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  1. Home
  2. MLB Picks
  3. Houston Astros vs Washington Nationals
Fri 6:45 PM ET
Houston Astros logo
Houston
Astros5
J. Verlander RHP
versus
Washington Nationals logo
Washington
Nationals3
M. Gore LHP
Final
Team123456789T
Houston Astros0300100105
Washington Nationals001010

Houston Astros vs Washington Nationals Betting Picks & Predictions

Game time: April 19, 2024 at 6:45 PM ET

Venue: Nationals Park — Washington, District of Columbia

Article updated Apr 18, 10:35 PM EDT

Published by SportsJaw Editorial Team

The Houston Astros (6-14) will face off against the Washington Nationals (8-10) in a three-game series starting on Friday. Houston is coming off a tough 5-4 loss to the

Game outlook

The Houston Astros (6-14) will face off against the Washington Nationals (8-10) in a three-game series starting on Friday. Houston is coming off a tough 5-4 loss to the Atlanta Braves and has lost seven of their last nine games. They will be without eight pitchers due to injury. Washington, on the other hand, is coming off a 2-0 win against the Los Angeles Dodgers and has won two of their last three games. The Nationals will be missing four pitchers and three position players in the upcoming series. Justin Verlander will start for the Astros, while MacKenzie Gore will take the mound for the Nationals. Houston is the favorite with a current line of -170.

Betting Odds

Moneyline: Astros -170 | Nationals +148

Spread: Astros -1.5 (-105) | Nationals +1.5 (-116)

Total: Over/Under 8.5 (-110)

Based on the moneyline, the implied probability that Houston will win straight-up is 63%.

Houston Astros

The Houston Astros have faced challenges with injuries to four starting pitchers from last season, but Justin Verlander is set to make his season debut on Friday. Houston's pitching statistics rank among the lower teams in the league, with a team ERA of 5.24 and a WHIP of 1.51. However, their starting rotation has shown promise with seven Quality Starts so far. At the plate, Houston's offense is strong, ranking third in team batting average, fourth in on base percentage, and fifth in slugging percentage. The team has scored 87 runs and hit 40 doubles and 24 home runs in 20 games. Despite their offensive prowess, Houston's overall performance this season has been lacking, with a power ranking of 25, a 81-81 record, and ranking 17th in offense and 28th in defense.

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MLB · Houston Astros at Washington Nationals

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Washington Nationals Analysis

The Washington Nationals are currently ranked 21st in team batting average, 20th in on-base percentage, and 19th in slugging percentage. They have scored 66 runs, which ranks 25th in the league. CJ Abrams leads the team in home runs with five and RBI with 11, while Joey Gallo and Lane Thomas follow closely behind in those categories. On the mound, Washington is ranked 21st in team ERA and 29th in batting average allowed. MacKenzie Gore leads the team in strikeouts and victories. Overall, the Nationals have a power ranking of 26, ranking 23rd in offense and 21st in defense. They have an 8-10 record, with Houston winning 1 out of 3 matchups against them.

Veteran Verlander Returns for Astros, but Nationals' Gore Shines Bright - Who Will Prevail?

The Houston Astros are poised to benefit from the return of veteran Justin Verlander to the pitching rotation, providing the team with a much-needed emotional lift. However, Washington Nationals' starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore has shown impressive performance this season, boasting a 77-85 record with a 2.81 ERA in three starts. Gore has only allowed five earned runs in 16 innings, with a notable improvement in his last two starts, during which he allowed just two earned runs across 10 â…” innings. This has resulted in back-to-back wins for Washington against Philadelphia and Oakland. Conversely, Houston has struggled recently, losing seven of its last nine games, and has a less-than-stellar road record with five losses in the last seven away games. Washington has demonstrated success in recent matchups against teams from the American League West, winning six of its last eight games.

SportsJawGame Predictions
Predicted score

Unavailable for this preview

Projected winnerUnavailableConfidencelow
Pick on the Spread

Published pick: Unavailable

Pick on the Total

Published pick: Unavailable

#HoustonAstros#WashingtonNationals

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Written by

SportsJaw Editorial Team

SportsJaw published this archived preview from its original game-day article. Its prediction and quoted lines are preserved as written.

About our editorial process

SportsJaw Astros vs Nationals archived game preview contains historical odds and availability that may no longer be current. View history of past Astros vs Nationals matchups or learn how our predictions work.

Current matchup data

Lines, trends and availability

Line movement since open

  • Moneyline · Houston Astros-166 → -153Moved
  • Moneyline · Washington Nationals+152 → +132Moved
  • Spread · Houston Astros-1.5 (-100) → -1.5 (+110)Moved
  • Spread · Washington Nationals+1.5 (-110) → +1.5 (-128)Moved
  • Total · Over8.5 (-110) → 8 (-110)Moved
  • Total · Under8.5 (-110) → 8 (-110)Moved

ATS and O/U trends

Houston Astros
81-81 matchup record · 4-6-0 ATS · 5-5-0 O/U
Last 10 completed games on file
Washington Nationals
77-85 matchup record · 8-2-0 ATS · 3-7-0 O/U
Last 10 completed games on file

Injuries and availability

From the published research (2024-04-19T02:35:10.948Z). Availability may have changed; review the cited sources.

The Houston Astros (6-14) will face off against the Washington Nationals (8-10) in a three-game series starting on Friday. Houston is coming off a tough 5-4 loss to the Atlanta Braves and has lost seven of their last nine games. They will be without eight pitchers due to injury. Washington, on the other hand, is coming off a 2-0 win against the Los Angeles Dodgers and has won two of their last three games. The Nationals will be missing four pitchers and three position players in the upcoming series. Justin Verlander will start for the Astros, while MacKenzie Gore will take the mound for the Nationals. Houston is the favorite with a current line of -170.

The Houston Astros have faced challenges with injuries to four starting pitchers from last season, but Justin Verlander is set to make his season debut on Friday. Houston's pitching statistics rank among the lower teams in the league, with a team ERA of 5.24 and a WHIP of 1.51. However, their starting rotation has shown promise with seven Quality Starts so far. At the plate, Houston's offense is strong, ranking third in team batting average, fourth in on base percentage, and fifth in slugging percentage. The team has scored 87 runs and hit 40 doubles and 24 home runs in 20 games. Despite their offensive prowess, Houston's overall performance this season has been lacking, with a power ranking of 25, a 81-81 record, and ranking 17th in offense and 28th in defense.

Recent head-to-head

No completed head-to-head result is available in the current history window.

Final result

Matchup pick recap

Houston Astros defeated Washington Nationals 5-3

Houston Astros defeated Washington Nationals 5-3 on April 19, 2024, a 2-run decision in the series. Houston Astros' strongest period was the 2nd inning, when it outscored its opponent 3-0. Against SportsJaw's recorded Houston Astros -1.5 (+110) spread, Houston Astros covered, while the 8 total pushed.

SportsJaw editorial picks

  • Projected winnerNo published selectionUnavailable

Tipster picks

  • OddssharkTotal · Over 8.5 (-110)Loss
  • CoversMoneyline · Houston Astros -170Win
  • Sammy52Moneyline · Washington Nationals +148Loss
  • JtmcentireTotal · Over 8.5 (-110)Loss
  • RoycejacobsTotal · Over 8.5 (-110)Loss
  • AliencreationRunline · Houston Astros -1.5 (-103)Win
  • TrysomeMoneyline · Washington Nationals +146Loss