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, making this series even more interesting. Our MLB odds series has our Nationals-Red Sox prediction, odds, and pick for Saturday.

The Nationals have been one of the most inconsistent teams so far this season. They sit at .500 with an 18-18 record heading into this game and series against another inconsistent team like the Red Sox. Their pitching has been above average, but their bats have struggled this season. Jesse Winker, CJ Abrams, Joey Meneses, and Luis Garcia Jr. have stood out for an average offense this season in the capital. Trevor Williams, MacKenzie Gore, and Jake Irvin have all been solid up to this point for the staff and have carried the team at times. The Nationals have talent, it has been difficult to put it all together this season and it does not look like they are going to at all.

The Red Sox have been solid overall at 19-18, but recently have lost five out of their last six games. Statistically, the Red Sox are very good on offense, ranking just outside the top 10 in bats. Tyler O'Neill, Triston Casas, Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Rafael Devers are all talented players and have been solid to a varying degree 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. 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 overall. The Red Sox have potential this season, but they need to be able to put it all together and that has not happened just yet in the early part of the season.

Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Nationals-Red Sox Odds

Washington Nationals: +1.5 (-176)

Moneyline: +130

Boston Red Sox: -1.5 (+146)

Moneyline: -154

Over: 8 (-110)

Under: 8 (-110)

How to Watch Nationals vs. Red Sox

Time: 4:10 pm ET

TV: MASN / NESN

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Nationals Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Nationals are starting Jake Irvin on the mound in this game and he has a 2-3 record, a 3.72 ERA, and a 1.19 WHIP. Through 38.2 innings, Irvin has allowed 20 runs on 38 hits with eight walks and 30 strikeouts. Despite his solid play, the Nationals are 2-5 in the seven games that he's appeared in this season. In his last start against the Blue Jays, he pitched five innings and allowed four runs on five hits with one walk and four strikeouts in a win. Jake Irvin has been solid overall, but the Nationals need to back his play up and it does not get any easier against the Red Sox and their bats.

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 stand out and 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. Abrams then leads the way in home runs at seven and then in total hits at 37. Their offense has been inconsistent and gets a tough matchup against Cooper Criswell and a very good Red Sox pitching staff. 

Why The Red Sox Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Red Sox are starting Cooper Criswell on the mound and they might also use some of their bullpen too. Criswell has a 2-1 record, a 1.74 ERA, and a 1.06 WHIP. He's allowed seven runs on 18 hits with four walks and 16 strikeouts through 20.2 innings. Through the five games that he has appeared in, the Red Sox are 4-1. In his most recent start, he pitched 4.1 innings and allowed five runs on one hit with one walk and five strikeouts. Criswell has been very good during his limited time on the mound for the Red Sox this season.

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, but Jake Irvin is one of the better pitchers that the Nationals have. This is going to be a great matchup to watch after they started Corbin in Game 1 of this series.

Final Nationals-Red Sox Prediction & Pick

The Red Sox are the better team talent-wise, and they are playing at home, but the Nationals should keep this close. Jake Irvin has been a solid pitcher for the Nationals on the mound and has the ability to shut down this Red Sox offense. That is the difference, so expect the Nationals to cover and potentially in this spot on the road in Boston.

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Final Nationals-Red Sox Prediction & Pick: Nationals +1.5 (-176)