Article courtesy OddsShark (@OddsShark)
Heading into Friday’s MLB action, the Washington Nationals (55-47) find themselves tied for a Wild Card spot in the National League despite losing 8-7 in the return of ace Max Scherzer as -320 home favorites (bet $320 to win $100) on Thursday.
The Nationals hope to bounce back now against the best team in baseball – the Los Angeles Dodgers (67-37) – who are listed as solid -170 road favorites on the MLB odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com – in the opener of a key three-game series.
Dodgers at Nationals | OddsShark Matchup Report
The Dodgers were just swept in two games by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in an Interleague series earlier this week, falling to 7-5 since the MLB All-Star break. They dropped both games to the Angels by one run apiece, which is also the losing margin in each of their last four losses.
Los Angeles has split the past four meetings with Washington, according to the OddsShark MLB Database, after winning five straight in the series.
In fact, the previous five games between the teams have all been decided by three runs or more, which is obviously important for runline bettors. It is also worth noting that the UNDER is on a 3-0-1 run at sports betting sites in the last four, with the losing team failing to score a run three times. That means there have been some outstanding pitching performances recently, and Friday’s matchup could be another good one between two hot starters.
The Nationals send 35-year-old veteran Anibal Sanchez (6-6, 3.80 ERA) to the hill for his 19th start of the year, and he has not lost since spending some time on the DL in the second half of May with a strained groin. Sanchez was winless in his first nine starts but has gone 6-0 in his past nine, with his ERA shrinking from 5.27 after May 10.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers will counter with Hyun-Jin Ryu (11-2, 1.76 ERA), who has not lost in his last three starts. Ryu has allowed just three runs and 15 hits in 20 innings over that stretch, walking seven batters and striking out 18 in earning two wins.
This series sets up nicely for them overall as well from a pitching perspective, with Clayton Kershaw (8-2, 2.84 ERA) and Walker Buehler (9-1, 3.23 ERA) starting on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
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