Toronto Blue Jays vs Washington Nationals Prediction 8-30-23 MLB Picks

The Washington Nationals and the Toronto Blue Jays meet in the rubber match of their three-game series from Rogers Centre on Wednesday. Who takes it? Let’s dive in and find out.

Nationals Bounce Back As Big Underdogs

The Washington Nationals managed to sneak out a 5-4 win in Tuesday’s game two over Toronto, despite being in a bases-loaded no out jam in the bottom of the 9th. The win pushed the Nationals to 62-71 on the year, 25 games back in the NL East but 7.5 games back in the NL Wild Card race. Lane Thomas leads the Nationals with 146 hits and 20 home runs with 69 RBIs while Joey Meneses has a .284 batting average and a team-high 76 RBIs with Thomas and Meneses both posting a team-high 32 doubles. CJ Abrams and Luis Garcia each have 4 triples as well this season. Patrick Corbin will start here and is 9-11 with a 4.70 ERA and 104 strikeouts this season.

Washington Nationals Player Prop Facts

- CJ Abrams ranks T4th in the league in Steals (38) this season.

Blue Jays Fall Short On Tuesday

The Toronto Blue Jays had a chance to rally and pick up a massive win in the AL Playoff race, but fell short late as they took the loss to drop to 72-61 on the year. The loss sets the Jays back to 3.5 games back in the AL Wild Card race as well as 11.5 games back in the AL East hunt. Bo Bichette leads the Jays with 152 hits and a .314 batting average along with 18 home runs, while Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has a team-high 20 home runs and 79 RBIs this season. Matt Chapman’s also contributed a team-best 36 doubles for Toronto as well as having the unfortunate distinction of leading the Jays with 148 strikeouts on the year. Chris Bassitt will start for Toronto here and is 12-7 with a 4.00 ERA and 148 strikeouts this season.

Toronto Blue Jays Player Prop Facts

- Chris Bassitt ranks T8th in the league for Wins (12) this season.

Matchup/League Facts

- The Toronto Blue Jays ranks 2nd in the league for ERA this season (3.72).

- The Toronto Blue Jays ranks 2nd in the league for strikeouts this season (1249).

- The Washington Nationals ranks 30th in the league for home runs allowed this season (202).

- The Washington Nationals ranks 29th in the league for home runs this season (121).

Chris’ Pick

I’m looking at the Blue Jays -1.5 here. I just think this is a perfect spot for Chris Bassitt, as he owned the Nationals in two starts as a Met in 2022, and is at home for this start where he’s pitched far better this season, sporting an ERA just over three. Patrick Corbin’s had good outings here and there, but we know what he is and what’s he’s capable of and that’s getting roughed up whenever he takes the mound. I think the Blue Jays get a much-needed win here, so give me Toronto -1.5 to cut down the heavy juice here.