Stephen Strasburg and the Washington Nationals became trendy picks among sports bettors this season but the Boston Red Sox rank second in scoring and handicapping sites are showing support for the (now) small home favorite
The Nationals are 10-2 in Strasburg’s past 12 starts including an 8-1 mark on the road
Boston has won five of six meetings against the Nationals since the relocation from Montreal after the 2004 season but this is the first game between these teams since 2009. A lot has changed in Washington and Stephen Strasburg has helped make this team a contender in the National League East.
The Nats won two of three against the New York Mets to start the week and head into Round 2 of Interleague play with a one-game lead in the division. Washington (32-23) is 14-13 on the road but they are just 14-22 the last three seasons in Interleague play. It’s kept the baseball odds low for this matchup and Pinnacle Sports has now made Boston a -106 money line favorite.
The total is 8 Over -113 and the Nationals are 6-0 in Strasburg’s (6-1, 2.35 ERA) past six starts in this range. The right-hander has won three-straight starts and has a 2-1 Interleague record with a 1.54 ERA.
Left-hander Felix Doubront (6-2, 3.75 ERA) will start for Boston and the team is 5-1 in his last six starts but Doubront has a 4.33 ERA in five home starts. The Nationals only hit .230 against lefties but they are 6-1 in seven Interleague starts vs. southpaws.
Check updated Interleague baseball odds here!
STRONG FINISH
The Boston Red Sox started the season 12-19 but they are 6-2-1 in their past nine series and have a 29-28 record on the season. By comparison, the Detroit Tigers started 9-3 this season and have since fallen six games back in the AL Central with a 26-31 overall record.
INTERLEAGUE ISSUES
American League teams are thought to be at a disadvantage when playing at National League parks since the pitchers are unaccustomed to hitting but since 1997, the AL has a .258 average compared with .250 in the Senior Circuit. AL teams also have 255 Interleague home runs compared to .208 by the National League.
Hot Home Faves – The Atlanta Braves (-168) host the Toronto Blue Jays tonight and the Braves have a 21-12 record the past three years in Interleague play including a 11-2 mark in their past 15 games.
Bet the Braves -1 run (-121) at Pinnacle Sports!
ICE TIME
Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals is tomorrow night in New Jersey and the Los Angeles Kings have a recent record of 3 overs and 16 unders against non-conference opponents. All four games of this series have stayed under the total and the Kings vs. Devils have played under the total eight of nine times since February, 2009.