The Toronto Blue Jays (16-18) travel to face off against the Washington Nationals (16-17) on Sunday, May 5th. This game will be played at Nationals Park in Washington and televised on None. The Blue Jays are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Nationals are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Blue Jays. First pitch is set for 1:35 ET.
Blue Jays vs Nationals
Toronto picked up a 6-3 road win over the Nationals in the most recent game of this series. The Blue Jays had a huge first inning, scoring four of their six runs. As for the Nationals, they scored their only three runs in the 7th. Heading into the game, the Blue Jays were favored at -171 on the money line.
Kevin Gausman got the win for the Blue Jays, going 5 1/3 innings and not giving up a run. He finished the game with eight strikeouts but issued two walks. Jake Irvin only went five innings for the Nationals, giving up five hits and three earned runs.
Toronto’s offense was led by Kevin Kiermaier, Danny Jansen, and Daulton Varsho, as they were the only three Blue Jays hitters to have more than one hit. Kiermaier and Jansen each drove in two runs. On the other end, CJ Abrams had a two-hit game for the Nationals.
Toronto is on the road today vs. the Nationals, and they are looking to get back to .500, as they are currently 16-18. In the AL East, they are 6.5 games behind the Orioles and are 4th in the division. So far, they are 5-5 in the AL East this season.
The Blue Jays have dropped three straight series and are just 4-5-1 in series matchups this year. At home, they have gone 8-7 compared to 8-11 on the road. Toronto has struggled as the underdog this year, going 3-9, but they are 13-9 when favored.
The Blue Jays have been a tough team to predict on the run line this season, as they are just 15-19 overall. They have been slightly better on the road, going 9-10, but have been a bit worse than their overall average run differential of -1.0 runs per game, with a -0.9 run differential on the road. They have been a better bet as the favorite, going 11-11 on the run line, compared to just 4-8 as the underdog.
The Blue Jays have gone over the total in two straight games, and their over/under record for the season is 14-19. Their average combined run total for the season is 8.1, and the over/under line for today’s game against the Nationals is set at 8 runs. The Blue Jays have played 17 games with over/under lines higher than 8 runs, and their over/under record in games with an 8-run line is 5-4-1.
Alek Manoah Gets The Start For The Blue Jays
Alek Manoah is coming off a season in which he made 19 starts and finished with a record of 3-9. His ERA for the year was 5.87, and he gave up a total of 15 home runs. Manoah’s WHIP for the season was 1.74, and he finished the year with four quality starts. On a per-nine-inning basis, Manoah averaged 8.14 strikeouts and 6.08 walks. His strikeout-to-walk ratio for the season was 1.3.
Blue Jays Offense Breakdown
As a team, the Blue Jays are averaging just 3.5 runs per game, which is 29th in the league. They have been even worse at home, putting up the same 3.5 runs per game. As a team, they are batting just .225, and their team on-base percentage of .306 is also near the bottom of the league. Toronto does have two hitters in the lineup who have been swinging the bat well of late, as Danny Jansen has gone 7/19 in his last six games, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is on a seven-game hitting streak.
Justin Turner comes into the game with a batting average of .294, and he is 2nd on the team with four homers. Overall, Daulton Varsho and Justin Turner are tied for the team lead with 16 RBIs. Varsho’s six homers is 5th best in the league right now.
Washington is hosting the Blue Jays today with an overall record of 16-17, and they are 4th in the NL East, 6.5 games behind the Phillies for the division lead. So far, they have gone 5-2 in divisional games. The Nationals are 5-9 at home this year and 11-8 on the road.
As the home underdog, the Nationals have gone 5-8 this year, and they are 15-16 as the underdog overall. Washington’s series record is 4-6 this year, and they are coming off a series win over the Marlins. In their last 10 games, the Nationals are 6-4.
Washington has been a solid bet on the run line this season, going 20-13 overall. They have been particularly strong on the road, going 14-5 against the run line. Despite being the underdog in most games, they have gone 19-12 against the run line. Their average run differential in wins is +3.1, while it is -3.7 in losses.
The Washington Nationals have seen their over/under line set at 8 runs for today’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Nationals have had an over/under record of 15-17 this season, and their games have averaged 8.3 runs per game. When the over/under line has been set at 8 runs this season, their record has been 1-3-1. Overall, 22 of their games have had higher over/under lines than 8 runs, which accounts for 66.7% of their games.
MacKenzie Gore Gets The Start For The Nationals
Left-hander MacKenzie Gore gets the start for the Nationals today as he faces the Blue Jays at home. He has made six starts this season and has a record of 2-3 with a 3.19 ERA. Gore’s WHIP for the season is 1.35, and opponents are batting .273 this season. In his last outing, he took the loss, giving up two earned runs in five innings of work. Before that, he had given up at least one homer in three straight outings. Gore’s only quality start came on April 13th, where he didn’t give up a run in five innings of work.
Nationals Offense Breakdown
Washington’s offense has been one of the worst in the league so far this season, averaging just 4 runs per game, which is 19th in the league. They have been even worse at home, averaging just 3.4 runs per game. As a team, the Nationals are batting .230, which is 14th in the league, and their team on-base percentage of .309 is 15th. Washington’s team OPS of .670 is also 19th in the league.
CJ Abrams and Nick Senzel have been two of the Nationals’ top power threats this season, with Abrams leading the team with seven homers and Senzel right behind him with five. Abrams is batting .287 for the season, while Senzel comes in at .246. Senzel has two homers and seven RBIs over his last seven games, while Abrams has gone just 7/29 in that stretch.
Blue Jays vs Nationals Prediction
Our prediction for today’s Blue Jays vs. Nationals matchup is to take the Blue Jays on the money line, with the payout being -108. We actually have the Blue Jays winning this one by a score of 6-4.
Looking at the starting pitchers, MacKenzie Gore is projected to finish with just five strikeouts, which is the seventh worst among today’s starters. As for the Blue Jays, they are projected to finish with nine strikeouts, which ranks them 16th.
Offensively, the Blue Jays are projected to finish with 12 hits, while the Nationals are predicted to finish with nine. As for home runs, the Blue Jays are projected to hit the second most in the league today, with the Nationals coming in at 19th.
Another reason we like the Blue Jays on the money line is that their payout is much better than the Nationals, as they are sitting at -112.
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 5, 2024 Blue Jays, Nationals