Blue Jays vs Nationals Picks and Odds – July 28
- Despite last night’s win in DC, the Blue Jays are underdogs for their game on July 28th at Nationals Park
- Toronto has now won six straight against the Washington Nationals
- In the article below, check out the odds, analysis and a pick for the game
Just like in 2019, when they ultimately made it all the way to the World Series before memorably clinching their championship, the Washington Nationals are limping out of the starting gate.
The team is off to a 1-3 start for the second straight season after Monday’s 4-1 home loss to the Toronto Blue Jays (2-2). But unlike that banner year, 2020’s COVID-19-shortened schedule means an extended slow start will quickly become an insurmountable obstacle, even with an expanded postseason.
However, the Nationals get to see a familiar face on the opposition mound on Tuesday, as former Nats starter Tanner Roark makes his first appearance back in D.C. Washington is a -138 favorite to win in the Blue Jays vs Nationals odds.
Toronto Blue Jays vs Washington Nationals July 28th Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Run Total at FanDuel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto Blue Jays | +120 | +1.5 (-162) | O 9.5 (-115) |
| Washington Nationals | -138 | -1.5 (+136) | U 9.5 (-105) |
Odds taken July 28
Blue Jays Soaring in DC
Though the two teams would meet fairly frequently when the Nats franchise was based in Montreal as the Expos, since the team relocated to D.C. their meetings have become less common.
This current series is just the ninth since the Nats started play in the 2005 season, and the first meeting since June of 2018.
Recent games have see Toronto in the driver’s seat, with the Blue Jays winning the last six contests. The last time the Nationals beat the Blue Jays was in 2015, capping a run of four straight and seven out of eight.
In the last 10 meetings, Toronto holds a 6-4 edge.
An Unfamiliar Face
The Nationals will turn to 28-year-old Austin Voth, as the Nats’ fifth starter is set to make just his 11th major-league start. The right-hander saw his first real extended action at the MLB level in 2019, going 2-1 in eight starts with a 3.30 ERA. He’d gone 1-1 in four appearances with a 6.57 ERA in 2018.
You guys…
Austin Voth has a 2.17 ERA dating back to July 16th.#STAYINTHEFIGHT // #OnePursuit pic.twitter.com/GU1C97jyrS
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 28, 2019
In the Blue Jays batting lineup, only Joe Panik has ever faced Voth before, so the Washington starter will certainly have an element of surprise in his arsenal.
Blue Jays Career Stats vs Austin Voth
| Player | AB | HR | RBI | AVG. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Panik | 1 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Welcome Back Roark
Tanner Roark pitched in Washington for the first six seasons of his major-league career before being traded to Cincinnati and ultimately signing with Toronto as a free agent last winter.
Tanner Roark spent his first 6 @MLB seasons with the @Nationals.
He makes his #BlueJays debut tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/2M4xPwG4EN
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) July 27, 2020
A career 74-64 record and a 3.71 ERA show that Roark has been effective on the mound at times. However, a lot of that career ERA can be attributed to his rookie, sophomore and fourth seasons, in which he had averages of 1.51, 2.85 and 2.83 respectively. All his other seasons have been over 4.00, including 2019, where he was at 4.35 splitting time between Cincinnati and Oakland.
Tanner Roark takes his former team deep. #PitchersWhoRake pic.twitter.com/wrToL1jQJP
— MLB (@MLB) June 1, 2019
Roark did face the Nats last season for the first time, giving up six hits and four earned runs in six innings as the Reds suffered a 5-2 home loss.
Nationals Career Stats vs Tanner Roark
| Player | AB | HR | RBI | AVG. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asdrubal Cabrera | 20 | 1 | 3 | .350 |
| Starlin Castro | 9 | 0 | 0 | .111 |
| Adam Eaton | 2 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Yan Gomes | 2 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Howie Kendrick | 7 | 0 | 0 | .143 |
| Kurt Suzuki | 10 | 1 | 2 | .100 |
| Eric Thames | 10 | 1 | 1 | .100 |
| Trea Turner | 3 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Turning on the Power
Both the Nats and Blue Jays are among the early-season leaders in home runs through four games.
The Blue Jays young lineup has the slight edge, 6-5, led by Teoscar Hernandez’s two bombs in Monday’s win, two of the four solo shots that the Jays used to win the game.
There were plenty of homers tonight, but not for the home team. Teoscar Hernández's home run is tonight's @Ford Drive of the Game.
Drive home a new Ford today during the Summer of Savings at your Local Ford Dealer: https://t.co/JC6Py3Zg2m pic.twitter.com/imwOHieAz3
— Nationals on MASN (@masnNationals) July 28, 2020
While five different Washington sluggers have connected on their home runs thus far, no Washington batter has been hotter than Victor Robles, who is batting .417 with four RBI.
Pick: Nationals (-138); U 9.5 (-105)
For the last 20 years, Paul Attfield has worked in sports media. Starting out in his native Britain with the likes of The Independent, he eventually switched continents, with his work appearing in the likes of the Los Angeles Times, Washington Post and Yahoo Sports since.
