The Washington Nationals (26-31) travel to face off against the Cleveland Guardians (39-19) on Sunday, June 2nd. This game will be played at Progressive Field in Cleveland and televised on MASN. The Guardians are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Nationals are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Guardians. First pitch is set for 12:40 CT.
Nationals vs Guardians
Cleveland picked up a 3-2 win over the Nationals in the most recent game of this series. The Guardians had a two-run lead heading into the 4th inning, and the Nationals could only muster two more runs in the 5th. As for the Nationals, they scored their only two runs in the 4th. Heading into the game, the Guardians were favored at -145 on the money line.
Ben Lively got the start for the Guardians, going just 5 2/3 innings while giving up two runs and striking out four. He did not factor in the decision as Emmanuel Clase got the save. Mitchell Parker had a rough outing for the Nationals, taking the loss after going 5 2/3 innings and giving up three earned runs.
At the plate, the Guardians were led by Jose Ramirez, who went 2/4 with an RBI. Kyle Manzardo also had a two-hit game and drove in two runs. As for the Nationals, Luis Garcia Jr. went 2/4 with two RBIs.
Washington is on the road today, looking to pick up a win vs. the Guardians after dropping the first two games of the series. The Nationals overall are 26-31, and they trail the Phillies by 14 games in the NL East. So far, they are 8-6 in divisional matchups.
As the underdog, Washington is 23-29 this season and 3-2 as the favorite. The Nationals are 16-18 on the road compared to 10-13 at home. Washington’s series record is 7-10-1 this year, and they have won two straight series.
Washington has been a solid bet against the run line this season, going 35-22 overall. They’ve been especially strong on the road, where they are 22-12 against the run line. They are 3-2 against the run line as the favorite, but 32-20 as the underdog.
The Washington Nationals are on the road today against the Cleveland Guardians. The over/under line for the game is set at 8.5 runs. So far this season, the Nationals have played 55 games with an average combined run total of 8.2 runs per game. Their over/under record for the season is 25-30, and when the line is set at 8.5 runs, their record is 9-10. Overall, 15 of their games have had over/under lines set at 8.5 runs, accounting for 26.3% of their games.
Jake Irvin Gets The Start For The Nationals
Jake Irvin gets the start for the Nationals today as he faces off against the Guardians on the road. So far this season, he has made 11 starts and has a record of 2-5 with an ERA of 3.43. Looking at his overall numbers, Irvin has a WHIP of 1.03 and opponents are batting .223 this year. One positive for Irvin is that he has turned in six quality starts and is coming off an outing in which he didn’t allow a run. In that start vs. the Braves, he went six innings and gave up just two hits. Irvin’s ERA at home is 5.1 compared to 2.81 on the road.
Nationals Offense Breakdown
Washington’s offense has been one of the worst in the league so far, averaging just 3.9 runs per game (24th) and have the 19th ranked home run total in the league. They are also near the bottom of the league in terms of team slugging percentage and OPS. As a team, the Nationals are batting just .230.
CJ Abrams has been a bright spot for the Nationals this season, as he is batting .249 overall and leads the team with nine home runs. However, he is just 4/22 in his last five games. Joey Meneses is the team’s top run producer, with 27 RBIs, and is batting .239 for the season. Eddie Rosario is 2nd on the team with seven homers but is batting just .174 for the season.
Cleveland is hosting the Nationals today with an overall record of 39-19, which has them leading the AL Central by five games over the Royals. The Guardians have taken the first two games of this series vs. the Nationals, and they have an overall series record of 13-5 this year.
At home, the Guardians have been really good this year, going 20-6, and they are 19-13 on the road. So far, they have been really good in day games, going 17-4 this season. As the favorite, the Guardians are 27-11 this year and 12-8 as the underdog. Cleveland has an overall record of 17-5 as the home favorite, and they have an overall record of 8-2 in their last 10 games.
The Guardians have been a solid bet on the run line this season, going 33-25 overall. They have been especially good at home, where they are 15-11 against the run line. As the underdog, they have been even better, going 15-5. They have an average run margin of 1.4 runs per game this season.
The Cleveland Guardians are set to host the Washington Nationals today, with the over/under line set at 8.5 runs. The Guardians have played to an average combined run total of 8.8 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 29-25. When the over/under line has been set at 8.5 runs, their record is 5-10. Overall, 22.4% of their games have had higher over/under lines than 8.5 runs.
Carlos Carrasco Gets The Start For The Guardians
Carlos Carrasco gets the start for the Guardians today and will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Rangers. In that May 15th start, he took the loss, going five innings and giving up two earned runs on five hits. Looking back over his last three starts, Carrasco has given up at least two homers in two of those outings. For the season, he has a record of 2-4, an ERA of 5.16, and has issued 3.57 walks per nine innings. Carrasco’s WHIP for the season is 1.46.
Guardians Offense Breakdown
Jose Ramirez has been on a tear of late for the Guardians, going 12/30 with four homers over his last eight games. For the season, he is batting .276 with a league-leading 57 RBIs and is 5th in the league with 16 homers. Josh Naylor is also a big power threat in the lineup, as he is 2nd on the team with 15 homers but has struggled of late, going just 5/33 in his last eight games.
As a team, the Guardians are 3rd in the league in scoring at 5.1 runs per game. They have been even better on the road, averaging 5.2 runs per contest. Overall, they are batting .239 and are 8th in the league in home runs. Cleveland’s offense has three players on five-game hitting streaks, including Ramirez.
Nationals vs Guardians Prediction
The best bet for this one is to take the Guardians on the money line at -150. We have them winning this game by a score of 6-4, which gives us some room to take them on the money line, as opposed to the run line.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Carlos Carrasco is projected to finish with five strikeouts, compared to Jake Irvin at four. Carrasco is also projected to go deeper into the game, and we have him finishing with a better ERA than Irvin.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
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Last updated:June 2, 2024 Guardians, Nationals