Cincinnati Reds vs Washington Nationals Betting Pick, Odds, Prediction & Lines

 

On Wednesday night, the Nationals take on the Reds for the second contest of the 3-game series in Washington. Both teams have already lost a lot of ground in their respective divisions and will be hoping to make up some of it. The first game, last night, ended with a win for the Reds. It was a welcomed victory for the Reds as they have been struggling recently. They came to the series winning only 3 of their last 10 games. Cincinnati now has a 21-25 record, good enough for only 4th in the NL Central. The Nationals have shown some improvement before this series. They have won 3 straight to sweep the Orioles at home. Still, prior to that series, they’ve won only 4 out of the last 12 games. Washington is now at the bottom of the NL East with a 20-24 record. This is the first series this season between the two teams. We’ll have to wait for the next one until September. Scattered thunderstorms are expected for tonight in Washington. There’s a 39% chance for rain. The winds are expected at 9 mph SSW.

Line Movement

The nationals are favored for tonight and the odds are set at -135 with most sportsbooks. The Reds are priced at +125. For tonight’s game, the bookies have set the total at 9.5.

Notes on Cincinnati Reds

The Reds’ main strength this season has been their offense. They rank 4th in the league with 5.11 runs per game and 5th with 8.49 hits. Their team batting average of .2.49 is the sixth-best in the MLB. The team leader in hits is right fielder Nick Castellanos with 58 including 12 home runs. Outfielder Jesse Winker has team-high 13 homers. They’re both batting above .350 and are among the hottest hitters in the majors. Still, last night, it was the pitching that got Cincinnati the win. Tyler Mahle was great at the mound lasting 5.1 innings and allowing 3 hits and zero earned runs. The bullpen allowed 1 earned run on 1 hit in the final 12 outs.

Tonight’s starter for the Reds is Jeff Hoffman. The right-hander is 3-3 this season with a 4.31 ERA. His strikeout-to-walk ratio is less than 2-to-1. He pitched against the Nationals twice in his career going 0-1 in 10 innings.

Notes on Washington Nationals

The nationals gain some momentum coming to the series after sweeping the Orioles over the weekend. Still, the home loss last night is indicative of their inconsistent season. They haven’t been at .500 since the start of the campaign. However, as they play in the tightest division, the NL East, there’s still plenty of time to catch up. So far, they have mostly relied on their offense to get results. They rank third in the MLB with a 2.58 batting average. The Nationals are also 3rd in hits per game with 8.70. Starting shortstop, Trea Turner, leads the team with 57 hits and 10 home runs.

Joe Ross gets to start at the mound for Washington tonight. The right-handed pitcher has struggled this season with a 2-4 record in 8 starts and a 5.72 ERA. In his last start, he lasted only 3.2 innings vs the Cubs allowing 4 runs. Still, he’s done good in his last 2 starts against the Reds, going 2-2 with a 1.32 ERA.

Betting Pick: OVER 9.5

This is a matchup between two pitchers who are struggling this season. We can expect both Hoffman and Ross to give up more than a couple of runs. In addition, both bullpens are below average.