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In a battle between one of the league's best against its worst, the Los Angeles Dodgers will once again square off with the Washington Nationals in the nation's capital on Tuesday evening. It is that time to take a look at our MLB odds series, where our Dodgers-Nationals prediction and pick will take place.
After a 10-1 beatdown of the Nationals yesterday, the Dodgers will look to continue their scorching hot ways with their ace Walker Buehler on the bump. Ahead of his ninth start, Buehler has a 5-1 record with a 2.89 ERA entering play. Through 41 games, the victory over the Nationals on Monday would signal their third consecutive winning series on the season.
At an impoverished 14-29 and a 5-16 record inside their home ballpark, the Nationals will send out RHP Josiah Gray in hopes he can begin the process of getting things turned around with his 4-3 record and 4.36 ERA.
Here are the Dodgers-Nationals MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Dodgers-Nationals Odds
Los Angeles Dodgers: -1.5 (-134)
Washington Nationals :+1.5 (+112)
Over: 8.5 (-102)
Under: 8.5 (-120)
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Why The Dodgers Could Cover the Spread
Facing their first few moments of adversity during a season-high four-game losing streak against the Phillies roughly ten days ago, the Dodgers have now come out victorious in eight of their last nine contests, including a winning skid that reached as large as seven games before losing to Philadelphia 4-3 on Sunday.
During their winning ways, Los Angeles has overwhelmed the opposition with productive at-bats that have generated an abundance of runs while keeping teams at bay with their masterful pitching ways.
To begin, the Dodgers always have a chance to stymie the competition with Walker Buehler on the mound, as Los Angeles is 6-2 in his eight starts up to this point. With a top-notch fastball and a devastating slider and curveball that could make any premier hitter go down swinging, Buehler has always had the pitching arsenal to be considered one of the best arms that the league has to offer. Even with his lowly ERA of 2.89, many people around the league suggest that Buehler has yet to fully click on all cylinders in 2022.
Los Angeles may arguably have the best pitching numbers in baseball with a league-leading 2.76 ERA, the best WHIP at 1.06, and the top batting average against with a .213 mark.
Believe it or not, the Dodgers may be considered one of the top-hitting squads as well. With the most runs scored in the majors with 227, LA may be due to cover the spread yet again versus a Nationals bunch that has the second-highest team ERA at 5.06.
This could bode well for names like first baseman Freddie Freeman and shortstop Trea Turner leading the way offensively, the Dodgers may be in line for another monster performance out in Washington D.C.
Why The Nationals Could Cover the Spread
As for Washington, rock bottom may have been reached by being on the side of a 10-1 rout on Monday. The Nationals mustered up seven hits throughout the nine frames played but stranded five runners on base, thus eventually guaranteeing the loss. With yesterday's matchup between the Nationals and Dodgers all but concluded in the 3rd inning, Washington has eagerly awaited today's showdown after turning the page and moving on from the 10-1 blowout loss.
When glancing upon the Nationals hitting numbers in 2022, it becomes painfully obvious how inconsistent they truly have been at the plate. While ranking surprisingly fourth in batting average at .251, the ‘Nats have only scored 168 runs, which is only the 20th best in all of baseball.
The offense may have only put up one run less than 24 hours ago, but it will be key to get after Buehler in a hurry. Hitting the baseball has been the bread and butter of Washington's game, and it may give them the greatest chance to cover the spread on Tuesday versus LA.
Pitching-wise, the Nationals can only hope and pray that they make a dramatic turnaround on the hill in front of their home fans. While 2022 has not instilled much hope in not allowing the opposition to cross the plate, Nationals fans and even some underdog sports bettors would want nothing more for Washington to shock the baseball world this evening.
From to bottom, the Nationals' starters and bullpen have been among the worse in the league, as they have maintained the 29th best ERA at 5.06, and are letting teams hit .266 off them, good for the second-worst mark in baseball.
Final Dodgers-Nationals Prediction & Pick
The chances are higher to get struck by lightning than the Nationals to cover the +1.5 spread this evening. While anything can happen in the game of baseball, siding with the Dodgers in this one may be the safest bet in all of sports on this Tuesday.
Final Dodgers-Nationals Pick: Dodgers -1.5 (-134)
