The Washington Nationals remain above the .500 mark by a slim margin as they hunt for a Wild Card spot in the NL. After shaking up their roster slightly and trading infielder Curtis Mead over the weekend, they hosted the Toronto Blue Jays last night for the first outing of a three-game set. The visitors emerged with a 3-2 win in that one, but the Nats have a chance to get back on the board this evening at 6:45 p.m. ET.
Let’s dive in with a preview, prediction and pick for tonight’s Blue Jays vs. Nationals game courtesy of odds and lines on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Blue Jays vs. Nationals prediction, preview
While he tossed over 70 pitches in just 2.2 innings of work, Max Scherzer made a heroic return to Nationals Park where he spent much of his career and allowed just one run to one of the best offenses in baseball. Myles Straw ended up being a game-changer with a pair of hits, plus a run and an RBI, though the Jays were out-hit seven to eight overall on the night.
With that win, Toronto moved up just slightly to 49-58 on the campaign, though a -61 run differential remains quite poor and the club still sits last in the AL East. Washington, meanwhile, advanced to 54-53 with a +29 differential, coming in at third in the NL East,
Looking toward tonight, the Blue Jays start RHP Shane Bieber (2-1), who has a 4.70 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP over a limited sample of 30.2 IP since making his season debut back in June. He’s also struck out just 22 hitters thus far for a 16.7% K% with a 9.1% BB%. Toronto’s relievers are quite solid though, sitting ninth in ERA at 3.87 with a 1.30 WHIP and a 14.2% K-BB%.
The Nationals send out RHP Cade Cavalli (7-4). He’s put forth a quality campaign, amassing a 3.58 ERA with a 1.29 WHIP and 127 strikeouts over 110.2 IP. He has a 26.6% K% with a 7.1% BB%, also forcing ground balls at an above-average rate. This Washington bullpen is one of the sport’s worst though, ranking 26th in ERA at 4.98 with a 1.47 WHIP and an 8.1% K-BB%.
As for the respective offenses, there couldn’t be a wider gap between these clubs. The Blue Jays average an MLB-worst 3.92 runs per game with a .682 OPS that falls second-to-last. While a 19.6% K% is one of the best in baseball, they draw few walks with a 7.3% BB% and are dead last in OBP. They don’t make up for it with power, either, logging an MLB-low .137 ISO with only 105 home runs, 26th in the sport. Against right-handed pitching, they slash .252/.307/.391 with a .698 OPS.
The Nationals find themselves on the opposite end of the spectrum. Their 5.48 runs per game lead the entire MLB, as do a .775 OPS, a .192 ISO and their 157 home runs. A 21.4% K% is around the middle of the pack, as is a 9.0% BB% as well. There’s a ton to like about how this team hits, and even in the lesser of their splits against right-handers, they have a slash line of .247/.321/.441 for an OPS of .762.
Blue Jays vs. Nationals pick, best bet
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Nationals as -143 Moneyline favorites at home tonight with the Blue Jays set as +119 road underdogs. The run total sits at nine for this one.
If anything gets Toronto through this game with another win, it’ll be its pitching staff. Bieber has been passable, but not exactly impressive in his limited sample of work this season. Granted, his last two starts were quite good with just three hits allowed in each and one earned run conceded over 13.0 combined innings. That may be difficult to replicate though, especially against this caliber of opposing lineup. Washington is shelling just about every pitcher it faces and boasts a .926 OPS since the All-Star break, most notably with CJ Abrams hitting .463 with seven homers across those 10 games. I think we see a more typical offensive output tonight from the Nats rather than the two runs we got last night.
