Washington Nationals vs Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Pick & Prediction 9/7/24

From PNC Park in Pittsburgh, we have the Nationals and Pirates facing off in an NL matchup. This one gets started at 1:35 PM ET, and the Nationals are favored on the money line (-102 vs. -118). The over/under line is at 8.5 runs.

SN PT is televising this matchup, and DJ Herz is starting for the Nationals, while the Pirates have Luis L. Ortiz on the mound. Washington is 62-78, and the Pirates are 66-74, putting them 5th in the NL Central. The Nationals are on a two-game losing streak and are 4th in the NL East.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES VS WASHINGTON NATIONALS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Pittsburgh Pirates Moneyline -118

This game will be played at PNC Park at 1:35 ET on Saturday, September 7th.

HOW TO BET THE NATIONALS VS PIRATES:

• We have the Pirates winning by a score of 5 to 4
• If you’re looking for a run line pick, we also like the Pirates to cover
• As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 9 runs and like the over

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 only run in the 9th. 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 picked up a win in the game, while Aroldis Chapman closed things out. Jake Irvin had a rough outing for the Nationals, giving up six runs in five innings of work.

Nick Gonzales had a three RBI game at the plate for the Pirates, while Andres Chaparro and Juan Yepez each drove in three for the Nationals.

Nationals Records & Stats

Washington is 62-78 overall, putting them 4th in the NL East, 22.5 games behind the Phillies for the division lead. So far, they have gone 19-21 against other teams in the NL East. The Nationals have dropped two straight games, and they are 4-6 across their last 10.

At home, the Nationals are 32-37 this year, and they are just under .500 at 30-41 on the road. As the underdog, Washington is 50-66 this year, and they are an even 12-12 when favored. The Nationals’ overall series record is 18-23-4, and they are losing their current series vs. the Pirates.

The Nationals have been a solid run line bet this season, going 78-62. They have been particularly good on the road, where they are 41-30. They have been an underdog in most of their games, going 67-49 against the run line. Their average run differential is -0.6 runs per game.

In Washington’s last 135 games, the over/under line has been set at 8.5 runs 65 times. In those 65 games, the over has hit 35 times and the under has hit 30 times. This season, the Nationals have played 135 games, and the over/under line has been set at 8.5 runs 39 times. In those 39 games, the over has hit 18 times and the under has hit 21 times.

Left-hander DJ Herz gets the start for the Nationals today as he faces off against the Pirates on the road. Herz has made 15 starts this season and has a record of 2-7 to go along with a 4.09 ERA. Looking at his overall numbers, opponents are batting .226 this season. Herz’s last outing came on August 31st, where he took the loss, giving up four earned runs in 4 2/3 innings of work. Before that outing, he had given up at least two homers in three straight starts. Herz has only made two quality starts this year.

Washington’s offense has been pretty average in terms of batting average and on-base percentage this season, but they have struggled in the power department, as they are just 26th in home runs and 23rd in isolated power. Overall, they are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 22nd in the league. The Nationals are also near the bottom of the league in terms of team slugging percentage and OPS.

Coming into the game, Luis Garcia Jr. is the team’s top hitter in terms of RBIs (63) and is batting .290. He also has the 2nd most homers on the team (15). CJ Abrams has hit 18 homers this season but is batting just .240. Over his last eight games, Andres Chaparro has three homers but is batting just .179.

Pirates Records & Stats

Pittsburgh is 66-74 overall this season, and they trail the Brewers by 14.5 games in the NL Central. The Pirates are 5th in the division, one game behind the Reds for the 4th spot in the division. So far, they have gone 22-20 in divisional games.

At home, the Pirates are 33-36 this season, and they are just under .500 at 33-38 on the road. As the underdog, Pittsburgh is 37-50 this season compared to a mark of 29-24 as the favorite. The Pirates’ overall series record is 19-21-5, and they are up 1-0 in the current series vs. the Nationals.

When the Pirates win, they win by an average of 3.3 runs per game. When they lose, they lose by an average of 3.6 runs per game. Their run line record is 78-62, and they are 35-34 against the run line at home. As the underdog, they are 57-30 against the run line, while as the favorite, they are 21-32.

The Pirates have been trending towards the over, as they have hit the over in 28 of their 49 games with an over/under line of 8.5 this season. Their games have averaged 8.8 runs per game, and they have hit the over in 50% of their games overall this season. The over is on a two-game streak in Pittsburgh games.

Luis L. Ortiz will be looking to build off his last outing, where he didn’t give up a run and picked up the win. In that outing vs. the Guardians, he went six innings and gave up just one hit. Looking back over his last four outings, Ortiz has finished with a no-decision, win, loss, and loss. His record for the season is 6-4, and he has an ERA of 3.19. Opponents are batting .213 this season vs. Ortiz. So far, he has made five quality starts and is averaging 7.01 strikeouts per nine innings.

Pittsburgh’s offense is averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 18th in the majors. They have been a bit better at home, averaging 4.4 runs per game. The Pirates are near the bottom of the league in home runs and have a team batting average of just .235. One positive note is that they have the 9th best BABIP in the league, and their team on-base percentage is 19th in the league.

Over his last six games, Bryan Reynolds has gone just 4/22, but he does lead the team with a batting average of .280 and 22 home runs. His 78 RBIs are also the best mark on the team. Nick Gonzales is hitting .308 over his last six games and has four RBIs in that stretch. Yasmani Grandal comes into the game on an eight-game hitting streak.