First pitch is set for 8:45 PM CT at Oracle Park, with lefty Andrew Alvarez (1-0, 3.54) trying to back up Monday's 4-3 win against Houser (2-5, 5.49), who's been one of the easier matchups in the Giants' rotation all season.
Houser got lit up in April, steadied in May, and now the bottom looks like it's falling out again — his last start was 4.1 IP, 2 ER, 3 walks against Milwaukee, and the Nats offense has shown up in a big way lately. Alvarez isn't a household name, but he's been efficient: 4.2 innings, 1 earned, 5 K's against Miami in his last outing. If he can keep Washington in it for 5, the bullpen actually feels good behind him.
The form lines tell the real story. The Giants are 27-40 and just dropped the opener at home to a Nationals team riding a 34-33 record and a four-out-of-five stretch that includes a 14-1 thumping in Arizona. San Francisco can hit — they hung 18 on the Cubs last week — but their pitching keeps undoing it. Pinnacle has the Giants at -112 in a coin-flip moneyline, which feels generous given how this rotation is sitting.
- Day-To-DayTyler Stuart SP — no
- Day-To-DayTyler Baum DH — Baum has not pitched this year due an undisclosed injury.
- Day-To-DayTravis Sykora SP — Sykora will undergo a UCL reconstruction on his right elbow in two weeks, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
- Day-To-DayJarlin Susana RP — Susana underwent surgery last week to repair a right lat tear, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports.
- 15-Day-ILJake Irvin SP — Nationals manager Blake Butera said Monday that Irvin (shoulder) remains shut down from throwing, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILDJ Herz SP — Herz (elbow) was sent to the FCL Nationals on Friday to begin a rehab assignment.
- 60-Day-ILTrevor Williams SP — Williams (elbow) threw a simulated game at Nationals Park ahead of Tuesday's loss to the Marlins, MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILMax Kranick RP — The Nationals transferred Kranick (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Monday.
- 10-Day-ILHeliot Ramos LF — Ramos (quadriceps) will begin a hitting progression at the Giants' spring training complex in Arizona on Monday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
- 10-Day-ILHarrison Bader CF — Bader isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against Colorado, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
- 15-Day-ILMatt Gage RP — The Giants placed Gage on the 15-day injured list with knee inflammation Wednesday, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.
- 15-Day-ILTyler Mahle SP — The Giants placed Mahle on the 15-day injured list Friday, retroactive to Wednesday, due to a left hamstring strain, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
- 60-Day-ILJason Foley RP — Foley was pulled off his rehab assignment after experiencing right shoulder fatigue, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
- 60-Day-ILJoel Peguero RP — The Giants placed Peguero on the 60-day injured list Monday due to a left hamstring strain, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
- 60-Day-ILJared Oliva CF — Oliva (wrist) started at designated hitter and went 2-for-2 with two stolen bases, a double, an RBI and a run scored in Triple-A Sacramento's 6-4 loss to Reno on Saturday.
- 60-Day-ILReiver Sanmartin RP — Sanmartin (hip) tossed a scoreless inning in Triple-A Sacramento's 11-6 win over Sugar Land on Tuesday.
The injury list is where this gets ugly for the home side. Tyler Mahle is on the 15-day with a hamstring, Heliot Ramos is still working back from a quad, Harrison Bader is on the IL, and the bullpen is a graveyard — Foley, Birdsong, Rodriguez, Wick, Butto, all out. Washington isn't healthy either (Irvin, Williams, Herz, Gray all sidelined), but the Giants are the team that has to find 27 outs tonight with duct tape and prayer.
Total sits at 8.5 with the under slightly juiced at -112. With Houser's contact profile and Alvarez being a lefty the Giants have never seen, I lean Nats +1.5 at -207 as the cleanest piece of this card. If Washington jumps on Houser in the first inning — and that's a real possibility — this thing is over before the fog rolls in.