Free MLB Betting Pick on Philadelphia at Washington

I like to think of the individual divisions in baseball as being a lot like a horse race. There are going to be teams that come roaring out of the gate in an effort to get the lead and hold on. Others will just try to stick as close to the leader and overtake them as they run out of gas, while the remaining teams will start in last place and finish there, too. The NL East has seen a couple of fast starters this season, but it’s not who MLB lines predicted it would be.

Looking at the Free MLB Betting Pick on Philadelphia at Washington & TV Info

Date: Friday, April 17, 2015Time: 7:05PMVenue: Nationals ParkOpening Line: Washington -251The Washington Nationals (3-6) are everyone’s favorite to win the division, but they have stumbled out of the gate pretty hard. It’s tough to see this type of form continuing, though, especially when you consider that they have the best pitching rotation in the league. They are in the midst of a 4-game series versus the division rival Phillies, a team that they are already 1-2 against on the season. They could have tied that up by the time Friday rolls around, as the will be looking to build off the 10-5 drubbing of the Red Sox the other night, which prevented them being swept. The Nats will send Max Scherzer (0-1, 0.66 ERA) to the mound on Friday, and will hope to finally give him some run support. Scherzer has been justifying the huge amount of dough that Washington shelled out on him, but just isn’t getting any type of help from his offense.The Philadelphia Phillies (3-6) are one of those horses who is expected to trail the field all the way. They defied the odds a little by staring the season at .500 against the Nationals and the Red Sox. They have now lost 4 straight, though, which included a sweep at the hands of the New York Mets. They will be hoping that Cole Hamels can weave some of his old magic in the series opener on Thursday before handing the ball to Sean O’Sullivan (0-0, 3.00 ERA) on Friday. The first start of the season for O’Sullivan came against Washington in a game that the Phillies lost 4-3. The righty threw 6 innings, giving up 5 hits and 2 runs in the process on his way to a no decision.

Key Betting Trends

Washington is 2-5 SU in its last 7 gamesThe total has gone UNDER in 16 of Washington’s last 23 gamesWashington is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at homeThe total has gone UNDER in 6 of Washington’s last 7 games at homeWashington is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games when playing PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia is 1-4 SU in its last 5 gamesPhiladelphia is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games on the roadPhiladelphia is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing WashingtonThe total has gone UNDER in 4 of Philadelphia’s last 5 games when playing WashingtonPhiladelphia is 6-15 SU in its last 21 games when playing on the road against Washington

Consider This Before Placing Your Bets

It’s still very early in the year, but the Nats are going to be looking to turn things around as quickly as possible. 4 games against the Phillies might just be the perfect tonic, and I really like Scherzer to shut the Philadelphia bats down on Friday. A big win for the Nationals here, I believe.