Two of the worst teams from 2023 take the field Saturday as the Washington Nationals face the Oakland Athletics. It is time to continue our MLB odds series with a Nationals-Athletics prediction, pick, and how-to watch.
The Nationals have been solid on their West Coast trip, winning two of three over the Giants. The Athletics also took two of three from the Rangers before game one with the Nationals. Game one of the series is scheduled for Friday evening. The Nationals will be sending Jake Irvin to the mound. He is 0-1 with a 5.73 ERA and an 0-1 record. Paul Blackburn is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA.
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Nationals-Athletics Odds
Washington Nationals: -1.5 (+122)
Moneyline: -134
Oakland Athletics: +1.5 (-146)
Moneyline: +114
Over: 8 (-110)
Under: 9 (-110)
How to Watch Nationals vs. Athletics
Time: 4:07 PM ET/ 1:07 PM PT
TV: MASN2/NBCSCA
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Nationals Will Cover The Spread/Win
Note: All Statistics are before the April 12th game with the Athletics.
The Nationals are 25th in the majors in runs scored, 22nd in batting average, 20th in on-base percentage, and 20th in slugging percentage. Joey Gallo continues to provide pop in the lineup. He is hitting just .179 but with a .319 on-base percentage. He has three doubles and three home runs. This has led to six runs scored and four RBIs. Jesse Winker comes in hitting .281 with a .465 on-base percentage. Further, he has six runs scored and two RBIs this year. CJ Abrams is getting on base all out. He is hitting .306 this year with a .359 on-base percentage. He had three stolen bases, plus six runs scored. Further, Abrams has a triple and three home runs, leading to eight RBIs.
Not everyone is hitting well. Joey Meneses is hitting just .190. Further, he has just two RBIs and 13 strikeouts. Lane Thomas is hitting just .191 on the year with ten strikeouts. Although he does have six stole bases and a home run, leading to seven RBIs.
In pitching, the Nationals are 26th in team ERA, 28th in WHIP, and 29th in opponent batting average. MacKenzie Gore will be on the mound in this one for the Nationals. He is 1-0 with a 4.09 ERAS and a 1.27 WHIP. Last time out, he pitched well, going 5.2 innings with just two runs allowed, and six strikeouts. Gore has only faced one member of the current Athletics in his career. He has struck out once and walked once J.D. Davis.
Why The Athletics Will Cover The Spread/Win
Note: All Statistics are before the April 12th game with the Nationals.
The Athletics are 28th in the majors in runs scored, 28th in batting average, 29th in on-base percentage, and 25th in slugging percentage. JJ Bleday has been solid this year. He is hitting .255 on the year with a .296 on-base percentage. He has two novel triple and a home run this year while having five RBIs and three runs scored. Zack Gelof has also been solid. He is hitting just .220 but with a .204 on-base percentage. He has scored nine times this year while having two doubles, a triple, and two home runs. That has led to five RBIs.
Meanwhile, Shea Langeliers leads the team in home runs. He is hitting .222 on the year with a .275 on-base percentage. Still, he has four home runs this year with seven RBIs. Brent Rooker is also driving in runs. He is hitting just .200 this year, with a .226 on-base percentage. Still, he has two home runs and five RBIs on the year.
Atheletics pitching is 15th in team ERA, 20th in wHIP, and 21st in opponent batting average. It will be Joe Boyle on the mound for the Athletics. He has made two starts this year going 1-1 with an 8.22 ERA> In his first start, he gave up eight runs, seven earned, in just 2.2 innings of work. Last time out, he went five innings without giving up a run. He is pitching in just his sixth game of his MLB career, so he has never faced a current member of the Washington Nationals.
Final Nationals-Athletics Prediction & Pick
The Nationals have been the slightly better team on offense this year, while the Athletics have been slightly betting on pitching. While the Athletics have been solid this year, surprising many, the Nationals have been just as good. Overall, the Nationals have more talent, power, and run-scoring potential. With that, take them to cover in this one.
Click here for more betting news and predictions
Final Nationals-Athletics Prediction & Pick: Nationals ML (-134)
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