Pitching matchups for Saturday’s MLB games

We have another full 15-game slate on Saturday in the majors with the first game starting at 2:05 p.m. ET between the San Francisco Giants and Washington Nationals. We are going to look at the best pitching matchup and the sleeper pitching matchup that could turn out to be a pitchers’ duel.

Here’s a look at the pitching matchups for Saturday’s 16-game MLB slate on June 12th.

Best Matchup: Joe Musgrove vs. Marcus Stroman

Even though we have Kevin Gausman, Nick Pivetta, Trevor Bauer, and Corbin Burnes on the mound Saturday, the best pitching matchup will be taking place at 4:10 p.m ET at Citi Field between the San Diego Padres and New York Mets. To open up this series on Friday, we had Blake Snell (SD) going up against NL MVP candidate Jacob deGrom (NYM). deGrom showed up and balled up with 10 strikeouts and lowered his ERA to 0.56.

On Saturday afternoon, we get another fine matchup with Joe Musgrove (4-5, 2.33 ERA) and Marcus Stroman (5-4, 2.41 ERA). Despite their records hovering around .500, these two pitchers in particular have been the second-best starting pitchers on their team’s respective rotations. Musgrove threw a no-hitter earlier this season against the Texas Rangers and has 89 strikeouts in 12 games this season. The veteran pitcher has been excellent on the road with a 1.76 ERA in six games (five starts). As for Stroman, he’s been everything and more for a Mets’ rotation that might be without Noah Syndergaard for the rest of the season. The NY native has at least gone 6-7 IP in his last six starts, which is tremendous.

Sleeper Matchup: Luis Garcia vs. Jose Berrios

After a rough start to the season, Houston Astros starting pitcher Luis Garcia has begun to turn things around. Garcia has a record of 5-3 with an ERA of 2.75 in 12 games (10 starts) this season. The 24-year-old has only allowed two home runs in his last 29 innings pitched, which is great news, considering the Twins have a few sluggers in their lineup.

Meanwhile, Jose Berrios has been one of the lone bright spot for a struggling Twins team this season. Berrios owns a 6-2 record and 3.58 ERA in 12 starts. He’s also only allowed four runs or less in his last 23 outings, which is just flat-out ridiculous. The 27-year-old has a 4-1 record at home this season and a 4.71 ERA.

Giants vs. Nationals: Kevin Gausman vs. Erick Fedde
Yankees vs. Phillies: Jameson Taillon vs. Vince Velasquez
Royals vs. Athletics: Jackson Kowar vs. James Kaprielian
Angels vs. Diamondbacks: Alex Cobb vs. Merrill Kelly
Braves vs. Marlins: Max Fried vs. TBD
Orioles vs. Rays: Jorge Lopez vs. Rich Hill
White Sox vs. Tigers: Dylan Cease vs. Jose Urena
Rockies vs. Reds: German Marquez vs. Wade Miley
Pirates vs. Brewers: Chad Kuhl vs. Corbin Burnes
Padres vs. Mets: Joe Musgrove vs. Marcus Stroman
Mariners vs. Indians: Yusei Kikuchi vs. Triston McKenzie
Blue Jays vs. Red Sox: Steven Matz vs. Nick Pivetta
Astros vs. Twins: Luis Garcia vs. Jose Berrios
Giants vs. Nationals: TBD vs. Joe Ross
Cardinals vs. Cubs: John Gant vs. Kyle Hendricks
Rangers vs. Dodgers: Kolby Allard vs. Trevor Bauer