The San Diego Padres will visit the Washington Nationals on Friday. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET and Washington is a -185 favorite on the money line (risk $185 to win $100), with the over-under total for runs scored at seven in the latest Nationals vs. Padres odds. Nationals ace Max Scherzer (1-3, 4.45 ERA) will be making his scheduled start after some concern he might be held out with a left intercostal muscle strain. He'll take on Matt Strahm (0-2, 3.05 ERA) of the Padres, who is coming off eight strong innings of one-run ball against the Reds. It's the kickoff of a three-game series over the weekend at Nationals Park where both teams will look to make up ground in what should be highly-contested divisional races. Before you make your Nationals vs. Padres picks, see the Friday MLB predictions from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
This model, which simulates every game 10,000 times, has raked in the winnings for those following its picks in multiple sports. It is off to a profitable start on all its A-rated MLB picks, entering Week 5 on a strong 14-5 run. Anyone who has followed it is way up.
Now, the model has locked in on Nationals vs. Padres. We can tell you it's leaning over, and it also says one side of the money line has all the value. You can only see it at SportsLine.
The model knows that on Friday the Nationals will be expecting a bounceback performance from Scherzer. In addition to the injury, Scherzer is suffering from a .395 BABIP that has ballooned his ERA from 2.53 a season ago to 4.45. As that BABIP comes down to earth, the ERA should settle in at around what his FIP (2.25) and xFIP (2.55) indicate it should be.
Current Padres have a measly .576 OPS against Scherzer in their careers and have struck out a staggering 34.1 percent of the time. So look for Scherzer to generate plenty of swings and misses on Friday.
However, having Scherzer on the bump doesn't guarantee that Washington will be the best value on the Nationals vs. Padres money line.
The 27-year-old Strahm has been a pleasant surprise this season. As a starter, he isn't going to overwhelm with his pitches, but he has a plus breaking ball and is learning to elevate his fastball effectively.
Wil Myers will also be a key for the Padres against Scherzer and the Nationals. He has two home runs and a double off Scherzer in 13 career at-bats and is off to a solid start to the 2019 season, slashing .286/.326/.512 with five home runs and 11 RBIs. In a game with a low total of seven, one swing of the bat could change the complexion of the game.
So who wins Padres vs. Nationals? And which side of the money line has all the value? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Padres vs. Nationals money line you should be all over, all from the advanced model that has crushed its MLB picks, and find out.