The Washington Nationals are coming off a loss yesterday but won game one as they take on the San Francisco Giants. It is time to continue our MLB odds series with a Nationals-Giants prediction, pick, and how to watch.
The Nationals are 15-21 on the season, but there was the expectation they could be much worse. They have been playing fairly well as of late. They are 6-4 in their last ten games and have shown some sparks on offense. After starting the year 5-13, the Nationals have steading improved their record overall, going 10-8 since. If they can continue this, they have the potential to be a .500 ballclub this year. The Giants are also a ball club that is under .500. They sit 16-18 on the season, but have no glaring weak spots. The worst part of the team has been the bullpen, but beyond that, the collective has been solid.
Here are the Nationals-Giants MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Nationals-Giants Odds
Washington Nationals: +1.5 (-150)
San Francisco Giants: -1.5 (+125)
Over: 8.5 (-114)
Under: 8.5 (-106)
How To Watch Nationals vs. Giants
TV: MASN/NBCSBA
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 3:45 PM ET/ 12:45 PM. PT
*Watch Nationals-Giants LIVE on fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Nationals Could Cover The Spread
To start for the Nationals today will be Josiah Gray. He has been very solid this year. While he is 2-5 on the season, his ERA is 3.03 with a strikeout per nine innings number of 8.61. He has only given up more than two runs twice this year. Once was in his first starts, where he struggled. The other was three runs in five innings last time out and he failed to get run support. That has been the story for Gray this year. Last time it was just one run of support, and three times this year, when Gray has started, the Nationals have been shut out. He has been good at keeping runners off base and has had a solid year. If he can get a few runs of support, the Nats could win.
There are no major standouts on the offensive side of the ball this year for the Nationals. It has truly been a collective effort, but if there is one it may be Alex Call. Call is just hitting .237 this year, but he has 16 RBIS and an on-base percentage of .333. The call also has been very good in the wins for the Nationals recently. He has a hit in four of the last five wins for the Nationals, including a walk-off home run. He has been solid against left-handed pitching this year too, hitting .303 with a homerun. On the note of batting against lefties, Victor Robles has been amazing against left-handed batters. Yes, the same Victory Robles who normally bats .250 has been playing well, but he will be out of this one with a back issue.
In the lineup will be Luis Garcia. Garcia is hitting .274 on the season, but against left-handed pitchers, he is batting .385 with a home run and four RBIs. A large majority of the Nationals lineup has found their success on the season against a lefty. Six different active players have a batting average over .300 against left-handed batting this year for the Nationals.
Why The Giants Could Cover The Spread
Last night Casey Schmitt hit his first career home run in his first career game. The 24-year-old was called up from Triple-A Sacramento right before the game and went two for four on the night. He will hope to do it again against Josiah Gray. If it is not him, maybe Thario Estrada can step up. He is fourth in the majors in batting average and 21st in OPS. He is hitting .313 on the month, with two home runs and four RBIs. Estrada is also currently on a seven-game hit streak. He is hitting right-handed pitching well, hitting .365 this year against righties with five home runs.
Lamonte Wade Jr. has been more of a power bat against the righties. On the season he is hitting .261 but has an OPS ranked ninth in the majors at .949. Against right-handed pitching, he is hitting just .257, but five of his six home runs have come against righties, as well as nine of his ten RBIs. During the month, WWade has been hitting well. He is hitting .318 on the month, scoring four times and driving in two runs. JD Davis has also displayed power against right-handed pitchers this year. He is hitting .333 against the righties with all seven of his home runs and 18 of his 20 RBIs.
On the hill for the Giants will be Sean Manaea. He is 1-1 on the season but has an ERA of 7.33. Before his last start, in which he gave up three earned runs in five innings, Manaea was struggling. He has not made it out of the fourth inning in five of his seven starts on the season and has given up three or more runs four times this year.
Final Nationals-Giants Prediction & Pick
The under has hit in four of the last five games in which the Giants were the favorite. This one may be another unless Manaea gives up a ton of runs. Regardless of the run total, the Nationals are in a much better position to win today. Gray could have a much better record if he had just a little bit of run support. The Nationals should be able to provide that today. Take the Nationals to win this one.
Final Nationals-Giants Prediction & Pick: Nationals +1.5 (-150) and Under 8.5 (-106)
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