MLB Picks: May 11th 2012
Washington Nationals vs. Cincinnati Reds
Pick: Washington Nationals -111 odds
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Matt enters Friday following a PERFECT 3-0 Thursday SWEEP and he is planning to riding the momentum into the weekend! There is plenty to do still and in addition to his 10* MLB Sweet Spot, Matt is releasing a Trifecta from the National League! Jump on this WINNING PACKAGE now and expect to AGAIN break out the broom! Your move! Grab it and go a PERFECT 3-0 tonight!

Washington was able to salvage a game against the Pirates thanks to a strong pitching performance from Stephen Strasburg. The Nationals were again able to take over first place in the National League East by a half-game over the Braves and they will be looking to get back to over .500 on the road with a win tonight. Washington took three of four from the Reds in their first series this season at home and the Nationals are now 23-8 in their last 31 games following a win.

Cincinnati returns home following a 4-2 roadtrip as it took a series each from Pittsburgh and Milwaukee. The Reds entered the roadtrip right at .500 so they are now two games over .500 and trail the Cardinals by 3.5 games in the National League Central. The offense has been stumbling as it is hitting only .232 on the season including .237 at home and while the pitching has been the strength, that won’t be the case tonight. The Reds are 5-23 in their last 28 games against teams with a winning percentage above .600.

Mike Leake has not pitched well this season as he is 0-4 with a 5.97 ERA and 1.47 WHIP in five starts. He has tossed just tow quality starts on the year and while he is coming off a quality outing in his last game, the last time he was coming off one, he was hit hard for five runs in 6.1 innings and it happened to come against Washington as well. He has allowed seven home run in his five starts and in two home starts, the Reds have averaged only 2.5 rpg of run support. Get more MLB picks today on our free sports picks page above.

Gio Gonzalez so far has been one of the best off-season acquisitions in all of baseball as he has been spectacular. His first start for the Nationals was not a good one as he allowed four runs in 3.2 innings against the Cubs but since then, he has tossed five straight quality outings to lower his ERA to 1.72 to go along with a 0.90 WHIP. Washington has won five of his six starts and that includes a win over the Reds as Gonzalez shut them down, allowing no runs on two hits in seven innings. 3* (907) Washington Nationals