Milwaukee Brewers vs. Washington Nationals, 10/1/19 Prediction & Odds

Brewers vs. Nationals Prediction

The Milwaukee Brewers and the host Washington Nationals kick off the MLB postseason tonight as they clash in the NL Wild Card Game. Can Washington take advantage of being at home and having the edge in the starting pitcher matchup?

Game Snapshot

911 Milwaukee Brewers at 912 Washington Nationals

Tuesday, September 30, 2019

Nationals Park at 8:08PM ET

TV: TBS

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Public Betting Information

According to oddsmakers, the Nationals are listed as a -173 favorite to win on the moneyline. The Brewers are a +163 underdog, while the total is set at 7.5 runs. As of Tuesday morning, 69 percent of public bets are siding with host Washington. Check out our MLB Public Betting Page for the latest information.

Brewers swept to finish regular season 

Milwaukee had its NL Wild Card spot in the bag, but were unable to climb past St. Louis in the NL Central standings as it lost its last three games of the season at Colorado. The Brewers finished the regular season 89-73 at home including 40-41 on the road and went from three percent odds of making the postseason less than four weeks ago to clinching a spot this past week. Brandon Woodruff will start today's Wild Card Game as he sported an 11-3 record, 3.62 ERA and 1.14 WHIP during the regular season plus 143 strikeouts over 121 1/3 innings pitched. The bullpen will be led by lefty super reliever Josh Hader (75 2/3 IP, 2.62 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, 138 K's). While the Brewers are missing NL MVP candidate Christian Yelich from their lineup, they do have some potent bats - Keston Hiura (.303/.368/.938), Eric Thames (.247/.346/.851) and Yasmani Grandal (.346/.380/.848). Also in the mix is veteran Ryan Braun (.849 OPS) as he played a major role in helping Milwaukee reach the playoffs.

Scherzer set to take mound

Washington enters the postseason with a 93-69 overall record and 50-31 at home. Max Scherzer draws the start today for the Nationals as he ended the regular season with an 11-7 record, 2.92 ERA and 1.03 WHIP plus 243 strikeouts over 172 1/3 innings. Washington has had bullpen issues most of the season so look for fellow starters Stephen Strasburg (1.04 WHIP, 10.8 K/9) and Patrick Corbin (1.18 WHIP, 10.6 K/9) to be available out of the bullpen. Most valuable player candidate Anthony Rendon (.319/.412/.1.010) leads the Washington offense into today's game. Juan Soto (.282/.401/.949), Trea Turner (.298/.353/.850) and Howie Kendrick (.344/.395/.966) are among the other major contributors. The Nationals clawed their way back into the playoff picture after a brutal 19-31 start.

MLB Betting Trends

Milwaukee

The Brewers are 4-0 in their last four Tuesday games. Milwaukee is 4-0 in its last four games versus the NL East.

Washington

The Nationals are 2-5 in the last seven meetings. Milwaukee is 12-3 in the last 15 Scherzer starts.

Prediction: 

I just can't pull the trigger against Scherzer here. Even if he only goes six innings, it is likely to be quality baseball and goose eggs for the Brewers isn't out of the question. And then the bullpen issues for the Nats are mostly negated with Strasburg and Corbin both available behind Mad Max. Woodruff is solid and has postseason experience, but I don't see him matching Scherzer and if he gives way to the bullpen in the middle innings the bridge to Hader could be rocky. I'm taking the favorites here.

 

MLB DAILY PREDICTION: WASHINGTON NATIONALS -173