Miami Marlins vs. Washington Nationals Prediction: Can Jesus Luzardo, Marlins Dominate?
The Washington Nationals are in Miami, taking on the Marlins. Can Jesus Luzardo and the Marlins dominate tonight? Baseball expert Krabs breaks down the game and shares his pick.
Krabs - May 16, 2023, 2:50 PM EDT
5 minMiami Marlins vs. Washington Nationals Prediction: Can Jesus Luzardo, Marlins Dominate?
Don’t let the Washington Nationals get hot! It might be too late, as the Nats are only two games out of the NL Wildcard. Well, after tonight’s matchup with the Miami Marlins, the Nats will be three games out of the Wildcard. Miami isn’t losing tonight with Jesus Luzardo on the mound. Now let me tell you why…
Marlins vs. Nationals Start Time and Where to Watch
- Date: Tuesday, May 16, 2023
- Game Time: 6:40 pm ET
- Where to Watch: MLB.TV
Miami Marlins vs. Washington Nationals Prediction
Josiah Gray has pitched extremely well for the Nationals in 2023. Since giving up five runs to the Braves in his first start, Gray hasn’t allowed more than three runs in a game, lowering his ERA to 2.96. The young righty’s kryptonite has been giving up the long ball, but he has only allowed two home runs in his previous seven starts combined.
If Gray has pitched so well recently, why have the Nats moved from (+125) to (+140) on the moneyline? The Nats have been playing much better baseball than the Marlins recently and have both the offensive and pitching advantage tonight. Washington crushes left-handed pitching, as we saw against the Mets this past week. So why have the Marlins become such a heavy favorite?
Baseball takes forever. The games are long (or at least they used to be), and the season is long and spans nearly seven months. Over the 162 games each team plays, there are going to be nights when the most random occurrences happen. This isn’t football, where they only play limited games, and you pretty much know what to expect. There is much more variance in baseball compared to any other major sport because they play so many games.
My point is…even though the Nationals look like the logical wager tonight, considering they have the better pitcher and offense and are facing a lefty, that doesn’t mean it’s going to happen. With the way the odds are moving in this game tonight, this is one of those games where you bet the lines, not the teams. The odds have moved towards the Marlins nearly twenty cents for a reason.
For some baseball reasoning on why to back the Marlins tonight, Luzardo looked much better in his recent start against the Diamondbacks. The electric lefty struggles with his command, but when he’s on, Luzardo is unhittable. With Miami now sitting (-160) on the moneyline, oddsmakers are expecting Luzardo to replicate his recent gem of an outing against the Nationals tonight. Back the Marlins to take care of business and defeat the Nats at home tonight behind a dominant outing from Luzardo.
Miami Marlins vs. Washington Nationals Pick
Miami Marlins ML -160 is currently the best odds. Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
MLB Odds
