Giants vs Nationals Odds, Lines, and Spread (April 23)
- The Giants vs Nationals odds favor San Francisco as -165 moneyline favorites on Saturday (April 23, 1:05pm ET)
- San Francisco will give the ball to Alex Wood (1-0, 1.93 ERA), while Washington will counter with Aaron Sanchez (2021 stats: 1-1, 3.06 ERA)
- Read below for the Giants vs Nationals odds, analysis and betting prediction
Game 2 of the Giants and Nationals series is set for Saturday afternoon in DC, after San Francisco cruised to victory on Friday in the series opener. The Giants smacked 12 hits en route to a 7-1 win, and oddsmakers are leaning towards San Fran again on Saturday.
Giants vs Nationals Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco Giants | -165 | -1.5 (-105) | O 8.5 (-115) |
| Washington Nationals | +135 | +1.5 (-115) | U 8.5 (-105) |
Odds as of April 22nd at Caesars Sportsbook.
The Giants opened up as a -165 moneyline favorite, in a contest that features a total of 8.5 runs. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05pm ET at Nationals Park in Washington, DC, with a sun-cloud mix and 68 degree temperatures in the forecast.
Probable Pitchers
San Francisco, a top-12 contender in the World Series odds, will give the ball to lefty Alex Wood. The 31-year-old is off to a strong start to the season, yielding just two runs in 9.1 innings of work, while striking out 11.
Alex Wood didn't allow a run over 5 innings, but after allowing the first two hitters to reach in the 6th inning, Gabe Kapler comes to get him in favor of Zack Littell. Wood was at 87 pitches. #SFGiants lead 6-0.
— Evan Webeck (@EvanWebeck) April 17, 2022
Wood produced a 10-4 record in 2021, posting solid numbers across the board. His 3.83 ERA was one of the lowest of his career, as was his 1.18 WHIP. He also posted the second highest strikeout-to-walk rate of his MLB tenure (3.9), while enemy hitters batted just .236 against him.
Wood is 5-4 all-time versus the Nats, surrendering a .264 batting average to the hitters on Washington’s current roster.
Wood vs Sanchez (2021) Stats
| 1-0 | Record | 1-1 |
| 1.93 | ERA | 3.06 |
| 1.29 | WHIP | 1.33 |
| .250 | OBA | .234 |
| 3.7 | SO/W Ratio | 1.7 |
The Nationals will counter with former Giant Aaron Sanchez, who’ll make his first start of the season. Sanchez inked a one-year contract with the Nats in mid-March, and has spent the early part of the 2022 campaign in the minors. Sanchez has made three starts at AAA Rochester, posting a 1-0 record with a 3.60 ERA.
The 29-year-old pitched his lone season in San Francisco in 2021, but was released in August after missing most of the season with a variety of injuries.
Giants vs Nationals Betting Analysis
The Giants strong start to 2022 has had little to do with their offense, Friday’s result notwithstanding. They’re averaging 4.3 runs per game, but rank below league average in batting average, slugging and OPS.
No regular in their lineup is hitting .300, while only one starter is batting above .256. Entering Friday, they’d struck out 123 times, the seventh worst mark in baseball, while Joc Pederson and Brandon Belt had combined for half of their 14 total home runs.
The Giants sung happy birthday to Brandon Belt after he rounded the bases for a home run 🤣 pic.twitter.com/nC5ooqW5lK
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 20, 2022
Pitching has been their key to success. Entering Friday they’d allowed the third fewest runs in all of MLB, while posting the fourth best team ERA (2.63), and the fewest amount of homers (5).
Washington, meanwhile, has also struggled at the dish. They’re averaging just 3.73 runs per game, while batting .224. Josh Bell has been one of the few bright spots in the lineup, as his .352 average is 74 points better than that of the next best regular.
Josh Bell is the Nationals' lineup:
César Hernández 2B
Juan Soto RF
Nelson Cruz DH
Josh Bell 1B
Keibert Ruiz C
Yadiel Hernandez LF
Maikel Franco 3B
Alcides Escobar SS
Victor Robles CFJosh Rogers P
— Jesse Dougherty (@dougherty_jesse) April 21, 2022
Unfortunately for the Nats, their pitching hasn’t picked them up. Washington owns the fourth-highest team ERA in the league, allowing the seventh most home runs and the most hits entering Friday’s action. No wonder they have the longest price to win the NL East in the MLB Divisional odds.
Giants vs Nationals Last 10 Meetings
| Date | Away Team | Home Team | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4/22/22 | Giants | Nationals | SF, 7-1 |
| 7/11/21 | Nationals | Giants | SF, 3-1 |
| 7/10/21 | Nationals | Giants | SF, 10-4 |
| 7/9/21 | Nationals | Giants | SF, 5-3 |
| 6/13/21 | Giants | Nationals | WAS, 5-0 |
| 6/12/21 | Giants | Nationals | SF, 2-1 F/8 |
| 6/12/21 | Giants | Nationals | WAS, 2-0 F/7 |
| 6/11/21 | Giants | Nationals | SF, 1-0 |
| 8/7/19 | Nationals | Giants | WAS, 4-1 |
| 8/6/19 | Nationals | Giants | WAS, 5-3 |
San Francisco Giants vs Washington Nationals Pick
The Nats have dropped three straight overall, and have scored just seven times in their past four outings. Sanchez is a wild card on the mound given he hasn’t pitched in a Major League game in eight months, and if he doesn’t last long Washington’s bottom-six ranked bullpen isn’t like to bail them out.
Another factor working against the Nats is their severe splits both at home and against lefties like Wood. Washington is hitting just .184 at home this season compared to .230 on the road. They’re slugging only .246 versus southpaws with a .537 OPS, compared to a .338 slugging percentage and .640 OPS against righties. We’ll take San Francisco in this one.
Pick: San Francisco Giants Moneyline (-165)
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As SBD's resident Swiss Army Knife, Chris covers virtually every sport including NFL, PGA, NBA, MLB, NCAAB, NCAAF and the Olympics. A true grinder, he'd rather pick off small edges in the player props market than swing for the fences with a 5-leg parlay.
