The Washington Nationals (15-15) travel to face off against the Texas Rangers (16-15) on Thursday, May 2nd. This game will be played at Globe Life Field in Arlington and televised on MASN. The Nationals are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Rangers are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Nationals. First pitch is set for 2:35 ET.
Nationals vs Rangers
Washington picked up a 1-0 road win over the Rangers in the most recent game of this series. The Nationals had just one more hit than the Rangers and struck out five times, but still picked up the win. Heading into the game, they were at +165 on the money line.
The only run of the game came in the 2nd inning for the Nationals. As for the Rangers, they had their best chance to score in the 7th but left the bases loaded. Heading into the game, the total was set at 9.5 runs.
Trevor Williams started for the Nationals and picked up the win, going five innings and not giving up a run. He finished the game with just three strikeouts and allowed four hits. Kyle Finnegan got the save. Andrew Heaney had a good outing for the Rangers in the loss, giving up just one earned run in seven innings of work.
Washington heads into today’s matchup vs. the Rangers with an even 15-15 record, and they are 5.5 games behind the Braves for the NL East lead. The Nationals are 5-2 in divisional games this year and have won two straight series on the road. Their overall series record is 4-5 this year.
At home, the Nationals are just 4-8 this year, but they have been much better on the road at 11-7. As the underdog, Washington has gone 14-14 compared to 1-1 as the favorite. Looking at their overall record, the Nationals are 6-4 over their last 10 games.
When the Nationals win, they do so by an average of 2.9 runs per game, while their losses come by an average of -3.6 runs. They have a run line record of 19-11 this season, including a 14-4 mark on the road. As the underdog, they are 18-10 against the run line, compared to just 1-1 when they are favored.
The Washington Nationals have played 29 games this season, and their average combined run total is 8.3. Their over/under record is 13-16, and their average over/under line is 9. When the over/under line is set at 8.5, their record is 5-6. So far this season, 10 of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 8.5, which is 33.3% of their games.
Mitchell Parker Gets The Start For The Nationals
Washington’s Mitchell Parker will be making his fourth start of the season, and he’s been solid in his first three outings. He’s coming off a win against the Marlins, where he went 4 innings and gave up 1 earned run. Parker has yet to give up a home run this season and has 14 strikeouts in 16 innings pitched.
Nationals Offense Breakdown
Washington’s offense has been one of the worst in the league so far this season, averaging just 4 runs per game (20th). At home, they are averaging only 3 runs per contest. As a team, the Nationals are batting just .231, which is 17th in the league, and their team on-base percentage of .308 is also just 15th in the league. However, they do have the league’s 13th ranked home run hitter in CJ Abrams, who is also 5th in the league with 17 RBIs.
Over his last five games, Nick Senzel has gone 6/21 with three homers and seven RBIs. For the season, he is batting just .239. Senzel’s five homers are 2nd on the team and 6th in the league. Ildemaro Vargas comes into the game on a four-game hitting streak.
Texas will take on the Nationals at home today with an overall record of 16-15, and they are 2nd in the AL West, one game behind the Mariners. So far, they are just 5-8 in divisional matchups. The Rangers have an even .500 record at home, going 9-9 and 7-6 on the road.
As the favorite, the Rangers have gone 8-8 this year and 8-7 as the underdog. Texas’ overall series record is 4-4-1 coming into today’s game, and they are 5-5 over their last 10 games, including taking the first game of this series vs. the Nationals.
When the Rangers win, they win big, with an average run margin of 3.6 runs per game. They have been a good bet on the run line as an underdog, going 9-6. Overall, they are 14-17 against the run line, with a +0.4 run margin per game. They are 7-11 vs. the run line at home, where they have a run margin of +0.9 runs per game. On the road, they are 7-6 vs. the run line, with a run margin of -0.3 runs per game.
The Texas Rangers have had a combined run average of 8.6 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 13-17. The average over/under line for their games this season has been 9 runs. When the over/under line has been set at 8.5 runs, their record is 3-5. Overall, 61.3% of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 8.5 runs.
Nathan Eovaldi Gets The Start For The Rangers
Through six starts, Nathan Eovaldi has a record of 1-2 and an ERA of 3.00 for the Rangers. He has made three quality starts this season and is coming off an outing in which he didn’t allow an earned run. Against the Reds on April 26, Eovaldi went six innings, giving up just one earned run, and finished with eight strikeouts. Eovaldi’s ERA at home is 2.03, compared to 4.19 on the road. He has a walk rate of 4.25 per nine innings compared to 9 strikeouts.
Rangers Offense Breakdown
Adolis Garcia has been one of the Rangers’ top hitters this season, batting .294 with a team-high eight homers and 25 RBIs. Garcia is also on a three-game hitting streak but has gone just 6/27 (.222) over his last eight games. Evan Carter has also been swinging the bat well of late, going 8/28 (.286) with three homers in his last nine games. For the season, Carter is batting just .221.
As a team, the Rangers are averaging 4.5 runs per game, which is 15th in the league. They have been a little better on the road, averaging 4.8 runs per contest. Overall, they are 6th in home runs and have the league’s 9th ranked batting average. Texas has a few hitters near the top of the league in RBIs, as Marcus Semien is 9th in the league with 20 RBIs, and Garcia is 4th with 25.
Nationals vs Rangers Prediction
Our prediction for today’s Nationals vs. Rangers game is to take the over at 8.5 runs. We see this one finishing with a score of 6-5 in favor of the Rangers, giving us some wiggle room on the over/under line.
If you’re looking for a money line pick, then the Rangers at -213 are the way to go. Looking at today’s starters, we have Nathan Eovaldi finishing with five strikeouts compared to Mitchell Parker with just four.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
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Last updated:May 2, 2024 Nationals, Rangers