Chicago White Sox vs. Washington Nationals Prediction: Can Jackson Rutledge Rebound on Tuesday?
Chicago White Sox vs. Washington Nationals prediction and pick ahead of Tuesday's game between the two sides. Rookie Jackson Rutledge takes the mound again, looking to rebound from his atrocious first start. How should you bet it? Find out here.
Krabs - September 19, 2023, 4:49 PM EDT
3 minChicago White Sox vs. Washington Nationals Prediction: Can Jackson Rutledge Rebound on Tuesday?
It hasn’t been the greatest September for the Nationals, who have lost seven of their last ten games. In last night’s 6-1 loss, the benches cleared when Dom Smith broke up Clevinger’s shutout. Clevinger didn’t like Dom Smith’s home run celebration when the Nationals were still down by five runs, and he let Dom know it. Don’t be surprised if the scrappy Nats take Clevinger’s comments personally and come out firing.
White Sox vs. Nationals Date, Time and Where to Watch
- Date: September 19, 2023
- Time: 7:05 pm ET
- Where to Watch: MLB.TV
Chicago White Sox vs. Washington Nationals Prediction
The Nationals can’t get a draft pick better than the tenth slot, no matter how many losses they finish with. This is because of some organizational moves the Nationals pulled (and I’m still trying to understand the reasoning), but my point of bringing this up relates to the Nationals' late-season motivation. Their young core is not only trying to secure their spots on this team for next season, they have no reason to “tank” like the White Sox do. Don’t expect the scrappy Nats to take their foot off the gas anytime soon.
Jackson Rutledge is set to make his second major league start. It can’t be worse than his debut, where he gave up seven runs on ten hits against the Pirates. Well, the MLB debut “jitters” are done with: it’s time for Rutledge to showcase his true potential.
Rutledge will be pitching at home tonight, which could settle him down after a brutal road debut. He also gets to face one of the worst lineups in baseball tonight. Considering the Nationals are the betting favorite in this matchup, it seems like oddsmakers are thinking the same way I am about Rutledge. Expect the rookie to look much better tonight in his first start at Nats Park.
I’m willing to bet that Dom Smith, the leader of this team, gets the Nats fired up to get some revenge after the benches cleared last night. This team has stayed motivated and overperformed all season, expect much of the same tonight against one of the worst pitchers in baseball, Jose Urena. The Nationals might not have the best bullpen, but I’m banking on Rutledge looking much better in his second MLB outing.
Chicago White Sox vs. Washington Nationals Pick
- PICK: WSH ML (-115) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
