Nationals vs. Orioles Pick
Can the Baltimore Orioles slug their way to another win over the Washington Nationals when the two meet tonight at 7:05PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at BetDSI, the Nationals are the clear favorite on the road, as they are getting odds of -160 to win. The Orioles are listed with a money line of +150 tonight, while the over/under total has been set at 8.5 runs.
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The Nationals are putting Max Scherzer (4-2, 2.66 ERA) on the mound to face Ubaldo Jimenez (1-1, 6.58) of the Orioles. Jimenez hasn’t had much to be excited about this season, as he has given up 19 earned runs in 26 innings of work with 18 strikeouts and 18 walks. His last outing was actually three innings of relief after an ejection forced him into action. Scherzer is up to his usual numbers, going 40.2 innings with 51 strikeouts and 11 walks. His WHIP is just 0.91 and he is coming off a 7-inning, 2-hit, 11-strikeout performance against the Diamondbacks.
Baltimore was able to open this big series with a 6-4 win at home on Monday night. The Orioles now sit at 21-10 overall and 12-3 at home while the Nationals are 21-11 overall and 12-5 on the road.
The Orioles used the long ball to get past Washington on Monday, as they hit three home runs off Gio Gonzalez to hand him his first loss of 2017. Joey Rickard, Mark Trumbo and Trey Mancini each went yard in the win. With some run support, Kevin Gausman looked solid, going seven innings while allowing just five hits and two runs. He also struck out eight in the win.
I really though Washington would come out with a win on Monday, as the pitching matchup was heavily in its favor. The same can be said today. Despite the loss last night, I am sticking with the Nationals. Scherzer eats up the innings and should be able to rack up the strikeouts against this big-swinging Baltimore lineup. Washington has to be able to get to Jimenez, as he is a shell of the pitcher he used to be. If the Nats can’t win tonight, it could be a long week.
MLB DAILY PREDICTION: WASHINGTON NATIONALS -110