Washington Nationals vs. San Francisco Giants Prediction 7-21-23 MLB Picks
The San Francisco Giants and the Washington Nationals square off in game one of their three-game weekend set from Nationals Park on Friday night. Washington took 2 of 3 when these two teams met on the West Coast in May, can the Giants reverse their luck and get revenge on the Nationals, who like the late, great Dennis Green once said, are who we thought they were?
Giant Letdown in Cincinnati
The San Francisco Giants had come out of the all-star break flying with five straight wins before having to settle for a split with the Cincinnati Reds following their 5-1 loss to the Reds in Thursday’s series finale. The loss bumped the Giants to 54-43 on the year, but they’re still well in the mix in the NL Wild Card race, tied for the top-spot with fellow NL West candidate Arizona. As it usually is in San Fran, the Giants have gotten to this point with offensive balance throughout the lineup, with 5 players boasting double-digit home runs, with Michael Conforto leading the way with a team-high 13 home runs and 51 RBIs. J.D. Davis has 80 hits and LaMonte Wade Jr. also has a .274 batting average. Alex Wood will start for the Giants here and is 4-3 with a 4.53 ERA and 50 strikeouts so far this season.
Nationals Drop Back-To-Back Series
The Nationals have started both of their series strong out of the all-star break, winning each of the series opening games before back-to-back losses to drop the series. We saw it against St. Louis and now, we have seen it against the Cubs after an 8-3 loss to Chicago in Wednesday’s series finale. Now going back home, you would think that would be a benefit for the Nationals, but not so fast, as this Nationals team is actually far more effective on the road, and they’re just 15-32 at home this season. Lane Thomas and Jeimer Candelario have been two of the lone bright spots for the Nationals this season, with both logging a team-high 15 home runs and Thomas pushing across a team-best 51 RBIs, 110 hits and a .289 batting average while Candelario has 46 RBIs. Jake Irvin gets the nod on the mound for the Nationals in this one and he is 2-5 with a 4.96 ERA and 44 strikeouts this season.
Washington Nationals Team Facts
The Nationals have lost each of their last 10 home games against National League opponents that held a winning record.
The Nationals have failed to cover the run line 17 of their last 19 home games against NL West opponents that held a winning record.
The Nationals have trailed after 5 innings in each of their last six home games against NL West opponents that held a winning record.
The Nationals have trailed after 7 innings in each of their last seven night games against NL West opponents that held a winning record.
The Nationals have trailed after 3 innings in each of their last six home night games
San Francisco Giants Team Facts
The Giants have won each of their last 11 games as road favourites against NL East opponents.
The favourites have covered the run line in each of the Giants' last four games at Nationals Park.
The Giants have trailed after 3 innings in each of their last three games.
The 'Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs' market has hit in each of the Giants' last three night games at Nationals Park
Matchup/League Facts
The Washington Nationals ranks 30th in the league for walks this season (237).
The Washington Nationals ranks 2nd in the league for strikeouts against this season (684).
The San Francisco Giants ranks 2nd in the league for walks allowed this season (259).
The San Francisco Giants ranks 29th in the league for steals this season (45).
Chris’ Pick
I have to stick with the Giants here. The fact that the Nationals have been so much worse at home is frankly disturbing for a Washington team that fans are expecting to have a bright future after dealing Juan Soto and stockpiling assets last season, while the Giants just seem to plug along year after year. There’s not necessarily a top-tier star player, but just a bunch of above average players that just do their jobs really well and that’s been the case again for the Giants in 2023. Jake Irvin still stands out to me as the weak link in the Nationals’ rotation and I think the Giants get to him here and add to Washington’s misery at home. Give me San Francisco.
