The Washington Nationals (62-77) travel to face off against the Pittsburgh Pirates (65-74) on Thursday, September 5th. This game will be played at PNC Park in Pittsburgh and televised on MASN. Both the Nationals and Pirates are looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. First pitch is set for 5:40 CT.

Nationals vs. Pirates Betting Prediction

• Money Line Prediction: Nationals (+102)
• Over/Under Prediction: Over 8.5 Runs

• The Nationals have scored 5 or more runs in 7 of their last 15 games.
• Washington has won 4 of their last 6 road games.
• The Nationals have a recent head-to-head win against the Pirates, winning 5-3 on April 3rd.
• In their last 15 games, the Nationals have won 3 out of 4 games when scoring 6 or more runs.
• Washington has a winning record against teams with a losing record, such as the Pirates, in the last 15 games.

Nationals vs Pirates

The Pirates Took The Last Game Of This Series

The Nationals will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Marlins with a 4-3 loss. This was especially tough, as they held a lead going into the 8th inning before the Marlins scored three runs in the bottom of the 8th. Washington was the -145 favorite on the money line going into the game.

MacKenzie Gore put together a good start for the Nationals, going six innings and giving up just one earned run while striking out nine. However, the Nationals couldnjson’t close things out, and Derek Law took the loss out of the bullpen. The Nationals also wasted a big game from James Wood, who went 2/4 with two doubles and a run scored.

Washington has gone 4-6 in their last ten games and are 21 games behind the Phillies in the NL East with a 62-77 record. As the underdog, they have a 50-65 record, while their run line record is 78-61. The under has hit in their last two games, and their games with an over/under line of 8.5 runs have gone over 18 times out of 39.

Jake Irvin Gets The Start For The Nationals

Washington is sending right-hander Jake Irvin to the mound today as he faces the Pirates on the road. He has made 28 starts this season and has a record of 9-11 with an ERA of 4.08. Opposing batters are hitting .242 off Irvin this season, and he has a total of 14 quality starts. In his last outing, Irvin took the loss, giving up six earned runs in 4 2/3 innings of work. Before that, he had gone three straight outings without taking the loss. Irvin’s ERA on the road is 3.85, compared to 5.37 at home.

Nationals Offense Breakdown

Washington’s offense has been one of the worst in the league this season, averaging just 4.2 runs per game, which is 21st in the MLB. They are also near the bottom of the league in home runs and have a team slugging percentage of just .378. However, the Nationals do have two players with over 60 RBIs this season, with Luis Garcia Jr. leading the team with 63 RBIs and a team-high 15 homers. Garcia is also hitting .290 for the season.

Over his last five games, Jacob Young is hitting .375, but he has yet to homer for the Nationals. Andres Chaparro and Dylan Crews have both struggled at the plate of late, with Chaparro going 3/18 and Crews going 3/22. Both players did hit a home run in this stretch. Ildemaro Vargas, Luis Garcia Jr., Lane Thomas, and James Wood all come into the game on three-game hitting streaks.

The Pirates Took The Last Game Of This Series

Pittsburgh is coming off a game in which they were shut out 12-0 by the Cubs. This was especially tough, as the Pirates were the +178 underdog going into this road game. Things really got away from the Pirates in the 2nd inning, as the Cubs scored three runs in the inning. Pittsburgh’s offense was held to just three hits and didn’t have a single run.

Domingo German got the start for the Pirates and took the loss. He only lasted three innings, giving up six earned runs on nine hits. The Pirates also issued three walks in thejson. Overall, it was just a bad day at the office for the Pirates.

The Pirates have a 77-62 run line record this season, including a 57-30 mark as underdogs. Their games have averaged 8.8 runs per game, and their overall over/under record is 68-69. Pittsburgh is 5th in the NL Central, 1.5 games behind the Reds for 4th place.

Bailey Falter Gets The Start For The Pirates

Pittsburgh is starting left-hander Bailey Falter today, and he comes into the game with a record of 6-7 and an ERA of 4.41. Looking back at his last outing, Falter finished with a no-decision after giving up four earned runs in four innings of work. In that start, he gave up one homer. Falter has made 23 starts this year and has a total of 14 homers. One positive note for Falter is that he has allowed two earned runs or fewer in three of his last four outings. His ERA at home is 4.78 compared to 5.43 on the road.

Pirates Offense Breakdown

Heading into today’s game, the Pirates are 23rd in the league in runs scored, averaging 4.2 runs per game. They have been slightly better at home, averaging 4.3 runs per game. Overall, the Pirates are batting just .235, which is 16th in the league, and they are also near the bottom of the league in strikeouts and on-base percentage.

Bryan Reynolds is the Pirates’ top hitter this season, with a batting average of .280, and he also leads the team with 22 home runs and 77 RBIs. Reynolds is also batting .296 over his last seven games. Andrew McCutchen has two homers in his last four games and is batting .267 over that stretch.

Nationals vs Pirates Prediction

We are predicting the Nationals to pick up a 5-4 road win over the Pirates. With the Nationals being the underdogs at +102, this is a great payout for a team that we have winning in 60% of our simulations.

Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Jake Irvin going six innings and finishing with five strikeouts. As for Bailey Falter, he is projected to finish with four strikeouts and going five innings.

Offensively, the Nationals are projected to finish with nine hits, compared to the Pirates, who we have finishing with eight. However, the Pirates are projected to finish with fewer runs, as we have them finishing with four, compared to the Nationals with five.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.