Approximately four months after the originally scheduled date, 2020 MLB Opening Day finally arrives Thursday night as the defending champion Washington Nationals host the New York Yankees at 7:08 p.m. ET from Nationals Park. On the field, the huge storyline is a battle of aces as Gerrit Cole makes his debut with New York against Max Scherzer. Off it, the big story is Juan Soto being left off the Opening Day roster for the Nationals due to a positive COVID-19 test, which general manager Mike Rizzo confirmed to reporters.
Soto's absence has had a substantial impact on the Yankees vs. Nationals odds. After opening as the -135 favorites on the money line, the Yankees are now -168. The over-under for total runs is set at 7.5, unchanged from the opening line. Before making any Nationals vs. Yankees picks, check out the MLB predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.
This model, which simulates every pitch of every game 10,000 times, is coming off a banner 2019 season. The model returned more than $1,400 on its top-rated money-line and run-line MLB picks, and anyone who followed it saw huge rewards.
Now, the model has dialed in on Yankees vs. Nationals. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the MLB lines and trends for Yankees vs. Nationals:
- Yankees vs. Nationals money line: New York -168, Washington +149
- Yankees vs. Nationals over-under: 7.5 runs
- Yankees vs. Nationals run line: New York -1.5
- NYY: Finished second with 306 home runs last year
- WAS: Had won just one of five playoff series prior to 2019
Why you should back the Yankees
Cole, who led the AL last season with a 2.50 ERA and topped all major-league pitchers with 326 strikeouts, gives New York the bonafide ace it lacked in 2019. The 29-year-old ended the campaign with double-digits strikeout totals in nine consecutive contests and fanned at least 10 batters in 21 of his 33 starts. Cole also is capable of lessening the bullpen's load, as he pitched at least seven innings on 15 occasions last year.
The Yankees' powerful lineup should be able to provide Cole with plenty of support, as it produced a franchise-record 306 home runs in 2019 - and that was with very little contribution from Giancarlo Stanton, who went deep three times in only 18 games due to injuries. Stanton, who belted 97 homers over the previous two seasons, hit one of the team's five shots in their exhibition victory over the New York Mets on Sunday. Aaron Judge proved he has recovered from a punctured lung and fractured rib by launching a pair of homers in that contest and is hoping to regain the form that made him the AL home-run leader as a rookie in 2017 (52).
Why you should back the Nationals
The Nationals are defending World Series champions and even though they lost Anthony Rendon to free agency and will now be without Soto for the start of the season, having Scherzer on the mound always gives them a great chance to win. Scherzer dealt with some back issues in 2019, but he still went 11-7 and had a stellar 2.92 ERA and his numbers were probably better than that indicated.
He had a 2.45 FIP and had a whopping 243 strikeouts in just 172 1/3 innings, leading the National League with 12.7 strikeouts per nine innings. He also walked just 1.7 batter per nine innings, his lowest total since 2015 in his first season in Washington. Meanwhile, Trea Turner, Adam Eaton, Howie Kendrick and Victor Robles all give them elements of speed and contact
How to make Yankees vs. Nationals picks
SportsLine's model is leaning over on the total, as the simulations say Cole and Scherzer each allow more than two earned runs, and it also says one side of the money line has the value. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Yankees vs. Nationals? And which side of the money line has all the value? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Yankees vs. Nationals spread to jump on Thursday, all from the advanced model that returned more than $1,400 last season.
