The Toronto Blue Jays (15-17) travel to face off against the Washington Nationals (15-16) on Friday, May 3rd. This game will be played at Nationals Park in Washington and televised on APLTV. Both the Blue Jays and Nationals are looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. First pitch is set for 6:45 ET.
Blue Jays vs Nationals
The Blue Jays will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Royals with a 6-1 loss. This was especially tough, as they held a lead going into the 7th inning before the Royals scored three runs in the top of the 8th. Toronto was the -143 favorite at home going into the game.
Chris Bassitt put together a good start for the Blue Jays, going six innings and giving up just three earned runs, and striking out four. However, the Blue Jays couldnjson’t close things out, and their bullpen took the loss. Danny Jansen homered for the Blue Jays but went just /4.
Toronto is on the road today to take on the Nationals, and they are looking to get back to .500, as they are currently 15-17 overall. The Blue Jays are 4th in the AL East, 5.5 games behind the Orioles for the division lead. So far, they are 5-5 in divisional matchups.
The Blue Jays lost the final two games of their series vs. the Royals, dropping the series 1-2. Toronto has lost two straight games, and they are just 3-7 over their last 10. This year, they have gone 8-7 at home compared to 7-10 on the road. As the favorite, the Blue Jays are 12-8 and 3-9 as the underdog. Toronto’s overall series record is 4-5-1, and they have dropped three straight series.
When the Blue Jays are on the road, they have been a good bet on the run line this season, going 8-9. However, they have failed to cover in their last three road games. When they are the favorite, they have been .500 on the run line at 10-10, while they are just 4-8 as the underdog. Their average run differential in games they have won is +2.9, while in their losses, it is -4.4.
When the Blue Jays and Royals combined for just five runs on Wednesday, it marked the second straight game that Toronto has gone under the total. The Blue Jays’ games have gone under the total in 19 of their 31 games this season, and their games have averaged just 7.9 runs per game. The Blue Jays’ over/under record is 12-19, and their games have had an average over/under line of 8 runs per game. When the over/under line has been set at 9 runs, the Blue Jays’ games have gone 2-2.
Yusei Kikuchi Gets The Start For The Blue Jays
Left-hander Yusei Kikuchi gets the start for the Blue Jays today as he faces the Nationals on the road. He has made six starts this year and has a record of 2-2 with an ERA of 2.94. Kikuchi’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.16. In his six starts, he has turned in three quality starts and is averaging 9.62 strikeouts per nine innings. Kikuchi most recently faced the Dodgers, where he took the loss, giving up four earned runs in six innings of work. Before that outing, he had won two straight starts.
Blue Jays Offense Breakdown
Overall, the Blue Jays are 28th in the league in scoring at just 3.5 runs per game. This number is the same whether they are at home or on the road. As a team, they are batting just .225, which is 17th in the league, and their team on-base percentage of .309 is also just 15th in the MLB. Toronto does have the 13th most home runs in the league but are just 20th in slugging percentage.
Justin Turner has been the team’s best hitter this season, batting .298 with four home runs and a team-high 15 RBIs. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has three homers but is batting just .231. Over his last five games, Danny Jansen is 5/16 with three homers. Guerrero Jr. comes into the game on a five-game hitting streak but is batting just .276 over his last eight games.
Heading into their last game vs. the Rangers, the Nationals closed out the series with a 6-0 loss. Washington was the +166 underdog on the money line. Things really got away from the Nationals in the 2nd inning, as the Rangers scored three runs in the inning. Washington’s offense didn’t score their first run until the 6th.
Mitchell Parker got the start for the Nationals and took the loss. He only lasted 5 1/3 innings, giving up three earned runs on six hits. Washington’s offense was also held to just four hits and didnjson’t have any timely hitting, as they didn’t score a run until the 6th inning.
Washington will host the Blue Jays today with an overall record of 15-16, and they are 6.0 games behind the Braves for the NL East lead. The Nationals are 5-2 in divisional games this year. At home, the Nationals are just 4-8 this year compared to an 11-8 mark on the road.
As the underdog, the Nationals have gone 14-15 this year, including dropping two of three as the underdog in their series vs. the Rangers. Washington is 4-7 as the home underdog, and their overall series record is 4-6 this year. So far, they have gone 1-1 as the favorite.
Washington has been a solid bet against the run line this season, going 19-12 overall. They have been particularly strong on the road, going 14-5 against the run line, compared to just 5-7 at home. They have been a good bet as the underdog, going 18-11 against the run line, while they are just 1-1 as the favorite. Their average run margin in winning games is +2.9, while it drops to -3.8 in losses.
Washington’s over/under record is 13-17 on the season, and the average over/under line in their games has been 9 runs. When the line is set at 9 runs, the under has hit in both games. Overall, 67.7% of their games have had lower lines than 9 runs. The under has hit in their last two games, and their combined run average for the season is 8.2 runs per game.
Patrick Corbin Gets The Start For The Nationals
Left-hander Patrick Corbin gets the start for the Nationals today as he faces the Blue Jays at home. Corbin has made six starts this year and has a record of 0-3 with an ERA of 6.82. So far, he has a WHIP of 1.90 and has allowed a total of four home runs. In his last outing, Corbin finished with a no-decision, giving up four earned runs in four innings of work. Before that, he had gone three straight starts with a loss. Corbin’s best outing of the year came on April 23rd, where he didn’t give up a run in 5 1/3 innings of work.
Nationals Offense Breakdown
So far this season, the Nationals have been a below-average offensive team, averaging 3.8 runs per game (20th in the league). They have been even worse at home, averaging just 3 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting .228, which is 15th in the league, and their team on-base percentage of .305 is also below the league average. Washington’s collective slugging percentage of .361 is 21st in the league.
CJ Abrams comes into the game with a team-high 17 RBIs, which is 12th in the league, and his 7 homers is 4th in the league. Abrams is also batting .283 for the season. Nick Senzel has two homers in his last five games and is batting .229 for the season. Senzel also comes into the game on a hitting streak.
Blue Jays vs Nationals Prediction
With the Nationals at +152 on the money line, we see this as a great value pick. Our predicted final score is 6-4 in favor of the Nationals, and at +152, they are offering a great payout.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Patrick Corbin finishing with six strikeouts compared to Yusei Kikuchi with five. Corbin is also projected to finish with fewer hits allowed than Kikuchi.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
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Last updated:May 3, 2024 Blue Jays, Nationals