The Washington Nationals take on the Arizona Diamondbacks. Our MLB odds series has our Nationals Diamondbacks prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Nationals Diamondbacks.
The Washington Nationals are finally finding a good patch of play in their 2023 MLB season. They have had a generally brutal start to the year and are still several games below .500, but they have finally been able to replicate wins and, crucially, win close games. The close ones were not breaking Washington's way for much of the first few weeks of the season. Now the Nats have been able to scratch out multiple one-run wins, beating the Cubs 2-1 and 4-3 on consecutive days to take three out of four games in that series. The Nats also beat the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday, so they are 4-1 in five games played this week. The bullpen is holding down the fort late in games. The bats are getting timely hits in big situations. Let's see how long Washington can maintain this run of success. It's a long season, which means that if a team can steadily play well, it can become a factor in the wild card standings even after a bad start.
Here are the Nationals-Diamondbacks MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Nationals-Diamondbacks Odds
Washington Nationals: +1.5 (-126)
Arizona Diamondbacks: -1.5 (+105)
Over: 9 (-122)
Under: 9 (+100)
How To Watch Nationals vs. Diamondbacks
TV: MASN (Nationals) / Bally Sports Arizona (Diamondbacks) / MLB Extra Innings
Stream: MLB.tv
Time: 9:40 p.m. ET/6:40 p.m. PT
*Watch Nationals-Diamondbacks LIVE on fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Nationals Could Cover The Spread
The Nationals are putting together a winning week. We noted that above in the general overview of this game. Success breeds confidence and positive plays. The Nats can keep rolling and carry forth their newly winning ways.
The Diamondbacks were three games over .500 roughly two weeks into their season. They are three games over .500 right now. That's not bad, by any means, but it also shows that for the past three weeks or so, the D-Backs have been treading water. The crucial insight here is that we don't yet know if Arizona is for real. That might be true, but we have to wait to see how robustly competitive the D-Backs truly are. It is perfectly reasonable to express skepticism about Arizona, and Washington starter Josiah Gray has been a solid pitcher for the Nats so far this year.
Why The Diamondbacks Could Cover The Spread
The Diamondbacks are a decent team, but the betting calculus in this game is more focused on the Nationals. Washington caught the Chicago Cubs at the right time. Chicago is struggling mightily at the plate. The Cubs have a meager offense the Nats' pitching staff was able to feast on. Arizona has a much, much better offense than Washington does. Arizona starter Merrill Kelly is an above-average pitcher. The D-Backs are set up well in this game. Washington is not a good team and will not keep winning games at a high rate.
Final Nationals-Diamondbacks Prediction & Pick
The Nationals are bound to cool off. Their recent run of wins is likely to end. When a bad team gets hot and wins four out of five as the Nats have, and then that team flies across the country to play a clearly superior opponent with a good starting pitcher, it's a good setup for that bad team to lose. Take Arizona here. You could say, “take the non-Washington team here,” which might be more precisely accurate.
Final Nationals-Diamondbacks Prediction & Pick: Diamondbacks -1.5
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