The Nationals make the trip to San Diego to face the Padres! Both teams have struggled with consistency this season. The Padres are the better team right now and have been red-hot recently. Our MLB odds series has our Nationals-Padres prediction, odds, and pick for Tuesday.

Nationals-Padres Projected Starters 

MacKenzie Gore vs. Adam Mazur

MacKenzie Gore (6-6) with a 3.49 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP

Last Start: Pitched five innings and gave up four runs on 10 hits with two walks and seven strikeouts in a Nationals loss.

2024 Road Splits: (2-2) 2.28 ERA

Adam Mazur (0-2) with a 7.27 ERA and a 1.96 WHIP

Last Start: Pitched 4.2 innings and gave up three runs on five hits with three walks and three strikeouts in a Padres win.

2024 Home Splits: (0-1) 12.91 ERA

Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Nationals-Padres Odds

Washington Nationals: +1.5 (-192)

Moneyline: +116

San Diego Padres: -1.5 (+158)

Moneyline: -136

Over: 7.5 (+100)

Under: 7.5 (-122)

How to Watch Nationals vs. Padres

Time: 9:40 pm ET

TV: MASN

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Nationals Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Nationals have been one of the most inconsistent teams in the MLB. They sit with a 38-39 record and have been alternating wins and losses. Their pitching has been great and is just outside the top 10, while they have struggled behind the plate on offense. Jesse Winker, CJ Abrams, Joey Meneses, and Luis Garcia Jr. have stood out for an offense that has struggled this season in the capital. Trevor Williams, MacKenzie Gore, and Jake Irvin have all been solid up to this point on the mound and have been the best players pitching-wise. The Nationals have talent but have struggled to put it together.

The Nationals are starting MacKenzie Gore on the mound in this game and he has a 6-6 record, a 3.49 ERA, and a 1.39 WHIP. Through 80 innings, Gore has allowed 38 runs on 86 hits with 25 walks and 98 strikeouts. The Nationals are 7-8 in the 15 games he has started this season. Gore has been one of the best pitchers for the Nationals this season, but the Padres offense has been great and is a tough matchup for him in San Diego.

The offense for the Nationals has struggled this season. They are 19th in the MLB in team batting average at .236 after having a team batting average of .254 one season ago. CJ Abrams and Jesse Winker stand out and lead the way in most batting categories. Abrams leads the way in batting average at .270, in home runs at 12, RBI at 39, and in total hits at 39. Finally, Winker leads in OBP at .380. They get a favorable matchup against Mazur who has struggled in a limited capacity so far for the Padres.

Why The Padres Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Padres have been inconsistent towards a 41-41 record this season. The key has been their offense this season where they top two in the league. In comparison, their pitching is in the bottom half of the MLB. Fernando Tatis, Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts, Jurickson Profar, Jackson Merrill, and Jake Cronenworth have been the biggest keys behind the plate, and why the Padres have surprised a bit as a team. Their pitching gained a boost after they added Dylan Cease to a lineup that already had Michael King and Yu Darvish who have been playing well so far up to this point.

The Padres are starting Adam Mazur on the mound and he has a 0-2 record, a 7.27 ERA, and a 1.96 WHIP. Through 17.1 innings, he has allowed 14 runs on 18 hits with 16 walks and 11 strikeouts. He has started in four games so far this season and the Padres have gone 1-3 in those games. Mazur has struggled in a limited capacity this season, but the Nationals aren't that great behind the plate, which might help him.

The Padres' offense has started the season playing great. They are second in team batting average at .261 after finishing with a .244 batting average last season. The offense is highlighted mainly by Jurickson Profar, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Jake Cronenworth in most of the batting categories. Profar leads the way in batting average at .319, in OBP at .412, and in total hits at 87. Tatis Jr. then leads the way in home runs at 14 and Cronenworth in RBI at 49. Their offense can compete with any team in the MLB, but it is a tough matchup against MacKenzie Gore on the mound for the Nationals.

Final Nationals-Padres Prediction & Pick

The biggest key in this game is the pitching. Gore is much better than Mazur on the mound up to this point in the season. The Padres have a much better offense behind the plate compared to the Nationals. This should be close, so expect the Nationals to cover, even if the Padres might still win.

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Final Nationals-Padres Prediction & Pick: Nationals +1.5 (-192)