In the 4 p.m. EST window of Saturday’s MLB slate, the San Francisco Giants (59-57) host the Washington Nationals (45-70) at Oracle Park for the second leg of this three-game set. The home team took last night’s game in a 5-0 shutout, winning their third straight contest. Can San Francisco keep this winning streak alive?
Here’s a Giants vs. Nationals prediction and pick on DraftKings Sportsbook for Saturday.
Giants vs. Nationals prediction, preview
San Francisco looked like a contender in the NL West throughout the first months of the season, then a major trade for Rafael Devers seemed like it would further shake the landscape of the division. However, neither Giants or Devers have seen the results they expected since that point — they’re just 18-26 since the acquisition while Devers slashes just .227/.344/.393 with the team. The lineup came out of the All-Star break very slowly and were 4-12 following those festivities until this short win streak began, just barely clawing their way back above .500.
The Giants are likely closer to the Nationals than they wish. Washington finds itself in a rebuilding year, they they’re also 7-12 since the ASG like their opponents. Granted, the difference in these two pitching staffs feels stark, but while the Nats’ offense posts a .689 OPS on the year to the Giants’ .690, the visitors are dead-last in the stat since the season resumed at a dismal .633. They’re also one of only two teams to have not yet reached 70 runs scored since the ASG. That’s a tough spot for any team, but especially since San Francisco’s offense actually has a .747 OPS and sits middle-of-the-pack in scoring since the ASG.
In a competition between two batting orders which generally struggle (one of which looks like one of the league’s coldest right now), the pitching matchup plays even more of a role than typical. Rookie left-hander Carson Whisenhunt (4.35 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, seven SO) makes the third start of his MLB career for San Francisco against a fellow rookie, Washington right-hander Brad Lord (3.42 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 65 SO). The former’s sample size remains very small with just a shade over 10 innings, so it’s tough to draw too much from his box score stats.
Giants vs. Nationals pick, best bet
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Giants as -164 favorites on the Moneyline while the Nationals come in at +134 to win outright. The run total sits at an even eight for this matchup.
San Francisco won last night’s contest 5-0 as they tallied 10 hits to just four for Washington. That does feel like somewhat of a rarity for the Giants, though Devers did play one of the best games of his career with the team, going 1-for-3 with a homer and a walk as well. On the other side, James Wood continues a brutal slump in recent weeks and hasn’t homered in his last 21 games.
Over the four games these teams have squared off in this season, the under hit every single time with five, seven, three and four runs scored. That trend feels like it may continue again today as these generally-rough offenses face off again. I’m taking under eight runs with no hesitation.
Best bet: Under eight runs (-105)
Click the odds on this bet to tail!
