The Washington Nationals will head west to take on the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mid-Atlantic Sports Network will broadcast this NL matchup and the game gets going at 10:10 p.m. ET.
Washington Nationals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Odds
Los Angeles (-135) is favored over Washington (+125) and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under for this one at 6.5 runs. The odds for betting on the game’s total stand at +110 for the over and -130 for the under. Runline odds sit at -170 for betting the Nationals +1.5 runs and +150 for the Dodgers -1.5 runs.
The Dodgers are 8-9 SU and 7-10 ATS. The team has lost 6.7 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 3.1 units against the spread (ATS). Los Angeles has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the total has gone over in all seven of them. On the other hand, the Nationals are 9-10 SU and have gone 8-11 ATS. In total, the team’s lost 6.5 units for gamblers taking the moneyline in this young season and 4.0 units ATS. Washington is 3-4 ATS over its last seven games and the over has cashed in four of those seven.
Dodgers games have a 10-7 over/under record so far in 2018. Washington has an over/under record of 9-8-2.
Max Scherzer is getting the start for the visiting Nationals. The right-handed Scherzer is 3-1 with a 1.33 ERA and 38 strikeouts. He has yet to face the Dodgers this year and only made one start against them in 2017 (1-0, 0.00 ERA and 14 strikeouts across seven innings).
The Dodgers will put the ball in the left hand of Clayton Kershaw (1-2, 1.73 ERA, 0.88 WHIP), who’s got 31 punchouts and three walks this season. Kershaw only made one start against the Nationals in 2017 (1-0, 1.29 ERA and nine strikeouts across seven innings).
Washington’s pitchers have allowed 4.7 runs per game and its starters own a 3.33 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 9.90 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 5.82, along with a WHIP of 1.11 and a K-per-9 of 11.64.
The Nationals offense has slashed .235/.337/.394 on its way to 4.5 runs scored per game in 2018, including 4.0 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 5.8 per game over the team’s last five contests (3-2 SU).
Right fielder Bryce Harper and second baseman Howie Kendrick have led Washington’s hitters. Harper is hitting .288/.471/.712 with eight home runs, 18 RBIs and 18 runs scored, while Kendrick has a .302 average with two homers, seven RBIs and six runs scored.
Maintaining a slash line of .311/.357/.445 across 129 plate appearances, Harper didn’t perform especially well against left-handed pitching last season (his total season line was .317/.411/.596).
In the home-team dugout, Los Angeles’ pitchers have allowed 4.2 runs per game overall this year. The team’s starting pitching staff has an ERA of 3.48, a WHIP of 1.10 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 10.6. The bullpen has a 4.04 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 9.7 K/9.
Los Angeles’ hitters are putting up 4.9 runs per outing, including 6.2 per game over its last 10 games and 7.6 per game over their last five. The team has a slash-line of .276/.362/.443 over its last five matchups and is 4-1 SU during that stretch.
Catcher Yasmani Grandal and left fielder Matt Kemp have paced the Dodgers’ offense this year. Grandal is hitting .352/.435/.611 with three home runs, 13 RBIs and nine runs scored, and Kemp’s line is .347/.389/.592 with three homers, 10 RBIs and seven runs scored.
The Nationals have lost 5.3 units and are 1-4 ATS when facing a left-handed starting pitcher this season. The over has cashed in two of those games, as opposed to two that’ve gone under against lefty starters. On the other hand, the Dodgers have lost 6.5 units and are 4-7 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over’s hit in nine of those games, compared to two that went under the total.
Washington Nationals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers MLB Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Dodgers, ATS Winner – Nationals, O/U – OVER
Notes
Betting Trends
Los Angeles has posted 28.0 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 games and 28.8 over its last five.
The Nationals have hit nine home runs in their last 10 games, including seven over their last five.
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