The Milwaukee Brewers will continue their three-game series with the Washington Nationals on Saturday at Nationals Park. We're in the heart of our nation's capital, sharing our MLB odds series and making a Brewers-Nationals prediction and pick.
Brewers-Nationals Projected Starters
Aaron Civale vs. DJ Herz
Aaron Civale (2-7) with a 4.92 ERA
Last Start: Civale went 5 1/3 innings in his last outing, allowing two earned runs, seven hits, and striking out three in a no-decision against the Miami Marlins.
2024 Road Splits: Civale has been awful on the road, going 1-2 with a 6.23 ERA in 10 starts.
DJ Herz (1-4) with a 4.79 ERA
Last Start: Herz went five innings in his last outing, allowing two earned runs and three hits while striking out eight and walking one in a no-decision against the St. Louis Cardinals.
2024 Home Splits: Herz has been better at home, going 1-3 with a 3.99 ERA over six starts at Nationals Park.
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Brewers-Nationals Odds
Milwaukee Brewers: -1.5 (+118)
Moneyline: -134
Washington Nationals: +1.5 (-142)
Moneyline: +114
Over: 9.5 (+100)
Under: 9.5 (-122)
How to Watch Brewers vs. Nationals
Time: 4:05 PM ET/1:05 PM PT
TV: Bally Sports Wisconsin
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Brewers Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Brewers are still the best team in the National League Central. They have dominated this division throughout the season and are maintaining their status at the top. However, they have endured some hardships that may threaten their season.
Christian Yelich is hurt and out indefinitely. Unfortunately, this is a major blow for Yelich and the Brewers, especially after his good season. Yelich was batting .315 with 11 home runs, 42 RBIs, and 44 runs when he suffered his injury. Now, the rest of his teammates must step up.
William Contreras leads the team in hits. Ultimately, he has remained excellent at the plate and knows how to put the baseball in place. Rhys Hoskins is the best big bat in the lineup. So far, he leads the Brewers in home runs. Willy Adames has remained consistent and is one of the better hitters on the team. Ultimately, he continues to batter the baseball consistently.
Civale has not been good recently. Sadly, he has not gotten past the sixth inning in two of three starts. But when Civale finishes this game, he will turn it over to the third-best bullpen in baseball. Devin Williams is back after sitting out the first few months with an injury and will close the game out if the Brew Crew have the lead in the ninth.
The Brewers will cover the spread if Contreras, Adames, and Yelich can continue hitting the baseball. Then, they need Civale to avoid long innings and pitch to his strengths.
Why The Nationals Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Nationals have had a season to forget and are already thinking about next season. They came into the weekend trailing the Arizona Diamondbacks by nine games for the final wildcard spot in the National League. Unfortunately, they have only two hitters who can clobber the baseball and serve as threats.
CJ Abrams is still one of the better hitters in this lineup. Amazingly, he came into the weekend leading the team in hits and home runs. Harold Ramirez is the other dangerous hitter in this lineup. Furthermore, he has illustrated the ability to find a sweet spot and put the ball in play.
Herz has not had a quality start since June 15. Unfortunately, he just has not been good and has not given the Nats much of a chance. When Herz finishes, he will turn it over to a bullpen that is 24th in baseball in team ERA. But Kyle Finnegan has been effective, going 2-5 with a 3.48 ERA and 28 saves in 32 chances.
The Nationals will cover the spread if Abrams can get on base, and Ramirez can drive him in while the rest of the lineup finds a way to manufacture some runs. Additionally, Herz must avoid making critical mistakes down the heart of the plate.
Final Brewers-Nationals Prediction & Pick
The Brewers are somehow 1-2 against the Nationals this season. Regardless, they are the better team, and there is so much potential for them to come out firing in this one. Despite being one of the worst teams in baseball, the Nats have been good at covering the run line, being 61-48 going into the weekend. Meanwhile, the Brewers were 57-51 against the run line coming into the weekend. The Brewers were also 30-26 against the run line on the road, while the Nationals were 26-24 against the run line at home. The critical factor here will be pitching. While the Brewers are the better team, we see the Nationals covering here.
Click here for more betting news and predictions
Final Brewers-Nationals Prediction & Pick: Washington Nationals +1.5 (-142)
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