Washington Nationals to beat Baltimore Orioles

The Nationals are a disappointing 17-23 this season but should earn a win against the 17-26 Orioles on Friday.

Baltimore has struggled all season but particularly over the past couple of weeks, losing seven of its last eight games, including a three-game sweep against the Tampa Bay Rays this week.

Starting for Washington will be Stephen Strasburg, who has made two appearances this season with drastically different results. He allowed just one hit in six scoreless innings in his first start against the Atlanta Braves, before allowing seven runs in a four-inning outing against the St. Louis Cardinals.

A performance closer to the first outing looks likely against an Orioles offense that ranks 24th in MLB in runs per game.

Baltimore will start Jorge Lopez, who is 1-4 this season with a 6.35 ERA and lasted just two innings last time out, giving up five runs on six hits.

Oakland Athletics to beat Los Angeles Angels

Oakland is 26-19 this season and just half a game back in the AL West, and its 12-6 road record is among the best in the American League.

This is a good match-up for the Athletics against the Angels, who have gone 3-7 over their last 10 games and lost nine of their last 13 at home.

The A’s should have the pitching advantage in this game, too. They will go with James Kaprielian, who pitched five innings in his first start of the season, giving up one run on four hits with six strikeouts.

He faces Jose Quintana, who is having a tough time in 2021 with an 0-3 record and 8.53 ERA. He’s given up at least four earned runs in four of his seven starts to date and has only pitched five full innings on one occasion.

San Francisco Giants to beat Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers have turned their form around since a shocking early-season slump, but they’re 10-12 on the road and now face the Giants, who lead the NL West and have gone 14-4 at home.

San Francisco’s 28-16 record is the best in the major leagues and it is currently on a run of five consecutive wins, having just swept a four-game series against the Cincinnati Reds.

On the mound for the Dodgers will be Trevor Bauer, who is having a great season with a 4-2 record and is coming off a strong start in which he gave up no runs and just two hits across seven innings.

San Francisco starter Alex Wood is having an even more impressive year, though. The former Dodger is 5-0 with a 1.75 ERA, and he’s given up just seven runs across 36 innings in his last six starts.

San Diego Padres to beat Seattle Mariners

The Padres are second in the incredibly strong NL West with a 27-17 record, and their current run of nine wins in 10 games makes them one of the hottest teams in all of baseball.

They will start Chris Paddack for this game against Seattle. He hasn’t had a great season so far, going 1-3 with a 4.45 ERA, but he’s allowed just one run across seven innings in his last two starts, both of which the Padres have won comfortably.

His opposite number will be Chris Flexen, who has gone 4-1 this season with a 3.46 ERA and has pitched consistently well, but he won’t receive much support from the Seattle offense.

The Mariners are 21-23 with a 9-11 away record, and they are currently in the bottom five in runs per game across the entire major leagues.