The Washington Nationals (14-14) travel to face off against the Texas Rangers (15-14) on Tuesday, April 30th. This game will be played at Globe Life Field in Arlington and televised on BSSW. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. First pitch is set for 8:05 ET.
Nationals vs Rangers
CJ Abrams had only one hit in the Nationals’ 7-2 win over the Marlins, but it was a big one. He homered in the 3rd inning, going on to score the team’s first run. The Nationals really broke things open with a four-run 7th inning. Looking at the betting lines going into the game, the Nationals were the slight underdog at +119.
Jake Irvin put together a good start for the Nationals, going six innings and giving up just two runs on four hits. He only had three strikeouts in the outing and got the win.
Washington’s overall record is even at 14-14 heading into today’s road matchup vs. the Rangers. The Nationals have won four straight games, all coming in their most recent series vs. the Marlins. In the NL East, the Nationals are 5.5 games behind the Braves and are 4th in the division standings.
At home, the Nationals have gone just 4-8 this year, but they have been better on the road at 10-6. As the road underdog, Washington has put together a mark of 9-6 this season. The Nationals have an overall series record of 4-5 and have won two straight series on the road.
The Nationals have been a solid run line team this season, going 18-10 overall. They have been especially good on the road, going 13-3 on the run line. They have covered the run line in five straight games overall and as an underdog. Their average run margin in winning games is 3.1, while it is -3.4 in losses.
The Washington Nationals have played in 27 games this season, with 12 of them going over the total and 15 going under. The average over/under line for their games is 9 runs, but today’s line is set at 8.5. In games with an over/under line of 8.5 runs, the over is 5-6. The Nationals have gone over in three straight games, with the combined run average in those games being 13 runs. Overall, 9 of their games have had higher over/under lines than today’s 8.5, which is 32.1% of their games.
MacKenzie Gore Gets The Start For The Nationals
MacKenzie Gore and the Nationals are on the road to take on the Rangers. Gore is 2-2 on the year and has gone at least 5 innings in all 4 starts. He is coming off a 6 inning outing where he struck out 4 and gave up 7 hits and 2 walks in a loss to the Dodgers.
Nationals Offense Breakdown
Washington’s offense has been a bit below average this season, averaging 4.2 runs per game (19th). However, they have been better on the road, putting up 5.1 runs per contest. The Nationals have been one of the league’s better home run-hitting teams this season and have the 11th ranked batting average in the league.
CJ Abrams has been one of the Nationals’ top hitters this season, batting .297 with a team-high seven home runs. He is also on a five-game hitting streak and has gone 11/36 in his last nine games. Jacob Young is also on a five-game hitting streak and went 12/26 in his last eight games.
The Rangers’s offense was hot right out of the gates in their most recent game vs. the Reds, closing out their series with a 4-3 win. After allowing one run to the Reds in the top of the first, the Rangers responded with four runs of their own. Texas went on to add another four runs in the 1st inning, and that was all the scoring they needed, as the Reds could only score three runs. Going into the game, the Rangers were the slight favorite at -133 on the money line.
Dane Dunning got the start for the Rangers, going 5 1/3 innings, and picked up the win. He was also impressive on the mound, allowing just one run while striking out 10 Reds batters. Adolis Garcia went only one inning, but it was a big one, as he homered and drove in two runs. The Rangers also got a homer from Wyatt Langford, going 3/3.
Texas will host the Nationals today with an overall record of 15-14, and they are 2nd in the AL West, one game behind the Mariners. The Rangers are 5-8 in divisional games this year. Texas took the final game of their series vs. the Reds and are 4-4-1 in series this year.
At home, the Rangers are 8-8 this season compared to 7-6 on the road. So far, they have been an even 7-7 as the underdog and 6-6 as the favorite at home. Overall, the Rangers have gone 8-4 over their last 12 games.
When betting the run line, the Rangers have been a better play on the road than at home, going 7-6 compared to 6-10 at home. They are 4-10 vs. the run line as favorites, but 9-6 as underdogs. Their average run differential is +0.2 for the season, but it jumps to +0.7 at home and drops to -0.3 on the road. Their average run differential in wins is +3.5, but it drops to -3.2 in losses.
With an average of 8.9 runs per game, the Rangers have seen their games go over the 8.5-run line in just 3 of 8 games. Overall, they are 12-16 O/U on the season, and 62.1% of their games have had higher lines than today’s 8.5-run total. Their last 10 games have averaged 8.9 runs per game.
Jon Gray Gets The Start For The Rangers
Texas is sending Jon Gray to the mound today vs. the Nationals, and he has made one quality start this year. Gray’s ERA is 2.92, and his record for the season is 0-1. The right-hander has made six appearances this year and finished with a no-decision in each of his last three outings. In his most recent start, Gray went 4 2/3 innings, giving up one earned run on seven hits. Opponents are batting .245 off Gray this season. So far, he has a strikeout rate of 11.68 per nine innings.
Rangers Offense Breakdown
Adolis Garcia comes into the game as one of the league’s top home run hitters, as his eight homers are 3rd in the league and the best mark on the Rangers. Garcia is also 4th in the league with 25 RBIs. Over his last eight games, Garcia has gone 7/29 with three homers and seven RBIs. Evan Carter also has three homers in his last eight games, going 7/25 in that stretch.
Overall, the Rangers are 6th in home runs this season and are averaging 4.6 runs per game. As a team, they are batting .248, which is 9th in the league. So far, they have been a good strikeout team and have been good at drawing walks. Texas has two players in the top 10 in RBIs in Marcus Semien and Adolis Garcia.
Nationals vs Rangers Prediction
Our prediction for today’s Nationals vs. Rangers matchup is to take the Rangers on the money line, with the payout sitting at -153. We have the Rangers winning this one by a score of 5-4.
Looking at the starting pitchers, our projections have MacKenzie Gore picking up five strikeouts compared to Jon Gray with five as well. However, Gray is projected to go deeper into the game compared to Gore.
Offensively, our projections have the Nationals finishing with nine hits compared to the Rangers with nine as well. However, the Rangers are projected to have fewer strikeouts, and they also have a higher projected home run total than the Nationals.
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:April 30, 2024 Nationals, Rangers