MLB Gas Can Alert For Saturday, August 13

San Diego Padres vs. Anibal Sanchez (7.56 ERA), Washington Nationals

The Padres offense features some of the best players in the sport: Juan Soto. They traded for Soto at the deadline, so this will be an early homecoming for him getting to face his former team. You can bet that he will want to show them that they should have forked over the fortune he demanded, so I wouldn't doubt at all that he has a massive game against his former squad. The same can be said for Josh Bell, who came over to San Diego in the same trade. These guys combined with Manny Machado gives the Padres one of the most lethal lineups in baseball, and now they get to take on one of the worst pitchers on the mound Saturday.

Anibal Sanchez gets the nod for Washington in this one. In his last outing, he took the loss as the Nationals were beaten 6-3 by the Cubs, giving up four runs on seven hits and two walks over five-plus innings of work. He struck out three. Sanchez tossed 56 of 91 pitches for strikes before exiting the game, and he's managed to get hooked with the loss in all five of his big-league starts this season. Think that will change against the Padres? I doubt it.

Miami Marlins vs. Ian Anderson (5.11 ERA), Atlanta Braves

It is always very risky taking the Marlins to do much of anything on offense, as they have floundered on that side of the ball all season long. They just don't have much talent when it comes to hitting, and are lucky to get to three runs most nights against competent pitching. Luckily for them, they actually don't have to face that here when they take on the defending champions. Last time we picked the Marlins, they did get the win against Noah Syndergaard and the Phillies, but didn't put up many runs. I'm going back to the well here, and if that kills me, so be it. I'm hoping Garrett Cooper and Co. can put up some dingers against Ian Anderson, who hasn't fared well in the big leagues this year.

Anderson will be recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett to start game one of Saturday's doubleheader. He has seemingly lost his spot in the rotation to Jake Odorizzi after allowing four earned runs on seven hits and four walks over 4.2 innings of work in a no-decision versus the Mets last week. Targeting a guy that lost his rotation spot is one of my favorite things to do, as his confidence may be at an all time low and his concentration may be as well.

Los Angeles Angels vs. Dylan Bundy (5.01 ERA), Minnesota Twins

The Angels are a sad case. It makes me and many other baseball fans sad to think that two of the best players in the sport continue to miss the postseason year after year because the rest of the team is poor. Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani deserve so much better than what the front office in LA has given them to work with, especially when it comes to pitching. Ohtani can pitch, and he is their ace, but behind him you have nothing but average to below-average hurlers. It doesn't matter how many homers you hit or how high your batting average is, you have to have good pitching in order to really compete at the big league level. That being said, they have an opportunity here to get a win against a struggling starter.

Dylan Bundy takes the mound for Minnesota in this match. In his last start, he allowed two runs on five hits and a walk with six strikeouts in four innings in a no-decision versus the Blue Jays. It was a short start for Bundy with just 65 pitches in the game before being pulled. There was no report of an injury, and he is in line to start. It may be part of workload management, as his 93.1 innings this season is his highest total in three years. He's logged a 5.01 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 74:20 K-to-BB through 19 starts.