Nationals vs Orioles Odds, Betting Lines, and Probable Pitchers
By Robert Duff in MLB Baseball
Published:
- The Baltimore Orioles are -120 home favorites to defeat the Washington Nationals in inter-league play SundayÂ
- The home team has won all five meetings between these two teams this season
- Read below for odds, analysis and a betting prediction
The homer series between the Washington Nationals (45-52, 18-27) and Baltimore Orioles (33-64, 15-30) continued on Saturday. Not homer as in ball hit over the fence. Homer as in the visiting team never wins.
Home teams have won all five meetings between the Nats and O’s this season. Washington swept a three-game series from May 21-23 at Nationals Park. Baltimore will look to complete a three-game sweep of Washington on Sunday at Camden Yards.
Oddsmakers are offering -120 favorite’s odds on Baltimore to keep the home team in the driver’s seat and win again on Sunday. The Orioles are 3-0 against the runline in their last three games against the Nationals.
Nationals vs Orioles Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Nationals | +100 | +1.5 (-165) | O 9.5 (-120) |
| Baltimore Orioles | -120 | -1.5 (+145) | U 9.5 (+100) |
Odds as of July 24th at DraftKings.
First pitch Sunday afternoon is slated for 1:05pm ET.
Espino vs Means
| 2-2 | Record | 4-3 |
| 3,00 | ERA | 4.40 |
| 4.30 | xERA | 2.72 |
| 1.78 | WHIP | 1.20 |
| 3.42 | SO/W Ratio | 5.46 |
John Means was 4-0 through his first 10 starts of the 2021 campaign. However, he is struggling in his recent outings. He’s surrendered 10 earned runs in 10.2 innings over his past three starts, going 0-3 in the process.
Means has also served up two home runs in each of his last five starts. He allowed a total of five long balls through his first eight starts of 2021. In his last start he was making his first appearance since June 5 after going on IL with a shoulder strain. He coughed up five earned runs in five innings against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Finally…. it's John Means Day once again pic.twitter.com/4sz2yYx3P0
— Matt Kremnitzer (@mattkremnitzer) July 20, 2021
He ranks among the top 9% in the AL in exit velocity (86.4). Means is also among the top 5% in base on balls percentage (4.5). As well, he’s in the bottom 8% in maximum exit velocity (115.7).
The left-hander hasn’t gone beyond five innings in any of those three losses. Prior to that, he’d gone no less than six innings in seven consecutive starts. His ERA has jumped nearly a full run over the three setbacks, going from 1.79 to 2.72.
Paolo Espino will start for the Nationals in their series finale against the Orioles tomorrow. Monday's starter in Philadelphia is TBD.
— Matt Weyrich (@ByMattWeyrich) July 24, 2021
Paolo Espino will be making his 23rd appearance and seven start of the season for the Nationals. The right-hander is making his fourth start in his last five appearances. Espino is 1-0 over that span.
In 11 road appearances this season Espino is 0-0. However, his ERA of 4.50 is significantly higher than the 2.31 he’s posted through 11 appearances at Nationals Park. This will be his first career appearance at Camden Yards.
Batting Average vs Starting Pitchers
| Orioes Batters | Batting Average vs Espino | Nationals Batters | Batting Average vs Means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maikel Franco | .000 | Tres Barrera | .000 |
| Austin Hays | .000 | Josh Bell | .000 |
| Domingo Leyba | .000 | Alcides Escoba | .000 |
| Trey Mancini | .000 | Josh Harrison | .000 |
| Ryan McKenna | .000 | Carter Kieboom | .000 |
| Ryan Mountcastle | .000 | Gerardo Parra | .000 |
| Cedric Mullins | .000 | Rene Rivera | .000 |
| Pedro Severino | .000 | Victor Robles | 1.000 |
| DJ Stewart | .000 | Juan Soto | 1.000 |
| Ramon Urias | .000 | Andrew Stevenson | .000 |
| Pat Valaika | .000 | Trea Turner | .000 |
| Austin Wynns | .000 | Ryan Zimmerman | .000 |
There isn’t a whole lot of past history to draw upon among hitters facing these two pitchers. In fact, there isn’t a single Orioles hitter with a career plate appearance against Espino.
.@JuanSoto25_ hasn't stopped hitting homers since the Derby. pic.twitter.com/ZHvQ0deDin
— MLB (@MLB) July 20, 2021
Washington outfielders Victor Robles and Juan Soto are both batting 1.000 against Means. However, the sample size couldn’t be smaller. Both players are 1-for-1 at the plate when facing the Baltimore lefty.
Nationals-Orioles Pick
Neither Means or Espino come into this game with a track record that looks to be enticing enough to back. Along with his current struggles, Means lasted just two-thirds of an inning in his lone career appearance against Washington. He shows a WHIP of 7.50 and an ERA of 40.50 against Washington.
Death, Taxes, and the Orioles beating the Nationals. Get your brooms ready for tomorrow https://t.co/fshMEOSjBd
— Billy Godrick (@bgodrick) July 25, 2021
Espino was solid in his last start against the Miami Marlins. Prior to that though, he struggled with his location and paid a price. Over three appearances covering 10.1 innings, Espino surrendered 13 hits, issued five walks, and a slash of .310/.367/.571. He gave up nine earned runs for an ERA of 7.84.
Washington is without two key bats in Starlin Castro and Kyle Schwarber. Means is scuffling, but has a better career track record.
Pick: Baltimore Orioles (-120).
Sports Writer
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
