First pitch for Sunday's Reds vs. Nationals matchup is set for 1:35 PM ET from Nationals Park in Washington, DC. The forecast for Sunday's game calls for clear skies and temperatures in the mid to upper 80s. Jake Irvin will be on the mound for the Nationals, and the Reds are starting Andrew Abbott.
Washington is currently favored on the money line, with their odds sitting at -115 compared to the Reds at -103. The over/under line is at 9 runs, and the game can be seen on MASN. Cincinnati is looking to avoid a four-game losing streak, as they are 47-52, while the Nationals are 46-53.
Cincinnati vs. Washington Matchup At A Glance
- Teams: Reds at Nationals
- Where: Nationals Park Washington
- Date: Sunday, July 21st
- Betting Odds WSH -115 | CIN -103 O/U 9
Reds vs Nationals Last Game Recap
It was a low-scoring game in the most recent game of this Nationals vs Reds series. Washington went into the matchup as +100 underdogs and squeaked out a 5-4 win. The Nationals had a two-run lead after the first inning but didn't score another run until putting up three in the 8th. As for the Reds, they scored one run in the 1st inning and added three more in the 2nd.
Cincinnati had a chance to tie or take the lead in the 9th, scoring one run off Kyle Finnegan, but he closed things out for the Nationals. Derek Law got the win out of the bullpen for Washington as MacKenzie Gore only went two innings, giving up three earned runs.
Offensively, the Nationals were led by Harold Ramirez, CJ Abrams, Jacob Young, and Ildemaro Vargas, as they were the only four Nationals hitters to have more than one hit. Ramirez and Abrams each homered, while Young scored twice and drove in two runs while going 2/3.
Reds Preview
When playing on the road, the Reds have been a good bet on the run line, posting a 30-16 record. Overall, they are 53-46 on the run line. As underdogs, the Reds have a 32-20 run line record, but as favorites, they are 21-26.
The Reds are 47-52 overall and are looking to end a three-game losing streak today against the Nationals. They are 3.5 games behind the Pirates for 3rd place in the NL Central and 9.5 games behind the Brewers for the division lead.
Cincinnati is sending Andrew Abbott to the mound today vs. the Nationals, and he comes in with a record of 9-6 and an ERA of 3.39. So far, he has made 19 starts and seven of them have been quality starts. In his last outing, Abbott finished with a no-decision, giving up five earned runs in 3 1/3 innings of work. Before that, he had won three straight starts. Opponents are batting .214 off the left-hander this season, and his WHIP is 1.21. For the year, Abbott has allowed 18 home runs and is averaging 7.28 strikeouts per nine innings.
Elly De La Cruz comes into today's game as the Reds' top home run hitter, as his 17 long balls are 10th in the league. De La Cruz is also batting .255 for the season and has an on-base percentage of .345. He has also been swinging the bat well of late, going 7/26 in his last seven games with four homers and seven RBIs. Spencer Steer and Jeimer Candelario are also near the top of the Reds' home run list, as Steer has 15 homers and Candelario has 16.
As a team, the Reds are averaging 4.5 runs per game and come into the game as the 13th ranked home run hitting team in the league. However, they are batting just .230 as a team and have the 23rd worst strikeout rate in the league. Currently, Elly De La Cruz is on an eight-game hitting streak, and Santiago Espinal has also been swinging the bat well, as he has a seven-game hitting streak.
Nationals Preview
Washington has a 46-53 overall record this season and they are 16.5 games behind the Phillies in the NL East. The Nationals have won two straight games after losing four in a row. Their series record is 12-17-2, and they are 4-6 in their last 10 games.
Against the run line, the Nationals are 56-43 overall and 26-20 at home. Their over/under record is 48-47, and the average run total in their games is 8.7. The over/under line for today's game is set at 9 runs, and their over/under record with a 9-run line is 7-7-2.
Washington is sending Jake Irvin to the mound today vs. the Reds, and he will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Brewers. In that start, which came on July 14th, he took the loss, going 4 innings and giving up 6 earned runs. He was tagged for 3 homers in that outing. Before that start, he had won two straight outings. One of those wins was vs. the Mets, where he pitched 8 scoreless innings. For the season, Irvin is 7-8 with a 3.49 ERA. Out of his 20 starts, he has turned in 12 quality starts.
Heading into today's game, the Nationals offense is averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 20th in the league. They have been a bit better at home, averaging 4.3 runs per game. As a team, they are batting just .239 and are 25th in the league in home runs. Looking at their team stats, they are near the bottom of the league in OPS and isolated power.
CJ Abrams and Jesse Winker are the team's top home run hitters this season, with 15 and 11 homers, respectively. Abrams is also the team's top run producer, with 49 RBIs. However, Abrams is hitting just .185 over his last six games, and Winker has gone 3/13 in his last five games. Luis Garcia Jr. has gone 4/14 in his last four games and is batting .277 for the season.
Reds vs. Nationals Prediction: Nationals ML -115
Our prediction for today's Reds vs. Nationals game is to take the Nationals on the money line, with the payout sitting at -115. We have the Nationals winning this one by a final score of 6-5.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Jake Irvin has a better chance of picking up the win than Andrew Abbott. And with our projections, we have Irvin finishing with five strikeouts compared to Abbott, who we have finishing with five as well.
Offensively, the Reds have a higher projected home run total than the Nationals, and the Nationals are actually projected to finish last in the league in home runs today. The Nationals are also projected to finish with fewer hits than the Reds.
