Washington Nationals vs Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Pick & Prediction 9/6/24

From PNC Park in Pittsburgh, we have the Nationals and Pirates facing off in an NL matchup. Friday’s forecast in Pittsburgh calls for clear skies and temperatures in the mid-80s. The money line odds have the Pirates at -129 compared to the Nationals at +109. The over/under line is 8.5 runs.

First pitch for this one is set for 6:40 PM ET, and SN PT will be televising the game. DJ Herz is starting for the Nationals, and the Pirates are going with Luis L. Ortiz. Washington is 62-78, while the Pirates are 66-74 and have lost two straight.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES VS WASHINGTON NATIONALS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Pittsburgh Pirates Moneyline -129

This game will be played at PNC Park at 6:40 ET on Friday, September 6th.

HOW TO BET THE NATIONALS VS PIRATES:

• We have the Pirates winning by a score of 5 to 4
• However, if you’re looking for a run line pick, we like the Nationals 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 5th and added three more in the 9th.

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 but issued two walks. Aroldis Chapman came out of the bullpen for the save. 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. Nasim Nunez scored three times and drove in two runs while going 2/2.

Nationals Records & Stats

Washington is 62-78 overall, and they are 22 games out of the NL East lead. So far, they have gone 19-21 in divisional games. The Nationals lost the first game of this series vs. the Pirates and have dropped two straight overall.

At home, the Nationals are 32-37 this year compared to a 30-41 mark on the road. As the underdog, Washington is 50-66 this year, and they are an even 12-12 as the favorite. The Nationals’ overall series record is 18-23-4.

Washington has been a solid bet on the run line this season, going 78-62 overall. They are 41-30 on the run line on the road, but they have failed to cover in their last two road games. They have been a better bet as an underdog, going 67-49 on the run line, compared to 11-13 as the favorite.

Washington is on the road against Pittsburgh today, and the O/U line is set at 8.5 runs. The Nationals’ games have averaged 9.0 runs per game this season, and their O/U record is 67-68. Their games have had an average O/U line of 9 runs, and when the line has been set at 8.5 runs, the O/U record is 18-21. In total, 57 of their games have had O/U lines set higher than 8.5 runs, accounting for 40.7% of their games, while 44 games have had lower O/U lines, making up 31.4% of their games.

Washington is sending DJ Herz to the mound today vs. the Pirates, and he is coming off a rough outing. Against the Cubs on August 31st, Herz started and took the loss, going 4 2/3 innings and giving up four earned runs. In that outing, he gave up two homers. Looking back over his last four outings, Herz has given up at least two homers in three of them. So far this season, he has made 15 starts, and his record is 2-7 with a 4.09 ERA. Opponents are batting .226 off Herz this season.

Washington’s offense has been one of the worst in the league this season, coming in 21st in runs per game at 4.2. They are also near the bottom of the league in home runs and team slugging percentage. However, they do have a good team batting average and have done a good job of putting the ball in play, as they have the 5th fewest strikeouts in the league.

Luis García Jr. comes into the game with a team-high 63 RBIs and is 2nd on the Nationals with 15 home runs. He has been a bright spot for the team this season, hitting .290. CJ Abrams has also been a good power threat, leading the team with 18 homers. However, he is batting just .240 for the season. In terms of recent performances, Jacob Young has gone 12/33 in his last 10 games, while Andrés Chaparro has gone deep three times in that stretch but is batting just .167.

Pirates Records & Stats

Pittsburgh is 66-74 overall and trails the Reds by 1.5 games for 4th place in the NL Central. The Pirates are also 15 games behind the Brewers for the division lead. This season, they have gone 22-20 in divisional games.

At home, the Pirates are 33-36 this season and 33-38 on the road. They have won two straight games as the favorite, and they are 29-24 overall as the favorite. As the underdog, the Pirates are 37-50 this season, and they are 19-21-5 in series this year. Pittsburgh has gone 4-6 across their last 10 games.

The Pirates have a run line record of 78-62 on the season, with their average run margin sitting at -0.4 runs per game. They have been a better bet on the run line on the road, going 43-28 compared to 35-34 at home. Pittsburgh has covered the run line in two straight games and is 57-30 against the run line as an underdog this season.

The Pirates have seen their games go over the total in 28 of 49 games with an 8.5 O/U line this season, and they have a combined run average of 8.8 runs per game. Their games have gone over the total in 69 of 138 games overall this season, and they have a 2-game over streak coming into today’s game against the Nationals.

Luis L. Ortiz is getting the start for the Pirates today vs. the Nationals and comes into the game with a record of 6-4 and an ERA of 3.19. So far this season, he has made 11 starts, 16 of which have come at home. Ortiz’s ERA at home is 3.79, compared to 3.45 on the road. In his last outing, he pitched six scoreless innings and got the win. Before that, he had taken the loss in two straight starts. Ortiz has given up at least one homer in each of his last three starts. Opponents are batting .213 off Ortiz this season.

Heading into today’s game, the Pirates are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 20th in the league. They have been a little better at home, averaging 4.4 runs per game. Overall, their team batting average is just 17th in the league at .235, and they are also near the bottom of the league in terms of home runs and slugging percentage. One thing they have done well is avoiding strikeouts, as they are 25th in the league in strikeouts.

Bryan Reynolds has been the Pirates’ top hitter this season, batting .280 with 22 home runs and 78 RBIs. He is also on a good stretch of games, going 4/15 in his last four games with two homers. Nick Gonzales has also been swinging the bat well of late, going 9/31 in his last seven games.