The Pittsburgh Pirates will be taking on the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. This NL matchup will get underway at 7:05 p.m. ET and Mid-Atlantic Sports Network will televise the game.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Washington Nationals Odds
Washington (-230) is favored against Pittsburgh (+210) and Vegas has set the Over/Under for this one at 7.5 runs (+100 for the under and -120 for the over). Runline odds stand at -105 for taking the Pirates +1.5 runs and -115 for the Nationals -1.5.
The Pirates have gone 17-12 SU this year and are 16-12 against the spread (ATS). They’ve gained 5.1 units for moneyline bettors through the early part of the season and 5.3 units ATS. Pittsburgh is – ATS over its last seven games and the . The Nationals, on the other hand, are 13-16 SU and 13-15 ATS. They’ve lost 10.1 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 2.3 units ATS. Washington has a – ATS record over its last seven outings and the .
Nationals games have an over/under record of 12-14-2 so far in 2018. The Pirates have an over/under record of 14-10-4.
Chad Kuhl is getting the nod for Pittsburgh. The right-handed Kuhl is 3-1 with a 4.55 ERA and 25 strikeouts. He has yet to face the Nationals this year and only made one start against them in 2017 (0-1, 13.50 ERA and three strikeouts over four innings).
The Nationals are handing the ball to righty Max Scherzer (5-1, 1.62 ERA), who’s got 57 punchouts and nine walks, as well as a WHIP of 0.82. Scherzer only made one start against the Pirates in 2017 (0-0, 0.00 ERA and five strikeouts across 3.1 innings).
As a unit, Washington’s pitchers have yielded 4.2 runs per game overall in 2018. Its starting pitching staff has a 3.45 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 9.6 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 4.80 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 10.1 K/9.
The Washington hitters have produced 4.3 runs per outing, including 4.1 per game over its last 10 games and 5.6 per game over their last five. The team has hit .291/.371/.451 over its last five games and is 3-2 SU during that stretch.
The Nationals’ offense has been led by right fielder Bryce Harper and shortstop Trea Turner. Harper is slashing .247/.458/.528 with eight home runs, 19 RBIs and 23 runs scored, and Turner’s line is .284/.381/.379 with 33 hits, seven RBIs, 14 runs and 12 stolen bases.
Compared to his total season slash line of .285/.340/.455, Turner appeared to enjoy facing righty pitching at home last season, producing .312/.374/.532 across 155 plate appearances.
For the visitors, Pittsburgh’s pitchers have allowed 4.2 runs per game and its starters own a 3.80 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 7.12 K/9. The bullpen has logged an ERA of 4.28, along with a K/9 of 9.31.
The Pirates offense has slashed .258/.332/.410 on its way to 4.9 runs scored per game in 2018, including 4.3 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 4.0 per game over the team’s last five outings (4-1 SU).
Catcher Francisco Cervelli and left fielder Corey Dickerson have led Pittsburgh’s hitters. Cervelli is slashing .308/.391/.564 with four home runs, 20 RBIs and 10 runs scored, while Dickerson (.313/.358/.515) is up to three homers, 16 RBIs and 16 runs scored.
Pittsburgh Pirates at Washington Nationals MLB Tip
Predictions: SU Winner – Nationals, ATS Winner – Pirates, O/U – UNDER
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Notes
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Washington has recorded 21.1 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 26.8 over its last five.
The Pirates have hit nine home runs in their last 10 games. The Nationals have hit eight over their last 10.
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