Toronto Blue Jays vs Washington Nationals Betting Pick & Prediction 5/5/24

At 1:35 PM from Nationals Park in Washington, we have an interleague matchup between the Blue Jays and Nationals. Heading into Sunday’s game, the Blue Jays have a record of 16-18, while the Nationals are 16-17. Toronto is starting Alek Manoah, and he is facing off against MacKenzie Gore for the Nationals.

Looking at the odds, the over/under line is at 8 runs, and the Blue Jays are the slight favorite on the money line at -108. If you’re looking to watch this game on TV, it is being carried by Sportsnet.

TORONTO BLUE JAYS VS WASHINGTON NATIONALS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Toronto Blue Jays Moneyline -108

This game will be played at Nationals Park at 1:35 ET on Sunday, May 5th.

HOW TO BET THE BLUE JAYS VS NATIONALS:

• We have the Blue Jays winning by a score of 6 to 4
• If you’re looking for a run line pick, we also like the Blue Jays to cover
• As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 10 runs and like the over

Toronto picked up a 6-3 win over the Nationals in the most recent game of this series. The Blue Jays had a huge 1st inning, scoring four of their six runs. As for the Nationals, they scored their only three runs in the 7th. Heading into the game, the Blue Jays were favored at -171 on the money line.

Kevin Gausman got the win for the Blue Jays, going 5 1/3 innings and not giving up a run. He finished the game with eight strikeouts but issued two walks. Jake Irvin only went five innings for the Nationals, giving up five hits and three earned runs.

CJ Abrams had a two-hit game for the Nationals and drove in one of their three runs. Toronto’s top hitter was Kevin Kiermaier, who went 1/4 with a home run and two RBIs.

Blue Jays Records & Stats

Toronto is on the road today vs. the Nationals, and they are 16-18 overall, which is good for 4th place in the AL East. Currently, they trail the Orioles by 6.5 games in the division. So far, they are 5-5 in divisional games.

The Blue Jays have dropped three straight series and are just 4-5-1 in series matchups this year. At home, they are 8-7 compared to 8-11 on the road. As the favorite, Toronto is 13-9 this year and 3-9 as the underdog. Looking at their recent play, they are just 3-7 over their last 10 games.

When the Blue Jays win, they win big, with an average run margin of +2.9 runs per game. When they lose, they lose big, with an average run margin of -4.5 runs per game. Overall, their run line record is 15-19, with a -1.0 run differential per game. They are 9-10 against the run line on the road, and 6-9 against the run line at home. As the favorite, they are 11-11 against the run line, while they are 4-8 as the underdog.

When the Blue Jays and Nationals met earlier this season, the combined run total was 9 and 12, respectively. The Blue Jays’ over/under record is 14-19, and their over/under record when the line is set at 8 runs is 5-4-1. The over has hit in their last two games, and the combined run average in their games this season is 8.1 runs per game.

Alek Manoah is coming off a season in which he made 19 starts and finished with a record of 3-9. His ERA for the season was 5.87, and his WHIP was 1.74. Opponents hit .253 off Manoah, and his FIP for the season was 6.01. He finished the year with four quality starts and allowed a total of 15 home runs. On a per-nine basis, Manoah averaged 8.14 strikeouts and 6.08 walks.

So far this season, the Blue Jays are averaging just 3.5 runs per game, which is 29th in the league. As a team, they are batting just .225, and their on-base percentage of .306 is also near the bottom of the league. One thing the Blue Jays have done well is avoid strikeouts, as they have the 5th fewest strikeouts in the league. Toronto’s team isolated power of .136 is also below the league average.

Justin Turner and Daulton Varsho have been the Blue Jays’ top power threats this season, with Turner’s four homers being 2nd on the team and Varsho’s six leading the way. Varsho also has a team-high 16 RBIs. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has gone deep three times this season but is batting just .231.

Nationals Records & Stats

Washington is hosting the Blue Jays today with an overall record of 16-17, and they are 6.5 games behind the Phillies for the NL East lead. The Nationals are 5-2 against other NL East teams this year. So far, they have played 5-9 at home compared to 11-8 on the road.

The Nationals are playing as the underdog in today’s game, and they have a 15-16 record when not favored this year. As the favorite, Washington has gone just 1-1. The team’s overall series record is 4-6, and they are coming into today’s game having gone 6-4 over their last 10 games.

Washington has a run line record of 20-13 this season, including a 14-5 mark on the road. They have an average run differential of -0.4 runs per game. They have covered the run line in 19 of 31 games as the underdog, but are just 1-1 as the favorite.

Washington’s over/under record for the season is 15-17, and the average over/under line for their games is 9 runs. When the line has been set at 8 runs, the over/under record is 1-3-1. The over has hit in two straight games for the Nationals, and their games have averaged 8.3 runs per game this season.

Washington is sending left-hander MacKenzie Gore to the mound today vs. the Blue Jays. He has made six starts this season and has a record of 2-3 with a 3.19 ERA. Gore has made one quality start this year and is averaging 11.03 strikeouts per nine innings. In his last outing, he took the loss, giving up two earned runs in five innings of work. Before that, he had given up at least one homer in three straight outings. Gore’s ERA at home is 4.12 compared to 1.8 on the road.

Washington’s offense has been pretty underwhelming so far this season, as they are averaging just 4 runs per game, which is 19th in the league. At home, they are averaging just 3.4 runs per game and are batting a combined .230. The Nationals have been pretty good at avoiding strikeouts, but they are just 15th in on-base percentage and 19th in slugging. As a team, they are also just 15th in home runs.

CJ Abrams has been the Nationals’ most consistent hitter this season, batting .287 with seven home runs and 19 RBIs. He is also on a three-game hitting streak. Over his last seven games, Abrams has gone 7/29 with a homer and six RBIs. Nick Senzel has also gone deep twice in his last seven games, going 8/27 over that stretch.