Washington Nationals vs Minnesota Twins Preview
Monday’s interleague matchup between the Twins and Nationals has a first pitch set for 6:45 PM ET from Nationals Park in Washington, DC. The forecast looks good for the game, with temperatures in the low 80s and partly cloudy skies. MASN will be televising this one, and the Twins are the favorites on the money line, with their odds sitting at -162 compared to the Nationals at +139.
Minnesota comes in with a record of 24-22, while the Nationals are 20-25. Washington will be looking to extend their six-game winning streak, which has them 4th in the NL East. The Twins are 3rd in the AL Central. Mitchell Parker is starting for the Nationals, and he is facing off against a Twins team that has Pablo Lopez on the mound.
Check out BetCoco for Washington Nationals – Minnesota Twins odds
Washington Nationals Trends and Key Stats
- 1-4 is the record of Twins in their last five road games. They have also gone 2-3 vs. the runline.
- On the other side, the Nationals have gone 0-5 (SU) and 1-4 in their previous five home contests.
- Looking back on their last ten games as the favorite, the Twins are 5-5 straight-up and 3-7 vs. the runline.
- The Nationals have a 3-7 record vs. the runline and a 7-3 straight-up record in their last ten games as the underdog.
Washington Nationals vs Minnesota Twins Prediction
The Twins will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Guardians with a 5-2 loss. This was especially tough, as it was the Guardians who handed the Twins the loss, and Minnesota was the slight favorite on the money line going into the game. Things started off well for the Twins, as they got on the board with a run in the 3rd inning but gave up the lead right away as the Guardians scored two runs in the bottom of the first.
Chris Paddack put together a good start for the Twins, going eight innings and giving up just two earned runs, and striking out six. However, the Twins couldn’t close things out, and Jhoan Duran took the loss out of the bullpen. The Twins also wasted a big game from Jose Miranda, who homered in the 3rd, going 1/3.
Minnesota opens their series on the road vs. the Nationals having lost six straight games, and they are 24-22 overall this season. The Twins are 5.5 games behind the Guardians in the AL Central and are 3rd in the division. So far, they have gone 12-10 in AL Central matchups.
As the favorite, the Twins have gone 19-10 this year, and they are 5-12 as the underdog. At home, Minnesota lost three straight as the favorite, and they are 11-2 as the favorite on the road. The Twins’ overall series record is 7-6-2, but they were swept by the Guardians in their most recent series.
Minnesota has been a solid bet on the run line this season, going 23-23 overall. They’ve been especially good on the road, where they are 14-10 ATS. The Twins have been favored in 29 games this season, going 15-14 ATS in those contests. Their average run differential in winning games is +3.6, while it drops to -3.8 in losses.
The Twins have played 45 games this season, and 18 of those games have had over/under lines set at 8 or higher. Their over/under record for the season is 21-24, and their average combined run total for the season is 8.8 runs per game. In their last 10 games, the average combined run total has been 7.8 runs per game.
Right-hander Pablo López gets the start for the Twins today as he faces the Nationals on the road. He has made nine starts this year and has a record of 4-3 with an ERA of 3.93. Lopez’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.05, and he has turned in five quality starts. In his last outing, he took the loss, giving up three earned runs in 6 1/3 innings of work. Before that, he had won three straight starts. Lopez has been much better at home this year, coming in with a 3.74 ERA compared to 5.31 on the road.
Currently, the Twins are averaging 4.4 runs per game, which is 13th in the league. They have been better on the road this season, averaging 5.1 runs per contest. Overall, they are 10th in the league in home runs and have the 5th best isolated power mark in the league. As a team, they are batting .231, which is 16th in the league.
Ryan Jeffers has been a big power threat for the Twins this season, as his 10 home runs is 5th best in the league. He is also 8th in the MLB with 31 RBIs. However, he is coming off a stretch in which he has gone just 2/18. Willi Castro and Edouard Julien are both batting below .220 this season, but Castro has gone 1/12 in his last six games, and Julien has gone 1/12.
