Cleveland Guardians vs Washington Nationals Preview
At 4:10 PM ET, the Nationals and Guardians face off in an interleague matchup. This one is being played at Progressive Field in Cleveland, and the Guardians are the heavy favorites on the money line, with their odds sitting at -158. The money line odds for a Nationals win are at +134, and the over/under line is at 8.5 runs.
Ben Lively will start for the Guardians, while the Nationals are sending Mitchell Parker to the mound. Washington is currently 3rd in the NL East, and they have a record of 26-30. The Guardians are leading the AL Central and have an overall record of 38-19.
Check out BetCoco for Cleveland Guardians – Washington Nationals odds
Cleveland Guardians Trends and Key Stats
- 3-2 is the record of Nationals in their last five road games. They have also gone 3-2 vs. the runline.
- In the Guardians’ five most recent home games, their record stands at 3-2 (SU) with 1-4 against the spread.
- In their last ten games as the favorite, the Guardians have a record of 8-2 straight-up, and have gone 4-6 against the runline.
- Looking back at their last ten games as the underdog, the Nationals have a 5-5 straight-up record and a 6-4 record vs. the runline.
Cleveland cruised to a 7-1 win over the Nationals in the most recent game of this series. The Guardians had a huge 3rd inning, scoring all seven of their runs. As for the Nationals, they scored their only run in the 7th. Heading into the game, the Guardians were favored at -241 on the money line.
Tanner Bibee started for the Guardians and picked up the win, going 6 1/3 innings and giving up just one run. He finished the game with seven strikeouts but issued one walk. Patrick Corbin got the start for the Nationals and took the loss, giving up two earned runs in six innings of work.
At the plate, David Fry was the only player in the game to homer, going 1/3 with three RBIs. Steven Kwan scored twice for the Guardians while going 3/4. Tyler Freeman also had a two-hit game and drove in a run.
Cleveland Guardians vs Washington Nationals Prediction
Washington is 26-30 overall, putting them 3rd in the NL East, and they trail the Phillies by 13 games for the division lead. The Nationals are 8-6 in divisional games this year. They are looking to bounce back today, as they dropped the first game of their series vs. the Guardians.
As the road underdog, the Nationals have gone 14-16 this season, and they are 23-28 overall as the underdog. Washington has been good in two straight series, as their overall record is 7-10-1 this year.
The Nationals have been a solid run line bet this season, going 34-22 overall. They have been even better on the road, going 21-12 against the run line. They have been a good bet as an underdog, going 31-20 against the run line. Their average run margin in winning games is +3.5 runs per game, while their average run margin in losing games is -3.5 runs per game.
The Washington Nationals are on the road today against the Cleveland Guardians, and the over/under line for the game is set at 8.5 runs. The Nationals have had a combined run average of 8.2 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 25-29. The average over/under line for their games this season has been 8 runs, and when the line has been set at 8.5 runs, their record is 9-10. So far this season, 26.8% of their games have had over/under lines set at 8.5 runs or higher.
Washington is sending left-hander Mitchell Parker to the mound today vs. the Guardians. He has made eight starts this season and has a record of 4-2 with a 3.45 ERA. Looking at his overall numbers, Parker has a WHIP of 1.10 and opponents are batting .243 this season. Parker has turned in three quality starts this year and is coming off an outing in which he gave up three earned runs in 6 1/3 innings of work. In that outing, he gave up five hits and one homer. Parker has won two straight starts.
Heading into today’s game, the Nationals offense is averaging just 4 runs per game, which is 24th in the league. They have been even worse in terms of power, as their 47 home runs is 20th in the league. As a team, they are batting just .231 and have the 12th most strikeouts in the league. Their team OPS of .662 is 23rd in the MLB.
CJ Abrams and Luis Garcia Jr. come into the game as the Nationals’ top two hitters in terms of batting average, with Garcia Jr. leading the team with 26 RBIs. Abrams is batting .249 for the season but has gone just 4/22 in his last five games. Eddie Rosario has the team’s 2nd most homers but is batting just .179 for the season.
Cleveland is 38-19 overall this season, and they lead the AL Central by four games over the Royals. So far, they have gone 10-5 in divisional matchups. The Guardians have won eight straight games at home, and they are 19-6 at home this season.
As for their overall record, the Guardians are 13-5 in series this season. They have been the favorite in 37 games, going 26-11 in those matchups. When they have been the underdog, they are 12-8 this season. Cleveland has been playing well lately, going 8-2 across their last ten games.
When playing at home, the Cleveland Guardians have a run line record of 15-10 and an average run margin of 1.3 runs per game. Overall, their run line record is 33-24, with an average run margin of 1.4 runs per game. They have covered the run line in 18 of 37 games as the favorite and 15 of 20 games as the underdog. Their average run margin in winning games is 3.6 runs per game, while their average run margin in losses is -3.1 runs per game.
The Cleveland Guardians are set to host the Washington Nationals in a game with an over/under line of 8.5 runs. The Guardians have played to an over/under record of 29-24 this season, and their games have averaged 8.9 runs per game. When the over/under line has been set at 8.5 runs, their record is 5-10. Overall, 50.9% of their games have had lower over/under lines than 8.5 runs.
Ben Lively gets the start for the Guardians today and comes in with a record of 4-2 and an ERA of 2.80. So far, he has made eight starts and three of them have been quality starts. Lively has a WHIP of 1.18 and is averaging 8.6 strikeouts per nine innings. In his last outing, he went seven innings, giving up two earned runs, and got the win. Lively has won each of his last three starts. The right-hander has been much better on the road, coming in with an ERA of 3.68 compared to 1.50 at home.
Jose Ramirez comes into the game on a four-game hitting streak and has been on fire of late, batting .368 with five homers over his last 10 games. During this stretch, he has 16 RBIs and has gone 14/38. Ramirez’s 16 homers are the best mark in the league, and he also leads the MLB in RBIs at 57. Josh Naylor is also a big power threat in the lineup, as his 15 homers are 2nd on the team and 4th in the league.
As a team, the Guardians are 3rd in the league at 5.1 runs per game. They have been even better on the road, averaging 5.2 runs per contest. Overall, they are 8th in home runs and have the 11th best team batting average in the league. Currently, they are 3rd in the league in strikeouts and have the 7th best on-base percentage in the league.
Our pick for this Guardians vs. Nationals matchup is to take the Guardians on the money line at -158. We have the Guardians winning this one by a final score of 6-5. If you’re looking for a parlay, you could also look to take the over, as the line is sitting at 8.5 runs, and we have this one finishing with 11 runs.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Ben Lively is projected to go the longest out of any starter today, and he is also projected to pick up four strikeouts. As for Mitchell Parker, he is projected to finish with five strikeouts, and we have him finishing with a final line of 5 earned runs.
Cleveland Guardians vs Washington Nationals Betting Tips
- Take the Guardians on the moneyline
- On the run line we like the Nationals (+1.5)
- Projecting a combined 11 runs, we like the over
Cleveland Guardians Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Carlos Carrasco | Out | Neck |
| Shane Bieber | Out | Elbow |
| Trevor Stephan | Out | Elbow |
| James Karinchak | Out | Shoulder |
| Gavin Williams | Out | Elbow |
Washington Nationals Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Mason Thompson | Out | Elbow |
| Josiah Gray | Out | Elbow/Forearm |
| Cade Cavalli | Out | Elbow |
| Jose A. Ferrer | Out | Teres Major |
