The Washington Nationals (19-20) travel to face off against the Chicago White Sox (12-29) on Tuesday, May 14th. This game will be played at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago and televised on MASN. Both the Nationals and White Sox are looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. First pitch is set for 4:40 ET.
Nationals vs White Sox
The Nationals will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Red Sox with a 3-2 loss. This was especially tough, as they held a lead going into the 4th inning before the Red Sox scored three runs in the 4th to take the lead. Washington was the +117 underdog on the road going into this game.
MacKenzie Gore put together a good start for the Nationals, going six innings and giving up just two earned runs, and striking out nine. However, he took the loss, as the Nationals couldn played in the 9th.
Washington is 19-20 overall and trails the Phillies by 8.5 games in the NL East. The Nationals lost two straight games to close out their series vs. the Red Sox. So far, they are 5-2 in divisional games.
At home, the Nationals are just 7-10 this year compared to 12-10 on the road. As the underdog, Washington is 17-19 this year and 2-1 when favored. Their overall series record is 5-7-1 coming into today’s game on the road vs. the White Sox.
Washington has been a strong bet against the run line this season, with a 25-14 record. They have been particularly strong on the road, going 16-6 against the run line. Their average run margin is -0.2 runs per game, but they have been able to cover the run line in 64% of their games. They have been a good bet as the underdog, going 23-13 against the run line.
Washington’s over/under record for the season is 17-21, and the average over/under line for their games is 9 runs. When the over/under line has been set at 8.5 runs, they have gone over in 7 games and under in 9. The over has hit in 60% of their games with an over/under line of 8.5 runs. The under has hit in their last 3 games.
Trevor Williams Gets The Start For The Nationals
Trevor Williams gets the start for the Nationals today as he faces the White Sox on the road. He has made seven starts this year and has a record of 4-0 with an ERA of 1.96. Williams has pitched well this year, as he has a WHIP of 1.06 and opponents are batting .209 off him this year. Williams has made one quality start this year and is coming off a game in which he didn’t give up a run. In that outing, he went five innings and got the win. Williams has been especially good on the road, with a record of 2-0 and an ERA of 2.17.
Nationals Offense Breakdown
Eddie Rosario has really turned things around for the Nationals over the team’s last nine games, hitting .417 with four homers and 10 RBIs. Rosario is also on a seven-game hitting streak. For the season, Rosario is batting just .174, but his five homers is 2nd on the team and 9th in the league. Luis Garcia Jr. and CJ Abrams are also among the league leaders in home runs, with seven and three, respectively. Garcia Jr. is batting .297 for the season, while Abrams is hitting .277.
Washington’s offense is averaging 4.1 runs per game, which is 19th in the league. They are also just 15th in home runs and have a team batting average of just .228. As a team, the Nationals are batting a league-average 8th in strikeouts. So far, they have been a better offensive team on the road (4.2 runs per game) than at home (4.0).
The White Sox will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Guardians with a 7-0 loss. Chicago was the +145 underdog at home going into this matchup. Things really got away from the White Sox in the 4th inning, as the Guardians scored three runs in the inning. Chicago’s offense didn’t score a run, and their only bright spot was Zach Remillard going 2/2.
Michael Soroka got the start for the White Sox and took the loss. He only lasted 5 1/3 innings, giving up four earned runs on four hits. Soroka also issued three walks and hit a batter. The White Sox’s bullpen didnjson’t do much better, as they allowed three more runs in the 8th.
With a record of 12-29, the White Sox are 5th in the AL Central and trail the Guardians by 13.5 games for the division lead. So far, they have really struggled against other AL Central teams, going 5-19. Chicago will be looking to pick up a win today, as they have dropped four straight games at home.
Chicago has gone 4-16 on the road this season, and they are just below .500 at 8-13 at home. As the underdog, the White Sox are 11-29 this season, and they are 3-9-1 in series this year. Their overall series record is 3-9-1. Coming into today’s game, the White Sox won three of their last four games in their series vs. the Guardians.
Chicago has been a solid run line bet at home this season, going 13-8, compared to 7-13 on the road. They are 1-0 against the run line as the favorite and 19-21 as the underdog. Their average run differential in wins is +2.2, while it is -4.0 in losses.
When the White Sox have played games with an over/under line of 8.5 runs this season, the over has hit in 5 of the 11 games (45.5%). Overall, the White Sox have played 43 games this season, and the over has hit in 18 of them (41.9%). The White Sox have an over/under record of 18-22 on the season. Their games have averaged 8.0 runs per game, and the average over/under line for their games has been 8 runs.
Chris Flexen Gets The Start For The White Sox
Chris Flexen gets the start for the White Sox today and has made six starts this season. He has a record of 2-3 and an ERA of 4.29. So far, Flexen has turned in two quality starts and is coming off a game in which he only gave up one earned run in six innings of work. In that outing, he finished with eight strikeouts. Looking back at his last three outings, Flexen has given up a total of two earned runs. At home, his ERA is 8.04 compared to 2.41 on the road.
White Sox Offense Breakdown
Chicago’s offense has been the worst in the league so far this season, averaging just 2.9 runs per game. They are also the league’s worst home run hitting team and have a collective batting average of just .213. However, they do have a couple of hitters who have been swinging the bat well of late, as Andrew Vaughn has gone 7/19 in his last five games, and Paul DeJong is also batting .353 in that span.
DeJong comes into the game as the White Sox’s home run leader, with six homers, which is 8th best in the league. Andrew Benintendi is batting just .194 for the season but does have three homers and is the team’s current leader in RBIs. Korey Lee and Eloy Jimenez are also tied for 2nd on the team with four homers.
Nationals vs White Sox Prediction
Our prediction for this Nationals vs. White Sox matchup is to take the White Sox on the money line at +102. We have the White Sox winning this one by a score of 6-5. If you’re looking for a parlay, you could also take the over, as the line is sitting at 8.5 runs, and we have the teams combining for 11 runs.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Chris Flexen is projected to finish with four strikeouts compared to Trevor Williams with five. However, Flexen is projected to finish with a better ERA than Williams, and we have Flexen finishing with a line of 6 IP, five hits, and three earned runs.
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 14, 2024 Nationals, White Sox