Blue Jays vs Nationals Odds, Betting Lines, and Probable Pitchers (August 17)
By Quinn Allen in MLB Baseball
Published:
- The Blue Jays travel to DC for a quick two-game set with the Nationals
- Toronto and Washington met back in April as well, splitting their series
- Get the odds, analysis, and prediction, below
After a west-coast road trip, the Toronto Blue Jays (63-54, 32-30 away) head out east to face the Washington Nationals (50-68, 29-33 home) on Tuesday for the first of a two-game series at Nationals Park. First-pitch is set for 7:05 pm ET.
Rookie Alek Manoah gets the ball for Toronto, while Washington sends Erick Fedde to the mound. The Jays, who are fighting for a Wild Card in the AL, are big moneyline favorites. Blue Jays vs Nationals Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto Blue Jays | -200 | -1.5 (-120) | Ov 9.5 (-105) |
| Washington Nationals | +170 | +1.5 (+100) | Un 9.5 (-115) |
Odds as of August 16th at DraftKings.
In the last 10 meetings between these two ballclubs, the Blue Jays are 8-2.
Probable Pitchers
Manoah makes his 12th big league start on Wednesday, looking to build off a string of solid outings. On the year, the former first-rounder has a 5-1 record and 2.59 ERA, striking out 71 hitters in just 59 innings of work.
In Manoah’s last appearance against the Los Angeles Angels, he secured the victory after giving up two runs in 6.2 innings. In the process, the righty also fanned 11.
Manoah hasn’t given up more than two earned in his last six starts. In fact, in his big league career thus far, the 23-year-old has allowed a max of five runs in an outing. Funny enough, that was against the Baltimore Orioles in June.
The Nationals are a completely unfamiliar opponent for Manoah, though. Not a single hitter on Washington’s roster has ever faced the hard-throwing right-hander.
Manoah vs Fedde
| 5-1 | Record | 4-8 |
| 2.59 | ERA | 5.12 |
| 59 | Innings Pitched | 91.1 |
| 71 | SO | 83 |
| 21 | BB | 32 |
Fedde has been pretty inconsistent for the Nationals in 2021, posting a 5.12 ERA while going 4-8. He’s had control issues, walking 32 in 91.1 innings, and has been hit around lately. The 28-year-old has allowed 13 earned runs across his last four appearances.
However, his last start against the New York Mets was more promising, surrendering only two runs.
Sadly, he’s been one of the better arms in Washington’s rotation this season following the departure of Max Scherzer, who was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the deadline. But Fedde has done well against the Blue Jays, compiling a 2.89 ERA in two starts.
He also pitches a tad better at home with a 4.93 ERA.
Batting Average vs Starting Pitchers
| Blue Jays Hitters | Batting Average vs Fedde |
|---|---|
| Bo Bichette | .400 |
| Corey Dickerson | .000 |
| Randal Grichuk | .000 |
| Travis Jankowski | .167 |
| Vladimir Guerrero Jr | .000 |
| Lourdes Gurriel Jr | .1000 |
| Teoscar Hernandez | .1000 |
| Marcus Semien | .000 |
| George Springer | .000 |
The Nats have been sliding all year long, but right now, they’re on a nine-game losing streak. During that span, Dave Martinez’s squad has been swept by National League East foes New York and Atlanta. As a team, DC hits .257, which is fourth in the big leagues. But, they are poor at capitalizing with runners in scoring position, evident by their 4.3 runs per contest.
Carter Kieboom's 2-run 1B gives him 3 multi-RBI games in the month of August.@carterkieboom // #NATITUDE pic.twitter.com/cKliSjQBhH
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) August 15, 2021
Their offense has been even better since the All-Star Break, batting .266. The pitching staff has been the clear problem for this team, currently boasting a 4.58 ERA, which is one of the worst in the majors. To put that into perspective, their best starter ERA is 4.17, which belongs to Joe Ross.
The Jays have been a breath of fresh air this season, sitting in the top five of every notable offensive category. They’re first in home runs, slugging, and OPS. The bats have been firing on all cylinders, but Toronto has taken a slight dip lately, going 5-5 in their last 10 games. Charlie Montoyo’s squad is 7.5 games out of first place in the American League East, but the Wild Card is still in reach.
We have FIVE players with 20+ HR and 70+ RBI!
No other team has more than two 😳 #TBJHomers pic.twitter.com/4R0o47EhhI
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) August 16, 2021
The Blue Jays have lost three of their last four after a rather disappointing series out in Seattle against the Mariners. But, their success against the Nats is a reason for optimism along with the fact that Manoah is on the mound. Vladimir Guerrero Jr continues to rake, but he hasn’t gone deep in seven games as he still sits at 35 homers on the year.
Blue Jays vs Nationals Prediction
Although Fedde has a decent track record against the Jays, Manoah has been far too consistent. He always puts his best foot forward and I expect him to dominate again on Tuesday, with Toronto’s offense giving him lots of support. Take the visitors to cover the runline.
Pick: Toronto Blue Jays -1.5 (-120)
Sports Writer
Quinn Allen is a sports journalist, with a background and education in broadcast journalism (BCIT '17). He is a full-time associate editor at ClutchPoints by day, where he writes about soccer, baseball, basketball, football, and more. At night, Quinn is a frequent contributor at SBD.
