Washington Nationals at San Diego Padres Betting Preview/Prop Picks
20 August 2022
Time: 8:40 pm ET
Dunkel Ratings: Washington 14.606; San Diego 15.618
Dunkel Line & Total: San Diego by 1; 9
Vegas Line & Total: San Diego (-332); 8
Dunkel Pick: San Diego (-332); Over
With a 41-80 record, the Washington Nationals are all the way at the bottom of the NL East. They've had a tough season with poor pitching but fairly decent batting.
Tonight, they'll continue their series against the San Diego Padres. However, they're currently 2-0 in this series after last night's 6-3 win. Can they make it three in a row by winning Game 3 on the road tonight?
It shouldn't be much of a surprise that the Padres come into this game as heavy favorites. On paper, they have the better team, including their bullpen.
Still, with a more talented roster, you'd imagine that the Padres wouldn't be down 0-2 right now. In fact, with how good their team is, you wouldn't have expected them to be 1-4 in their last five. It's time for the Padres to step it up.
Washington Nationals: Josiah Gray gets the nod tonight
The Washington Nationals might be at the bottom of their division, but they've snagged notable wins. Not only have they beat the Padres over, but they also beat the New York Mets not long ago.
If they can put the right pieces together, they can get another win tonight. They have a better batting average than the Padres at .248, ranking 12th in Major League Baseball.
The main area of trouble this season for the Nationals is on the mound. The good news is Josiah Gray, who is starting tonight, is a stable pitcher with a 7-8 record.
He has an ERA of 4.79 over the span of 118.1 innings and has thrown 137 strikeouts in that time. Gray might not have the best ERA, but he's got talent and the ability to strike out opposing batters.
San Diego Padres: Padres need to pull themselves out of a slump
The recent slump for the San Diego Padres has seen them go 1-4 in their last five. The good news for them is they still rank second in the NL West.
The San Franciso Giants are a few games behind them, so they have that to hold onto. Still, their poor performance doesn't do anything positive for the team. Tonight, they need to find a way to get a win over Washington.
Getting the start on the mound for the Padres tonight is Joe Musgrove. Musgrove is one of the league's best pitchers, going 8-6 this season with an ERA of 2.98.
With Musgrove on the mound, the Padres have the advantage in terms of pitching. They also have a much deeper bullpen than the Nationals, so keep that in mind. Everything is lining up for a Padres win.
Washington Nationals at San Diego Padres Betting Pick
Although the Nationals are 2-0 to start the series, we think the Padres will bounce back today. They have the better pitcher on the mound, and the Padres have a solid group of batters.
The Nationals might get a fast start, but as the game goes on, the Padres will take over. We have to remember that the Padres recently beat the Miami Marlins 10-3.
San Diego comes into this game as -331 favorites, and for a good reason. They're in a slump, sure, but they're the better team by far. Take the Padres, who are 33-26 at home, over the Nationals and add the over as well.
DunkelIndex Free Pick: San Diego Padres -331, OVER
Prop Picks
San Diego (-125) OVER 4.5 Runs
San Diego is averaging 4.43 runs per 9 innings on offense, which ranks No. 14 in the league. Washington is allowing 5.50 runs per 9 innings on defense, which ranks No. 30 in the league. That average increases to 5.69 runs per 9 innings on the road. Scores have gone OVER in five of the Nationals’ last six road games versus San Diego.
With Dunkel predicting a San Diego victory by the score of 5-4, take the Padres (-125) to finish OVER their Vegas team total of 4.5 runs against the Nationals.
San Diego (-135) Most Hits
Washington is allowing 9.21 hits per 9 innings on defense, which ranks No. 29 in the league. That average increases to 9.50 hits per 9 innings on the road. San Diego is allowing 7.88 hits per 9 innings on defense, which ranks No. 9 in the league. That average decreases to 7.47 hits per 9 innings at home.
With Dunkel predicting a San Diego home victory, take the Padres (-135) to finish with more hits than the Nationals.
Juan Soto (-165) OVER 0.5 Runs Scored
Soto has scored 13 runs with an OBP of .444 in 16 games since coming to the Padres in a trade with the Nationals. Combined with his time in Washington, the right fielder has scored 75 runs with an OBP of .413 in 398 at-bats, which ranks No. 9 in MLB.
With Dunkel predicting a Padres win while going OVER their Vegas run total, take Soto (-165) to finish OVER 0.5 runs scored against Washington.
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