Two teams out of the playoff race collide as the Washington Nationals face the Pittsburgh Pirates. It is time to continue our MLB odds series with a Nationals-Pirates prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
The Nationals come in after losing two of three to the Dodgers over the weekend. After having a hot August, the Nationals have cooled off as of late. They have lost eight of their last ten games, and are nearing elimination in the playoff race. The Nationals are now 64-79 on the season and 10.5 games behind the last wild card spot in the National League. That places the Nationals just eight games away from official elimination.
Meanwhile, the Pirates come in 6-4 in the last ten. They did lose two of three to the Braves over the weekend. On the year, the Pirates are 66-77 and sit 8.5 games out in the Wild Card race. While not eliminated yet, it would take a massive winning streak to get back in the playoff chase. The Pirates are now just eight games away from official playoff elimination.
Here are the Nationals-Pirates MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Nationals-Pirates Odds
Washington Nationals: +1.5 (-172)
Pittsburgh Pirates: -1.5 (+142)
Over: 9 (+100)
Under: 9 (-122)
How To Watch Nationals vs. Pirates
TV: MASN2/ATTP
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 6:35 PM ET/ 3:35 PM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Nationals Could Cover The Spread
In the recent losing skid, it has not been issues at the plate, but at the mound that have hurt the Nationals. On the year the Nationals are 27th in the majors in team ERA, while sitting 28th in WHIP and 28th in opponent batting average. The Nationals sent Patrick Corbin to the mound today. He is 9-13 on the year with a 5.23 ERA. His last two starts have been rough for Corbin. Last time out he went just four innings and gave up eight runs with three home runs. In the outing before that, he went five innings and gave up six runs.
At the plate, the Nationals are tied for 20th in the majors in runs scored, while sitting 11th in batting average, 19th in on-base percentage, and 23rd in slugging. The Nationals have struggled in hitting for power as of late. In the last week, they have just three home runs. One of those is from CJ Abrams. He is hitting .500 in his last week with a triple and home run. That gives him three RBIs. Still, he is considered day-to-day and may not be in the lineup today.
Keibert Ruiz has another one of the home runs in the last week. He is hitting .250 in the last week, with two runs scored and four RBIs. Meanwhile, Lane Thomas has the other home run. He is struggling at the plate overall. He hit just .111 over the weekend with the home runs and three RBIs. One of the hottest bats in the lineup has been Jacob Young. In the last week, he is hitting .421 with a .476 on-base percentage. He has three doubles and three RBIs in the last week while stealing two bases and scoring three times.
Overall, the Nationals are scoring above projected though. They have scored 23 runs in the last week on an expected 18 runs. They are hitting .229 in the last week with a .298 on-base percentage.
Why The Pirates Could Cover The Spread
The Pirates have not named a starting pitcher for the game tonight. The most likely option today is Andre Jackson who is 1-2 on the year with a 5.21 ERA. Last time out he gave up six runs in 4.1 innings of work. It could also be a bullpen game. That could lead to the Pirates needing to score a lot of runs. The Pirates rank 20th in team ERA while sitting 22nd in WHIP and 20th in opponent batting average.
At the plate, the Pirates rank 24th in runs scored this year, while sitting 27th in batting average, 23rd in on-base percentage, and 26th in slugging. In the last week, Jack Suwinski has been on fire. He is hitting .333 in the last week with a .391 on-base percentage. He has hit two doubles and two home runs in the last week, which has led to seven RBIs. Suwinski has also stolen two bases in the last week.
Meanwhile, Bryan Reynolds is continuing his good season. In the last week, he is hitting .391 with a .440 on-base percentage. He has a home run and three doubles in the last week, leading to three RBIs. He has also scored six times in the last week. Ke'Bryan Hayes has also scored a lot in the last week. He has also scored six times in the last week while hitting .292 and having a .320 on-base percentage. Hayes has hit two doubles, a triple, and two home runs in the last week while driving in three runs.
Overall, the Pirates are hitting .251 in the last week and have scored 24 runs. That is below their expected runs scored. They were expected to score 25.7 runs in the last week, and have struggled some with playing in scoring position in the last week.
Final Nationals-Pirates Prediction & Pick
Patrick Corbin has been awful as of late. Overall, he has been worse on the road and worse in night games this year. He has a 5.26 ERA on the road and a 6.21 ERA in night games this year. To make matters worse, the Nationals have struggled to score as of late. Still, the Pirates do not have a pitching edge in this game. They could start a young pitcher who has been struggling, or go with the struggling bullpen. That should help the Nationals score today.
The Pirates have been scoring better than the Nationals as of late, but they have not capitalized on recent opportunities. The Pirates are leaving an average of 6.8 runners on base per game as of late. The Nationals are leaving 6.72 runners on base as of late. This has all the makings of being a close game. With that, take the extra runs with the Nationals.
Final Nationals-Pirates Prediction & Pick: Nationals +1.5 (-172)
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