At 12:05 PM ET, the Giants and Nationals face off in an NL matchup. This one is being played at Nationals Park in Washington, DC, and the Giants are the slight money line favorite, with their line sitting at -126 compared to the Nationals at +106. The over/under line is at 9 runs.
Thursday's forecast in Washington calls for moderate rain and temperatures in the mid-70s. Kyle Harrison is starting for the Giants, and the Nationals are countering with DJ Herz. Both teams are 4th in their respective divisions.
San Francisco vs. Washington Matchup At A Glance
- Teams: Giants at Nationals
- Where: Nationals Park Washington
- Date: Thursday, August 8th
- Betting Odds SF -126 | WSH +106 O/U 9
Giants vs Nationals Last Game Recap
San Francisco picked up a 7-4 road win over the Nationals in the most recent game of this series. The Giants had a huge 3rd inning, scoring five of their seven runs. As for the Nationals, they scored their four runs in the 5th. Heading into the game, the Giants were favored at -164 on the money line.
Blake Snell started for the Giants and picked up the win, going six innings and giving up three earned runs. He finished the game with eight strikeouts but issued five walks. On the other side, Jake Irvin got the start for the Nationals and took the loss, giving up five earned runs in five innings of work.
Matt Chapman and Mike Yastrzemski each homered for the Giants, while Juan Yepez went deep for the Nationals. Chapman, Yastrzemski, and Heliot Ramos each had two hits and two RBIs for San Francisco's offense.
Giants Preview
San Francisco is 8.5 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West, and they are currently 4th in the division with a 58-58 record. The Giants have a 2-1 series lead over the Nationals heading into today's game.
Against the run line, the Giants are 32-24 as underdogs and 24-36 as favorites. Their games have averaged 8 runs per game this season, and their over/under record for games with a total of 9 runs is 7-2. Heading into today's game, the over has hit in two straight for the Giants.
Left-hander Kyle Harrison gets the start for the Giants today as he faces the Nationals on the road. So far, he has made 19 starts and has a record of 6-5 with an ERA of 4.09. Looking at his overall numbers, Harrison has a WHIP of 1.30 and opponents are batting .247 this season. In his last outing, he took the loss, going just 3 2/3 innings and giving up six earned runs on six hits. Before that, he had won two straight starts. Harrison's ERA on the road is 5.37 compared to 3.75 at home.
San Francisco's offense has been pretty consistent this season, as they are averaging 4.4 runs per game both at home and on the road. This is good for 15th in the league. Overall, they are batting .244 as a team (10th) and are near the top of the league in terms of drawing walks. The Giants have also been good at not striking out, as their 8 strikeouts per game is 18th in the MLB.
Matt Chapman has been swinging a hot bat of late, going 13/35 in his last nine games with four homers and 10 RBIs. For the season, he is batting .248 with a team-high 56 RBIs and 19 homers. Heliot Ramos is also near the top of the Giants' home run list, as he has 17 homers and is batting .289 for the season.
Nationals Preview
Washington has struggled recently, losing two straight games and going 3-7 in their last ten. They are 16.5 games behind the Phillies in the NL East with a 52-63 overall record. As underdogs, the Nationals have a 42-54 record straight up and have covered the run line in 56 of 96 games.
This season, the Nationals have an O/U record of 58-53, and their games have averaged 9.0 runs. When the O/U line is set at 9 runs, their O/U record is 11-11-2. The O/U line for today's game is 9 runs, which is in line with their season average.
Washington is sending DJ Herz to the mound today vs. the Giants, and he has made 10 starts this year. Herz's record for the season is 2-4, and he has an ERA of 4.27. In his 10 starts, he has turned in just one quality start, and opponents are batting .238 this year off Herz. Looking back at his last outing, Herz picked up the win vs. the Brewers, going five innings and giving up one earned run. Before that, he had given up two earned runs in three straight outings. Herz's ERA on the road is 7.25 compared to 3.81 at home.
Washington's offense has been average so far this season, averaging 4.3 runs per game, which is 16th in the league. They are also near the middle of the pack in terms of batting average and on-base percentage. The Nationals have been good at putting the ball in play this season, as they have the 6th fewest strikeouts in the league.
CJ Abrams has been the Nationals' top power threat this season, as he comes into the game with 17 home runs, which is the best mark on the team. However, he has struggled at the plate of late, hitting just .205 over his last nine games. Luis Garcia Jr. has been hot of late, going 12/28 in his last eight games, including two homers.
Giants vs. Nationals Prediction: Nationals ML +106
The best way to play this Giants vs. Nationals matchup is to take the Nationals on the money line at +106. We have the Nationals winning this one by a score of 6-5, giving us some room to take them on the money line or to take the over, as the line is sitting at nine runs.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have DJ Herz finishing with six strikeouts compared to Kyle Harrison with five. Herz is also projected to give up fewer earned runs than Harrison, and we have him finishing with a better chance to pick up the win.
