MLB Betting – Nats, LAD Both in Need of a W

Washington Nationals (+123) at Los Angeles Dodgers (-133, 7 o/u)

After a difficult weekend that saw the team get swept by the Pirates in Pittsburgh, the Los Angeles Dodgers (62-49, 37-18 Home) want to get back to their winning ways tonight when they face another slumping side, the Washington Nationals (57-53, 26-30 Away), tonight at Dodger Stadium (10:10 PM Eastern).

The Dodgers suffered an embarrassing 13-6 loss to the Pirates in the finale last night; Jim Johnson became only the second Dodger relief pitcher to allow eight runs in one inning.

“It was just one of those fluky things,” Johnson said after the game according to the Associated Press. “I felt like I made a lot of quality pitches, a lot of weak contact. I’d honestly say it’s one of the worst professional outings I’ve had, so it can only go better from there.”

The Dodgers had won six of the last seven before facing the Pirates, and maintain a three-game lead over the Giants at the top of the NL West. Tonight, LA will be facing a Washington squad that hasn’t looked themselves of late, dropping seven of their last ten and falling a game and a half back of the Mets in the NL East.

The Nationals recent skid includes dropping two of three against the lowly Colorado Rockies in their last series. Reliever Drew Storen took the loss last night after giving up the go-ahead runs in the eighth inning during a 6-4 setback. The Nats lost despite getting ten hits and seeing the Rockies commit three errors.

Though Storen gave up two runs in just one inning of work, Nationals manager Matt Williams backed his set-up man after the game.

“It’s important for us to realize how important [Drew’s] been for us and continue to show the confidence we have in him,” said Williams to the AP.

The Nationals will send Gio Gonzalez (8-4, 3.75 ERA) to the hill tonight while the Dodgers will counter with Bree Anderson (6-6, 3.06 ERA). Gonzalez hasn’t lost since June 10, posting a 4-0 mark in his last seven starts; his last two starts were no-decisions though and the Nats wound up losing both.

Anderson, meanwhile, is coming off of a solid outing against the Phillies, going 6.0 innings and allowing fours hit and one run to pick up his sixth win of the year.

Though neither team is playing its best baseball right now, the Nats haven’t been subpar on the road all year, while the Dodgers have dominated at home. Los Angeles’ moneyline looks like the play tonight.

Pick: Dodgers (-133). 

(Photo credit: Keith Allison (flickr) [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode].)