Boston Red Sox VS Washington Nationals will faceoff in the early hours of Thursday at Nationals Park. The first pitch is at 7:05 p.m. ET.
The Red Sox (62-56 SU and 61-57 RL) will start south-paw James Paxton. Paxton is 7-3 with a 3.36 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP in 15 outings this season.
Nationals (53-66 SU and 65-54 RL) is starting lefty MacKenzie Gore. Gore is 6-9 with a 4.62 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in his 23 outings.
MatchPlug has the MLB Expert Picks, predictions, and odds for Nationals VS Red Sox. We are a Sure Prediction Site to get accurate MLB match analysis.
Predictions and Betting Preview for Washington Nationals VS Boston Red Sox MLB Regular Season
- Venue: Nationals Park, Washington, United States.
- When: Thursday, August 17th, 2023
- Time: 00:05 GMT.
- Teams to play: Nationals and Red Sox.
- MLB Expert Picks: MONEYLINE 1.66.
Odds by 1XBet and BetMGM.
Betting On The Washington Nationals
- 1XBet Spread: +1.5
- 1XBet Moneyline: 2.423
- 1XBet Over/Under: Over 8.5
- BetMGM Spread: +1.5
- BetMGM Moneyline: 2.35
- BetMGM Over/Under: Under 9
The Washington Nationals have swept two of their last three opponents, the Cincinnati Reds and Oakland Athletics, and have won 10 of their last 15 games overall. Will they keep up this momentum for the remainder of the regular season?
Washington averages 4.34 runs (19th) and hit .260 (6th) with a .720 OPS (17th). They have shot 108 long balls (29th) and stolen 85 bases (15th) this year. The Nationals pitching staff has posted a 4.88 ERA (27th) and a 1.46 WHIP (28th) with 35 quality starts (23rd).
They will look to Gore on Thursday in D.C. He is fresh off a poor outing on the road in Philadelphia against the Phillies (6 runs on 7 hits and 3 home runs) but played better in his last three outings, holding the San Francisco Giants, New York Mets, and Brewers to five runs in 16 combined innings.
Betting On The Boston Red Sox
- 1XBet Spread: -1.5
- 1XBet Moneyline: 1.66
- 1XBet Over/Under: Under 8.5
- BetMGM Spread: -1.5
- BetMGM Moneyline: 1.62
- BetMGM Over/Under: Over 9
The Boston Red Sox are warming up after a series of successive victories over the Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers. Can they recreate this on the road in Washington?
Boston scores 4.84 runs per game (9th) and hit .262 (3rd) with a .760 OPS (7th). They’ve launched 132 home runs (19th) and stolen 83 bases (16th) in 2023. The Red Sox pitching unit has posted a 4.32 ERA (18th) and a 1.31 WHIP (19th) with 33 quality starts (26th).
Paxton will start for them at Nationals Park. He held the Kansas City scoreless in 5.1 innings in his last outing, picking up a victory. He has had some poor performances lately but has been most reliable, holding 11 of his 15 opponents to two or fewer runs.
MatchPlug Prediction
Gore is a difficult pitcher to back, mainly because he has been quite inconsistent. He’s given up five or more runs in 5 of his last 11 outings and has conceded seven long balls in his last five starts. Boston hits south-paws well enough (.262 BA/ .341 OBP/ .414 SLG/.755 OPS), too.
Meanwhile, Paxton has been reliable for Boston this season. Washington has been on fire lately and has strong splits vs. left-handed pitchers, so it’s impossible they’ll catch him unawares tomorrow. If the match boils down to bullpens, the Red Sox have leverage in that department too.
Prediction: Red Sox Moneyline.
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