It is a loaded day of MLB action with all 30 teams facing off across the slate. With the first pitch scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET, the Washington Nationals will take on the Milwaukee Brewers.
This is the second matchup of the three-game series between these two National League opponents. Washington won the series opener 7-3 on Friday, and the Nationals will look to build on this momentum.
The Brewers enter as a 1.5-run favorite with -186 moneyline odds on DraftKings Sportsbook, while the Nationals sit as a +153 underdog. The run total is set at eight runs.
Nationals at Brewers prediction, preview
The Washington Nationals are off to a 5-8 start to the season and sit in last place in the NL East. They picked up the series-opening win in this matchup Friday after taking one of three from the Cardinals and being swept by the Dodgers before this. On the season, Washington is 8-5 to the run line, and the game total has gone over in 10 of its 13 games.
Foster Griffin will be getting the start for the Nationals today. This will mark his third start of the year, and Griffin is currently posting a 1-0 record and 2.70 ERA with 11 strikeouts across his first 10.0 innings pitched. Griffin spent the past three seasons pitching in Japan and has not faced a member of this Brewers lineup in his career.
Washington is hitting the ball better than its record shows. As a team, the Nationals are slashing .270/.342/.431 so far this season. James Wood and Daylen Lile are tied with a team-leading 15 hits, while Wood and CJ Abrams are tied with a team-high four home runs. Abrams leads the team with 15 RBIs, while Luis Garcia Jr., Brady House, Jacob Young and Joey Wiemer have each also shown encouraging flashes.
The Milwaukee Brewers enter with an 8-5 record and are tied for the top spot in the NL Central. They dropped the first game in this series and lost two of three to the Red Sox before this, but they have won each other series on the season. Milwaukee is 9-4 to the run line, and the game total has gone over in eight of its 13 games played.
Kyle Harrison is scheduled to get the start for Milwaukee. The 24-year-old is making his third start of the season and enters with a 1-0 record. Harrison has thrown 10.1 innings and allowed seven total hits while striking out 14. He has faced off with the projected Nationals lineup in 24 at-bats in his career, and they are posting slash lines of .417/.400/.667 against Harrison.
The Brewers are posting slash lines of .247/.351/.386 so far at the plate this season. Christian Yelich leads the team with 16 hits and a .340 batting average. Garrett Mitchell headlines the RBI production with 13 this season, while Jake Bauers and Gary Sanchez are tied with a team-high three home runs. William Contreras, Brice Turang and Sal Frelick have also impressed.
Nationals at Brewers pick, best bet
It has not shown in their record for the year just yet, but it has been an extremely encouraging start to the season for the Nationals. They rank fifth in the MLB in home runs, fourth in RBIs and fourth in hits this season. Facing a vulnerable pitching matchup, expect Washington’s bats to lead the way. Kyle Harrison has allowed a home run in both starts thus far, and the projected Washington lineup has slashed .417/.400/.667 against him in his career.
Foster Griffin has some concerns, but he has largely impressed to start the season. He has looked like a different guy in his second stint in the MLB. The 30-year-old added some new pitches to his arsenal during his time in Japan and has done a nice job setting them up across his first two starts. Griffin has also allowed a home run in both games, but he pitched through five innings in each and did a nice job limiting the damage. Facing a Brewers lineup that has had some early struggles, expect Griffin to have a path to the best start of his season thus far.
The Brewers may be the better team when the season settles, but they are still searching for their peak form. Milwaukee has lost three straight games entering this matchup by a combined margin of 12-5. It has put forth just three, zero and two runs in its past three games.
Don’t expect this to be enough in this matchup for a Nationals lineup performing at a high level. Washington’s offense has been impressive, and this is a favorable matchup that it can build off. Expect the Nationals to put forth runs at a rate Milwaukee cannot match and for the Nationals to pull off the outright upset today.
Best bet: Nationals Moneyline (+153)
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