The Washington Nationals (36-38) travel to face off against the Colorado Rockies (26-49) on Friday, June 21st. This game will be played at Coors Field in Denver and televised on None. Both the Nationals and Rockies are looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. First pitch is set for 7:40 CT.
Nationals vs Rockies
The Nationals will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Diamondbacks with a 5-2 loss. This was especially tough, as they held a lead going into the 4th inning before the Diamondbacks scored three runs in the top of the 4th. Washington was the -143 favorite at home going into the game.
MacKenzie Gore got the start for the Nationals and took the loss. He only lasted five innings, giving up four earned runs on 10 hits. Jesse Winker was hot at the plate, going 2/4 with a homer and scoring both of the Nationals’ runs. However, the rest of the lineup only had two other hits.
Washington is 36-38 overall and trails the Phillies by 13 games in the NL East. So far, they have gone 14-10 in divisional matchups. The Nationals will open their series in Colorado on the road, and they are 19-19 on the road this year.
The Nationals have dropped two straight games as the favorite, and they are 2-1 as the road favorite this year. They are 30-33 as the underdog. Washington’s overall series record is 10-13-1, and they lost their most recent series vs. the Diamondbacks.
Washington is 45-29 vs. the run line this season, including 25-13 on the road. The Nationals have covered the run line in 2 straight games, but are just 6-5 vs. the run line as the favorite. Their average run differential is -0.2 runs per game.
The Washington Nationals are on the road today against the Colorado Rockies. The over/under line for the game is set at 11 runs. The Nationals have an over/under record of 32-39 this season, and their games have averaged 8.1 runs per game. The over/under line for their games has averaged 8 runs per game. The under has hit in each of their last five games.
DJ Herz Gets The Start For The Nationals
Washington Nationals lefty DJ Herz will be making his first road start of the season, as he’ll take on the Rockies in Colorado. Herz has been impressive in his first two starts of the year, as he struck out 13 in a win over the Marlins and then had 5 strikeouts in a no-decision against the Braves.
Nationals Offense Breakdown
Over his last six games, CJ Abrams has been swinging a hot bat, going 10/23 with four runs and an RBI. Abrams is currently on an 11-game hitting streak, and his 36 RBIs are the most on the team. Lane Thomas has also been swinging a good bat of late, going 8/31 with four homers over his last eight games.
As a team, the Nationals are 23rd in scoring at four runs per game. They have been a little better at home, averaging 4.1 runs per contest. Overall, they are batting just .232 and have the league’s 22nd ranked home run total. Currently, the Nationals have the 7th fewest strikeouts in the league.
The Rockies will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Dodgers with a 5-3 loss. This was especially tough, as they held a lead going into the 9th inning before the Dodgers scored two runs in the top of the 9th. Colorado was the +181 underdog at home going into the game.
Ty Blach got the start for the Rockies and took the loss. He only lasted four innings, giving up five earned runs on 10 hits. Ryan McMahon had a big game at the plate, going 2/4 with a homer and scoring three runs. The Rockies also had a big game from Jake Cave, going 2/3 with two RBIs.
Colorado is 26-49 overall, putting them in 5th place in the NL West. Currently, they trail the Giants by 9.5 games for 4th place in the division and are 20 games behind the Dodgers for the division lead. The Rockies have really struggled in divisional games, going 10-17 this year.
So far, the Rockies have really struggled on the road, going 11-27, and they are just below .500 at home with a record of 15-22. Colorado lost three straight series before dropping three of four games to the Dodgers in their most recent series. As for today’s matchup, they are the home team, and they are 26-49 as the underdog this year.
When the Rockies win, they win big, with an average run margin of 3.2 runs per game. But when they lose, they lose by an average of 4.1 runs per game. That’s why they are just 36-39 on the run line this season, including 17-20 at home and 19-19 on the road.
The Rockies have a combined run average of 10.2 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 39-35. When the over/under line is set at 11 runs, their record is 5-4-1. The Rockies have played 65 games with an over/under line set below 11 runs, which accounts for 76% of their games this season.
Dakota Hudson Gets The Start For The Rockies
Colorado is sending Dakota Hudson to the mound today vs. the Nationals, and he will be looking to rebound from his last outing, where he took the loss. Against the Pirates on June 16th, he gave up three earned runs in 5 1/3 innings of work. Looking back over his last three outings, Hudson has finished with a no-decision, loss, and loss. His record for the season is 2-9, and he has an ERA of 4.89. Hudson’s WHIP for the season is 1.47. Out of his 14 starts, he has four quality starts and is averaging just 5.01 strikeouts per nine innings.
Rockies Offense Breakdown
So far this season, the Rockies offense is averaging 4.3 runs per game, which is 16th in the league. They have been a better offensive team at home, averaging 4.8 runs per game, which is 8th in the MLB. As a team, they are batting .249, which is 7th in the league, and have the 2nd best BABIP in the league. The Rockies have been a below-average home run hitting team this season.
Over his last six games, Ryan McMahon has gone 9/26 with a home run and four RBIs. For the season, he is batting .274 with 13 homers and 40 RBIs. Ezequiel Tovar has been a nice surprise for the Rockies so far, as he is batting .280 with 11 homers and 35 RBIs. Tovar is also on a three-game hitting streak.
Nationals vs Rockies Prediction
There is a lot of value on the money line in this Rockies and Nationals matchup, as you can get the Rockies at -104 to pick up the win. Our predicted final score is 5-4 in favor of the Rockies, and with the payout on a Rockies win, we would recommend sticking with the money line.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Dakota Hudson is projected to finish with four strikeouts, which is the second-lowest among starters today. As for the Nationals’ starter, DJ Herz is projected to finish with seven strikeouts, which is the fourth-best among starters.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
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Last updated:June 24, 2024 Nationals, Rockies