The Washington Nationals (62-78) travel to face off against the Pittsburgh Pirates (66-74) on Friday, September 6th. This game will be played at PNC Park in Pittsburgh and televised on SN PT. The Pirates are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Nationals are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Pirates. First pitch is set for 5:40 CT.

Nationals vs. Pirates Betting Prediction

• Money Line Prediction: Pirates (-129)
• Over/Under Prediction: Over 8.5 Runs

• The Pirates have scored 5 or more runs in 8 of their last 15 games.
• The Pirates have won 5 of their last 7 home games.
• The Pirates have a recent head-to-head win against the Nationals, scoring 9 runs on September 5th.
• The Pirates have a better home record (33-36) compared to the Nationals’ away record (30-41).
• The Pirates have won 4 of their last 6 games against teams with a losing record.

Nationals vs Pirates

Pittsburgh cruised to a 9-4 win over the Nationals in the most recent game of this series. The Pirates had a huge 2nd inning, scoring five of their nine runs. As for the Nationals, they scored their final run in the 9th. Heading into the game, the Pirates were favored at -123 on the money line.

Bailey Falter only went five innings for the Pirates but gave up just three earned runs and picked up the win. Aroldis Chapman closed things out. Jake Irvin had a rough outing for the Nationals, taking the loss.

Nick Gonzales had a three RBI game for the Pirates, while Andres Chaparro scored three times and drove in three runs while going 1/4. Juan Yepez also had a two-hit game for Pittsburgh.

Washington has a 62-78 record overall and they are 22 games behind the NL East leaders. They have lost two straight games, including the first game of this series vs. the Pirates.

As underdogs, the Nationals have a 50-66 record straight-up and a 67-49 record against the run line. Their games have averaged 9.0 runs, and their over/under record is 67-68 for the season.

DJ Herz Gets The Start For The Nationals

Left-hander DJ Herz gets the start for the Nationals today as he faces the Pirates on the road. Herz has made 15 starts this season and has a record of 2-7 with an ERA of 4.09. So far, he has turned in two quality starts and is coming off an outing in which he gave up two homers. In that start vs. the Cubs, he went 4 2/3 innings and gave up four earned runs. Herz’s ERA for the season is 4.43 at home and 4.95 on the road.

Nationals Offense Breakdown

For the season, the Nationals are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 21st in the league. They have been pretty consistent at home and on the road, as they are 20th and 19th in these categories, respectively. As a team, they are batting .245, which is 11th in the league. Their team on-base percentage of .312 is also 10th in the MLB.

Luis Garcia Jr. comes into the game with a team-high 63 RBIs and is batting .290 for the season. CJ Abrams has 18 homers this season, but he is batting just .240. Over his last 10 games, Jacob Young is hitting .364 with one home run and five RBIs. Andres Chaparro has struggled of late, going 6/36 in his last 10 games.

As underdogs, the Pirates have a strong 57-30 run line record, but as favorites, they are 21-32. Overall, their games have gone over the total in 69 of 138 games this season, with an average of 8.8 runs per game. Pittsburgh is 4-6 in their last 10 games and 15 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central.

Luis L. Ortiz Gets The Start For The Pirates

Luis L. Ortiz gets the start for the Pirates today and will be looking to build off his last outing, where he didn’t give up a run. In that outing vs. the Guardians, he went six innings and picked up the win. Looking back at his last four outings, Ortiz has finished with a no-decision, win, loss, and loss. His record for the season is 6-4, and he has an ERA of 3.19. Opposing batters are hitting .213 this season off Ortiz. So far, he has made five quality starts and is averaging 7.01 strikeouts per nine innings.

Pirates Offense Breakdown

For the season, the Pirates are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 20th in the league. They have been a bit better at home, averaging 4.4 runs per game. As a team, they are batting just .235 and have the 21st ranked home run total in the league. One positive note is that they have the 11th best BABIP in the league.

Bryan Reynolds has been the Pirates’ best hitter this season, batting .280 with a team-high 22 homers and 78 RBIs. He is also 1st on the team in on-base percentage. Bryan De La Cruz is 2nd on the team with 19 homers but is batting just .237 for the season. Over his last four games, Andrew McCutchen has gone 4/15 with two homers.

Nationals vs Pirates Prediction

Our prediction for this Nationals vs. Pirates matchup is that the Pirates will come away with a 5-4 win. With the money line payout sitting at -129, this is the best way to go about betting on the Pirates to pick up the win.

Looking at the starting pitchers, Luis L. Ortiz is projected to finish with four strikeouts, which is the third-lowest among all starters today. As for the Nationals’ starter, D.J. Herz, he is projected to finish with seven strikeouts, which is the third-best among all starters.

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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.