Washington Nationals at Cincinnati Reds 3/29/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Thursday, March 29, 2018

Great American Ball Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Max Scherzer vs. Homer Bailey

The Washington Nationals visit Great American Ball Park on Thursday, March 29, 2018 to play the Cincinnati Reds. The probable starters are Max Scherzer for the Nationals and Homer Bailey for the Reds.

The opening line for this matchup has Washington at -185 and Cincinnati at +170. The Nationals had a 71-85-11 over/under record and a 80-87-0 run line mark last season. The Reds were 84-78-0 against the run line and had a 83-74-5 over/under record.

Valuable Washington Nationals Betting Trends

The Washington Nationals were 71-85-11 against the over/under last year

The Washington Nationals were 80-87-0 against the run line last season

Important Cincinnati Reds Betting Trends

The Cincinnati Reds were 83-74-5 against the over/under last year

The Cincinnati Reds were 84-78-0 against the run line last season

Key Washington Nationals Injuries

03/27/18 2B Daniel Murphy Knee 10-day DL (03/27)
03/27/18 P Joaquin Benoit Forearm 10-day DL (03/27)
03/27/18 P Koda Glover Shoulder 60-day DL (03/27)
03/26/18 P Joe Ross Elbow 60-day DL (03/26)

Key Cincinnati Reds Injuries

03/26/18 P Michael Lorenzen Shoulder is out indefinitely
03/26/18 P Rookie Davis Hip 60-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P Anthony DeSclafani Oblique is out indefinitely
03/26/18 P Brandon Finnegan Forearm is out indefinitely
03/26/18 P Kevin Shackelford Elbow is out indefinitely

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Nationals had a 97-65 overall record last season. Starting pitcher Max Scherzer had a 16-6 record with an earned run average of 2.51 and a WHIP of 0.90. He had 268 strikeouts over his 200.2 innings pitched and he gave up 126 hits. He allowed 5.7 hits per 9 innings and he had a FIP of 2.9. The bullpen had an earned run average of 4.41 and they gave up 462 base hits on the year. Teams hit .251 against the bullpen while striking out 445 hitters and walking 165 batters. As a team, Washington allowed 8.1 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.1 batters per nine innings. They were 6th in the league in team earned run average at 3.88. The Nationals pitchers collectively gave up 1,300 base hits and 623 earned runs last year. They allowed 189 home runs last season, ranking them 23rd in the league. Washington as a pitching staff walked 495 batters and struck out 1,457. They walked 3.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 9.1 per 9. They had a team WHIP of 1.24 and their FIP as a unit was 3.99.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Washington hit .266, good for 4th in the league. The Nationals held a .449 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .332, which was good for 9th in baseball. They ranked 4th in MLB with 9.1 hits per game. Bryce Harper hit .319 with an on-base percentage of .413 last year. He had 134 hits last season in 420 at bats with 87 runs batted in. He had a slugging percentage of .595 and an OPS+ of 157. Ryan Zimmerman hit .303 last year and he had an on-base percentage of .358. He totaled 159 hits and he drove in 108 men in 524 at bats. His OPS+ was 135 while his slugging percentage was at .573. The Nationals had 1,477 hits last season, including 311 doubles and 215 home runs. Washington walked 542 times last year and they struck out 1,327 times as a unit. They left 1,101 men on base and had a team OPS of .782. They scored 5.06 runs per contest and scored a total of 819 runs last year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Cincinnati had a 68-94 overall mark last year. With an earned run average of 6.43, Homer Bailey had a 6-9 record and a 1.69 WHIP. He had 67 strikeouts over the 91 innings he pitched. He also gave up 112 hits. He allowed 11.1 hits per nine innings and his FIP stood at 4.91. The bullpen had an earned run average of 4.65 and they gave up 573 base hits on the year. Teams hit .244 against the Reds bullpen. Their relievers struck out 591 batters and walked 279 opposing hitters. As a team, Cincinnati allowed 9.1 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.2 batters per nine innings. They were 29th in the league in team earned run average at 5.17. The Reds pitchers as a team surrendered 1,442 base knocks and 821 earned runs last season. They gave up 248 home runs last year, which ranked 1st in Major League Baseball. Cincinnati as a staff walked 631 hitters and struck out 1,300 batters. They gave up a walk 4 times per 9 innings while they struck out 8.2 per 9. Their team WHIP was 1.45 while their FIP as a staff was 5.08.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they batted .253, good for 18th in the league. The Reds held a .433 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .329, which was good for 12th in baseball. They ranked 18th in MLB with 8.6 hits per contest. Adam Duvall comes into this matchup after batting .249 with an OBP of .301 last season. He had 146 hits last year along with 99 RBI in 587 AB's. He maintained a slugging percentage of .480 with an OPS+ of 100. Joey Votto hit .320 last season and he had an OBP of .454. He collected 179 hits in 559 at bats while driving in 100 runs. He had an OPS+ of 168 and a slugging percentage of .578. The Reds as a unit had 1,390 base hits last season, including 249 doubles and 219 homers. Cincinnati walked 565 times last year and they struck out on 1,329 occasions. They left 1,135 men on base and had an OPS of .761. They scored 4.65 runs per game and totaled 753 runs last year.

Who will win tonight's Nationals/Reds MLB game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take the Reds +170

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