The Washington Nationals and the San Francisco Giants will meet in the rubber match of a three-game series at Oracle Park. It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Nationals-Giants prediction and pick.

 

The Giants pounded the Nationals 9-3 on Saturday. Washington jumped out to an early lead in the third inning with back-to-back RBI doubles from Alcides Escobar and Cesar Hernandez. It put the Nationals up 2-0. Then, the Giants replied in their half of the third with a two-run RBI double by Thairo Estrada that tied it up. The Giants held a slim 4-3 advantage heading into the sixth. Next, Jason Vosler slammed a solo homer to right. It was his second home run in 2022, both coming against the Nationals. San Francisco tacked on a few more runs to secure the victory.

Logan Webb tossed six innings for the Giants, allowing three earned runs on eleven hits. The bullpen did not allow a hit in three innings of relief, as the Giants finished off the Nationals to even up the series at one. The Giants will look to take the series on Sunday.

Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Nationals-Giants odds:

MLB Odds: Nationals-Giants Odds

Nationals: +1.5 (-146)

Giants: -1.5 (+122)

Over: 7.5 (-110)

Under: 7.5 (-110)

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Why the Nationals Could Cover The Spread

Washington blew out San Francisco on Friday but fell apart on Saturday. Today, the Nationals will look to steal the series from the Giants. Josiah Gray will take the mound.

Gray allowed four earned runs on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings in his last start against the Miami Marlins. He has added an extra out to each start and hopes to go even deeper into the game as he takes the hill today. Gray has a magnetic arm with a deceptive slider. The key with him is keeping command of his pitches and not letting hitters slug home runs off him. He has allowed three home runs in 2022 and will try to avoid the long ball.

Juan Soto and Josh Bell will be key factors for the Nationals. Soto went 0 for 4, while Bell hit 2 for 4 on Saturday. Also, Maikel Franco went 0 for 4. The Nationals need all three hitters to produce to successfully cover the spread. Washington left six men on base on Saturday, and it will need to capitalize on its opportunities better to beat the Giants. Also, the Nationals bounced into two double plays, so they will look to avoid doing that again.

The Nationals struggled defensively yesterday, as they had three errors. Washington cannot afford to make unfortunate errors against a good team like San Francisco. Ultimately, errors usually lead to monster innings, which propel their opponents.

The Nationals will cover the spread is Soto, Bell, and Franco can collectively produce. Additionally, Washington needs a solid performance from Gray. The defense needs to perform significantly better than it did yesterday.

Why The Giants Could Cover The Spread

San Francisco did everything correctly on Saturday to produce a gigantic win and cover the spread. Today, they will look to replicate that effort and win the series. Alex Cobb will take the mound today with the hope that he can produce better results than he has in recent memory.

Cobb allowed three earned runs on six hits over 4 1/3 innings of work in a 5-4 extra-innings loss to the New York Mets in his previous start. His goal is to extend past five innings and deliver a quality start for the Giants. He throws an evolving split-finger pitch that can fool any hitter. Cobb will attempt to mount five innings and give the Giants the best chance to win.

The Giants are hitting the ball well in 2022. San Francisco ranks ninth in batting average, sixth in home runs, ninth in slugging percentage, and first in total runs. Now, the Giants will aim for consistent results in their finale against the Nationals. Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford will be the guys to look for. Belt is batting .242 with four home runs and nine RBIs in 2022. Meanwhile, Crawford is hitting .236 with one homer and nine RBIs. Both sluggers are pivotal to the Giants' hopes.

The Giants will cover the spread if Cobb can give them a quality start. Additionally, San Francisco needs another strong performance from its bats, which collected 11 hits on Saturday.

Final Nationals-Giants Prediction & Pick

It is the first day of a new month, and both teams hope to get off on the right foot. The Giants are the better team on paper but are facing  a starting pitcher that can contain them if he locates his pitches. Both teams have combined for eight or more runs in four of the five games they have played. However, there is a gut feeling that this content goes the other way. Neither pitcher is particularly great, but both offenses have shown that they can fail. The under will prevail today.

Final Nationals-Giants Prediction & Pick: Under: 7.5 (-110)