. The run is over. What a difference a year makes for these teams. Last year the Nats were 0-8 vs. the Rockies, allowing 78 runs (10 per game). This season they took 3 of 4 including two shutouts. Hill will be backed by a bullpen that has been pitching great, having yielded just 1 run to the Rockies this year in 13.2 innings for a 0.66 ERA. The Nats take the opener.