Find Out How to Watch Giants vs Nationals – Thursday, August 8th, 2024

San Francisco Giants

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Washington Nationals

As the San Francisco Giants visit Nationals Park on August 8, 2024, they look to build on their recent success against the Washington Nationals, having won the previous matchup 7-4 on August 7. The Giants are in an average position with a record of 58-58, while the Nationals sit at 52-63, indicating a below-average season.

In this National League clash, the Giants will send out Kyle Harrison, who has had a rough time lately. In his last start on August 3, he struggled significantly, allowing 6 earned runs in just 4 innings. However, Harrison’s ERA is slightly misleading, as it stands at 4.09, suggesting he may have been lucky this season. The projections indicate he is expected to pitch about 5.4 innings today while allowing around 2.5 earned runs.

DJ Herz, on the mound for the Nationals, has also had his ups and downs this season. His 4.27 ERA is average, but his 3.48 xFIP highlights that he might be poised for better results after being somewhat unlucky. Herz’s most recent outing was a positive one, where he pitched 5 innings without allowing any earned runs. Today, he is expected to pitch around 4.6 innings, which might present a challenge against a Giants’ offense that ranks 13th best in the league.

While the Nationals have the 23rd best offense overall, they excel in stolen bases, ranking 3rd. However, they struggle with power, ranking 29th in home runs, which could give Harrison a slight edge. With the game total set at 8.5 runs, the odds suggest a close contest, and betting markets reflect this sentiment, with the Nationals’ moneyline currently at +100 and the Giants at -120. The leading MLB projection system sees the Nationals scoring around 4.10 runs today, and they’ll need strong performances from hitters like Luis Garcia, who has been notably effective recently.

San Francisco Giants Insights

• Kyle Harrison – Over/Under 4.5 Strikeouts (+135/-175)
  With 6 bats who bat from the opposite side in the opposing team’s projected batting order, Kyle Harrison has a tough challenge while lacking the platoon advantage in most plate appearances in this outing.
  Explain: Right-handed pitchers perform worse against left-handed hitters (and visa-versa). If several hitters hold this advantage against the pitcher, it can have a huge impact on whether he will perform well or struggle on any given day.
• Tyler Fitzgerald – Over/Under 0.5 Hits (-220/+165)
  Tyler Fitzgerald is penciled in 1st on the lineup card in this game, which would be an upgrade from his 74% rate of hitting in the bottom-half of the batting order this season.
  Explain: The higher in the order a player bats, the more plate appearances he will get and the more opportunities he will get to hit the Over for every market. A player who hits higher in the order than he normally does may provide extra value opportunity since the market may be based on him hitting lower.
• San Francisco Giants – 2H Moneyline
  According to the leading projection system (THE BAT), the San Francisco Giants’ bullpen grades out as the best among all teams in Major League Baseball.
  Explain: Most bettors only consider the starting pitcher, but a strong bullpen sneakily creates a tougher matchup for the opposing offense and suppresses a game’s runs.

Washington Nationals Insights

• Washington Nationals – Moneyline (-105)
  Out of every team playing today, the best infield defense belongs to the Washington Nationals.
  Explain: Defense is an integral part of preventing hits and runs.
• Keibert Ruiz – Over/Under 1.5 Total Bases (+135/-180)
  Keibert Ruiz’s exit velocity on flyballs has declined this year; his 89.9-mph average last season has fallen off to 86.9-mph.
  Explain: Most home runs are flyballs, and the harder those flyballs are hit, the more often they turn into home runs. This is a strong indicator of power.
• CJ Abrams – Over/Under 1.5 Total Bases (+135/-180)
  CJ Abrams pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (34.2% — 82nd percentile) and will have a big advantage hitting them towards the game’s 10th-shallowest RF fences in today’s game.
  Explain: This player’s skill set matches up particularly well with the park he’s in today, which may lead to better-than-usual performance.

Betting Trends

• Washington Nationals – Over/Under 2.5 1st Five Innings (F5) Team Total (+105/-135)
  The Washington Nationals have hit the 1st Five Innings (F5) Team Total Over in 42 of their last 73 games (+7.85 Units / 9% ROI)
• San Francisco Giants – 1st Five Innings (F5) Moneyline (-105)
  The San Francisco Giants have hit the 1st Five Innings (F5) Moneyline in 18 of their last 33 games (+8.10 Units / 18% ROI)
• Mark Canha – Over/Under 0.5 RBIs (+190/-250)
  Mark Canha has hit the RBIs Under in his last 7 away games (+7.00 Units / 42% ROI)