The Pittsburgh Pirates are making a road trip to Washington to play the Nationals at Nationals Park. Mid-Atlantic Sports Network will broadcast this NL matchup and the action gets going at 7:05 p.m. ET.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Washington Nationals Odds
Pittsburgh (+110) is the underdog to Washington (-120) and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under for this game at 7.5 runs (-115 for the over and -105 for the under). Bettors can also wager on the game’s runline with the current odds sitting at -190 for the Pirates +1.5 runs and +165 for the Nationals -1.5.
The Pirates are 17-11 SU and are 15-12 against the spread (ATS). They’ve accumulated 4.0 units for moneyline bettors in this young season and 4.3 units ATS. The Nationals, on the other hand, are 12-16 SU and 12-15 ATS. The team has lost 11.1 units for moneyline bettors and 4.0 units ATS.
Washington games have a 12-13-2 over/under record thus far in 2018. Pittsburgh has an over/under record of 14-9-4.
Jameson Taillon will get the start for Pittsburgh. The right-handed Taillon is 2-2 with a 4.91 ERA and 24 strikeouts. He has yet to face the Nationals this year and only made one start against them in 2017 (0-0, 1.29 ERA and five strikeouts over seven innings).
The Nationals are turning to righty Tanner Roark (1-2, 3.77 ERA), who has 28 strikeouts and 11 walks to his name as well as a WHIP of 1.00. Roark only made one start against the Pirates in 2017 (0-1, 13.50 ERA and five strikeouts across six innings).
Pittsburgh’s pitching staff allowed 4.3 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 3.78 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 7.10 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 4.37, along with a K-per-9 of 9.32.
Pirates hitters have slashed .260/.334/.412 on their way to 5.0 runs scored per game in 2018, including 4.1 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 5.2 per game over the team’s last five outings (5-0 SU).
Pittsburgh’s offense has been led by catcher Francisco Cervelli and right fielder Starling Marte. Cervelli is slashing .307/.393/.573 with four home runs, 20 RBIs and 10 runs scored, while Marte is hitting .288 with three homers, 11 RBIs, 21 runs and eight stolen bases.
Marte didn’t do as well hitting against righties on the road last season. Over 128 such plate appearances, he put up a slash line of .250/.289/.317 (his overall season line was .275/.333/.379).
In the other dugout, Washington’s pitchers have given up 4.3 runs per game overall this season. Its starting pitching staff has a 3.49 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 4.91 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 10.4 K/9.
The Washington offense is putting up 4.4 runs per contest, including 4.3 per game over its last 10 games and 5.6 per game over its last five. The team has slashed .278/.360/.450 over its last five games and is 2-3 SU during that stretch.
The Nationals’ batters have been led by outfielder Bryce Harper and second baseman Howie Kendrick. Harper is slashing .253/.457/.540 with eight home runs, 19 RBIs and 23 runs scored, and Kendrick’s line sits at .299/.330/.526 with four homers, 11 RBIs and nine runs.
The Pirates have gained 3.4 units and are 12-10 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has cashed in nine of those games, compared to nine that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Nationals have lost 2.9 units and are 8-9 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over’s hit in nine of those games, compared to seven that went under the total.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Washington Nationals MLB Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Nationals, ATS Winner – Pirates, O/U – OVER
Notes
Betting Trends
The over has cashed in three of Pittsburgh’s last seven games.
Washington has recorded 20.5 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 25.6 over its last five.
The Pirates have hit eight home runs in their last 10 games. The Nationals have hit 10 over their last 10.
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