The Pittsburgh Pirates are making a road trip to Nationals Park to face the Washington Nationals. Mid-Atlantic Sports Network will broadcast this NL matchup and the first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET.
Pittsburgh Pirates at Washington Nationals Odds
Pittsburgh (+110) is the underdog against Washington (-120) and Vegas has put the Over/Under for this one at 7.5 runs (-115 for the over and -105 for the under). Bettors can also wager on the games runline with the current odds sitting at -190 for the Pirates +1.5 runs and +165 for the Nationals -1.5 runs.
The Nationals are 12-16 SU and 12-15 ATS. The team has lost 11.1 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 4.0 units against the spread (ATS). Washington has a 3-4 ATS mark over its last seven games and the total has gone under in five of those seven. The Pirates are 17-11 SU and have gone 15-12 ATS. In total, the teams gained 4.0 units for moneyline gamblers in this young season and 4.3 units ATS. Pittsburgh has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the total has gone over in three of those seven.
Nationals games have an over/under record of 12-13-2 so far in 2018. The Pirates have an over/under record of 14-9-4.
Jameson Taillon is getting the nod 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 across seven innings).
The Nationals are preparing to start 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 pitchers have allowed 4.3 runs per game and its starters 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 teams last 10 games and 5.2 per game over the teams last five outings (5-0 SU).
Pittsburgh’s offensive production 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 steals.
Marte appeared to have some trouble hitting righty pitching on the road last year. Over 128 such plate appearances, he maintained a slash line of .250/.289/.317 (compared to his overall season line of .275/.333/.379).
For the home team, Washington’s pitching staff has given up 4.3 runs per game overall this season. Its starting pitching staff has an ERA of 3.49, a WHIP of 1.13 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 9.8. The bullpen has a 4.91 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 10.4 K/9.
The Washington hitters are putting up 4.4 runs per contest, including 4.3 per game over its last 10 games and 5.6 per game over their last five. The team has a slash-line of .278/.360/.450 over its last five contests and is 2-3 SU during that stretch.
The Nationals batters have been led by right fielder Bryce Harper and second baseman Howie Kendrick. Harper is hitting .253/.457/.540 with eight home runs, 19 RBIs and 23 runs scored, while 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 right-handed starting pitcher this season. The over has hit in nine of those games, as opposed to nine that’ve gone under against righty starters. On the other hand, the Nationals have lost 2.9 units and are 8-9 ATS when facing a righty starter. The overs cashed in nine of those games, compared to seven that went under the total.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Washington Nationals Free MLB Tip
Predictions: SU Winner – Nationals, ATS Winner – Pirates, O/U – OVER
Betting Trends
- The Pittsburgh defense has allowed nine errors over the last 10 games, compared to two errors for Washington over its last 10.
- The Pirates have hit eight home runs in their last 10 games. The Nationals have hit 10 over their last 10.
