Washington Nationals
Miami Marlins
(-110/-110)+125
On September 4, 2024, the Miami Marlins will host the Washington Nationals at LoanDepot Park in a crucial National League East matchup. Both teams have endured disappointing seasons, with the Marlins holding a record of 51-87 and the Nationals at 62-76. The Marlins are currently dealing with a cold streak, having struggled to find consistent offensive production, and they will look to bounce back after a tough loss against the Nationals yesterday.
Valente Bellozo is projected to start for the Marlins, and while he has had moments of competence, his overall performance ranks him as the 309th best starting pitcher in MLB according to advanced-stat Power Rankings. Bellozo’s 4.32 ERA is an average showing, but his elevated 5.53 xFIP suggests he might be due for a rough outing. He faces a Nationals lineup that, while struggling in terms of home runs, ranks 22nd in MLB offensively. The Nationals have shown some resilience and could capitalize on Bellozo’s tendency to allow high flyball rates, especially given their low-power output this season.
On the other side, MacKenzie Gore, a left-handed pitcher, is set to take the mound for the Nationals. Gore’s ERA of 4.45 is about average, but his 3.68 FIP indicates he has been somewhat unlucky this year. He projects to perform solidly against a Marlins offense that ranks 29th overall and is particularly inept at hitting for power.
With the game total set at 8.5 runs, the Nationals have an implied team total of 4.50 runs while the Marlins sit at 4.00 runs. Given the current odds, the Nationals might be viewed as the more favorable side, but with both teams’ struggles this season, anything can happen.
Washington Nationals Insights
- MacKenzie Gore – Over/Under 5.5 Strikeouts (-135/+105)MacKenzie Gore’s change-up percentage has jumped by 6.2% from last season to this one (2.9% to 9.1%) .Explain: Because change-ups are one of the most effective pitches to use, a pitcher who alters his pitch mix to use more of them will often see more success as a result.
- Joey Gallo – Over/Under 0.5 Total Bases (-110/-120)Typically, batters like Joey Gallo who hit a lot of flyballs tend to be less successful when facing pitchers who also induce a lot of flyballs such as Valente Bellozo.Explain: This mostly has to do with the way the hitter’s swing plane interacts with the pitch trajectory, and it can create diminished performance across all categories and hidden value few are considering.
- Joey Gallo – Over/Under 0.5 Total Bases (-110/-120)In today’s matchup, Joey Gallo is at a disadvantage facing the league’s 4th-deepest RF fences given that he hits his flyballs to the pull field at a 41.4% rate (99th percentile).Explain: This player’s skill set does not match up particularly well with the park he’s in today, which may lead to worse-than-usual performance.
Miami Marlins Insights
- Valente Bellozo – Over/Under 4.5 Strikeouts (+125/-165)Over his previous 3 outings, Valente Bellozo has suffered a big decrease in his fastball velocity: from 88.8 mph over the whole season to 87.7 mph of late.Explain: Velocity is a key component to fastball success in generating strikeouts and preventing runs, so a pitcher who improves his velocity will likely see improved results.
- Connor Norby – Over/Under 1.5 Total Bases (+135/-180)Connor Norby has taken a step back with his Barrel% recently; his 12.7% seasonal rate has dropped to 7.7% in the past week’s worth of games.Explain: Barrel% measures how often a player hits the ball at the optimal exit velocity and launch angle and is a terrific measure of underlying power.
- The Miami Marlins have 4 hitters in their projected batting order today with a high (i.e. over 27%) underlying K% (via the leading projection system, THE BAT X) (Kyle Stowers, Griffin Conine, Cristian Pache, Connor Norby).Explain: Teams that have multiple high-strikeout hitters will make it much easier for the opposing pitcher to record strikeouts
Betting Trends
- Over/Under 8.5 Game Total (-110/-110)The Miami Marlins have hit the Game Total Over in 32 of their last 48 games at home (+19.95 Units / 37% ROI)
- Washington Nationals – Run Line -1.5 (+115)The Washington Nationals have hit the Run Line in 72 of their last 126 games (+10.95 Units / 7% ROI)
- CJ Abrams – Over/Under 1.5 Hits Runs and RBIs (-115/-115)CJ Abrams has hit the Hits Runs and RBIs Under in 12 of his last 16 games (+7.75 Units / 40% ROI)