In a National League matchup between two teams trying to find their footing, the Washington Nationals will square off with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday evening. Join us for our MLB odds series, where our Nationals-Pirates prediction and pick will be selected.
Entering Saturday's contest, the ‘Nats played an all-around stellar game by rebounding nicely in defeating the Pirates 7-2. The victory improves Washington's record to 4-5, which is surprisingly good enough for second place in the NL East. The Nationals will turn to lefty Josh Rogers, who translated his initial 2022 start into a productive one with 5.1 innings pitched in only giving up one earned run on a pair of base knocks.
After getting the best of Washington on Thursday 9-4, the Pirates will look to at least split the series with a triumphant win at PNC Park. Right-handed pitcher Bryse Wilson is seeking a bounce-back performance after not an ideal outing where the 24-year-old gave up three runs in four innings pitched.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Nationals-Pirates MLB odds:
MLB odds: Nationals-Pirates Odds
Washington Nationals: -1.5 (+146)
Pittsburgh Pirates: +1.5 (-178)
Over: 9 (-122)
Under: 9 (+100)
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Why The Nationals Could Cover the Spread
The Nationals have a good chance to cover the spread if they can off to a fast start like they did yesterday. Washington scored all seven of their runs in the first six innings played, giving them a cushion to close the door in the final stages of the game. Former Pirate Josh Bell and DH Nelson Cruz each tacked on three RBIs each, as the second meeting this season between two east coast clubs proved to be concluded rather quickly. Through the two contests in this series, Bell reminded the Steel City why his play was so valuable during his five-year career in the black and yellow pinstripes, as the 6'4 first-baseman is slashing .333 with at least one hit in eight games to this point.
After averaging 4.5 runs during 2021, the Nationals have crossed the dish a total of 37 times thus far, which is good for the seventh-most among all 30 teams.
Pitching-wise, the story has been quite different. The ‘Nats are struggling to keep teams off the base paths, as they have yet to record a quality start from a pitcher and are allowing the opposition to club a batting average of .278 off them.
With Rogers getting the nod versus Pittsburgh, Washington is desperate for a strong pitching performance. If this can occur, then look out, they will have a tremendous shot at covering the spread. Rogers has faced the Pirates only one time in his career, as he tossed 6 2/3 innings and gave up two runs on eight hits back on Sep. 10th.
Why The Pirates Could Cover the Spread
Although the Pirates got off to a dull start to their 2022 season, Pittsburgh was winners in three of their past four meetings before faltering on Friday. After smashing 14 hits against the Nationals in their 9-4 Thursday victory, the bats cooled off 24 hours later, as the Pirates could only scrounge together a five-hit day.
Instability has been the name of the game for Pittsburgh this year so far, as even though the Pirates are 6th in batting average at .265, they are 20th in total runs scored. This signifies a bad habit of leaving men on base at the most crucial moments of games. In the 7-2 loss, Pittsburgh left a handful of runners on base that could've changed the trajectory of the ballgame if they had hit them home.
While the Pirates will need to do a better job on offense, the biggest X-factor will in large part be Bryse Wilson, who had a poor showing on Apr. 10th. Pittsburgh would love to have Wilson pitch further into the game, as the North Carolina native did not reach the five-inning mark to be able to get a win. In two appearances versus Washington, Wilson has accumulated a 0-1 record with a sky-high 11.81 ERA.
Final Nationals-Pirates Prediction & Pick
After Rogers pitched a gem in his first outing, the Nationals have to feel good about their chances in this weekend showdown. The Pirates struggled at the plate yesterday and will be hushed once again tonight. The nation's capital rejoices with a Nationals win!
Final Nationals-Pirates Pick: Nationals -1.5 (+146)
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