Pittsburgh Pirates vs Washington Nationals Preview
SN PT will be televising Friday’s Nationals vs. Pirates matchup, with the game starting at 6:40 PM ET from PNC Park in Pittsburgh. The forecast looks good for Friday’s game, with temperatures in the mid-80s and a clear sky.
The over/under line is currently at 8.5 runs, and the Pirates are favored on the money line, with their odds sitting at -129. Washington is +109 on the money line, and they will be looking to end a two-game losing streak. Pittsburgh’s Luis Ortiz is set to face off against DJ Herz for the Nationals. Herz has a record of 62-78, while the Pirates are 66-74.
Check out BetCoco for Pittsburgh Pirates – Washington Nationals odds
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Washington Nationals Trends and Key Stats
- 2-3 is the record of Nationals in their last five road games. They have also gone 2-3 vs. the runline.
- On the other side, the Pirates have gone 3-2 (SU) and 3-2 in their previous five home contests.
- The Pirates have a straight-up record of 6-4 in their last ten games as the favorite, and a 5-5 record vs. the runline.
- Looking at the Nationals’ previous ten games as the underdog they are 3-7 straight-up and 5-5 vs. the runline.
Pittsburgh cruised to a 9-4 win over the Nationals in the most recent game of this series. The Pirates had a huge 2nd inning, scoring five of their nine runs. As for the Nationals, they scored their four runs in the 5th. Heading into the game, the Pirates were favored at -123 on the money line.
Bailey Falter only went five innings for the Pirates but gave up just three hits and three earned runs. Aroldis Chapman closed things out. Jake Irvin had a rough outing for the Nationals, giving up six runs in five innings of work.
Nick Gonzales had a three RBI game for the Pirates, while Andres Chaparro and Juan Yepez each drove in three for the Nationals.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs Washington Nationals Prediction
Washington is 62-78 overall, and they are 22 games out of the NL East lead. So far, they have gone 19-21 in divisional games. The Nationals lost the first game of this series vs. the Pirates and have dropped two straight games overall.
At home, the Nationals are 32-37 this year, and they are 30-41 on the road. As the underdog, Washington is 50-66 this year and 12-12 when favored. This season, the Nationals’ series record is 18-23-4, and they are 4-6 over their last 10 games.
The Nationals have a run line record of 78-62 this season, including a 41-30 mark on the road. Their average run margin is -0.6 runs per game, and they have been a run line underdog in 116 of their 140 games. They have covered the run line in 67 of those games.
Washington Nationals games have had an average of 9.0 runs scored per game this season, and their over/under record is 67-68. When the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs, their record is 18-21. Overall, 57 of their games have had higher over/under lines than 8.5 runs, which accounts for 40.7% of their games.
Washington is sending DJ Herz to the mound today vs. the Pirates, and he comes in with a record of 2-7 and an ERA of 4.09. Looking at his overall numbers, Herz has made 15 starts, and opponents are batting .226 off him this season. In his 15 appearances, he has turned in two quality starts, and his ERA at home is 4.43 compared to 4.95 on the road. Herz’s last outing came on August 31st, where he took the loss, giving up four earned runs in 4 2/3 innings of work. Before that, he had gone three straight outings without giving up a homer.
Washington’s offense has been pretty average this season, as they are 21st in the league in runs scored and are also near the bottom of the league in terms of home runs. As a team, they are batting .245, which is 11th in the league. However, their collective slugging percentage of .378 is only 22nd in the MLB.
Luis Garcia Jr. has been the Nationals’ top hitter this season, as he is batting .290 and leads the team with 63 RBIs. His 15 homers are 2nd on the team, behind CJ Abrams, who has 18 homers but is batting just .240. Over his last 10 games, Jacob Young is batting .364 with one homer, and Andres Chaparro has three homers in that stretch but is batting just .167.
Pittsburgh is 66-74 overall and 15 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. So far, they have gone 22-20 in divisional games. The Pirates are coming off a loss in the series finale vs. the Reds, and they are 4-6 across their last 10 games.
At home, the Pirates are 33-36 this year and 33-38 on the road. As the favorite, Pittsburgh has gone 29-24 and 18-18 as the favorite at home. Overall, they are just 37-50 as the underdog this year.
When the Pirates win, they do so by an average of 3.3 runs per game, but when they lose, they lose by an average of 3.6 runs per game. They have a run line record of 78-62 on the season, and they are 35-34 on the run line at home. They have covered the run line in two straight games and are 43-28 on the run line on the road.
The Pirates have played 69 over/under games this season, and their games have averaged 8.8 runs per game. Their games have gone over the line 28 times and under 41 times. Their games have had an average over/under line of 8 runs per game. Their games have had an over/under line of 8.5 runs 21 times this season, and the over has hit in 28 of their games overall. Their games have had an over/under line of 8.5 runs in 15.0% of their games this season. They have hit the over in their last two games.
Luis L. Ortiz will be looking to build off his last outing, where he didn’t give up a run and picked up the win. In that start vs. the Guardians, he went six innings and gave up just one hit. Looking back over his last four outings, Ortiz has given up at least two homers in three of them. His ERA for the season is 3.19, along with a record of 6-4. Opponents are batting .213 off Ortiz this season. So far, he has made five quality starts. For the year, he has given up 12 homers at home and 3.79 ERA compared to 3.45 on the road.
So far this season, the Pirates are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 20th in the league. They have been a better offensive team at home, averaging 4.4 runs per game. As a team, they are batting just .235, which is 17th in the league, and have the 21st ranked home run total in the league. One thing they have done well is avoid strikeouts, as they have the 25th fewest strikeouts in the league.
Bryan Reynolds has been the Pirates’ top hitter this season, batting .280 with a team-leading 22 home runs. He also leads the team with 78 RBIs. Reynolds is also on a team-high eight-game hitting streak. Over his last four games, Andrew McCutchen has gone 4/15 with two homers, and Nick Gonzales has gone 9/31 in his last seven games.
Our prediction for this Nationals vs. Pirates matchup is that the Pirates will pick up a 5-4 win at home. With the money line sitting at -129, this is the best way to go about betting on a Pirates win.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Luis L. Ortiz is projected to finish with four strikeouts, which is the third-worst among all starters. As for the Nationals starter, DJ Herz is projected to finish with seven strikeouts, which is the third best among all starters.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs Washington Nationals Betting Tips
- Take the Pirates on the moneyline
- On the run line we like the Nationals (+1.5)
- Projecting a combined 9 runs, we like the over
Pittsburgh Pirates Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Andrew McCutchen | Questionable | Knee |
| Johan Oviedo | Out | Elbow |
| Marco Gonzales | Out | Forearm |
| Ke’Bryan Hayes | Out | Back |
| Ben Heller | Out | Shoulder |
| Daulton Jefferies | Out | Elbow |
| Joey Bart | Out | Hamstring |
| Dauri Moreta | Out | Elbow |
| Hunter Stratton | Out | Knee |
| Endy Rodríguez | Out | Elbow |
Washington Nationals Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Trevor Williams | Out | Hip Flexor |
| Alex Call | Out | Foot/Ankle |
| Mason Thompson | Out | Elbow |
| Josiah Gray | Out | Elbow |
| Joan Adon | Out | Shoulder/Biceps |
| Cade Cavalli | Out | Elbow |
