The Washington Nationals (5-8) travel to face off against the Oakland Athletics (6-8) on Saturday, April 13th. This game will be played at Oakland Coliseum in Oakland and televised on MASN. The Athletics are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Nationals are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Nationals. First pitch is set for 4:07 ET.

Nationals vs Athletics

It was a low-scoring game in the most recent game of this Athletics vs Nationals series. Oakland went into the matchup as -134 favorites and squeaked out a 2-1 win. The Nationals had a chance to tie or win the game in the 9th inning, but Kyle Finnegan gave up the go-ahead run, and Michael Kelly closed things out for the A’s.

Washington wasted a good outing from Jake Irvin, as he went six innings and gave up just one run and one hit. Paul Blackburn was even better for the A’s, as he went six and one-third innings and didn’t give up a run or a hit. Blackburn finished the game with just two strikeouts but induced 12 groundouts.

Jesse Winker was the only player in the game to have more than one hit, as he went 4/4 with a home run. Winker’s solo shot in the 9th inning accounted for the Nationals’ only run. Lawrence Butler had a two-hit game for the A’s, including a home run.

As the Nationals are on the road today vs. the Athletics, they are looking to snap a two-game losing streak, as they dropped the final two games of their series with the Giants. Currently, the Nationals are in 4th place in the NL East, 3.5 games behind the Braves. So far, they have a series record of 1-3.

When playing during the day, Washington is 2-7 compared to 3-1 in night games. They are just below .500 with a 3-4 record on the road this season and are just under .500 at 2-4 in home games. Washington got above .500 with a win as the underdog in their series with the Giants.

The Nationals have been a solid bet against the run line this season, going 7-6 overall. They are 5-2 against the run line on the road, where they have an average run margin of -0.6. They have covered the run line in seven of their 12 games as the underdog, but are 0-1 against the run line as the favorite.

The Washington Nationals have an over/under record of 6-7 on the season and have a combined run average of 8.4 runs per game. Their average over/under line for the season is 9 runs per game, but their over/under record when the line is set at 8 runs is 0-1. So far this season, 76.9% of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 8 runs. Their last three games have all gone under the total, including their most recent game against the Oakland Athletics, which had a combined total of 3 runs.

MacKenzie Gore Gets The Start For The Nationals

MacKenzie Gore will be making his first start of the season on the road against the Oakland Athletics. In his first outing of the season, Gore went 5 2/3 innings, allowing 2 earned runs and struck out 6 batters. He got the win in that start, but did give up a home run.

Nationals Offense Breakdown

Our player projections have Lane Thomas as the Nationals’ top home run threat in today’s game, as his home run projection is 9th best in the league. Joey Gallo has the 11th best home run projection in today’s slate of games. When it comes to total hits, CJ Abrams has the best projection for the Nationals and is 16th best in the league. Joey Meneses is 19th in the league in terms of total hits today.

With an overall record of 6-8, the Athletics are 3rd in the AL West, two games behind the Rangers. The Athletics head into today’s game on a two-game winning streak, closing out their series with the Rangers with a win and picking up a win in the series opener.

Looking at their series record, the Athletics have won two straight series and are 2-2 so far. When playing at home, they are 2-6 compared to 4-2 on the road. As the underdog this season, Oakland has a record of 5-8.

The Athletics have been a solid bet against the run line this season, going 8-6 overall. They have been particularly strong on the road, going 5-1 against the run line. As the underdog, they have gone 8-5 against the run line. Their average run margin in winning games is +2.3, while their average run margin in losing games is -4.4.

With an over/under line of 8 runs, the Oakland Athletics and Washington Nationals have a combined run average of 7.1 runs per game this season. The Athletics have gone under the total in four straight games, and their over/under record for the season is 6-7. So far, 50% of their games have had over/under lines set at 8 or higher.

Joe Boyle Gets The Start For The Athletics

Joe Boyle will be making his second start of the season for the Athletics, and he will be facing the Nationals at home. Boyle is coming off a win in his first start, where he went 5 innings and struck out 6. He was able to keep the Tigers off the scoreboard, giving up just 2 hits. In his first start of the year, he took the loss against the Red Sox, going just 2 2/3 innings and giving up 8 runs.

Athletics Offense Breakdown

For the Athletics, Zack Gelof is projected to have the most hits on the team and has the 10th highest home run projection in today’s slate of games. J.D. Davis is 2nd on the team in terms of total hits and 11th in terms of home run projections. Shea Langeliers has the top home run projection on the team and is 6th in terms of home run projections across the entire league today.

Nationals vs Athletics Prediction

With the Athletics being the underdog in this one, we really like them to pick up the win and at +111, they are offering a nice payout. Our predicted final score is 5-4 in favor of the Athletics.

If you’re looking for a player prop bet, we like Joe Boyle to finish with six strikeouts. As for MacKenzie Gore, he is projected to finish with six K’s as well.

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.