Royals vs Nationals Prediction & MLB Odds For Wednesday, September 25th

The forecast for Wednesday’s Royals vs. Nationals interleague matchup calls for moderate rain and temperatures in the low 70s. First pitch from Nationals Park is set for 6:45 PM ET. MASN will be televising this one, and the Royals are the slight road favorite on the money line (-121).

Kansas City is currently 2nd in the AL Central with a record of 83-74, while the Nationals are 4th in the NL East at 69-88. DJ Herz will start for the Nationals, who have lost two straight. Michael Lorenzen is slated to start for the Royals.

Betting Odds & Lines for this Game

• Spread: Royals -1.5 (+139) | Nationals 1.5 (-169)
• Total: 8
• MoneyLine: Royals -121 | Nationals +102

All Odds are courtesy of (BetMGM | DraftKings | Fanduel | BetRivers)

Royals vs. Nationals Prediction: Moneyline

Thanks to a late rally in the 10th inning, the Royals picked up a 1-0 win over the Nationals in the most recent game of this series. Heading into the game, the Royals were favored at -199 on the money line.

Kansas City got to Nationals starter Mitchell Parker, who gave up five hits and six earned runs in just five innings of work. As for the Royals, Cole Ragans put together a good outing, going six innings and striking out six without giving up a run.

The only run of the game came on a Bobby Witt Jr. RBI single in the 10th. Witt finished the game 2/4 with a stolen base.

With an overall record of 83-74, the Royals are 7.5 games behind the Guardians for the AL Central lead. So far, they have gone 33-19 in divisional games. The Royals picked up a win in the first game of this series vs. the Nationals and are just 3-7 across their last ten games.

At home, the Royals have gone 45-36 this season, and they are at an even 38-38 mark on the road. As the favorite, the Royals are 48-31 this season, and they are 35-43 as the underdog. So far, their overall series record is 22-26-2, and they have dropped two straight series.

Washington is 69-88 overall and trails the Phillies by 23.5 games in the NL East. The Nationals lost the first game of this series vs. the Royals and have dropped two straight games overall. In the NL East, they are 23-26 this season.

As the home underdog, the Nationals are 25-31 this season, and they are 54-75 as the underdog overall. Washington has gone 15-13 as the favorite this year. At home, the Nationals are 36-40 compared to a 33-48 mark on the road. Heading into today’s game, they have lost two straight games as the underdog.

Royals vs. Nationals Prediction: Over/Under

The Kansas City Royals are on the road today against the Washington Nationals. The over/under line for the game is set at 8 runs. The Royals’ games have averaged 8.6 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 68-84. When the over/under line is set at 8 runs, their record is 16-17-3. So far this season, 59.2% of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 8 runs.

As a team, the Royals are 7th in the league in batting average and are averaging 4.6 runs per game. They have been even better at home, averaging 4.8 runs per contest. Overall, they are 16th in the league in home runs and have the 2nd fewest walks in the league. The Royals are also one of the best teams in the league at avoiding strikeouts.

Salvador Perez and Bobby Witt Jr. are the team’s top home run hitters, with 27 and 32 homers, respectively. Witt Jr. has been especially hot of late, batting .371 over his last 10 games. His 108 RBIs are 6th best in the league. Witt Jr. also has the team’s longest active hitting streak at five games.

Washington’s games have had an average combined run total of 8.8 this season, and the O/U line for today’s game is set at 8 runs. The Nationals have gone 10-11-1 in games with an O/U line of 8 runs, and their O/U record for the season is 73-78. So far, 65.6% of Washington’s games have had higher O/U lines than 8 runs, and the under has hit in each of their last four games.

Washington’s offense has been one of the worst in the league this season, as they are 25th in runs per game at 4.1. This is also the 23rd ranked home run hitting team in the league. As a team, the Nationals are batting .242, which is 13th in the league, and they have done a good job of avoiding strikeouts, as they are 5th in the league in this category. However, they are near the bottom of the league in walks and have a collective OPS of just .682.

Currently, CJ Abrams and Luis Garcia Jr. are tied for the team lead in RBIs, with 65, and Abrams is also the team’s top home run hitter, with 20 homers. Garcia Jr. comes into the game batting .280 and has gone deep 16 times. Over his last five games, Joey Gallo is 4/12 with two homers, and Jose Tena is 7/20 in his last five games.

Royals vs. Nationals Prediction: Spread

When the Royals are on the road, they have been a solid bet against the run line, going 42-34. They have an average run margin of +0.6 runs per game on the road, and their overall run line record is 85-72. They have been a better bet against the run line as an underdog, going 46-32, compared to 39-40 as a favorite. Their average run margin in winning games is +4.0 runs per game, while it is -3.3 runs per game in losing games.

Kansas City is sending Michael Lorenzen to the mound today, and he has made 23 starts this year. So far, he has a record of 7-6 and an ERA of 3.43. Lorenzen’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.25. In his 23 starts, he has turned in nine quality starts and is averaging 6.57 strikeouts per nine innings. The last time he pitched, Lorenzen went 1 2/3 innings, giving up one walk and one hit. He didn’t give up a run in that outing and finished with a no-decision. Before that, he had won two straight starts.

The Nationals have been a solid run line bet this season, going 87-70 overall. They have been especially good on the road, where they are 46-35 ATS. They have been a better bet as an underdog, going 74-55 ATS. Their run differential for the season is -0.7 runs per game.

Washington is starting left-hander DJ Herz today vs. the Royals, and he comes into the game with a record of 4-8 and an ERA of 4.30. Herz has made 18 starts this season and has turned in just two quality starts. In his most recent outing, he took the loss, going 3 1/3 innings and giving up seven earned runs on six hits. Before that, he had won two straight starts. Opponents are batting .221 off Herz this season, and his WHIP is 1.27. Herz’s ERA at home is 4.19, compared to 6.24 on the road.

Royals vs. Nationals Pick: Royals ML -121

Our predicted final score for this game is 6-4 in favor of the Royals, and with the Royals at -121 on the money line, we see this as a great value pick.

Looking at the starting pitchers, Michael Lorenzen has the highest projected innings pitched among all starters and also has the lowest projected ERA among all starters. As for the Nationals starter, DJ Herz, he is projected to finish with six strikeouts, which is right in the middle of all starters.

Offensively, the Royals lineup is projected to have the most home runs in the league today and also have the most strikeouts. As for the Nationals, they are projected to finish with the fewest home runs in the league.