The Nationals will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Phillies with an 11-5 loss. Washington was the +196 underdog on the money line going into this road game. Things started off well for the Nationals, as they got on the board with a run in the 2nd inning but gave up the lead right away as the Phillies scored in the bottom of the second.
Washington started Trevor Williams, and he took the loss, going 4 1/3 innings and giving up three earned runs on five hits. The Nationals’s offense scored their other two runs in the 4th inning and was held to just three hits the rest of the game. Eddie Rosario had only one hit, but it was a home run, and Jesse Winker also had just one hit, a solo home run in the 2nd.
Washington will host the Twins today with an overall record of 20-25, and they have dropped five straight games. The Nationals are 4th in the NL East, and they trail the Phillies by 12.5 games in the division. Washington’s overall record vs. other NL East teams is 5-5 this year.
At home, the Nationals are just 7-10 this year compared to a 13-15 mark on the road. As the underdog, Washington is 17-23 this year, and they are 3-2 when favored. The Nationals’ overall series record is 5-9-1, and they lost their most recent series vs. the Phillies.
Washington has been a solid bet against the run line this season, going 27-18. They have been even better on the road, going 18-10 against the run line. The Nationals have covered the run line in three straight games and are 9-8 against the run line at home. They have been an underdog in most games this season, going 24-16 against the run line in those contests.
Washington’s over/under record for the season is 19-24, and the average over/under line for their games is 8. Today’s line is set at 8, and the combined run average in Nationals games this season is 8.2. In their last ten games, the over has hit five times, the under has hit four times, and there has been one push.
Washington is sending left-hander Mitchell Parker to the mound today vs. the Twins. He has made six starts this season and has a record of 2-2 with a 3.09 ERA. Parker’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.12, and opponents are batting .240 off him this year. In his last outing, Parker took the loss, giving up three earned runs in five innings of work vs. the White Sox. Before that, he had turned in a quality start vs. the Orioles, going 5 2/3 innings and giving up two earned runs. Per nine innings, Parker is averaging 7.03 strikeouts and just 1.97 walks.
For the season, the Nationals are averaging just 3.9 runs per game, which is 23rd in the league. They are also near the bottom of the league in most other offensive categories, including team batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. As a team, they are averaging 8 strikeouts per game, which is 10th in the league.
CJ Abrams comes into the game on a three-game hitting streak and is batting .269 for the season. He also leads the Nationals with seven home runs. Joey Meneses has the most RBIs for the Nationals this season, but he is hitting just .219. Eddie Rosario is also struggling at the plate, with a batting average of just .180.
Our predicted score for this Twins vs. Nationals matchup is a 5-4 win for the Nationals. With the Nationals being the underdog, there is a lot of value in taking them on the money line, where they are currently sitting at +139.
Looking at some of the starting pitcher projections, Pablo Lopez is projected to finish with six strikeouts, which is the seventh best among today’s starters. As for Mitchell Parker, he is projected to finish with four strikeouts, which is fifth worst.
Washington Nationals vs Minnesota Twins Betting Tips
- Take the Twins on the moneyline
- The Nationals are also our pick on the run line at +1.5
- Projecting a combined 9 runs, we like the over
Washington Nationals Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Mason Thompson | Out | Elbow |
| Lane Thomas | Out | Knee |
| Josiah Gray | Out | Elbow/Forearm |
| Cade Cavalli | Out | Elbow |
| Jose A. Ferrer | Out | Teres Major |
Minnesota Twins Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Anthony DeSclafani | Out | Elbow |
| Zack Weiss | Out | Shoulder |
| Brock Stewart | Out | Shoulder |
| Royce Lewis | Out | Quadricep |
| Justin Topa | Out | Knee |
| Josh Winder | Out | Shoulder |
| Daniel Duarte | Out | Elbow |
