Washington Nationals vs. Cincinnati Reds Prediction: Can Graham Ashcraft Limit the Nationals?
Tonight the Washington Nationals face the Cincinnati Reds. Can Graham Ashcraft Limit the Nationals tonight? Baseball betting expert Krabs breaks it down.
Krabs
| 5 min
Washington Nationals vs. Cincinnati Reds Prediction: Can Graham Ashcraft Limit the Nationals?
It’s been an up-and-down season for Graham Ashcraft. After owning a 2.10 ERA through 30 innings in April, the wheels fell off for him in May. The Cincinnati Reds’ young righty carried a 10 ERA through June before being placed on the IL after his start in Los Angeles. Clearly, Ashcraft was trying to pitch through an injury before his IL stint; he looked like a completely different pitcher against the San Diego Padres last week. Tonight, he faces the Washington Nationals on the road. Will Ashcraft follow up his promising performance from last week with another gem, or will the scrappy Nats hand him his seventh loss of the season?
Nationals vs. Reds Start Time and Where to Watch
- Date: July 5, 2023
- Time: 7:05 pm ET
- Where to Watch: MLB.TV
Washington Nationals vs. Cincinnati Reds Prediction
Ashcraft dealt for the first time in months against the Padres last week. He didn’t get the win, but Ashcraft allowed only one run through nearly seven innings of work. This was exactly what both Ashcraft and the Reds’ organization needed to see: Ashcraft is back.
After Spencer Steer’s walk-off, he mentioned in the post-game presser that Ashcraft “looked like the Graham I know,” a promising comment. To be fair, Ashcraft is only 25 and over-exceeded all expectations in his rookie season last year. He was dominant in his first six starts this season before getting hurt.
The Reds' young starter finally has some confidence heading into DC to face a Nats’ offense that struggles against right-handed pitching. Washington also struggles mightily at Nats Park, where they are 12-29. Their best overall hitter, Joey Meneses, is also amid the worst slump in his MLB career. I’d be surprised if the Nationals score at all against Ashcraft tonight.
Sure, the scrappy Nats might put up some runs against the Reds bullpen tonight. They have been one of baseball's worst pens in recent weeks. Instead of Targeting the Reds on the moneyline and potentially enduring a late heartbreaking loss, let’s bet on Ashcraft to throw a gem. In his post-game presser last week, Ashcraft had a big smile and stated he could finally locate his pitches and sinker where he wanted. Buy low on Ashcraft’s stock, and bet him to give up less than three earned runs in DC tonight.
Washington Nationals vs. Cincinnati Reds Prop Pick
Graham Ashcraft u2.5 Earned Runs -125 is currently the best odds. Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds for this pick
MLB Odds
