Nationals vs Pirates Prediction & MLB Odds For Friday, September 6th
From PNC Park in Pittsburgh, we have the Nationals and Pirates facing off in an NL matchup. First pitch for Friday’s matchup is set for 6:40 PM ET. SN PT is carrying Friday’s TV coverage for this one.
Washington is 62-78 overall and they are 4th in the NL East, while the Pirates are 5th in the NL Central with an overall record of 66-74. Luis L. Ortiz is slated to start for the Pirates, while the Nationals are going with DJ Herz. Pittsburgh is favored on the money line, with the odds sitting at -129 compared to the Nationals at +109.
Betting Odds & Lines for this Game
- Spread: Nationals 1.5 (-202) | Pirates -1.5 (+165)
- Total: 8.5
- MoneyLine: Nationals +109 | Pirates -129
All Odds are courtesy of (BetMGM | DraftKings | Fanduel | BetRivers)
Nationals vs. Pirates Prediction: Moneyline
Pittsburgh cruised to a 9-4 win over the Nationals in the most recent game of this series. The Pirates had a huge 2nd inning, scoring five of their nine runs. As for the Nationals, they scored their final run in the 5th. Heading into the game, the Pirates were favored at -123 on the money line.
Bailey Falter only went five innings for the Pirates but gave up just three hits and three earned runs. He finished the game with three strikeouts and two walks. Aroldis Chapman came out of the bullpen for the save. Jake Irvin had a rough outing for the Nationals, taking the loss after going five innings and giving up six earned runs.
Nick Gonzales had a three RBI game at the plate for the Pirates, while Andres Chaparro scored three times and drove in three runs while going 1/4. Juan Yepez also had a two-hit game and drove in a run for Washington.
With an overall record of 62-78, the Nationals are 4th in the NL East, trailing the Phillies by 22 games. Currently, they are 2 games into a 2-game losing streak, and they lost the first game of this series vs. the Pirates. So far, they have gone 19-21 in divisional matchups.
At home, the Nationals have gone 32-37 this year compared to a 30-41 mark on the road. As the road underdog, the Nationals are 26-37 this season, and they are an even 12-12 as the favorite. Washington’s overall series record is 18-23-4, and they are 4-6 over their last 10 games.
Pittsburgh is 66-74 overall and 15 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. The Pirates have gone 22-20 against other teams in the NL Central. They are looking to pick up a win today at home, where they are 33-36 this season. They have been just below .500 on the road, coming in at 33-38.
The Pirates have taken two straight games as the favorite, and they are 29-24 overall as the favorite this year. As the underdog, Pittsburgh is 37-50 this season. So far, they have an overall series record of 19-21-5.
Nationals vs. Pirates Prediction: Over/Under
The Washington Nationals are on the road against the Pittsburgh Pirates today, with the over/under line set at 8.5 runs. The Nationals’ games have averaged 9.0 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 67-68. When the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs, their record is 18-21. Overall, 57 of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 8.5 runs, accounting for 40.7% of their games.
Washington’s offense has been a bit of a disappointment this season, as they are just 21st in the league in runs per game at 4.2. This is also the 23rd ranked home run hitting team in the league. However, they do have a team batting average of .245 and are one of the league’s best teams at avoiding strikeouts. The Nationals’ offense is also 10th in on-base percentage.
Luis García Jr. comes into the game with a batting average of .290 and is the team’s leader in RBIs. He is also 2nd on the team with 15 homers. CJ Abrams has gone deep 18 times this season, but has just a .240 batting average. Over his last 10 games, Jacob Young is hitting .364 and has scored eight runs.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are at home today against the Washington Nationals, and the over/under line for the game is set at 8.5 runs. The Pirates and their opponents have averaged 8.8 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 69-69. When the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs, their record is 28-21. The over has hit in their last two games.
Heading into today’s game, the Pirates are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 20th in the MLB. They have been slightly better at home, averaging 4.4 runs per game. Collectively, the Pirates are batting just .235 and have the league’s 21st ranked home run total. One area where they have been good is in terms of not striking out, as their 9 strikeouts per game is 25th in the league.
Bryan Reynolds and Bryan De La Cruz are the Pirates’ top home run hitters this season, with 22 and 19 homers, respectively. Reynolds has also been the team’s best hitter from an average standpoint, hitting .280 for the season. Andrew McCutchen has two homers in his last four games and is 4/15 in that stretch. Nick Gonzales has gone 9/31 in his last seven games.
Nationals vs. Pirates Prediction: Spread
Washington has been a solid run line team this season, going 78-62. They’re 41-30 on the run line on the road, but have failed to cover in their last two road games. They’ve been an underdog in the run line in most games, going 67-49, and their average run margin in winning games is +3.4.
Left-hander DJ Herz gets the start for the Nationals today as he faces the Pirates on the road. He has made 15 starts this season and has a record of 2-7 with an ERA of 4.09. Herz’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.26. In his last outing, he took the loss, going 4 2/3 innings and giving up four earned runs on five hits. Before that, he had pitched well, not allowing an earned run in two straight outings. Herz has given up at least one homer in four of his last five outings.
Despite a negative run differential on the season, the Pirates have been a profitable run-line team, going 78-62. They are 43-28 on the run line on the road compared to 35-34 at home. They have covered the run line in their last two games and are 57-30 against the run line as an underdog this season.
Luis L. Ortiz has made 11 starts this season and has a record of 6-4 with an ERA of 3.19. Coming into the game, he has a WHIP of 1.10 and has issued 2.79 walks per nine innings compared to 7.01 strikeouts. Ortiz has turned in five quality starts this year and most recently pitched six scoreless innings vs. the Guardians, picking up the win in the outing. He has allowed at least one homer in three straight starts. Opponents are batting .213 off Ortiz this season.
Nationals vs. Pirates Pick: Pirates ML -129
Our predicted score for this Pirates vs. Nationals matchup is a 5-4 win for the Pirates, and we will be taking them on the money line at -129. We do have the over/under at 8.5 runs, and with our predicted score being 5-4, there isn’t enough value in either the over or under.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Luis L. Ortiz is projected to finish with four strikeouts, which is the third-lowest among all starters today. As for the Nationals starter, DJ Herz is projected to finish with seven strikeouts, which is the third-best among all starters.
