The Washington Nationals (25-47) will visit the Texas Rangers (33-35) on Friday night for the 1st of 3 games this weekend. First pitch from Globe Life Field will be at 8:05 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze Tipico Sportsbook‘s lines around the Nationals vs. Rangers odds with MLB picks and predictions.
Season series: First game of series and first meeting between the teams since 2017. Texas leads the all-time series 8-7.
The Nationals are in a terrible cold spell right now, losing 9 of their last 11 games. They did win back-to-back games recently against the Philadelphia Phillies and the Orioles, but they dropped their last contest against Baltimore 7-0.
The Rangers have also struggled to find a groove, going 4-4 in their last 8 games. They did just sweep the Phillies in a 2-game set and split their 4-game series against the Detroit Tigers.
Nationals at Rangers projected starters
RHP Paolo Espino vs. RHP Dane Dunning
Espino (0-1, 2.29 ERA) makes his 3rd start and 23rd appearance. He has a 1.08 WHIP, 2.0 BB/9 and 6.9 K/9 in 35 1/3 IP.
- The Nationals have lost both of Espino’s starts since his coming out of the bullpen.
- In his 2 starts, Espino went 8 2/3 IP with 7 H, 3 R (2 ER), 4 BB and 5 K.
Dunning (1-5, 4.38 ERA) makes his 15th start. He has a 1.33 WHIP, 3.3 BB/9 and 8.3 K/9 in 76 IP.
- The Rangers have lost each of Dunning’s last 6 starts and are just 4-10 with him on the mound.
- Has allowed at least 4 ER in 3 of his last 6 starts, including 5 ER in 4 2/3 IP to the Tigers in June 19 start.
Nationals at Rangers 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 10:47 a.m. ET.
- Money line (ML): Nationals +130 (bet $100 to win $130) | Rangers -160 (bet $160 to win $100)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Nationals +1.5 (-155) | Rangers -1.5 (+125)
- Over/Under (O/U): 9.5 (O: +105 | U: -130)
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Nationals at Rangers picks and predictions
Prediction
Rangers 7, Nationals 5
Money line
The Nationals are simply not playing well at all, only recently snapping an 8-game losing streak. Dunning has been up-and-down, and Espino looked good in his 2 starts, but I think the RANGERS (-160) win outright at home, as they did in their last 2 games against Philadelphia.
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Run line/Against the spread
The Rangers have the 2nd-best ATS record in baseball at 41-27 this season. The Nats are in the exact opposite position, owning the 2nd-worst ATS record at 30-42.
Texas should find enough offense to build a cushion over the Nationals, covering the run line and winning by a couple of runs. Bet the RANGERS -1.5 (+125)
Over/Under
Both of these teams rank in the bottom half of the league in ERA, allowing more than 9 combined runs per game. As long as the Nationals pull their weight and score a handful of runs against the Rangers, the total in this game should go OVER 9.5 (+105).
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