The Washington Nationals will take on the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park. Mid-Atlantic Sports Network is in line to showcase this NL matchup and the game gets underway at 3:45 p.m. ET.
Washington Nationals vs. San Francisco Giants Odds
Washington (-140) is favored over San Francisco (+130) and oddsmakers have the Over/Under for this game at 7.5 runs (-140 for the under and +120 for the over). Bettors can also wager on the game’s runline with the current odds sitting at Nationals -1.5 runs (+105) and Giants 1.5 runs (-125).
The Nationals have gone 10-14 SU this year and are 10-13 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 8.4 units for gamblers taking the moneyline in this young season and 4.0 units ATS. The Giants, on the other hand, are 11-12 SU and 15-7 ATS. They’ve gained 0.7 units for moneyline bettors and 6.8 units ATS.
Giants games have an over/under record of 9-13 so far in 2018. The Nationals have an over/under record of 10-11-2.
Right-hander Max Scherzer is projected to start for the visiting Nationals. Scherzer is 4-1 with a 1.36 ERA and 47 strikeouts. He has yet to face San Francisco this year, but he made two starts against the team in 2017, compiling a 1-0 record with a 1.69 ERA and 21 strikeouts.
The Giants are sending righty Jeff Samardzija (1-0, 0.00 ERA) to the mound. Samardzija has four strikeouts and four walks to his name, as well as a WHIP of 1.20. Samardzija made two starts against the team in 2017, compiling a 0-2 record in 2017, compiling a 0-2 record with a 5.40 ERA.
As a unit, San Francisco’s pitchers have yielded 3.5 runs per game overall this year. The club’s starters have a 3.30 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 7.4 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 3.23 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 9.0 K/9.
San Francisco’s offense is putting up 3.2 runs per contest, including 3.3 per game over its last 10 games and 4.6 per game over its last five. The team has hit .247/.308/.447 over its last five matchups and is 4-1 SU during that span.
First baseman Brandon Belt and second baseman Joe Panik have led the Giants’ hitters so far. Belt is slashing .292/.397/.615 with six home runs, 12 RBIs and 10 runs scored, and Panik’s line sits at .286/.348/.417 with 24 hits, four RBIs and 11 runs.
Compared to his total season slash line of .288/.349/.421, Panik did not do as well batting at home last season, producing .249/.310/.326 across 258 plate appearances.
For the visiting squad, Washington’s pitchers have allowed 4.5 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 3.46 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 9.88 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 5.50, along with a WHIP of 1.12 and a K-per-9 of 10.88.
The Nationals offense has slashed .228/.326/.375 on its way to 4.1 runs scored per game this year, including 4.2 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 2.6 per game over the team’s last five outings (1-4 SU).
Right fielder Bryce Harper and second baseman Howie Kendrick have led Washington’s hitters. Harper is hitting .257/.454/.595 with eight home runs, 19 RBIs and 20 runs scored, while Kendrick is slashing .277/.307/.446 with two homers, eight RBIs and six runs scored.
Compared to his total season slash line of .317/.411/.596, Harper performed well against righty pitching on the road last season, maintaining a slash line of .319/.438/.681 across 176 such plate appearances.
The Nationals have lost 2.3 units and are 7-8 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has hit in seven of those games, compared to seven that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Giants have lost 2.0 units and are 5-3 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over’s cashed in one of those games, compared to seven that went under the total.
Washington Nationals at San Francisco Giants MLB Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Nationals, ATS Winner – Nationals, O/U – OVER
Betting Notes
- The over has cashed in three of Washington’s last seven games.
- The Nationals have lost five of their last six games SU.
- Washington has posted 19.0 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 contests and 15.4 over its last five.
- The Nationals have hit nine home runs in their last 10 games. The Giants have hit 14 over their last 10.
