Two teams out of playoff contention face as Chicago White Sox face the Washington Nationals. It is time to continue our MLB odds series with a White Sox-Nationals prediction, pick, and how to watch.
The White Sox come off another rough weekend, losing three of four to the Twins. The pitching was rough for the White Sox. They gave up 30 runs in four games, and scoring lots of runs against the White Sox has become regular. They have given up ten or more runs three times in the last seven games. At 57-93 on the year, the White Sox are eliminated from playoff contention.
Meanwhile, the Nationals broke their five-game losing streak yesterday. They avoided the sweep at the hands of the Brewers, but still have lost eight of their last 11 games overall. The Nationals hot streak after the All-Star break has come crashing down. The Nationals are now at 66-84 on the season and have long been eliminated from playoff contention.
Here are the White Sox-Nationals MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: White Sox-Nationals Odds
Chicago White Sox: -1.5 (+126)
Washington Nationals: +1.5 (-152)
Over: 9 (-118)
Under: 9 (-104)
How To Watch White Sox vs. Nationals
TV: NBCSCH/MASN2
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 7:05 PM ET/ 4:05 PM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The White Sox Could Cover The Spread
The White Sox will need to get better pitching than they have recently. On the year they are 26th in team ERA, 26th in WHIP, and 20th in opponent batting average. The White Sox sent Mike Clevinger to the hill today. He is 7-8 on the season with a 3.61 ERA. His first start of the month went poorly, as Clevinger gave up eight runs in four innings. Since then, he has rebounded to give up just two runs in 13 innings of work. That gives him a 5.29 ERA on the month with a 1-2 record. Clevinger did have some solid starts earlier this year, so there is a potential for a good one against a struggling Nationals lineup.
At the plate, the White Sox have not been much better. They are 28th in runs scored this year, 24th in batting average, 20th in on-base percentage, and 26th in slugging. Gavin Sheets has been solid in the last week. While he is hitting just .217 in the last week with a .250 on-base percentage. Still, he has a home run and a double, leading to eight RBIs in the last week. Sheets has also scored three times in the last week.
Scoring has been something that Yoan Moncada is doing a lot of as of late. In the last week, he has scored five times. He is hitting just .217 in the last week with a .250 on-base percentage. He has a double and two RBIs as well. Still, he has struck out 11 times in the last week. Strikeouts have been a theme for some players. Luis Robert Jr. is struggling. He is hitting .083 in the last week with ten strikeouts. The power in the lineup as of late has been Eloy Jimenez. He has hit two home runs in the last week with four RBIs. Still, he is hitting just .241 in batting average while scoring four runs.
As a whole, the White Sox are hitting just .234. They have a .270 on-base percentage in that time and have struggled with strikeouts. The White Sox have just 54 hits in the last week and 12 walks while striking out 61 times. They have scored 28 times this past week on an expected 19.1 runs, so they are capitalizing on opportunities.
Why The Nationals Could Cover The Spread
The Nationals are struggling to score. In the last six games, they have scored just 17 runs. On the year, they are 22nd in runs scored, while sitting 12th in batting average, 22nd in on-base percentage, and 23rd in slugging. Their best player, Lane Thomas, is currently struggling. He is hitting just .097 in the last week. He does have a home run and two RBIs while also hitting two doubles and scoring two runs. Still, Thomas is not getting a lot of contact and has struck out eight times in the last week.
Joey Meneses has been hitting well though. He is hitting .360 in the last week with a .393 on-base percentage. Meneses has two doubles and four RBIs in the last week. Meanwhile, he has scored three times. CJ Abrams has been scoring well in the last week. He has scored five times in the last week. Still, he has gotten on base just six times, with three hits and three walks. He is hitting .107 in the last week with a .194 on-base percentage.
The Nationals are not hitting well as a whole though. They are hitting just .193 in the last week with a .251 on-base percentage. The Nationals do have 20 extra-base hits in the last week on a total of 44 hits. They have scored 23 runs in the last week with an expected total of just 19.6 runs.
The Nationals will send Joan Adon to the hill today. He is 2-2 on the year with a 5.92 ERA. His last two starts have not been solid for Adon. In the starts, he has pitched nine innings giving up six runs, good for a 6.00 ERA. The issue has been walking. Adon has given up nine walks in his last two starts while striking out ten. Adon did have some solid starts with August with lower walk totals. With the White Sox struggling, he could have another good start today.
Final White Sox-Nationals Prediction & Pick
There is not a massive pitching edge for either side in this one. Joan Adon has not been great, but neither has Mike Clevinger. Both teams also have struggled with the bullpen as of late. This comes down to the work at the plate for both teams. Lane Thomas and Luis Robert Jr., are both struggling for their respective teams. The White Sox have more other guys stepping up though. They will get the win today but expect a close game. This is going to be a one-run game, so take the Nationals to cover.
Final White Sox-Nationals Prediction & Pick: Nationals +1.5 (-152)
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