Baseball Game Preview: Washington Generals vs. Manchester Academy Mavericks

For the second straight game, Washington will face off against Manchester Academy. The Generals will be playing at home against the Mavericks at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Washington will be looking to extend their current nine-game winning streak.

Washington proved they can win big last Tuesday (they won by 15) and on Tuesday they proved they can win the close ones too. They had just enough and edged out Manchester Academy 7-6. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Generals have posted since March 10th.

For Manchester Academy's part, Brody Roberts was huge no matter where he played even without the win. He struck out eight batters over 5.1 innings while giving up just two earned (and four unearned) runs off two hits. Roberts has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than eight strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in two of his four plate appearances with two RBI.

Roberts wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Jon Parker Dees, who scored three runs and stole three bases while going 2-for-3. Dees has been hot, having posted at least one stolen base the last six times he's played. Another was Wrigley Richardson, who scored two runs while going 1-for-3.

Washington's victory was their sixth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 22-4. Those road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.8 runs on average over those games. As for Manchester Academy, with the loss, they broke their seven-game winning streak and moved their record to 25-7.

The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Washington has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 6.9 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Manchester Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 4.3 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.