Sanchez expected to start as Washington hosts Arizona

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Arizona Diamondbacks (38-34, third in the NL West) vs. Washington Nationals (32-38, fourth in the NL East)

Washington; Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT

PITCHING PROBABLES: Diamondbacks: Archie Bradley (2-3, 4.26 ERA, 1.61 WHIP, 40 strikeouts) Nationals: Anibal Sanchez (2-6, 3.92 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 56 strikeouts)

BOTTOM LINE: Arizona can secure a series win with a victory over Washington.

The Nationals are 16-17 on their home turf. The Washington pitching staff averages 9.7 strikeouts per nine innings, Max Scherzer leads them with a mark of 12.3.

The Diamondbacks are 24-18 on the road. Arizona has slugged .461, good for third in the National League. Eduardo Escobar leads the club with a .571 slugging percentage, including 39 extra-base hits and 17 home runs. The Diamondbacks won the last meeting 10-3. Yoshihisa Hirano earned his third victory and Ketel Marte went 2-for-4 with two home runs and two RBIs for Arizona. Stephen Strasburg took his fourth loss for Washington.

TOP PERFORMERS: Anthony Rendon leads the Nationals with 48 RBIs and is batting .314. Trea Turner has 15 hits and is batting .366 over the last 10 games for Washington.

Escobar leads the Diamondbacks with 82 hits and has 57 RBIs. Carson Kelly is 7-for-22 with two doubles, three home runs and eight RBIs over the last 10 games for Arizona.

LAST 10 GAMES: Nationals: 5-5, .251 batting average, 4.21 ERA, outscored opponents by seven runs

Diamondbacks: 8-2, .258 batting average, 2.90 ERA, outscored opponents by 31 runs

Nationals Injuries: Austen Williams: 10-day IL (shoulder), Justin Miller: 10-day IL (shoulder), Jeremy Hellickson: 10-day IL (shoulder), Koda Glover: 60-day IL (forearm), Ryan Zimmerman: 10-day IL (foot).

Diamondbacks Injuries: Luke Weaver: 10-day IL (forearm), Taijuan Walker: 60-day IL (elbow), Jon Duplantier: 10-day IL (shoulder), Silvino Bracho: 60-day IL (elbow), Blake Swihart: 10-day IL (oblique), Steven Souza Jr.: 10-day IL (knee), Jake Lamb: 10-day IL (quad), Wilmer Flores: 10-day IL (foot), Alex Avila: 10-day IL (calf).