The Toronto Blue Jays (15-18) travel to face off against the Washington Nationals (16-16) on Saturday, May 4th. This game will be played at Nationals Park in Washington and televised on None. The Nationals are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Blue Jays are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Nationals. First pitch is set for 4:05 ET.
Blue Jays vs Nationals
Washington cruised to a 9-3 win over the Blue Jays in the most recent game of this series. The Nationals had a huge 7th inning, scoring four of their nine runs. As for the Blue Jays, they scored their only three runs in the 8th. Heading into the game, the Nationals were at +169 on the money line.
Patrick Corbin got the win for the Nationals, going six innings and giving up three earned runs. Yusei Kikuchi had a rough outing for the Blue Jays, taking the loss after going six innings and giving up one earned run.
Luis Garcia Jr. hit the game’s only home run while going 1/1 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Joey Meneses also had a two-hit game and drove in a run for Washington’s offense.
Toronto is on the road today vs. the Nationals, and they are looking to snap a three-game losing streak, as they are 15-18 overall this season. The Blue Jays are 4th in the AL East, 6.5 games behind the Orioles for the division lead. So far, they are 5-5 in divisional matchups.
The Blue Jays have dropped three straight games as the favorite, and they are 12-9 overall when favored this year. As for their time as the underdog, they are just 3-9. On the road, the Blue Jays have lost four straight series, and their overall series record is 4-5-1.
The Blue Jays have been a tough team to bet on the run line this season, as they are 14-19 overall. They are 8-10 on the run line on the road and have failed to cover in their last four road games. They have been favored in 21 games and have gone 10-11 on the run line in those contests.
Today’s over/under line for the Blue Jays game against the Nationals is set at 8.5 runs. The Blue Jays have had a combined run average of 8.0 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 13-19. In games where the over/under line has been set at 8.5 runs, the Blue Jays have gone 4-8 on the over/under. Overall, 48.5% of their games have had lower over/under lines than 8.5 runs.
Kevin Gausman Gets The Start For The Blue Jays
Toronto is sending right-hander Kevin Gausman to the mound today vs. the Nationals. He has made six starts this year and has a record of 1-3 with an ERA of 4.50. Gausman’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.36. The last time he took the mound, Gausman picked up the win, going seven innings and giving up just one earned run. Looking back over his last four starts, he has alternated between a win and a loss. Gausman has made two quality starts this year and is averaging 7.39 strikeouts per nine innings.
Blue Jays Offense Breakdown
For the season, the Blue Jays are batting just .225, which is 17th in the league. As a team, they are averaging only 3.5 runs per game, and their collective on-base percentage and slugging percentage are also below the league average. One positive for the Blue Jays is that they are the 5th toughest team to strike out in the league.
Justin Turner has been a bright spot in the Blue Jays lineup so far, as he is batting .296 with four home runs and 15 RBIs. Daulton Varsho has a team-high six homers but is batting just .227. Varsho is also 14th in the league with 16 RBIs. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has gone deep three times this season and is batting just .232.
Washington is at an even 16-16 overall heading into today’s matchup vs. the Blue Jays. The Nationals are 5.5 games behind the Phillies for the NL East lead, and they are also tied with the Mets for 3rd/4th place in the division. So far, they have been good against other NL East teams, going 5-2 in divisional matchups.
At home, the Nationals are just 5-8 this year compared to an 11-8 mark on the road. As the underdog, Washington has put together a record of 15-15 compared to just 1-1 when favored. The Nationals are currently 4-6 in series this year, and they are coming off a series win over the Marlins.
Washington has been a profitable run line team this season, with a record of 20-12. They have been especially strong on the road, going 14-5 against the run line. Their average run margin is -0.3, with a scoring margin of -1.0 at home and 0.2 on the road. They have covered the run line in their last two home games, but are just 6-7 at home overall. They are 1-1 against the run line as the favorite and 19-11 as the underdog.
Washington has played 10 games with over/under lines set at 8.5 runs this season, and the over/under record in those games is 6-6. The Nationals’ games have averaged 8.3 runs per game this season, and their over/under record overall is 14-17. The over/under line for today’s game is set at 8.5 runs, and the Nationals’ games have had an average over/under line of 9 runs this season.
Jake Irvin Gets The Start For The Nationals
Jake Irvin will be looking to build off his last outing, where he faced the Marlins and picked up the win. In that start, he went six innings and gave up two earned runs. Looking back further, he has made six starts and has a record of 2-2. Irvin’s ERA for the season is 4.28, along with a WHIP of 1.19. Opposing batters are hitting .254 off the right-hander this season. Out of his six starts, Irvin has turned in three quality starts. His ERA at home is 8.79 compared to 2.48 on the road.
Nationals Offense Breakdown
Washington’s offense comes into the game averaging 4 runs per game, which is 19th in the league. They have been a little better on the road, averaging 4.4 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting .232 and are 15th in the league in home runs. So far, they have been pretty good at avoiding strikeouts, as they are 6th in the league in this category.
CJ Abrams has been one of the Nationals’ top hitters this season, coming in with a batting average of .280 to go along with a team-high 7 home runs and 18 RBIs. Over his last nine games, Jacob Young has gone 11/29, and Nick Senzel has gone deep three times in his last seven games. Senzel is batting .250 for the season.
Blue Jays vs Nationals Prediction
Our predicted final score for this Blue Jays and Nationals matchup is 5-4 in favor of the Blue Jays. However, we are recommending taking the over at 8.5 runs. At -103, there is some solid value in the over, as we have this game combining for nine runs.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Kevin Gausman does have a better chance of picking up a win than Jake Irvin. Gausman is also projected to finish with five strikeouts compared to Irvin, who we have at four.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* 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.
Last updated:May 4, 2024 Blue Jays, Nationals