Washington Nationals (45-53) vs Cincinnati Reds (47-51)
Game Info: Sunday, July 21, 2024 at 1:35 pm (Nationals Park)
The Line: Betting Odds: Washington Nationals -118 / Cincinnati Reds +100 — Over/Under: 8.5
The Cincinnati Reds and the Washington Nationals meet Sunday in MLB action from Nationals Park. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Cincinnati Reds vs. Washington Nationals prediction.
Starting Pitching Matchup
The Cincinnati Reds will send out Andrew Abbott for the start here and Abbott is 9-6 with a 3.39 ERA and 86 strikeouts this season. This will be Abbott’s second career start against the Nationals. Jake Irvin will get the start for Washington here and is 7-8 with a 3.49 ERA and 99 strikeouts this season. In his career, Irvin is 0-1 with a 5.28 ERA and 13 strikeouts against the Reds.
Cincinnati Reds Recap
The Cincinnati Reds will look to bounce back and win the rubber match of the series after ending up with a 5-4 loss in Saturday’s matchup, evening the series up at one win apiece. The Reds will be looking to keep their series win streak alive after knocking off the Marlins and Rockies Prior to the all-star break.
Reds Trying To Keep Afloat In NL Playoff Hunt
Elly De La Cruz leads the Reds with 94 hits, 17 home runs and 44 RBIs with 47 stolen bases along with a .255 batting average as well. Spencer Steer has a team-high 61 RBIs with 22 doubles and 15 stolen bases while Will Benson also has 15 doubles with 11 stolen bases but also has 118 strikeouts while De La Cruz has a team-high 130 strikeouts so far this season. Jeimer Candelario also has 19 doubles as well as 16 home runs and 78 hits this season for Cincinnati.
Why the Cincinnati Reds will win
- The Reds have won seven of their last eight games as underdogs against NL East opponents following a loss.
- The Nationals have lost five of their last six games as favorites against NL Central opponents.
- The Reds have covered the run line in each of their last 12 games as underdogs against NL East opponents following a loss.
- The Nationals have failed to cover the run line in each of their last seven Sunday games as home favorites against NL Central opponents.
- The Reds have won the first inning in three of their last four games as underdogs against the Nationals.
Washington Nationals Recap
The Washington Nationals come into this one looking to win the series after their victory in Saturday’s matchup. The win put the Nationals in position to book-end the all-star break with series wins after taking down the Brewers before the break.
Nationals Trying To Climb Back To .500
CJ Abrams leads the Nationals with 97 hits along with 15 home runs and 49 RBIs to go along with 21 doubles, 6 triples and 16 stolen bases. Luis Garcia Jr. has 17 doubles with 45 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. Jacob Young has 24 stolen bases while Lane Thomas has 25 stolen bases and Jesse Winker has 14 stolen bases with 11 home runs and 43 RBIs this season.
Why the Washington Nationals will win
- The Nationals have won each of their last nine Sunday games as home favorites.
- The Reds have lost each of their last six Sunday games.
- The Nationals have covered the run line in seven of their last eight games against the Reds.
- The Reds have failed to cover the run line in seven of their last eight day games against the Nationals following a loss.
Reds vs. Nationals Prediction
I’m on the Reds here. I just like the value we’re getting with Cincinnati. Abbott and Irvin both struggled in their last starts, but it’s a bit more alarming for me with Irvin because he was pitching better on the road pretty much all season long. On the other side, Abbott pitches at hitter-friendly Great American, so starts like that are bound to happen, but Abbott’s held down some pretty tough lineups in his road starts this season and I think he can have another strong one here to give the Reds the series win. Give me Cincinnati.