The Washington Nationals (50-68) host the Toronto Blue Jays (63-54) Tuesday for the first half of a two-game interleague miniseries at Nationals Park. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze the lines around the Blue Jays vs. Nationals odds with MLB picks and predictions.
Toronto snapped a three-game losing skid by beating the Seattle Mariners 8-3 in their series finale Sunday. The Blue Jays are 13-7 across their last 20 games and are 4 games back of the Oakland Athletics for the second AL Wild Card berth.
Washington’s freefall is on as the Nationals are riding a seven-game losing skid, have won just once in their last 10 games, and are 5-15 over their last 20 contests.
Season series: Tied 1-1.
RHP Alek Manoah is Toronto’s projected starter. He is 5-1 with a 2.59 ERA (59 IP, 17 ER), 1.02 WHIP, 3.2 BB/9 and 10.8 K/9 through 11 starts.
- Last outing: Win, 10-2, with a 6 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 2 BB and 11 K Wednesday at the Los Angeles Angels.
- 2021 road stats: 2-1 with a 3.23 ERA (30 2/3 IP, 11 ER), 1.08 WHIP and 3.8 K/BB across six starts.
RHP Erick Fedde makes his 20th start for the Nationals. He is 4-8 with a 5.12 ERA (91 1/3 IP, 52 ER), 1.42 WHIP, 3.7 BB/9 and 8.2 K/9 this year.
- Last outing: No-decision with 4 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 1 BB and 4 K in Washington’s 5-4 loss at the New York Mets Thursday.
- Fedde beat Toronto April 28 with 6 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 3 BB and 7 K in Washington’s 8-2 victory.
- vs. Blue Jays on the current roster (28 PA): 7.53 FIP with a .280 batting average, .389 wOBA, .480 expected slugging percentage, 10.7 K% and 85.1 mph exit velocity
Blue Jays at Nationals odds, lines, picks and prediction
MLB odds courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 1 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Blue Jays -220 (bet $220 to win $100) | Nationals +180 (bet $100 to win $180)
- Against the spread/ATS: Blue Jays -1.5 (-125) | Nationals +1.5 (+100)
- Over/Under: 9.5 (O: -102 | U: -122)
PLAY: Free, daily sports pick’em contests. Play now!
Prediction
Blue Jays 8, Nationals 1
Money line (ML)
PASS even though there has been “sharp” line movement in Toronto’s direction. The Blue Jays (-220) opened as -155 money line favorites but have been steamed up to the current number.
Toronto has an edge in the three most important phases of the game: bullpen and starting pitching, and hitting.
FANTASY BASEBALL: Serious about winning your league? Sign up for BaseballHQ.com to dominate the competition. Subscribe now!
Run line/Against the spread (ATS)
Manoah was one of the highest acclaimed pitching prospects in the minor leagues and has looked the part since being called up to The Show. His pitching peripherals add even more credibility to his performance than his basic numbers while Fedde’s don’t.
Furthermore, the Blue Jays have continued to hit well this month as Toronto’s lineup is in the top 10 in wRC+, wOBA and BB/K while the Nationals are bottom 10 by wRC+ and wOBA in August.
Also, Washington’s bullpen has been one of the worst in the majors this month and ranks in the bottom five by xFIP, SIERA, K-BB% and HR/9.
There has also been the same sharp line movement in the betting market with Toronto’s run line as the money line. Lastly, Toronto is 13-5 ATS in interleague matchups this season.
BET the BLUE JAYS -1.5 (-125) for 1 unit.
Over/Under (O/U)
Slight “LEAN” to the UNDER 9.5 (-122) for a tiny wager, if at all, because I much prefer Toronto’s run line than the total.
However, we have a “pros vs. joes” scenario in the betting market as 64% of the money is on the Under whereas 54% of the bets placed are on the Over, according to Pregame.com. It’s wiser in sports betting to follow the money rather than the crowd.
In addition, these teams have a combined 13-18-2 O/U in interleague games and 10-29 O/U when playing after a day off.
For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com. Please gamble responsibly.
Follow Geoff Clark on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage. This information is for entertainment purposes only. We make no representations or warranties as to the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any content.
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1372]