It is never a good idea to get too high on a team or too down on them in the early part of the season. By the time we reach the midway part of the MLB season, though, we have more than enough data to draw on to make a decision about which teams will be challenging for a playoff spot as we head down the home stretch. There is always the possibility that one of the teams sitting at the top right now could experience a total collapse in the second half, but that seems a little unlikely given how they have played to this point.
While the favorites are rather obvious at this point, there are also a couple of teams lurking in the chasing pack who look set to make a run. One team that looks to be fitting that bill is the Washington Nationals, as they are in a run of form that has put them back in the playoff conversation. They have the opportunity to continue climbing when they play the second of a 3-game series versus the Miami Marlins on Wednesday night. The Nationals are favored by 1 ½ on Wednesday, with the run total set at 7 ½.
Nationals vs Marlins MLB Week 13 Betting Lines & Preview
- When: Wednesday, June 26 at 7:10 PM EST
- Where: Tropicana Field, Miami
- Starting Pitchers: Corbin vs. Gallen
- TV: MLB Extra Innings
- Live Stream: MLB.tv
- Radio: SiriusXM
- MLB Week 13 Betting Lines: Washington Nationals -150 (Total 7.5)
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Why bet on the Washington Nationals?
The Nationals got off to a very slow start this season, and while they are on a great run of form right now, they are still paying the penalty for that sluggish start. The Nationals have picked up 7 wins in their last 10 games, but they are still sitting 8 games off the pace being set by the Braves at the top of the NL East, a deficit that is going to be tough to overcome given how well Atlanta is playing at the moment.
It’s a very different story in the Wild Card race in the National League, though, as the Nationals are in with a large pack of teams, sitting just 2 ½ games out of the final spot. The Nationals are 17-21 SU on the road and 8-9 ATS as a road favorite. Patrick Corbin (6-5, 3.90) era will start.
Team Stats
Offense- Runs: 2.37
- Hits: 4.07
- Walks: 1.54
- Strike Outs: 4.10
- Runs: 2.30
- Hits: 4.02
- Walks: 1.52
- Strike Outs: 4.47
Why bet on the Miami Marlins?
The outlook for the Marlins prior to the start of this season was not good, and they have certainly met those extremely low expectations, going 30-47 to this stage of the season. While it would be easy to look at the Marlins as a bit of an easy out, the reality is that they have not been that bad of late, going 6-4 in their last 10 games.
That said, this is a team that is just 13-26 SU in their own ballpark after going down 6-1 in the opening game of this series. The Marlins are now 3-5 versus the Nationals in their regular season series and are 17-20 ATS as a home underdog. They will have Zac Gallen (0-0, 1.80 ERA) on the mound for this one.
Team Stats
Offense- Runs: 1.64
- Hits: 3.79
- Walks: 1.15
- Strike Outs: 4.18
- Runs: 2.10
- Hits: 3.85
- Walks: 1.72
- Strike Outs: 4.05
Nationals vs Marlins MLB Betting Trends
- Nationals are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games on the road
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington’s last 6 games played on a Wednesday
- Marlins are 5-11 SU in their last 16 games when playing at home against Washington
- The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Miami’s last 11 games played on a Wednesday
- Nationals are 38-40 against the money line in all games this season
- Marlins are 3-5 against WASHINGTON this season
- Corbin is 2-1 when starting against MIAMI with an ERA of 3.72 and a WHIP of 1.109
Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction for Nationals vs Marlins
The Nationals made the opening game of this series look easy, but it is worth remembering that starting pitcher Patrick Corbin has had issues on the road of late. I still like the Nationals to win a close one.
Score: Washington Nationals 4 – Miami Marlins 3
