Nationals vs. Orioles Tuesday Prediction
After they were shut out on Memorial Day in a 6-0 loss, the Baltimore Orioles will look to rebound when they host the Washington Nationals Tuesday night at 7:05 p.m. ET. Will the O’s even on the series?
Game Snapshot & Odds
979 Washington Nationals (-110) at 980 Baltimore Orioles (-110); 9 runs
Tuesday, May 29, 2018
7:05 p.m. ET, Camden Yards
TV: WSH (MSN2); BAL (MASN)
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Public Betting Trends
Oddsmakers from online sportsbooks currently list the Orioles as a -115 favorite. As of this writing, 77% of the betting tickets wagered at online sportsbooks are on the Nationals to beat the Orioles on the moneyline. This information is subject to change, however, so be sure to check out our MLB Public Betting Page for updated figures on this game.
Nationals’ Hellickson left last outing due to blister on hand
Jeremy Hellickson left his start Tuesday night against the Padres due to a blister on his right hand. It doesn’t sound like a serious concern, though it’s possible Hellickson’s next turn will be pushed back a few days. The 31-year-old right-hander tossed 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball before departing and he now boasts a 2.13 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, and 31/6 K/BB ratio in 38 total innings (seven starts) this season for the Nationals.
Orioles’ Bundy strikes out 14 in complete game gem
Dylan Bundy fanned a career-high 14 and turned in his second career complete game as the Orioles beat the White Sox 9-3 on Thursday. Bundy allowed just two hits, though one was a three-run homer in the fourth. It was a magnificent outing, though we wonder about the wisdom of having the oft-injured righty throw 121 pitches in a game that wasn’t close and wouldn’t have been very meaningful to an awful Orioles club even if it had been close.
Still, give credit to Bundy, who is just a couple of weeks removed from failing to get anyone out in a start against the Orioles. Since his horrible three-start run that concluded with that loss, he’s allowed seven runs and struck out 29 over 19 innings.
MLB Betting Trends
Washington
The Nationals are 1-4 in their last five games in Baltimore despite winning yesterday.
Baltimore
The under is 12-4 in the last 16 meetings between these two teams, including on Memorial Day when the Nationals went on to beat the Orioles, 6-0.
Prediction:
Outside of his disastrous start against the Royals in which he was destroyed in the first inning, Bundy has pitched well for the Orioles. His SIERA of 4.14 is lower than his 4.30 ERA so there should be at least some positive regression coming his way and his strikeout (23.8%) and walk (7.4%) rates are both excellent. He’s still getting hit hard (35.9%) but otherwise, he’s been solid.
Meanwhile, Hellickson’s 5.03 SIERA doesn’t quite match his 4.81 ERA and he’s not striking many batters out at 15.2%. He has pitched better than expected for the Nationals but since he’s coming off the blister game, I feel safer backing the Orioles with Bundy. Baltimore’s offense should also fare better against the right-hander than it did yesterday versus the lefty in Gio Gonzalez. They’ve really struggled with left-handers this year.
The Pick: Baltimore Orioles -115