The Arizona Diamondbacks (35-37) travel to face off against the Washington Nationals (35-36) on Tuesday, June 18th. This game will be played at Nationals Park in Washington and televised on MASN. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. First pitch is set for 5:45 CT.
Diamondbacks vs Nationals
Heading into their last game vs. the White Sox, the Diamondbacks closed out the series with a 12-5 win. Leading up to the game, they were the heavy favorite at -177. It was a big third inning that really turned things in their favor, as the Diamondbacks scored three runs in the inning. The White Sox could only score one run in the 3rd and added another in the 7th.
Jordan Montgomery put together a good start for the Diamondbacks, going five innings and not giving up a run. He also issued just two walks and struck out seven White Sox batters. Arizona’s offense was carried by Christian Walker, who went 3/5 with a homer and three RBIs.
Arizona is 35-37 overall, and they are nine games behind the Dodgers for the NL West lead. The Diamondbacks will be on the road today vs. the Nationals, and they lead the Rockies by ten games for 3rd place in the division. So far, they have gone 15-12 in divisional games.
At home, the Diamondbacks are 19-18 this season, and they are just below .500 at 16-19 on the road. Arizona has won two straight series, taking two of three vs. the Brewers and White Sox. They are 6-4 over their last ten games and have an overall series record of 9-11-3.
Arizona has played to a run line record of 34-38 this season, with a scoring margin of 0.0 runs per game. The Diamondbacks have been a better bet on the run line on the road, where they are 18-17. They have a scoring margin of +0.3 runs per game on the road, compared to -0.2 runs per game at home. As the favorite, Arizona is just 14-21 on the run line, while they are 20-17 as the underdog.
The Arizona Diamondbacks are on the road today against the Washington Nationals, with the over/under line set at 9 runs. The Diamondbacks have a combined run average of 9.7 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 36-34. Their games have averaged a line of 9 runs per game, and when the line has been set at 9 runs, they have gone 6-9-1. So far this season, 16.7% of their games have had over/under lines set at 9 runs, and their over/under record is 2-0 in their last two games.
Slade Cecconi Gets The Start For The Diamondbacks
Right-hander Slade Cecconi is starting for the Diamondbacks today as he faces the Nationals on the road. So far this season, he has made eight starts and has a record of 1-5 with a 6.70 ERA. Opposing batters are hitting .265 this season off Ceconni, and he has a WHIP of 1.29. The most recent outing for Ceconni came on June 12th, where he took the loss after giving up seven earned runs in three innings of work. He gave up four homers in that outing. Ceconni has made two quality starts this year and is averaging 6.7 strikeouts per nine innings.
Diamondbacks Offense Breakdown
Arizona’s offense has been one of the league’s best so far this season, averaging 4.9 runs per game, which is 6th in the MLB. They have been even better at home, also averaging 4.9 runs per contest. The Diamondbacks are also among the league leaders in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage.
Christian Walker has been the team’s top power threat this season, as his 16 home runs are 7th in the league and the most on the team. He is also 8th in the league with 49 RBIs. Walker has been hot of late, going 10/36 in his last eight games with four homers and 10 RBIs. Ketel Marte is batting .283 for the season and has 14 homers, which is 2nd on the team and 9th in the league.
The Nationals’s offense was hot right out of the gates in their most recent game vs. the Marlins, closing out their series with a 3-1 win. After allowing one run to the Marlins in the top of the first, the Nationals responded with a run of their own. Washington went on to add another two runs in the 4th inning.
Mitchell Parker put together a good start for the Nationals, going six innings and giving up just one earned run, and picking up the win. Washington’s offense was carried by Jacob Young, who went 2/3 with a homer and a run scored.
Washington will open their series vs. the Diamondbacks with a record of 35-36, and they have won three straight games. In the NL East, they are 12.5 games behind the Phillies and are 3rd in the division. This year, they have been good in the division, putting up a mark of 14-10.
The Nationals have won three straight games and closed out their series vs. the Marlins with a win. So far, they are 16-17 at home compared to a record of 19-19 on the road. As the underdog, the Nationals are 29-33 this year and 6-3 when favored. Washington’s overall series record is 10-12-1, and they have won three straight series.
The Nationals have been a good bet against the run line this season, going 44-27 overall. They have been particularly good on the road, where they are 25-13. They have covered the run line in six straight games and are 6-3 as the favorite. They have an average run margin of -0.1 runs per game, but that number jumps to +3.3 runs per game in their wins.
Washington has played to the under in 73.2% of their games this season, and their games have averaged 8.3 runs per game. The over/under line is set at 9 runs for today’s game, and the Nationals have gone 2-4-1 in games with that line. They have played to the under in two straight games.
Jake Irvin Gets The Start For The Nationals
Jake Irvin has made 14 starts this season and has a record of 5-5 with an ERA of 3.00. So far, he has turned in nine quality starts and is coming off a performance in which he allowed just one earned run in six innings of work. In that outing, he gave up six hits, one walk, and one homer. Irvin has won each of his last three starts. Looking at his numbers, opponents are batting .223 this season. Per nine innings, he has 7.67 strikeouts and just 1.67 walks. At home, his ERA is 4.08 compared to 2.69 on the road.
Nationals Offense Breakdown
Washington’s offense comes into today’s game averaging 4.1 runs per game, which is 23rd in the league. They have been a little better at home, averaging 4.3 runs per game. As a team, they are batting just .235 and have the 22nd ranked home run total in the league. One positive for the Nationals is that they are 7th in the league in terms of fewest strikeouts per game.
CJ Abrams and Joey Meneses are the Nationals’ top two home run hitters this season, but both have been below average in terms of batting average. However, Lane Thomas has been hot of late, hitting three homers in his last eight games while batting .367. Thomas also comes into the game on a 10 game hitting streak.
Diamondbacks vs Nationals Prediction
Our pick for this Diamondbacks vs. Nationals matchup is to take the Nationals on the money line at -119. We actually have the Nationals winning this game by a score of 6-5, which means you could also look to take the over, as the line is sitting at 9 runs.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Jake Irvin is projected to finish with five strikeouts, while Slade Cecconi is projected to finish with four. Cecconi is also predicted to give up three earned runs, compared to Irvin, who we have giving up two.
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:June 18, 2024 Diamondbacks, Nationals