Nationals prediction, pick, how to watch

After taking game one of the series, the Boston Red Sox look to make it two in a row over the Washington Nationals. It is time to continue our MLB odds series with a Red Sox-Nationals prediction, pick, and how to watch.

The Red Sox continued their push for the playoffs with their fifth win in the last six games yesterday. The Red Sox took an early 1-0 lead on the Nationals with a lead-off home run from Alex Verdugo. Boston added two more in the top of the third, but a bases-loaded Keibert Ruiz double took the lead back to just one run. Then a Stone Garrett double gave the Nationals a 4-3 lead at the end of the inning. In the fourth, it was Verdugo again driving in a run, and then another run scored on a wild pitch. That would be the end of the scoring as the Red Sox would win 5-4.

Still, with a 63-56 record, the Red Sox are three games behind the Blue Jays for the last Wild Card spot. Making things more difficult, the Mariners are just two back of the Jays, with the struggling Yankees right behind the Red Sox.

Here are the Red Sox-Nationals MLB odds,

MLB Odds: Red Sox-Nationals Odds

Boston Red Sox: -1.5 (+105)

Washington Nationals: +1.5 (-126)

Over: 9 (-115)

Under: 9 (-105)

How To Watch Red Sox vs. Nationals

TV: NESN/MASN

Stream: MLB.TV/ESPN+

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Time: 7:05 PM ET/ 4:05 PM PT

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Why The Red Sox Could Cover The Spread

The Red Sox have won five of their last six games, and giving up four runs yesterday is the most they have given up in a win in those games. On the season they are 18th in team ERA, while sitting 19th in WHIP and 22nd in opponent batting average. James Paxton takes the hill today for the Red Sox. He is 7-3 on the season with a 3.36 ERA. Last time out he was dominant. He went 5.1 innings without giving up a run and striking out six. Still, he has not put together back-to-back quality starts since June. In that month he went 3-0 with a 1.74 ERA.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox offense has been solid this year. They are tenth in runs scored on the season, while sitting fourth in batting average, seventh in on-base percentage, and seventh in slugging. Rafael Devers is the leader of this team. He leads the team in home runs and RBIs. His home run total of 26 sits him tied for 13th in the majors, while his 79 RBIs rank him tied for tenth. It was another rougher game for him yesterday though. He went 0-2 at the plate but did have two walks. That gives him an OBP of .378 on the month as he also scored his fifth run.

Tristan Casas continues to drive in runs though. He has six RBIs in the last week, to lead the team. In the past week, he is hitting .300 with two home runs and four runs scored. He is also getting on base at a .391 clip. Last night was a nice rebound for Alex Verdugo as well. He is hitting just .158 in the last week but he had that home run from last night and a double. This has helped him have five RBIs in the last week, while also scoring three times. Adam Duvall is also driving in runs. While hitting .286 in the last week, he also has five RBIs. Duvall has a home run and a double, but the only run he has scored in the last week has been from his home run.

Why The Nationals Could Cover The Spread

The Nationals offense was not bad last night, but they did not score enough to get the win. In the last four games, they have been hitting well. They have 23 runs in their last four games. The Nationals are 19th on the season in runs scored while sitting sixth in batting average, 15th in on-base percentage, and 20th in slugging overall. Keibert Ruiz continued driving in runs last night. He is hitting .409 in the last week with a .500 on-base percentage. Ruiz has two home runs and a double in the last week, which has led to him driving in four runs and scoring six times.

Meanwhile, Stone Garrett added another RBI last night. He is hitting .400 in the last week with a .474 on-base percentage. Garrett has just two extra-base hits, both doubles in the last week, but he has still driven in six runs. He has also scored three times. While James Paxton is a tough out, Garrett has hit much better against lefties this year. On the year he has six home runs with 25 RBIs. Driving in runs is something that Illdemaro Vargas is doing a lot of. In the last week, he has seven RBIs in six games but is hitting just .261. He has a home run and two doubles while scoring three times as well. Vargas also has three home runs and 16 RBIs against left-handed pitching this year.

The Nationals send MacKenzie Gore to the mound today. He is 6-9 with a 4.62 ERA this year. He has been much better at home though. While he has a 2-4 record at home, mainly due to the Nationals struggling to score at home earlier this year, he has a 3.91 ERA at home. After three straight good starts, Gore got shelled last time out. He went five innings giving up six runs with three home runs. He has given up five or more runs four other times this year. In his four following starts, he has pitched 17 innings, giving up just one run, and going 2-0.

Final Red Sox-Nationals Prediction & Pick

There are a few factors to look at in this game. First, James Paxton has regressed since his great June. Second, his last time out was against the Royals who struggle to hit. Third, he is a lefty, and the Nationals are one of the best in the league against left-handed pitching. Finally, MacKenzie Gore has bounced back from every bad outing with a great one. With all of that, take the Nationals today.

Final Red Sox-Nationals Prediction & Pick: Nationals +1.5 (-126)