It is the start of a three-game series between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Washington Nationals. It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Diamondbacks-Nationals prediction, pick, and how to watch.
The Diamondbacks enter the series after losing the last two against the Braves. Still, they are 6-4 in their last ten games and sit at 35-25 for the year. That record is good for first place in the NL West, in a tie with the Dodgers. The hot start to the year has led the Diamondbacks to reward their manager Torey Lovullo with a nice raise and extension.
While the Diamondbacks manager could be up for manager of the year, the Nationals manager Dave Martinez deserves some credit for the job he has done. The Nationals were expected to be one of the worst teams in baseball, but they have not been as bad as expected. They are currently 25-34 on the season, and while that is last in the division, it is better than expected and better than three other teams in the league.
Here are the Diamondbacks-Nationals MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Diamondbacks-Nationals Odds
Arizona Diamondbacks: -1.5 (+104)
Washington Nationals: +1.5 (-125)
Over: 9.5 (-122)
Under: 9.5 (+100)
How To Watch Diamondbacks vs. Nationals
TV: BSAZ/MASN2
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 7:05 PM ET/ 4:50 PM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Diamondbacks Could Cover The Spread
The Diamondbacks come in with a solid offense. They are fifth in the majors in runs scored and slugging percentage. They are seventh in batting average and 13th in on-base percentage. Corbin Carroll has been a huge part of that offense. He is batting .286 this season which is 35th in the majors, but his OPA is great. Sitting at .895 on the year, it is the 12th best in the majors. In the last week, he has been hot. In six games he is batting .318 while hitting two home runs, driving in six, and even stealing two bases.
Base stealing has been a big part of this offense. Carroll has stolen 16 bases on the year, while Jake McCarthy has stolen ten. Five of those ten have come in the last week as well. He is only batting .187 on the season, but his bat is starting to pick up. Over his last five games, he is batting .294, with a .333 on-base percentage. If he can keep getting on base, he will put himself in a scoring position with stolen bases. The Diamondbacks have done a good job of driving in runners in scoring position this year, so the more McCarthy can get on, the better.
On the hill today will be Tommy Henry. He is 3-1 this season with a 3.73 ERA. Last time out he was stellar. He went seven innings and gave up no runs while surrendering just two hits. His entire month of May was solid. He went 2-1 on the month with a 2.87 ERA. This was a nice turnaround from April, in which he was at a 6.52 ERA for the month.
Why The Nationals Could Cover The Spread
The Nationals can hit. They are fourth in the majors with a .265 team batting average, while sitting ninth in the majors in on-base percentage. Still, they are not scoring enough. They are 23rd in the majors in runs. The offense does have some explosive outings though. In the last ten games, they have outputs of 6, 8, 10, and 12 runs. They also have five games in which they scored three runs or less. If the Nats can find some consistency in scoring, they could start picking up some more wins.
Leading the offense this year has been Jeimer Candelario. He is batting .260 on the season and has driven in 28 runs so far this year. In his last seven games, he has a home run and two doubles while driving in six runs. Also driving in runs this year has been Joey Meneses. Meneses has driven in 30 runs this year, and done it primarily without the help of hitting home runs. He has hit just two home runs this year. Meneses is 14th in the majors batting .305 and hitting .400 in the series with the Phillies.
Jake Irvin is scheduled to take the mound for today's game. He is 1-3 with a 5.67 ERA on the season. Since starting the year with back-to-back good starts, Irivin has struggled. He has given up four or more runs in three of his last four starts, including home runs in each of the last three. Irvin has had a lot of trouble keeping the ball o the ground when contact is made, and home runs could be an issue today as well.
Final Diamondbacks-Nationals Prediction & Pick
Tommy Henry has been solid for the Diamondbacks this year, and the Nationals have struggled to score runs. Even more, Irvin has had some trouble keeping the ball down recently. The result has been plenty of extra-base hits and home runs. That continues today. Take the Diamondbacks in this one.
Final Diamondbacks-Nationals Prediction & Pick: Diamondbacks -1.5 (+104)
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