Washington Nationals vs Kansas City Royals Prediction & Betting Tips 9/26/2024

Washington Nationals vs Kansas City Royals Preview

There appears to be a chance for light rain in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, as the Nationals and Royals are set to face off at 1:05 PM ET at Nationals Park. Michael Wacha is starting for the Royals, while the Nationals are going with Patrick Corbin. Kansas City is favored on the money line, and the over/under line is at 8.5 runs.

The Royals are currently on a two-game winning streak and are 84-74 this season, while the Nationals are 69-89 but have lost three straight. Washington is +145 on the money line for Thursday’s matchup, and MASN will be televising this interleague matchup.

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Washington Nationals vs. Kansas City Royals Trends and Key Stats

• 4-1 is the record of Royals in their last five road games. They have also gone 3-2 vs. the runline.
• Conversely, the Nationals have achieved a 1-4 (SU) record and 2-3 record in their last five home games.
• The Royals have a 5-5 straight-up record in their last ten games as the favorite, and 4-6 against the runline.
• When playing as the underdog, the Nationals have gone 5-5 against the runline, with a straight-up record of 6-4 over their last ten games.

Thanks to a two-run sixth inning for the Royals’ offense, they picked up a 3-0 road win over the Nationals in the most recent game of this series. Heading into the game, the Royals were favored at -139 on the money line.

Kansas City got on the board with one run in the third and added two insurance runs in the 6th. As for the Nationals, they had their best scoring chance in the 7th but could only muster two hits and left seven runners on base.

Michael Lorenzen only went 2 1/3 innings for the Royals but didn’t give up a run or a hit. He finished with just two strikeouts and allowed two walks. Lucas Erceg got the save. DJ Herz struggled on the mound for the Nationals, giving up one run in five innings of work.

Washington Nationals vs Kansas City Royals Prediction

Kansas City is 84-74 overall, and they are 7.5 games behind the Guardians in the AL Central. The Royals have gone 33-19 in divisional games this year. On the road, they are 39-38 compared to 45-36 at home. They have won two straight games, and this came after losing seven in a row.

This season, the Royals have been the favorite in 80 games, and they are 49-31 in those games. As the underdog, Kansas City is 35-43 this season. The Royals have lost two straight series and are 22-26-2 overall in series this year.

When it comes to the run line, the Royals have been a solid bet, going 86-72 on the season. They’ve been particularly good on the road, going 43-34. They’ve been a good bet as the underdog, going 46-32. The Royals have an average run margin of +0.6 runs per game this season.

The Kansas City Royals are on the road against the Washington Nationals today. The O/U line for the game is set at 8.5 runs, which is slightly below the combined run average of 8.6 runs for their games this season. The Royals have an O/U record of 68-85 on the season, and when the line is set at 8.5 runs, they have gone 17-27. Their games have had an average O/U line of 8 runs, and they have hit the under in their last three games.

Michael Wacha will be looking to bounce back from his last outing, where he took the loss vs. the Giants. In that start, he went 5 2/3 innings, giving up two earned runs, and one homer. Before that outing, Wacha had won two straight starts. He has made 28 starts this year and has a record of 13-8 with a 3.29 ERA. Wacha’s WHIP for the season is 1.19, and opponents are batting .244 vs. the right-hander this year. Wacha has made 14 appearances on the road, going 6-5 with a 3.70 ERA.

Heading into today’s game, the Royals are 13th in the league in scoring, averaging 4.6 runs per game. They have been even better at home, putting up 4.8 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting .250, which is 7th in the league, and are 2nd in the league in fewest strikeouts. Kansas City’s team on-base percentage of .308 is 14th in the league.

Bobby Witt Jr. has been swinging a hot bat of late, going 8/21 over his last six games. For the season, he is batting .333 with a team-high 32 homers and 108 RBIs. Salvador Perez is also having a strong season, hitting .272 with 27 homers and 103 RBIs. Perez has gone just 5/24 in his last six games.

With an overall record of 69-89, the Nationals are 4th in the NL East, trailing the Phillies by 24.5 games. So far, they have gone 23-26 in divisional matchups. The Nationals have dropped three straight games, and they are 2-8 over their last 10 games.

At home, the Nationals are 36-41 this season compared to 33-48 on the road. As the underdog, Washington is 54-76 this season, and they have lost three straight as the underdog overall. The Nationals’ series record is 19-25-6, and they have dropped two straight series.

Washington has been a solid bet on the run line this season, going 87-71 overall. They are 41-36 against the run line at home, where they have an average scoring margin of -0.6 runs per game. As an underdog, they are 74-56 vs. the run line, while they are just 13-15 when favored.

Washington is 20-23 when the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs this season, and the Nationals have gone under in five straight games. Their games have averaged 8.8 runs per game this year, and they are 73-79 overall on over/under bets. The average over/under line in their games is set at 9 runs, and 38.0% of their games have had lines set at 8.5 runs.

Left-hander Patrick Corbin gets the start for the Nationals today as he faces the Royals at home. He has made 31 starts this season and has a record of 6-13 with a 5.58 ERA. Corbin’s WHIP for the season is 1.51, and opponents have a batting average of .288 this year. In his 31 appearances, Corbin has turned in nine quality starts. Looking back at his last outing, Corbin finished with a no-decision against the Cubs, giving up five earned runs in 4 1/3 innings of work. Before that, he had won two straight starts.

Washington’s offense has been near the bottom of the league in most major categories this season, as they are 25th in runs scored and are also near the bottom of the league in home runs. As a team, they are batting just .241, which is 15th in the league. However, they do have two players with over 20 homers in CJ Abrams and Luis Garcia Jr. Abrams has a team-high 65 RBIs, while Garcia Jr. is batting .278.

Joey Gallo has struggled for the Nationals of late, as he has gone just 4/19 in his last seven games. However, he has hit two homers over that stretch and driven in six runs. As a team, they are hoping to get more production out of Gallo, as he is one of the league’s top power hitters when he is going well. Currently, Lane Thomas, James Wood, and Darren Baker are all on three-game hitting streaks.

With the money line payout, we see the Nationals at +145 as a great value pick. Our predicted score is 5-4 in favor of the Nationals, giving us some room to also take them on the run line if you prefer.

Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Patrick Corbin finishing with five strikeouts compared to Michael Wacha with five as well. However, Corbin is projected to go eight innings, while Wacha is projected to go just five.

Washington Nationals vs Kansas City Royals Betting Tips

• We like the Nationals on the moneyline (+145)
• On the run line we like Nationals (+1.5)
• Projecting a combined 9 runs, we like the over

Washington Nationals Injury Report

Kansas City Royals Injury Report