Pittsburgh Pirates vs Washington Nationals 4/29/23 – On Saturday afternoon, the Pittsburgh Pirates face the Washington Nationals for the first game of a doubleheader; Friday’s scheduled contest was canceled due to inclement weather. Last season, Pittsburgh posted an impressive 4-3 mark against the Washington Nationals. The Pittsburgh Pirates open this game as road favorites by the MLB betting trends.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs Washington Nationals
Date & Time: Saturday, April 29, 2023 at 1:05 PM ET
Location: Nationals Park Washington, D.C.
TV: MLBN
Pittsburgh Pirates vs Washington Nationals 4/29/23 Betting Odds
Pirates
Moneyline: -125
Spread: -1.5 (-149)
Total: 9.5 over (-108)
Nationals
Moneyline: +100
Spread: +1.5 (+106)
Total: 9.5 under (-130)
Pittsburgh Pirates vs Washington Nationals Analysis
Rich Hill will make his sixth start of the season in game two. Hill excelled in his previous start against Cincinnati by holding them to only one run over five innings and earning himself the win. Veteran pitcher Rich Hill has found success, conceding three or fewer runs in each of his previous three performances and posting a 4.85 ERA and 1.42 WHIP over 26 innings pitched, with a 2-2 record. Hill has never pitched against the Nationals before this season and boasts a subpar 4.07 ERA over 48.2 career innings pitched. Pittsburgh is currently embarking on a six-game road trek, where they have had success this season – winning three consecutive series away from home, most recently against Colorado. Continued success for the Diamondbacks this week against the Dodgers has seen them win two of three home meetings and score 21 runs in total. Connor Joe leads his team in OPS. Last season with the Rockies, Joe enjoyed an outstanding season that culminated with three homers and 10 RBIs as part of an outstanding 0.972 OPS mark – including going 3 for 20 against Washington Nationals last season. The Pittsburgh Pirates have averaged 5.08 runs this season, ranking them ninth overall in scoring average and with an impressive team ERA of 3.70 coming in ninth overall as well.
Patrick Corbin will start game one on Saturday. Corbin had one of his strongest starts of the year against the Minnesota Twins last time out, allowing only three runs with two homers off him over six innings to drop to 1-3 and suffer his third defeat. Corbin endured a difficult 2022 campaign and hasn’t fared much better this year either, posting a 5.88 ERA and 1.69 WHIP over 26 innings pitched. Last season he held the Pirates to three runs while recording an impressive 2.94 ERA across 79.2 total innings pitched. The Nationals have been very competitive recently. They are currently 4-1 on an intensive six-game road trek against powerful opposition like the Twins and Mets. Additionally, their pitching staff appears to have found its rhythm. On Tuesday and Wednesday against the Mets, they limited them to just one run each. Unfortunately for them, home series have yet to come their way. CJ Abrams was a key component in the Juan Soto trade last summer. Since then, Abrams has shown glimpses of his potential, hitting 0.221 with nine RBIs and a 0.645 OPS in 24 games played this season – scoring three RBIs against Minnesota last weekend while going 2 for 3 against Pittsburgh this year. The Nationals rank 26th overall in runs scored, averaging 3.70 per game this season and have an ERA of 3.92 which ranks them 10th overall.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs Washington Nationals Against the Spread
Pittsburgh are 9-1 SU in their last 10 games. Pittsburgh are 8-2 SU in their last 10 games on the road. Pittsburgh are 1-5 SU in their last 6 games when playing on the road against Washington Nationals. The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh’s last 5 games when playing as the favorite. The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Pittsburgh’s last 9 games played on a Saturday when on the road.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Washington’s last 8 games. Washington are 4-2 SU in their last 6 games. Washington are 1-7 SU in their last 8 games at home. Washington are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh. The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington’s last 6 games against an opponent in the National League.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs Washington Nationals Free Pick
The Pittsburgh Pirates have made headlines across MLB with their incredible start. Just recently they won two out of three against the Dodgers and only dropped one series all season long. In their last ten games and last five road encounters they have gone an astounding 9-1. In contrast, the Washington Nationals have not been reliable at home as they have lost seven of eight home contests so far this season. MLB betting stats are in favor of Pirates to win in this matchup.
Free Pick: Pittsburgh Pirates -1.5 (-149)