The Washington Nationals will host the San Francisco Giants for the first of a four-game set. It’s time to continue our MLB odds series and make a Giants-Nationals prediction and pick.
Let's try this again! This series was supposed to open up on Thursday night and the opener was postponed due to inclement weather. Thursday's game will be made up in a day-night double-header on Saturday. This Friday night affair should feature a ton of fireworks from both clubs.
Here’s how sportsbooks have set the opening Giants-Nationals odds.
MLB Odds: Giants-Nationals Odds
San Francisco Giants +1.5 (-140)
Washington Nationals -1.5 (+120)
Over 7.5 Runs (+100)
Under 7.5 Runs (-120)
Why The Giants Could Cover The Spread
The San Francisco Giants have been one of the most surprising and exciting stories in baseball this season. The Giants are 38-23 and currently in first place in the loaded National League West division. They are 41-20 against the spread this season, which is an incredible feat in the sport of baseball.
The Giants have been scorching hot lately with wins in eight of their last 11 games to date. They are 11-2 in their last 13 road games coming in as well. San Francisco has played so well on both sides of the field as they average the ninth-most runs and fourth-fewest runs allowed per game in the Majors. The Giants have been one of the best long-ball hitting clubs in baseball.
The Giants will turn to right-hander Anthony DeSclafani for the series opener. DeSclafani will pitch on extra rest after tossing six innings of two-run ball in his last start against the Cubs. The Giants right-hander is 2-1 with a 3.55 ERA in eight career appearances against this Nationals lineup. He is currently 5-2 with a 3.51 ERA through 12 starts this season.
Why The Nationals Could Cover The Spread
Not many expected the Washington Nationals to sit in last place in the National League East at any point this season. They have been sitting toward the bottom of the division and have been in a rut all season long. Washington is 4-9 in their last 13 games and desperately needs to find a way to start stringing together some wins.
The Nationals lineup has been a disaster this season as they average just 3.88 runs per game, which is 25th in the Majors. They do average the sixth-most hits per game, but just can’t ever get the job done with runners on. They are 18-25 in games against right-handed starting pitchers, which isn’t promising heading into this matchup. Washington has won five straight games against the Giants and hopefully this will be the series where things start to click for the Nats.
Washington will turn to right-hander Max Scherzer for the series opener. The Nationals ace has been dominant again this season with a 5-4 record, 2.22 ERA, and 104 strikeouts. Scherzer was brilliant in his last start against the Phillies, allowing just one run through 7.2 innings of work. The hard throwing right-hander has been great over his last three starts. He has allowed just five earned runs over 20.2 innings during the recent stretch.
Final Giants-Nationals Prediction & Pick
I'm going to ride with the road team to cover the spread in this series opener. The Nats will have the edge on the bump with Mad Max Scherzer going, but the Giants have been the better ball club all year long. This Giants team has one of the best slugging lineups in all of baseball and just finds ways to win games on a regular basis. Washington's offensive struggles are certainly alarming and make it tough to side with them against this spread.
FINAL GIANTS-NATIONALS PREDICTION & PICK: San Francisco Giants +1.5 (-140)
Follow Us
Subscribe