Marlins vs. Nationals Prediction
The Washington Nationals have rebounded from their poor play in recent weeks with back-to-back wins over the visiting Miami Marlins. Will bettors be smart to bet on the runline for Washington today with ace Max Scherzer on the mound?
Game Snapshot
909 Miami Marlins at 910 Washington Nationals
Saturday, July 7, 2018
Nationals Park at 7:15PM ET
TV: MASN (WASH)
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Public Betting Information
According to oddsmakers, the Nationals are a -335 favorite to win on the moneyline. The Marlins are a +275 underdog, while the total is set at 7 runs. Washington is -160 on the -1.5 runline, while Miami is +140 on the +1.5 RL. As of Saturday morning, 79 percent of public bets are coming in on the host Nationals. Check out our MLB Public Betting Page for up-to-date information.
Reynolds hits walk-off bomb
Pinch hitter Mark Reynolds broke a tie in the bottom of the ninth inning with a walk-off solo home run Friday night, giving Washington a 3-2 home win over Miami. It is the second straight win for the Nats on the heels of a five-game losing skid. Adam Eaton and Wilmer Difo both went 2-for-4 with an RBI in the victory. Trea Turner also finished 2-for-4. Bryce Harper was 0-for-2, but drew two walks and scored a run. Sean Doolittle threw a perfect inning of relief with one strikeout to earn the win.
Castro stays hot
Starlin Castro has been on a tear lately and it continued in last night’s defeat as he finished 2-for-5 with a double, a run and an RBI from the leadoff spot. Brian Anderson was 1-for-3 with a walk. Martin Prado was 0-for-2 with two walks and an RBI. Garrett Cooper went 2-for-3 with a walk. Miguel Rojas finished 2-for-4. Kyle Barraclough took the loss in relief as he allowed the home run to Reynolds to lead off the bottom of the ninth.
Wei-Yin Chen (2-5, 5.55 ERA) will start today for the Marlins, while Washington turns to Scherzer (10-5, 2.16).
MLB Betting Trends
Miami
The Marlins are 20-41 in their last 61 road games. Miami is 2-6 in Chen’s last eight road starts.
Washington
The Nationals are 6-2 in Scherzer’s last eight starts versus Miami. Washington is 20-6 in the last 26 meetings.
Prediction:
This is a classic mismatch, although this is baseball and anything can happen plus Washington is only a couple days removed from an ugly stretch that lasted a few weeks. Even so, I think Scherzer will shut down Miami as he is highly motivated to help Washington earn some much-needed wins to get back in the NL East race. Chen is very hittable and I expect Washington to have plenty of success against him.
MLB DAILY PREDICTION: WASHINGTON NATIONALS RL -160