The Washington Nationals (32-65) are coming from a big win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. However, they still have one of the worst records in MLB and are starting a series against the Dodgers. Check the Nationals vs Dodgers Betting Analysis below.
Taking on Los Angeles isn’t easy for any team, especially one performing as poorly as Washington. Still, they’ll give it their best to take down the juggernauts of the NL West. The question is whether their pitching will be able to stand up to the Dodgers batters.
As we go through our Nationals vs. Dodgers Betting Analysis, we’ll look at a few things. For the Nationals, we’ll go over what exactly they’ll need to do to win the game. In regard to the Dodgers, we’ll review who they’ll have on the mound and in the lineup.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are 64-30, the best record in the NL West. In fact, the closest team is the San Diego Padres, who are 11.5 games behind Los Angeles. Although they could afford to lose a few, the Dodgers have no plan of slowing down.
When making a pick, it’s a must to do research. Today, let’s look at these MLB teams betting odds.
Washington Nationals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
Nationals vs Dodgers: MLB Odds for Today
Frankly, it should be no shock that the Nationals are huge underdogs in this game. At the moment, the Nationals are +250 heading into this game. When taking a look at their recent performances, it’s pretty easy to see why.
Over the course of their last ten games, the Washington Nationals have only won two of them. To be fair, their most recent win was yesterday’s 4-3 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. However, the Diamondbacks are the worst team in the NL West.
The Los Angeles Dodgers come into this game as heavy favorites, currently at -320. There are, however, a few things that you’ll need to take into consideration.
As a favorite, which the Dodgers often are, they have a record of 63-29. Even more important, Los Angeles is 34-13 at home and is starting a pitcher with an 11-0 record.
Washington Nationals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Betting Preview
Although the Nationals were able to get a win yesterday, we need to look deeper at the team. We couldn’t suggest any free MLB picks without doing a lot of research.
The Nationals have a team batting average of .246, ranking 13th in the league. Although it isn’t bad, it hasn’t translated to runs either. With only 371 runs this season, the Nationals rank 27th in the league. This small amount of runs won’t help them against the Dodgers.
Paolo Espino Analysis
Taking the mound tonight for the Nationals is Paolo Espino, who is 0-3 as a starter. Here’s where the game really starts to reveal the best pick. Espino has a solid ERA of 3.57; however, he’s allowed 59 hits in 58 innings with ten home runs.
When looking at Espino and the batting of the Nationals, you have to compare it to the Dodgers. Los Angeles has a team batting average of .257, ranking fourth in the league. Along with that, they have the second most runs in MLB at 487 and the best on-base percentage (.335).
Tony Gonsolin Analysis
With a team that can score quickly and easily, the next question is their pitching. As we mentioned above, the Dodgers are starting an 11-0 pitcher. This RHP is Tony Gonsolin, the undefeated pitcher with a 2.02 ERA.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are currently on an eight-game winning streak and definitely have the edge here. With Gonsolin and their incredible batting, they’re definitely the best pick regardless of the MLB odds.
Nationals vs. Dodgers Picks & Predictions
There are a few players on the Nationals that are worth looking at before we announce our pick. One of these is Josh Bell, who leads the team in batting average (.305) and RBIs (51).
Bell could put up a few runs tonight in an effort to keep this game close. However, with Gonsolin on the mound, every one of the Nationals batters is in trouble.
The key to this game is pitching, and the Los Angeles Dodgers won that battle rather easily. Even if it came down to batting, the Dodgers have a significant edge as well.
Dodgers Moneyline
We’re going to take the Los Angeles Dodgers at -320 to win this game and the under. Although the Dodgers have better bats, we don’t see the Nationals contributing much in this one. The player we think will make the biggest difference tonight is Tony Gonsolin.
Gonsolin has had an incredible season, posting 86 strikeouts over 93.2 innings. With such a low ERA and the fact that he’s in his home stadium, we expect another big game.
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