The Nationals make the trip to Philadelphia to face the Phillies! These two teams are having different seasons with the Nationals being very inconsistent and the Phillies playing like one of the best teams in the MLB. Our MLB odds series has our Nationals-Phillies prediction, odds, and pick for Saturday.

The Nationals have been one of the most inconsistent teams so far this season. They sit at a 20-22 record heading into this series and have lost two straight and four out of their last five games. Their pitching has been very good, just outside of the top 10 in the league, but their bats have struggled this season. Jesse Winker, CJ Abrams, Joey Meneses, and Luis Garcia Jr. have stood out for an average offense this season in the capital. Trevor Williams, MacKenzie Gore, and Jake Irvin have all been solid up to this point for the staff and have carried the team at times this season. The Nationals have talent, but it has been difficult to put it all together this season. They still have time, but they have been a frustrating team so far.

The Phillies have been playing great this season with a 31-14 record and they have won three out of their last four games. The bats have been playing great and are a top-five unit in the MLB. Their pitching has been great too as the third-best staff in the league. On offense, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, JT Realmuto, Bryce Harper, Brandon Marsh, Nick Castellanos, and Alec Bohm have been the big standouts on a great offense. The pitching of Ranger Suarez, Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sanchez, and Spencer Turnbull have made up a very good pitching staff. The Phillies have been a force this season and need to keep winning in a loaded NL.

Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Nationals-Phillies Odds

Washington Nationals: +1.5 (-140)

Moneyline: +150

Philadelphia Phillies: -1.5 (+116)

Moneyline: -178

Over: 7.5 (-122)

Under: 7.5 (+100)

How to Watch Nationals vs. Phillies

Time: 6:05 pm ET

TV: MASN

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Nationals Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Nationals are starting MacKenzie Gore on the mound in this game and he has a 2-4 record, a 3.38 ERA, and a 1.45 WHIP. Through 40 innings, Gore has allowed 20 runs on 45 hits with 13 walks and 51 strikeouts. The Nationals are 3-5 in the eight games that he's started this season. In his last start against the Red Sox, he pitched six innings and allowed three runs on six hits with two walks and nine strikeouts in a Red Sox win. Gore has been a key piece for the Nationals on the mound so far this season. This is a huge game because of how good the Phillies have been on offense this season and Gore has been having a solid season overall.

The offense for the Nationals has been subpar this season. They are 25th in the MLB in team batting average at .225 after having a team batting average of .254 last season. Luis Garcia Jr., CJ Abrams, Joey Meneses, and Jesse Winker stand out and lead the way in most of the batting categories. Luis Garcia Jr. leads the way in batting average at .283, Meneses leads the way in RBI at 21, and Winker leads the way in OBP at .346. Abrams then leads the way in home runs at seven and in total hits at 41. Their offense has been inconsistent and it does not get any easier against Cristopher Sanchez for the Phillies on the mound. 

Why The Phillies Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Phillies are starting Cristopher Sanchez on the mound where he has a 2-3 record, a 3.43 ERA, and a 1.50 WHIP. Through 42 innings, Sanchez has allowed 21 runs on 45 hits with 18 walks and 39 strikeouts. The Phillies are 3-5 in the eight games that he's started in this season. In his last start, he pitched in 5.2 innings and allowed three runs on seven hits with three walks and five strikeouts in a Phillies win. Sanchez is getting a good matchup against an offense that has struggled all year like the Nationals.

The offense for the Phillies has been great this season. The Phillies are fifth in the MLB in team batting average at .258 after finishing last season with a .256 batting average. Trea Turner, Alec Bohm, and Bryce Harper lead the way for the Phillies behind the plate. Turner leads the way in batting average at .343 and then Harper leads in home runs at 10. Bohm then leads in RBI at 36, in OBP at .400, and in hits at 55. This is going to be an interesting matchup because of how good Gore has been when compared to the play of the Phillies offense behind the plate.

Final Nationals-Phillies Prediction & Pick

The Phillies have been red-hot and are playing like the best baseball team in the MLB that's not the Dodgers. They have the advantage at pitcher with Sanchez over Gore, but it's close. The deciding factor will be the Phillies offense. Expect the Phillies to win and cover at home against a team that has been struggling as much as the Nationals.

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Final Nationals-Phillies Prediction & Pick: Phillies -1.5 (+116)