The Washington Nationals (0-1) travel to face off against the Cincinnati Reds (1-0) on Saturday, March 30th. This game will be played at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati and televised on MASN. The Reds 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 4:10 ET.
Nationals vs Reds
The Reds and Nationals played the previous game of this series, with Cincinnati picking up an 8-2 win at home. The money line odds were in favor of the Reds at -154. Frankie Montas got the win for Cincinnati, while Josiah Gray took the loss.
Montas and Gray actually had the same number of strikeouts, but Gray gave up seven earned runs on eight hits in just four innings of work. Montas, on the other hand, went six innings and didn’t give up a run. Nick Martini led the Reds’ offense with two home runs and five RBIs.
The Nationals didn’t score their first run until the 7th inning and didn’t score again until the 8th. Eddie Rosario was the only Nationals player to go deep, while Joey Meneses also drove in a run.
Patrick Corbin Gets The Start For The Nationals
Patrick Corbin is coming off a season in which he made 32 starts and finished with a record of 10-15. His ERA for the season was 5.20, and he finished with a WHIP of 1.48. Last season, he made two appearances against the Reds and finished with a record of 0-1 and an ERA of 5.02. For the season, Corbin made 16 quality starts and finished with a strikeouts-per-nine rate of 6.2. His walks-per-nine rate for the season was 2.85, and he finished the season with a total of 33 home runs allowed.
Nationals Offense Breakdown
For the Nationals, our model is giving Lane Thomas the best chance to hit a home run, as his home run projection is 10th best in the league today. Joey Gallo has the 2nd best home run projection on the team and 12th best in the league. CJ Abrams is our top projected hitter for the Nationals in terms of total hits.
Hunter Greene Gets The Start For The Reds
Coming off a season in which he made 22 starts, Hunter Greene will be looking to improve on his 4-7 record and 4.82 ERA. Last season, he made eight quality starts and allowed a total of 19 home runs. His WHIP for the season was 1.42, while his FIP was 4.25. Opponents hit .242 off Greene last season and had an on-base percentage of .321. For the season, he averaged 12.21 strikeouts per nine innings and 3.86 walks per nine innings.
Reds Offense Breakdown
For the Reds, Christian Encarnacion-Strand is our top projected hitter in terms of total hits and home runs. His home run projection is 5th best in today’s slate of games. Jonathan India is 2nd in terms of total hits and home runs for the Reds, and his home run projection is 12th in today’s slate. Jeimer Candelario is 7th in terms of total hits for the Reds, but his home run projection is 2nd best on the team and 12th best in today’s slate.
Nationals vs Reds Prediction
Our prediction for today’s Nationals vs. Reds matchup is to take the Reds to pick up the win at home. However, with the money line payout for the Reds being -164, we recommend taking the over, with the line sitting at 9.5 runs.
Looking at the starting pitcher’s projections, Hunter Greene is actually projected to finish with the most strikeouts of any starter today, and we have him finishing with eight K’s. As for Patrick Corbin, he is projected to finish with five strikeouts.
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:March 30, 2024 Nationals, Reds