The Pittsburgh Pirates (29-43) and Washington Nationals (27-48) meet Monday in the opener of a 3-game series at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze Tipico Sportsbook‘s lines around the Pirates vs. Nationals odds with MLB picks and predictions.
Season series: Pirates lead 3-1
The Pirates took 3 of 4 games from the Nationals in Pittsburgh back on April 14-17, outscoring the Nationals 22-18. The Over went 2-0-2 in the series.
The Pirates enter on a 3-game slide after getting swept by the Tampa Bay Rays during a weekend interleague series in St. Petersburg.
The Nationals also played an interleague road series over the weekend, winning 2 of 3 games against the Texas Rangers. Washington is a respectable 4-2 across the past 6 outings.
Pirates at Nationals projected starters
RHP Miguel Yajure vs. RHP Erick Fedde
Yajure, who is getting called up from Triple-A Indianapolis, will likely be pitching in an opener role. He went 1-0 with a 11.32 ERA, 2.13 WHIP, 5.2 BB/9 and 3.5 K/9 in 10 1/3 IP (6 relief appearances) from April 10-May 1 before getting sent down to Indy.
- Went 1-1 with a 4.26 ERA (12 2/3 IP, 6 ER), 1.66 WHIP, 5.7 BB/9 and 8.5 K/9 in 6 Triple-A games (5 starts) since his demotion
- Made all 3 of his MLB starts last season, going 0-2 with an 8.74 ERA (11 1/3 IP, 11 ER)
- Career vs. Nationals: 1 relief appearance (April 15), allowing 3 ER on 3 H and 2 BB in 3 IP
Fedde (5-5, 4.46 ERA) makes his 15th start. He has a 1.47 WHIP, 4.2 BB/9 and 7.2 K/9 through 68 2/3 IP.
- Allowed just 2 H and 1 BB with 4 K across 6 scoreless IP in a 3-0 win at the Baltimore Orioles Tuesday to level his record at 5-5
- Is 2-3 with a 5.03 ERA and .279 opponents’ batting average in 7 home starts across 34 IP
Pirates at Nationals odds and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 2 p.m. ET.
- Money line (ML): Pirates +122 (bet $100 to win $122) | Nationals -150 (bet $150 to win $100)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Pirates +1.5 (-160) | Nationals -1.5 (+130)
- Over/Under (O/U): 9.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Pirates at Nationals picks and predictions
Prediction
Nationals 7, Pirates 4
Money line
The NATIONALS (-150) have been playing pretty good baseball lately. Washington jumped all over the Rangers in Sunday’s interleague series finale, scoring 6 runs in the first 2 innings. It ended up hanging on for a 6-4 victory, capping off the series win.
The Pirates scrambled to find a starter for this one, and they’ve dropped 3 in a row after taking 4 of 5 at home from the Chicago Cubs June 19-23.
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Run line/Against the spread
The NATIONALS -1.5 (+130) have not only won 4 out of the past 6 games, but they have covered the run line in 3 of those wins. Play WASHINGTON lightly, laying the run and a half.
Over/Under
The OVER 9.5 (-110) is worth playing, as both of these teams are rolling out some shaky options to start on the mound. The Under is 4-1 in the past 5 games overall for the Nationals, but the Over hit in Sunday’s game as the offense came alive early. Look for similar results for the Nats Monday.
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