The Nationals make the trip to Boston to face the Red Sox! Both teams have been inconsistent, with the Nationals being at .500, while the Red Sox are just over .500. Our MLB odds series has our Nationals-Red Sox prediction, odds, and pick for Friday.

The Nationals have been one of the most inconsistent teams so far this season. They sit at .500 with an 18-18 record. Their pitching has been above average, but their bats have struggled at times this season. Jesse Winker, CJ Abrams, Joey Meneses, and Luis Garcia Jr. have stood out for an average offense so far this season. Trevor Williams, MacKenzie Gore, and Jake Irvin have been solid up to this point for the staff. The Nationals have talent, but it depends on if they can put it all together this season, and their inconsistency so far says they can't.

The Red Sox have been solid to start the year at 19-18, but they have lost five out of their last six games. They are also in one of the toughest divisions in the MLB in the AL East. Statistically, the Red Sox offense has been solid, just outside the top 10. Tyler O'Neill, Triston Casas, Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Rafael Devers are all talented players behind the plate and it is showing up so far this season. In comparison, their pitching has been red-hot up to this point and is the best staff in the MLB when it comes to team ERA. Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford, Brayan Bello, Nick Pivetta, and Garrett Whitlock have made up a very good pitching staff with all five varying from good to great. The Red Sox have a lot of potential this season and have shown it a little bit so far, but they need to find consistency and be able to put it together.

Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Nationals-Red Sox Odds

Washington Nationals: +1.5 (-120)

Moneyline: +188

Boston Red Sox: -1.5 (+100)

Moneyline: -225

Over: 8 (-105)

Under: 8 (-115)

How to Watch Nationals vs. Red Sox

Time: 7:10 pm ET

TV: MASN / New England Sports Network

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Nationals Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Nationals are going with Patrick Corbin on the mound in this game and he has a 0-3 record, a 6.45 ERA, and a 1.81 WHIP. Through 37.2 innings, Williams has allowed 30 runs on 53 hits with 15 walks and 25 strikeouts. The Nationals are 3-4 in the seven games that he's appeared in this season. In his last start, he pitched six innings and allowed three runs on six hits with two walks and three strikeouts in a win. Corbin has struggled this season, despite the pitching staff being solid overall.

The offense for the Nationals has been subpar this season. They are 21st in the MLB in-team batting average at .231 after having a team batting average of .254 last season. Luis Garcia Jr. and CJ Abrams lead the way in most of the important batting categories. Luis Garcia Jr. leads the way in batting average at .321, in RBI at 20 and in OBP at .374. Their offense has struggled at times this season and it does not get any better against Tanner Houck, who is on the mound for the Red Sox. 

Why The Red Sox Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Red Sox are going with Tanner Houck to start on the mound and he has a 1-1 record, a 1.99 ERA, and a 0.97 WHIP. He's allowed 14 runs on 37 hits with seven walks and 46 strikeouts through 45.1 innings. Through the seven games that he has appeared in, the Red Sox are 4-3. In his most recent start, he pitched 6.0 innings and allowed four runs on six hits with two walks and five strikeouts. Houck has been great for the Red Sox and gets a good matchup against the Nationals and their struggling bats.

The Red Sox's offense has been solid to start the season. They are 12th in team batting average at .244 after finishing last season with a .258 batting average. The offense is led by Rafael Devers, Tyler O'Neill, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Jarren Duran in most of the offensive categories behind the plate. Devers leads in batting average at .289 and in OBP at .405. O'Neill leads in home runs at nine, Rafaela leads in RBI at 20, and then Duran leads in total hits at 41. The Red Sox have been playing well behind the plate and they get a very good matchup against Patrick Corbin for the Nationals.

Final Nationals-Red Sox Prediction & Pick

The Red Sox are slumping currently, but they are the better team when compared to the Nationals. Houck is the better pitcher compared to Corbin, especially this season. The Red Sox are also the better offense behind the plate when compared to the Nationals too. The Red Sox should rebound from their slump with a win in this spot at home and cover in this spot too.

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Final Nationals-Red Sox Prediction & Pick: Red Sox -1.5 (+100)