The struggling Athletics will open a 3-game set tonight at their temporary home, Sutter Health Park. The A’s have lost 9 straight and are a dismal 19-28 in Sac. They are expected to send southpaw Gage Jump to the hill, and he is not the answer. Jump is 3-4 with a 3.51 ERA, a 1.27 WHIP, and over his last three turns he is 0-3 with an ERA that ballooned to 7.42 and a 2.10 WHIP. This could be a problem for the Athletics when they are facing a Nationals team that is first in the league in scoring, averaging 5.3 runs per game, and second in the league in homers with 138. Washington has played well on the road, at 28-18, and is expected to give the nod to Cade Cavalli. Cavalli is 5-4 with a 3.83 ERA, a 1.35 WHIP, and over his last three starts he is 1-0 with an ERA that dropped to 2.83 and his WHIP to 0.91. Sutter Health Park is a hitters’ ballpark and the way the Nationals light it up they are worth considering.
TONIGHT’S PICK: WASHINGTON NATIONALS